Prayer is communion with God, a relationship with Him, and being mindful of His presence. In Eph. 6:10- tells us about the whole armor of God and that we are to pray always with all kinds of prayer and supplication. James 5:13-18 reveals how to pray effectively and how to pray for healing. Prayer can be unfruitful: praying according to your lusts, praying against God’s will, praying religious, mindless, repetitive prayers. Prayer is not rebuking the devil, because that’s taking authority over the enemy. Don’t disconnect from communion with God. We know we are to pray to God, the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ (John 16:23). You can talk to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit, but prayer is to God. How do you know if your prayer is effective? When you are in good communion with God. Adam and Eve had good communion with God before the Fall, and Enoch’s communion was so good, he was taken up. Luke 18:10-14 mentions the prayer of humility (knowing who you are with God and knowing who you are without Him) compared to the one who speaks the “prayer” of self-justification. Is. 56:7 tells about God’s saying that His house should be a house of prayer. The congregation spent time praying in the Spirit.
Prayer
The Wealth of Wisdom Part 5
Offering: Mark 6:30-44 Jesus gave of what He had, blessed it, and fed the multitude, even so that there were 12 baskets left over. Sermon message: I Cor. 1:30 Jesus became the wisdom of God for us. He will give us His wisdom, if we ask and seek and cry out for it. Wisdom is not knowledge, but helps you to know how to put knowledge to work. Wisdom is skillful. In Ex. 35:30-36:2 we learn that God gave artisans the Spirit of God in wisdom and understanding and knowledge and all manner of workmanship. He gives skill for you to do your job. Prov. 4:1-7 Listen and pay attention to wisdom. It’s not just a confession, but you must apply yourself to go after wisdom. The 3 keys to wisdom are instruction, correction, and rebuke. Prov. 1:1-7 Teaching gets wisdom to you. When there was unbelief, Jesus taught. Prov. 1:20-30 tells us to repent and turn at wisdom’s reproof. Prov. 12:1, 15 The one who hates correction is stupid. Prov. 13:18; Prov. 15:5, 31-32; Prov. 9:8; Prov. 29:15. There are touchy areas where wisdom may be needed but not easily received, such as weight, marriage, children, business. Show where a person is wrong in the Scriptures. Heb. 12:5-9 God chastens by discipline. II Tim. 3:14-4:5 says to preach the Word, rebuke, correct. Heb. 13:17 Receive correction from your pastor, and let others speak into your heart.
The Wealth of Wisdom Part 11
Offering message: Gen. 26:6 and 12 tell us that Isaac sowed in a time of famine and God blessed him so that he became very prosperous. Even in poor economic times, we can prosper. Sermon message: Prov. 4:5 Get wisdom and get understanding! It’s like your mother calling you to the dinner table, “Come and get it!” You have to put effort into it. #1 You must have desire and an appetite for wisdom. #2 You must ask for wisdom (James 1:5, 6). #3 You must receive, or take, wisdom by faith (Mark 11:22-24). There is earthly, sensual, and demonic wisdom, and then there is wisdom from above (James 3:13-17). Wisdom brings wealth. Nothing compares with wisdom (Prov. 8:10, 11; 16:16). II Chron. 1:6-12 is about Solomon, who after offering 1000 burnt offerings, which pleased God, He asked Solomon to ask Him for whatever he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom. He spared no expense for the temple he built for God. His wisdom brought huge wealth, so that queens, such as the Queen of Sheba, and kings came to learn from him, bringing large amounts of their wealth (II Chron. 9:1-28). Wisdom thinks abundance. Change your mindset, and don’t sit in judgment of what people spend.
Spirit Led Living Listening to His Voice
Offering message: The key to miracles is to do whatever He tells you to do. The tithe is 10%, and offerings are your giving beyond the tithe. Sermon message: Pastor Syd shares many personal experiences on listening to God’s voice. Scriptures: John 2:1-11; John 10:1-27; John 14; Ps. 66:18; Acts 24:16; Romans 9:1; Rom. 8:14,16; II Peter 1:16-21; II Tim. 3:16-17; John 16:8,13-16; I John 2:27; Luke 1:1-4; Acts 15:22-36. If we are Jesus Christ’s sheep, we will hear His voice and follow Him. When won’t you hear His voice? 1- If you’re not His sheep. 2- If you’re praying for something for which the Bible has already given you an answer. 3- Because God has already told you what to do, but you haven’t obeyed Him. 4- If you have known, unconfessed sin in your life. 5- You are hearing from the wrong source. How does God speak to us? 1- Through His Word. 2- By His Spirit. 3- Through other people. When does He use other people to speak to you? 1- If you’re hard of hearing. 2- To bolster you for rough sailing. 3- To confirm what you already know. Don’t be led by money. Do what seems good to you (God’s peace). Following God’s voice will save you time, money, lives.
Ask of Me
In Gen. 18:1-8 we see that Abraham was hospitable and giving to strangers. Do we make the gospel attractive? Giving is a test of love. In Gen. 8:9-15 those same “strangers” (angels) told Abraham and Sarah about the son that they would have, and in 16-33 Abraham boldly intercedes with the Lord for his nephew, Lot and the righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah. We need to ask for boldness and urgency for the lost, whether one person or many. Ps. 2:8 says to ask God for the nations. #1 Ask for boldness (Eph. 6:19-20), #2 for a door to be opened into their lives (Col. 4:2-6), and #3 ask for good ground (hearts) to sow the Word into (1 Thess. 3:1; Is. 55:10-11). Seek the lost. Isaiah 60:21-22 tells us that it’s God’s will that the kingdom of God would grow. Sow the Word into people’s lives.
Righteousness Consciousness
You are made in Jesus Christ’s righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). You won’t have boldness if you don’t know you’re righteous in Him. We are righteous through faith in Jesus, and His blood justifies us (Rom. 3:10-26). We can have boldness in the day of judgment (1 John 4:16, 17) because our wrongs are covered, erased, and forgiven (1 John 1:9). Heb. 7:25 Jesus pleads (intercedes) on our behalf, and if our hearts don’t condemn us, we can have confidence toward God. (Rom. 5:17). Jesus became sin, so we can come to the Father and can be the righteousness of God, walking in boldness. Heb. 12:18-24 Our spirits are made perfect; Jesus is our mediator of the new covenant. Heb. 4:14-16 Jesus was tempted as we are, so hold fast your confession and come boldly to the throne of grace. Rom. 8:28-38 God freely gives us all things, and we are more than conquerors. Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
The Secret of Life
To go with God’s momentum, be a doer of the Word (2 Tim. 3:7) and check out your beliefs, because wrong beliefs about God equal a wrong approach to Him. We start with Jesus and then move to His truths. A key truth is the fear of the Lord. It contains and provides for great promises. It is not a spirit of fear nor stiffness nor lack of fun (Heb. 13:5; Ps. 23; 1 John 4:17, 18; Is. 29:13). The fear of God must be balanced with the love of God. The fear of God is the fear of wrath and judgment of God, the awareness of and faith in God, the divine order before His glory and presence, and judgment. If we want the glory of God and His presence, we must be in divine order and be in reverence and awe of Him (Heb. 5:7; Heb. 12:25-29; 2 Cor. 7:1), or we will be judged. Revival is the refreshing of new fire, a greater presence of God, and reverence and awe. Do not have a casual attitude toward God and don’t stop revival.
Armada Mission Trip Guatemala
Offering message: (Pastor Syd Ropp) Gal. 6:6 Pastor Syd teaches about the difference of sowing to the flesh and sowing to the Spirit. When you give, GIVE TO GOD, not to man or man’s work, and then it won’t come to corruption. In Mark 9:37,41 Jesus said that giving a cup of water to someone or receiving one of His children is giving to God. Don’t lose your focus of giving to God. Heb. 7:8 says that here mortal men receive tithes, but we’re giving it to God. Sermon: Gene English, Chester Petersheim, Jason Miller, Chani Zimmerman, and Josh Shuman shared about their recent mission trip to Guatemala and the way that Armada Commission (Armada Bible School) has impacted their lives. Gene also taught on seizing the moment with the examples of Mary’s anointing Jesus’ feet (John 12:1-8), and Kubla Khan’s (and China’s) turning to Buddhism because Christian missionaries weren’t sent to China when he asked for them. Seize the opportunity to be used by God. It’s important!
Special Worship Service
This Sunday’s service was mainly a worship service. None of the worship is on the web. This 33 minutes of audio is short segments of other parts of the service.
Faith: Head or Heart
Faith is important and foundational. We must walk in and live by faith (Heb. 10:38 ) in every aspect of life. Putting faith with love equals victory. Rom. 10:9-10, 13 tells what is the first step of faith, and Rom. 14:23 says that what’s not of faith is sin. We can’t please God without faith (Heb. 11:6). How does faith in God come? It comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). We can know that God is good, and we can trust Him and His Word. Some of what God’s Word says is conditional and situational. You meet the qualifications and criteria for His promises to come to pass for you. Faith isn’t hope, which is future. You can’t have faith for something for which you didn’t get someone’s (or God’s) word. Faith is now. Faith will cause you to take action. Faith is agreeing with the Word of God. Unbelief is taking sides against the Word of God. What’s the difference between head and heart faith? Head faith is based on the five senses, mental persuasion, emotion, and the physical realm (Example: Thomas in John 20:24-31). Abraham is an example of heart faith (Rom. 4:16-22). It’s getting God’s Word and then putting your trust into it and Him. It is based on the spiritual realm and the Word, speaking it out, and acting on it. Thank God for His promises when you pray and when you receive. Pastor Syd shares testimonies of using faith to believe for his healing.
Faith
Faith in God or the faith of God is complete persuasion and assurance in God. (Mark 11:12, 20-24; Matt. 21:20-22; 2 Tim. 1:12b; Heb. 11:1) Whom do you believe in? God is our Source. Bible hope (trust, expectation, and anticipation) is different from today’s worldly hope (want and desire). You don’t have any more faith than you have patience. Consider how you use the name of Jesus. In Acts 19:13-17 the Seven Sons of Sceva used Jesus’ name and reaped some bad results. Be careful not to use His name as an incantation or formula. Stir yourself up when you realize your faith is waning from when you first stood in faith. The trying of your faith is the passage of time. Pastor Syd read all of Hebrews 11 which records those people who lived by faith. Heb. 12:1-2 reminds us to run the race with patience.
The Christian Life: The Biblical Structure of the Home and Marriage
Word given by Larry Hostetter: Children, you don’t know how special you are, how special I have made you. Those giftings that I have put in you. When I [had] created you, I [had] placed giftings within you. There are many different giftings. There are giftings of the Spirit. Have you found them? Have you found those giftings that I want for you, found in the baptism of the Holy Spirit? It’ll set you free. It’ll change your life. It’ll help you walk the walk that I have called for you, the plan that I have for you. It’ll take you there. It’ll take you there. It’s where I want you to go. As you follow Me, as you learn My Word and place [My] Word in your heart, I’m going to change you into a vehicle that will glorify My Name. It’s not about you. It’s about the One who lives in you. Don’t forget that. I placed giftings in you, but they are supernatural giftings that I want you to work in, I want you to move in, but it’s done by the Spirit. So, train your ears to hear His Word, so put His Word in your heart so you can hear His Word, that you can hear His voice and learn to know the difference. The Word says you have to judge the spirits. There are many spirits in the world, but there’s only one true God. There’s only one living God. There’s only one God that paid the price. That glorious salvation that He provided for you is free. There’s no price in it, except for your life, except for your heart. That’s a big price for some people to pay, but that’s the price that I accept. That’s the price that Jesus died for. So, be willing My children. Hunger and thirst after Me, after My righteousness for your life needs to be changed. It needs to be changed, one day at a time, one surrender at a time. When I put My finger on something, get it out, get it out! When you see it, when you hear it, get it out! Get it out! There’s a price to pay. Time for surrender… It’s time for us to surrender in Jesus’ name.
Offering: Pastor Syd shares a testimony about his obedience to God and the blessing that followed (2 Cor. 8:9; 2 Cor. 9:6). Sermon: The Word can bring revival in our marriages. All marriage problems stem from selfishness. Are you doing marriage the way God said? Gen. 2:15-25 tells about Adam in the Garden of Eden. God made Eve to be Adam’s helper. Christ is the head of the man; man is the head of his wife; and God is Christ’s head (1 Cor. 11:3). The husband is the leader, and the wife is the helper. Except for 1 Cor. 7:1-6, marriage is NOT 50/50. (Eph. 5:15-22; Heb. 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-17). Honor is big with God. Choose to respect and honor, even if the person doesn’t deserve it. Refuse to fight. Submit (1 Peter 5:5; James 4:7; Eph. 5:24-33; Col. 3:18-19; Eph. 5:22-33). Every question about marriage is answered in how Christ functions in the Church. 1- Submission is not agreement, and in fact, you don’t need to submit if you agree. You can submit when you don’t agree. 2-Submission isn’t easy. 3-Submission is not weakness (1 Peter 3:1). 4-Submission isn’t forced. No form of making someone do something is from God. It’s manipulation. Serve. Marriage is to be a picture of Christ and the Church. Walk in your own place. Submission is your own choice.
Unwavering Faith: Keep Your Eyes on Jesus
Text: Heb. 12:1-2. We are to lay aside every weight and sin that ensnares us. Don’t get tripped up , but stay in faith. The things that ensnare us can be the little things that catch your attention and cause you to fall away from faith, things like not walking in love. Keep your eyes on Jesus. When you put your faith in God, there is nothing that Satan can do to stop God’s Word from working, so he will try to get your eyes off of Jesus to destroy you. James 1:5-8 tells us to ask God in faith if we lack wisdom. If we waver in faith, we won’t receive anything. Doubting is being double-minded and driven by circumstances; it’s thinking about two different things at the same time and not being able to make a decision. Angels are sent out to serve those who inherit salvation (Heb. 1:13-14). Pastor Syd gives an analogy of how we advance our angel(s) or cause them to retreat from us by our confession of faith. Peter walked to Jesus in the storm on the sea in faith (Matt. 14:25-29), but he didn’t keep his eyes on Jesus. Fear opens the door to Satan, but praise opens the door to God. Don’t look at the problem and don’t give in to fear. Martha had too many things getting her attention. Make a choice about your thoughts. If they are thoughts of fear, Satan wants you to think they’re your thoughts, so take them captive and make them come into the obedience of Jesus Christ. The incident of Moses and the bronze snake is another example of keeping your eyes on Jesus (Num. 21:4-8). God has put everything under Jesus’ feet Eph. 1:20-23). Keep your eyes on Him.
Faith and Overcoming Fear
The Holy Spirit told Pastor Syd: “God’s mercy and His provision are indelibly linked. They cannot be separated. His compassion provides the interchange.” His compassion transfers (connects) His mercy to His provision. Where God’s mercy is, His provision is there. (Ex. Matt. 20:29-34; Is. 63:7)
The Word of God will come against what the devil brings to us. Text: Is. 7:1-9. Fear is deadly, and stress and worry are forms of fear. You can have fear but still stand in faith. We can resist fear by humbling ourselves before God, realizing that He is our source. Fear is a roadblock to what God wants to do. Don’t fear what everyone else is fearing. God is our source, and we are to fear Him only. The condition is believing the word of the Lord. Think only what the Lord has said. An example is David with Goliath. David could have faith to defeat him because he compared Goliath to God. We have God’s promises: Is. 41:10-13; Ps. 34:1-22; Is. 26:3; Ps. 23. When your faith believes that it receives, it rejoices. Seek the Lord, and He will deliver you from all fear. He will keep you in perfect peace if you keep your eyes on Him. Pastor Syd tells what all God’s peace means. Do you tremble at the word of God? Pastor Sydney shares powerful testimonies he and his wife experienced in the valley of the shadow of death.
Prayer
Offering message: In 2 Kings 5:1-18 Naaman learned that the key to miracles is to do what God tells you to do. Sermon message: Text: Matt. 8:18-20 and 16:19 tell us that when two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name and agree about any matter that they pray for, it will be done. We pray in Jesus’ name, ask according to God’s will (1 John 5:14), have child-like faith, and the result is that we will have what we ask. Pastor Syd gave three examples of when he asked God with child-like faith. Hardening of the heart happens when you don’t get what you prayed for; the devil will even use Scripture against you to cause you to doubt. Exercise the Word of God. Believe it. God says, “I’ve done my part. Now do yours.” (There was a time of corporate prayer.)
The Power of Our Words Part 4 (Choose Life)
Word given by Larry Hostetter: I take joy in you, My children, when you praise Me with your whole heart. It blesses Me. It excites Me. Your praises are so important. They come straight to the throne room. They create power. They create anointing. It’s so important. For all I have done for you through Jesus Christ, your Lord, your Savior, through the blood of the Lamb, through the stripes that He bore, through the Almighty name that is far above powers and principalities. Praise His name. Praise the name of the Lord for He is good. He is merciful. He is kind. He is awesome, far, far, far, far above the powers and principalities. And so you shall see soon. It’s coming quick. It’s coming quick when I will release My glory, when your praises will bring the presence of God in this place. Get a heart after Me. Get into My Word. Believe My Word because I’m going to fulfill it, all, every jot and tittle will be fulfilled, and you shall see Me. You shall know Me in a way that you’ve never known before, because My presence is coming. My might, My power will put the devil to run. He cannot stand My presence. He cannot stand in My presence. He has to go.
Pastor Syd gave a powerful testimony of God’s blessing his obedience.) Sermon text: Deut. 30:11-20. Whatever God commands us is reachable through Him. The Word is in our hearts and mouths. We can choose life or death. Choosing life means we love our God, obey Him, and remain faithful to Him. We are given choices. In 1 Kings 17 Elijah acted on a word God had previously given him and went to the king with the message that it wouldn’t rain until he said so. In 1 Kings 18:20-46 Elijah continued to walk in faith and God answered him. James 5:17-18 tells us that Elijah was a man like us, but he prayed and believed God. He didn’t say, “If it’s God’s will.” He proclaimed God’s word, and then God did His part. The words you choose create. Follow the checks and peace in your spirit and be led by God’s Spirit. Pastor Sydney shared another testimony of his and his wife’s standing on God’s word to them during a great financial collapse. (Note: The housing miracle was even greater! Pastor Sydney and his wife, Jen, checked back to their records and found that the final rent cost they had to pay was $500, not $700! Thank You, Jesus!)
The Wonderful Good Plan for Me Part 1
God’s plan for your life is a good one, one of peace and hope ( Jer. 29:11-14). If we pray to Him and seek Him, He will listen. Shalom is peace, perfect, prosperity, rest, safety, welfare, wholly well. You have to make a choice for life. Are the promises in the Old Testament for us today? YES! Gal. 3:13-14, 26-29, and 4:4 establish the truth that we are sons and heirs of God and that the blessing of Abraham has come to us through faith in Jesus Christ. What are some of those promises? Matt. 11:28-30 tells us that God gives us rest, His yoke is easy, and His burden is light, because we’re yoked with Him. Rom. 5:17 tells us that we will receive grace and the gift of righteousness to reign in life through Jesus Christ. Rom. 8:14-17 lets us know that we are God’s heirs. Rom. 8:31-38 says that God is for us and that nothing can separate us from His love. You’ll get excited and bold about the Word of God when it’s working for you. A quote from Keith Moore: “The plan of God is the glory of God prepared by the love of God especially for the children of God, me!” Our response is praise, joy, shouts of jubilation (Ps. 32:11; 35:27; 47:1; 100:1-4). Rely on His strength and His good plan for you.
The Wonderful Good Plan for Me Part 2
Pastor Syd reviewed last Wednesday’s message from Jer. 29:11-14 (God’s promise for our peace and plans to prosper us applies to us today; we must make a choice for God’s plan; God’s plan should be easy if we are yoked with Jesus; if we believe God’s plan for us, we’ll be excited about it, and it will work for us.) His plan gives us hope and hope produces joy. Faith produces peace. Hope expects. Faith receives. Faith, hope, and love are the armor and the weapons. We need to put on the helmet of salvation to think God’s thoughts, not the enemy’s. Watch your words, because they carry spiritual significance. Allow yourself to express joy and praise in your worship and root out the spirit of pride. Use praise as a sword to open the door to the Father with power. Laugh at the devil and his plans. Remember: he is NOT the equal opposite of God. Don’t agree with his thoughts and feelings and fears. Death is our enemy, but we don’t need to be afraid of it. Other texts: Luke 4:16-19; Matt. 11:28-30; Ps. 32:11; 47:1; Prov. 10:28; Rom. 15:13; Rom. 5:1-2; 1 Thess. 5:5-8; 1 Peter 1:6-8; Ps. 149:3-5; 2:1-4; 37:12; Job 5:22; 1 Cor. 15:52-55.
The Wonderful Good Plan for Me Part 3
Pastor Syd reviews and builds on last Wednesday’s message. God’s promises are for you. His plan for you is good. You have to choose God’s plan and to believe it. We are yoked with God, and His yoke is easy and His burden is light. If you believe His plan for you, you’ll be excited about it. Praising God is a two-edged sword. God laughs at the devil and his wicked schemes. Walk in faith. Speak in faith. God’s vision for you is a picture (Prov. 29:18). Get a picture in your mind of how God sees you. Write down the vision (Hab. 2:2). Which plan is playing in your mind? When you speak the Word of God, your ears hear it, and your mind shows you a picture of it. We focus and speak what is in the unseen and eternal. Abraham, Noah, Joseph, and Joshua had a picture of God’s plan that they held on to for years. Prov. 4:10, 18, and 20-22 tell us to listen and see and get God’s revelation. The result will be living many years and having health in your whole body. (Tom Fuss gave a word to Pastors Dale and Syd.)
The Wonderful Good Plan for Me: Part 4
God’s vision of you is expressed in Jer. 29:11-14. Mark 16:15-18 is God’s working orders. Eph. 3:20-21 tells us that God is able to do great things for us through the power that works in us. God made Jesus to be head over everything for the church. There are two visions competing for you in your mind: God’s and Satan’s. Choose life and choose God’s plan. What is the image that you keep in front of you? If it’s carnal and flesh-minded, it will produce death. Think on good, God-things. Jacob had a bad vision in his head: “Everything happens to me.” When everything seems to fall apart, God’s plan is still there. In contrast, Joseph held onto God’s vision for him, and that plan was to preserve life. God will take what comes to you and turn it to good. Everyday is a good day. Joy is your strength and proves that you believe God’s plan for you. Be glad! (Prov. 10:28; Ps. 32:11; Ps. 40:16; Ps. 68:3; Ps. 126:1) Yielding to the Holy Spirit, especially to the point of being “drunk in the Holy Spirit”, will bring excitement, joy, and laughter and the glory of God will be on you.
The Kingdom of God Part 1 (Kingdom-Mindedness)
Text: Matt. 6:31-33. Jesus taught and preached the kingdom of God, and He told us clearly that seeking His kingdom and His righteousness must be our first priority. He will provide the things we need, such as food, drink, and clothing, if we seek His kingdom first. Worry gets you nothing good. Put your faith in the Word and don’t worry about your needs. Focus on and be single-minded about what God has told you to do. He is your source, not your job. Jesus taught much more than salvation. He came for kingdom purposes. The kingdom of God is the territory and people subject to and under the rule of God. Matt. 6:9-10 tells us that God’s will is to be carried out on earth as in heaven. In Luke 1:30-33 Gabriel tells Mary about the kingdom of God. In Luke 4:5-7 Satan tempted Jesus with a shortcut to gaining the kingdoms of the world. Jesus rebuked the devil, and when He was raised from death and hell, He established His kingdom. Jesus had to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God, because that was His purpose (Luke 4:43). Other Scriptures about the purpose of preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God are: Luke 8:1; Luke 9:1-2, 6, 11, 57, 60-62; Matt. 24. Seeking the kingdom of God must come before family. If you’re regretting what you’ve left behind for God, you’re looking back, and you’re not fit for the kingdom of God. Be kingdom-minded. It should touch everywhere you go.
God and Honor Part 1
Offering Message: Jesus taught in the synagogue as usual, and He read about Himself from Is. 49:8-9 and 61:1-2 (Luke 4:14-18). Here we find the answer to problems. God sent Jesus to heal (the answer) the brokenhearted (the problem); to bring recovery of sight (answer) to the blind (problem); to proclaim liberty (answer) to the captives (problem). He preached the Good News (answer) to the poor (problem). Jesus is the answer to the problem. In 2 Cor. 8:9 we learn that Jesus became poor so that we can be rich. We have to believe in order for these truths to work for us. Matt. 23:23 says that we must tithe andexercise justice, mercy, and faith. Sermon: Eli’s sons were not honoring God as priests, and Eli was honoring his sons more than God. Honor means to highly esteem, weighty, heavy, valuable, precious; it is not bondage. “Despise” means to lightly regard and to ignore. Do we honor the Word that we hear (Matt. 7:6)? To hear the Word with honor means you hear the Word of God, receive it, let it take root, and it will work effectively in you (1 Thess. 2:11-13). Before judging others, first judge yourself. Honor has thankfulness in it. Do you honor and esteem correction and reproof as precious? God will enlarge what you honor and are grateful for (Matt. 13:44-46). We pay respect to those we owe respect (Rom. 13:7-8); we don’t demand respect and honor. Eph. 6:2-3 tells us to honor our parents- the place they hold in our lives. Respect and honor are choices, not feelings. Honor the words of your mouth. Do you honor and esteem God in what you take time for? He esteems us if we esteem Him.
The Kingdom of God Part 2
Texts: Luke 12:22-32; Phil. 4:6-7. The Bible clearly tells us not to worry. It is sin, so repent of it, if necessary. Instead, we can expect God to do His Word. Casting your cares on Him will bring you peace. Focus on Jesus and don’t be led around by your needs, and besides, after one is taken care of, there will another one. When we think, “How am I going to pay this?”, we’re not being kingdom-minded. God is our King, and we are His subjects, who are to carry out His will. If something is bad or evil, it’s not from God. Good comes from God and His kingdom, and it’s His report that we should believe. It’s blasphemy to blame God for what the devil does, and for saying that what’s from God is of the devil. Col. 1:9-13 tells us that there are two kingdoms: the kingdom of light (God’s) and the kingdom of darkness (Satan’s). God delights to give us His kingdom. Whatever you do, ask yourself: “How will this affect the kingdom of God?” Be more kingdom-minded than earthly-minded. Is the will of God being done in my life? The kingdom of God is not food nor drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). Where do I need to make adjustments in my focus so it’s kingdom-minded? The great mountain in Daniel 2:25-45 is the kingdom of God. God’s kingdom will be forever, and He will reign forever (Rev. 11:15; 21:1-4; 22:3-5).
God and Honor Part 2
Children need to be trained by their parents. The first commandment with promise of a long life is to honor your father and mother (Eph. 6:2-3). God honors those who honor Him (1 Sam. 2:17-30). Sow honor in order to reap honor. King Saul gives us an example of not honoring God in 1 Sam. 13:13-14. King David is an example of honoring God (Acts 13:22; 1 Chron. 19:1). We honor by speaking the truth. King David’s men were men of honor and had the heart of a lion (1 Chron. 19:1; 11:20-25) and were willing to risk their lives for their leader (1 Chron. 11:15-18), but they weren’t always like that. They became like their leader, David, even though they started out as men who were desperate, in debt, and bitter in soul (1 Sam. 22:1-2). King David wanted to honor God by building Him a house (1 Chron. 17:1-27). He personally gave of his own treasures. We are to imitate our leaders, Pastor Dale and Teri (and Pastor Syd and Jen). King David sowed honor for his children, and we should. too. Giving your best and of your possessions honors God and brings blessing (Prov. 3:1-6). Honor is tied to giving (Mal. 3:7-18).
The Kingdom of God Part 3
Offering message: Pastor Syd shared how the Lord blessed him when he was obedient to give to the Lord the only money he had. Sermon Texts: Matt. 16:24-28; Luke 12:29-34; Luke 19:10-24. What you do for the kingdom of God will last forever. How much of your effort and time is spent on earthly things? We are to take all that God has given us and use it for the kingdom. (1 John 3:1-2) We are here for a short time, so spend your time on what matters. Looking out for your own interest is burying what God has given you. Luke 18:18-30 tells us that we will receive many times more for what we leave behind for the kingdom of God, and we have eternal life in the world to come. Value the kingdom of God. The things we need are a by-product of seeking and serving God.
The Kingdom of God Part 4
Luke 12:29-34 Don’t worry, but first seek the kingdom of God. God’s kingdom must come first in our lives, even before our families. If you can’t serve in the local church because you’re too busy, you’re putting something else before the kingdom of God. Matt. 18:1-4 tells us to become like a child to enter the kingdom of God, and 1 Cor. 14:20 tells us not to be like children in our understanding, but to be innocent as far as evil is concerned. HOW DOES THE KINGDOM OPERATE? IT OPERATES BY FAITH, NOT BY WORKS. Matt. 20:1-16 is The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. The first workers hired had an agreement to work for a certain amount of pay. Later in the day, the landowner recruited other workers for an amount that he said would be right. When they were paid, the ones who had an agreement were upset, because the later hired workers, who accepted the offer by faith in the landowner’s word, received the same amount of pay. That’s how the kingdom of God operates. It’s not by works, but it’s by faith. Peter didn’t catch any fish, had cleaned up, put his equipment away, but at a preacher’s word (Jesus’), he let Him use his boat and did what he told him to do concerning casting his net. He was rewarded with two boatloads of fish because of his faith in Jesus’ word. What gets rewarded? It’s your faith in Jesus’ word and the Scriptures. Faith is the great equalizer. Do you spend your time doing what matters and what will last?
The Kingdom of God Part 6
Luke 12:22-32 The Father knows what we need, but we still ask. Seek the kingdom and cast your cares on him. Thank Him for the harvest. It’s the doer of the Word who will enter heaven (Matt. 7:21). Matt. 21:28-32is the parable of the two sons. Do we realize it’s the Lord speaking to us, when we’re asked to do something? God talks to us by the inner witness- peace or no peace. His Spirit witnesses to our spirit. Be careful what you say: Don’t say that you can’t hear God’s voice, but say, “I hear the voice of the Lord.” Reason comes when you listen to your flesh, when it says, “That’s not God.” Later, when you pray, you get confused. If you know it’s God, obey. If you deceive yourself into believing it’s not God, and it is, then you need to repent, and do what you were told to do. God reveals truth through the Holy Spirit. Deception’s symptoms are strife and confusion. Pastor Syd gave the example of Jonah and also of himself, when he didn’t obey God’s voice about getting on a plane to come to Lancaster the morning after God told him to do so. Both repented and obeyed, after the delay in obedience. Serving the Lord is worship. Matt. 25:1-13 is the parable of the 10 virgins. Be ready. Have additional resources (a “God account”), do the preparation, be committed and prayed up and studied-up and be healthy to do the work of the kingdom. Faith gets rewarded. Get prepared to move at a moment’s notice.
The Kingdom of God Part 7
Offering message: The poor widow gave 100% of what she had, which is recorded as being more than what the rich people gave. Gal.6:7-9 gives the basic principle of the kingdom: you reap what you sow. Be moved by faith and compassion, not by need. Sermon: (Kingdom Principles) Luke 12:29-32 Seek first the kingdom. God delights to give you the kingdom. Text: Matt. 13:1-32. Everything in the kingdom operates on seedtime and harvest, sowing and reaping. The seed is the Word of God. We need to hear it, understand it, and do it, and then we can bear fruit. Every thought is a seed. To enter God’s kingdom, you must be born-again (John 3:1-8). A test of your love is your giving. We sow seeds in relationships, time, money, and all parts of our lives. There are also bad seeds – from Satan. Guard against fear, doubt, stress, strife, frustration. Weed your garden and take captive every thought to the obedience of Christ. It’s easier to root out seeds than it is a plant or tree. Don’t agree with Satan’s thoughts, but be proactive and take care of thoughts at the seed level. The seed you speak is the seed that will grow. Be kingdom and seed-minded. Sow and reap in faith and be motivated by love. Other Scriptures: Luke 8:11; 1 John 2:24; John 3:1-8; 1 John 3:1-3; Gal. 5:6.
Prayer Night
A word of encouragement was given. We spent the time in prayer.
Submission to Authority Part 1 – You Submit to God’s Authority
Giving to God is an act of worship and submission. James 4:6-8 gives strong advice: don’t be proud; submit to God; draw near to Him; purify your hearts; submit to Him; then resist the devil, and he will flee. God is good (James 1:16-17), so if there is stealing, killing, and destruction in your life, it’s of the devil. Gen. 1:26 God created man (Adam and Eve) to rule and have dominion (prevail against, tread over, take). We, too, are to rule and reign in life by Christ Jesus. The god of this world is Satan. Why? Adam chose to submit to the devil and to give his authority to Satan. When he tempted Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4:5-8), he had the authority to do so, because he held the authority. The devil is a master of shortcuts and leads to bondage to whomever will follow him. Temptation is not sin, but if you don’t make the thoughts of it come into obedience of Jesus Christ, the result is sin and death. BUT God raised Jesus from the dead, seated Him above all authority, put all things under His feet, and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church (Eph. 1:20-23). The one sacrifice for sin was offered forever. People get the wrong idea when they hear certain Bible terms, such as deliverance, prosperity, and submission. Find out who God is and who you are (Gal. 2:20). FIRST Submit to God- YOU DO IT! God doesn’t make us do it. Then resist the devil. Rom. 13:1 Authorities are instituted by God. There’s rank in demons, heaven, earth, the church. Keep rank (1 Chron. 12:3-38). There will be people over and under us. There’s freedom in submission. There is grace for your place. Study: 1 Cor. 15:23-28; Matt. 8:5-13.
The Kingdom of God Part 9 (The Keys To The Kingdom)
Matt. 16:13-19 When Jesus told Peter that God revealed to him that Jesus is the Messiah, He said that Peter was a rock (like a piece of rock) and on the rock (the bedrock) He would build His Church. The bedrock is that Jesus is the Messiah. (Pastor Syd referred to Daniel 2:31-35, 44-46. God will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed.) Jesus gave us the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Keys are authority, and authority was given to Jesus and He gave it to us to go and make disciples. The keys are that we can bind and loose. In fact, it’s our responsibility to bind and to loose on earth (Matt. 16:18). Don’t pray for what you need to speak to. Jesus lived totally by faith, which is seeing things in the spiritual realm that you can’t see in the natural realm. Jesus used the keys of speaking, loosing, and binding. He did great works as a man by the anointing of God. Speak to the mountain. Declare what you need to declare, rather than asking the Father in prayer for what He has given you the authority to do. Use your authority. Operate with the keys. We are authorized to do even greater works than He did (John 14:12-13). Use His authority to do His will. Speak to your problem. Declare what should be in your body and circumstances.
Submission to Authority Part 2 – Training Your Children
(Steve Broich shared a testimony of forgiveness, and there was ministry for salvation and baptism in the Holy Spirit.) God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submission is voluntarily done by the person himself. Humility is submission under God’s authority. Do not talk like the devil, saying things like, “I am proud of …”, but talk like God: “I admire …, or “I honor …”, or “I am pleased with …”. Submit yourself to God in obedience. How do you make your children submit? Prov. 22:6; 13:24; 23:13-14; 22:15; Eph. 6:4 instruct how to train up children in the Lord. Training is not teaching and starts at infancy. When a child is able to crawl, he can learn “no”. The adult must be disciplined in order to discipline a child. The child is to submit to you, not the other way around. The child’s will is to be broken in order for him to be submitted. DON’T ABUSE! Do not tolerate lying and rebellion. Pastor Sydney goes through the order for discipline from making clear rules to restoring everyone involved after an incident. Training helps a child know there is a higher authority and to be led by the Holy Spirit, so they can be used in the Kingdom.
Submission to God Part 3 – God’s Choice
James 4:6-8. When we are humbled and submitted to God, then we can resist the devil, and he will flee. We are double-minded when we are in pride and then try to resist the devil, whose sin was pride. Submit means to arrange under. When we are under God, then the devil is under us. 1 Cor. 15:20-28 tells us that Jesus submitted to God. Respect God’s order. There is rank in God’s kingdom. When we keep rank, it brings unity. When someone is out of place, the rest have to work twice as hard, such as if a person is blind, then the other senses have to work much harder. DON’T TRY TO MAKE OTHERS SUBMIT. Children must be trained to submit (Prov. 22:6), so that they will be trained to be led by their conscience and the Spirit. When the wife submits to her husband, she is submitting to God. Pastor Sydney explained about submitting to government authority (Rom. 13:1-17; 1 Thess. 5:12-13). We must respect the place and the work of the leaders over us. Their position is their qualification. Aaron and Miriam learned this the hard way in Numbers 12. Paul corrected himself in Acts 23:1-5 for not submitting to the high priest. YOU HAVE TO SUBMIT TO YOUR LEADERS, but the enemy will tell you otherwise. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram came against Moses and bred rebellion in the whole Israelite community and experienced God’s judgment (Numbers 16). When the glory of God shows up, there is immediate judgment. Remember: God places priority on His choices. The centurion and his servant understood authority in Matt. 8:5-10. If you are submitted to your leaders, they have a right to stand with you for what you’re believing.
Pray for Repentance, Revival, and Reaping
God loved us first and gave us His Son Jesus (Eph. 2; John 3:16-21). He is worthy of glory (Rev. 4-5:14). Ps. 2:8 tells us to ask for the heathen for our inheritance. We must ask and pray for the lost, here in Lancaster and beyond. How should we pray? 1) Pray for boldness (Eph. 6:19; Mark 16:15-20; Acts 4:29-31). 2) Pray for a door into their lives (Col. 4:2). 3) Pray that the Word will find good soil. 4) Pray that God would grant them repentance (Acts 11; John 16:8-11). 5) Pray for workers to be sent to them (Matt. 9:35-38; John 4:34-38). Pastor Brian: 1 Peter 4:17 says that judgment begins at the House of God. We must prepare our hearts for revival. We must humble ourselves and pray. Jesus said it is finished. He bought our redemption. Prayer is the ultimate action. Ask God to put His heart into yours. (There was time for prayer for the lost.)
School of Miracles Part 3
Listen to Pastor Sydney’s testimonies of miracles that God did for him, Jen, and his family. Rom. 1 and 1 Cor. 1 tell us that the Gospel, the Word of God, is power. What has Pastor Sydney noticed about the miracles of God in his life? #1 There was a desperation, a knowing that God was his/their only source. Desperation creates a cry in your heart. Go to God’s throne-room, and God will grant justice swiftly. God’s time is now, and you’ll see the manifestation at the appointed time. First get the victory in your heart and take your case to the Almighty. #2 Find the Word concerning your situation and stand on it and speak it. The Word is the will of God, so then you know how to pray. Is. 55:7-9 says about the wicked, that they don’t have the thoughts of God. But God has revealed His thoughts to those who have the Spirit of God. The command of God always carries the grace to do it. #3 Release your faith by speaking and acting on the Word. The Word only does something for you when you act on it. Remember, the Gospel is the power of God. Make the Word yours.
Submission to God Part 4 – Suffering
Main texts: James 4:6-10 and 1 Peter 5. God resists the proud but gives His ability (grace) to the humble. If we submit ourselves to God, we can resist the devil, and he must flee. Submission is not easy. It includes suffering. Submission is not agreement. You submit when you don’t agree. Submission is not weakness. It is strength of character. Submission is not forced. No one can make you as an adult submit. Submission comes before authority. Submit means to rank or arrange under. Jesus suffered because He chose to pay the price for our sin and to submit to the Father’s will (Heb. 2:8-10, 14-18; Heb. 5:5-10, Matt. 26:36-44). We are to humble ourselves, which includes the suffering of not getting our own way. 1 Peter 2:18 tells us to submit to those over us (employers, etc.), regardless of how they treat us. First Peter 5:9-10 tells you that God will restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered. Keep rank in God’s kingdom. This is especially important in spiritual warfare.
Submission to God Part 5 – Staying In Your Place
Text: James 4:6-10. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. We submit to Him, and the devil must flee. Rebellion is opposition to [the one in] authority and is as the sin of witchcraft. Get the rebellion out of you, repent, and submit. In Esther 1:1-22 we learn that Queen Vashti did not submit to the king and lost her place as queen. Esther submitted to the king and to her uncle and turned around the situation for the Jews. God has placed each one of the parts in one body as He wanted (1 Cor. 12:18), and when people leave the place where they are to be, the body doesn’t function properly. Stay in the place where God wants you, and don’t move because of offense or “choice”. You lose grace when you’re not in the place God wants you to be. There was an imperative for people to be their prescribed place (2 Chron. 30:16 and 35:10; Rom. 11:13; Eccl. 10:4). The angels who didn’t keep their own positions God has kept with eternal chains in darkness (Jude 6). (See also Rev. 12:7-9). Submission is shown in the Biblical relationship of marriage, even though our culture doesn’t present the wife as needing to be submitted to her husband. Lucifer has no repentance because he got into pride and got out of his place. Don’t exalt yourself, but submit to the authority over you, even if you think the person isn’t fit (Ps. 75:4-7). Don’t leave your place, and don’t be moved by your flesh, but submit to God. You can fall to such a place that you can’t come back, because it is gone. Choosing your place in the body should be because it is where God tells you to be.
Testimonies
Offering Message: Texts: 1 Peter 2:5; Ex. 35-36:7; 40:34-35; 1 Chron. 29:3-20; 2 Cor. 8:6-11; 2 Cor. 9:6-12. Physical offerings carry spiritual significance. We are to give cheerfully, with delight, honoring God, and He graces us for our work, honors us, and enriches us. Sermon Message: Luke 4:16-19; 1 Cor. 15:57; 2 Cor. 2:14-16. Pastor Sydney shared his testimony of opening a door to destruction at a very early age and his deliverance and victory in Jesus Christ from the wound of rejection. Be constantly led by the Spirit in your home. Take captive memories and thoughts and bring them into obedience of Jesus Christ. There is victory through Christ Jesus.
The Co-Witness (The Inner Witness)
Offering Message by Gene English: Bring all the tithes into the storehouse. Speak the Word to receive from God. Read the “all” references in these Scriptures: Mal. 3:10; Ps. 103:1-3; Luke10:27; Proverbs 3:4-5. Sermon by Sydney Ropp: John 14:16; 16:13-15. Decisions determine direction, and direction determines destiny. Live by being completely led by the Holy Spirit. How are we led by the Spirit? We know God’s voice. When won’t you hear His voice? 1) When you’re not born-again; 2) When you’re not following Jesus, because you have one foot in the world and one in the church; 3) When you haven’t obeyed what He has already told you to do; 4) When you have known or unknown sin in your life, and your heart is seared and hardened; 5) When you are not submitting to Him; 6) When you’re trying to hear from the wrong place (from your senses, instead of your spirit). Rom. 8:14 All those who are led by God’s Spirit are sons of God. Always make sure what you think you’ve heard lines up with the Scriptures. God speaks to us through our spirits, not through the flesh. He speaks to us through His Word, angels, visions, dreams, other people, through His Spirit, by the inner witness- His Spirit testifying with our spirit, when you have a spirit of peace, and it seems like the right thing to do. Watch what you submit to, and make sure it’s not the devil, but trust in the Lord. Be led by the Spirit of God, the umpire of peace. Pay attention to what He is leading you to do, and don’t quench the Spirit.
Offerings and Tithes
Gene English shared during offering. Sydney Ropp had message. 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9. We are priests, and we give spiritual offerings. What makes our offerings acceptable to the Lord? 1) When we give to the LORD. 2) When we give our best. 3) When we give with thankfulness. Tithes are included with offerings, but offerings are not tithes; both are used in worship. Tithe means tenth, like a sheep owner counting and every tenth one went to the LORD. You are not sowing seed with your tithe, because it belongs to the LORD. The tithe existed before the law (Gen. 14:17-18; 28:10-20), during the law, and after the law. Giving the tithe is acknowledging God as your source. It’s a covenant with God and a covenant of prosperity. Look for the covenant: if I do this, God will do this. The first-fruit is different from the tithe. Tithing brings a blessing. Give to the LORD- first. (Other Scriptures: 2 Cor. 9:7; 1 Chron. 16:29; Mal. 3:6-7; Lev. 27:30-34; Heb. 13:15; Heb. 6:20-7:7; Heb. 8:1-2, 6; Luke 20:20-25; 1 Cor. 16:1-2)
Love Covers a Multitude of Sins
God teaches us to love one another (1 Thess. 4:9), and 1 Peter 4:8 tells us to maintain an intense love for each other, because love covers a multitude of sins. We are to consider others more important than ourselves, loving, honoring, and protecting the other person. Prov. 17:9 exhorts us to conceal an offense in order to promote love. Instead of bad-mouthing someone, don’t shame them, but forgive them, and you will strengthen a friendship. Repentance is not feeling bad about yourself, but it is changing your direction. Jesus showed how to protect a guilty person, when he dealt with the Pharisees concerning the woman caught in adultery. Instead of exposing someone, bring them into the love of God and restore them. Jesus said that the peacemakers are the blessed sons of God. James 5:19-20 gives instruction about turning a sinner from his way. If God has forgiven your sin, don’t remember it. We’re in the business of setting people free, so tell the Good News!
Thanksgiving Victory
Texts: 1 Cor. 15:57; 2 Cor. 2:14. Capacity is the largest number or amount that can be held. How do we increase our capacity? The answer is thankfulness. Thankfulness increases our capacity, and conversely, thanklessness decreases our capacity for victory. The Israelites grieved, tempted, provoked, limited, and didn’t remember God’s power (Ps. 78:40; Ps. 143:3-6). Grumbling opens the door to the devil. There are three steps to victory: #1 Believe the Word. Believe the promises. Recognize that His Word is the final Word. Everything must bow to Jesus. (Is. 55:11; 2 Cor. 1:20; Jer. 1:12; Luke 11:9-13) When the enemy comes, combat him with the Word. Submit to God, to the Word, and then the enemy must go. Christ is in you. Let Him have the right of way. (Rom. 4:20-21) #2 Rejoice at the promise. We can say and believe that we have the victory over anything that comes our way. Faith that believes that it receives can only rejoice. Just as children start thanking their dad when he says they are going for ice cream, so we can rejoice at our Father’s word. They don’t have the ice cream in their hands, but they believe that they will because of their dad’s promise. We have the promise of victory. All of the promises of God are in the face of the enemy. Refuse to get off the promise. #3 Tell someone about it. Tell about the LORD in your testimony. (Ps. 95:1-2)
Being Transformed By What We Think
Offering message (Karen Burrows): Learn for the purpose of taking action. Think about what you are saying about your finances. Speak God’s Word and speak positively. Sermon: Our minds think in pictures. The dominant picture will direct your life. What are your dominant pictures? What are you looking at with your spiritual eyes? Elisha’s servant’s perspective changed when he saw the reality of God (2 Kings 6:8-20). Your perspective will change, too, if you change the picture in your mind. You can renew your mind through God’s Word (Romans 12:2). Transformation takes your involvement and allows us to know the will of God. Think about what you’re thinking about. To be conformed means being pressed, squeezed, and shaped into a mold. Allow God to conform you into His image. You decide what will form you by what you choose to think about. The angel called Gideon “a mighty man of God”, but that’s not how he saw himself. As soon as he accepted God’s word about himself, he became the mighty man of God. Think about what God thinks about you. A thought can be carnal or spiritual. What you think about, you will say and eventually do. Words are carriers of thoughts. Your thoughts are powerful. Wrong thinking about God leads you to deception. When you’re wrong but you think you’re right, you won’t change. Our problem is wrong thinking. To think like He thinks, you must be willing to change, and you must immerse yourself in the Word. To overcome, feed your spirit with the Word. What is on the inside needs to be addressed. Don’t treat only what’s happening on the outside. Find out the cause and let the Word put pressure on the inside. What you focus on is what you will see clearly and that’s where you’ll go. Ask yourself if what you’re thinking on is true, pure, noble, just. Speak the Word! Don’t talk about your problems. Our mistakes can be huge successes through Him. In the storm, think on these things. Take captive every thought and make it come into the obedience of Jesus Christ. Pray in line with the will of God. Stop yourself and ask, “What am I thinking about?” (Luke 8:35; 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 Corinthians 2; Philippians 4:4-7)
Grace: We Need It
Texts: Acts 4:33-34; James 4:6. With great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all, and the result was that no one lacked, because they share their possessions. God gives more grace to the humble. Throughout the New Testament letters, Paul wrote about grace, often opening and closing his letters with a blessing of grace, but it was more than just a greeting. Just as God said, “Light be!” in Genesis, Paul said, “Grace be upon you.” Grace can be increased. We can grow in grace. We can take a stand in grace. A dictionary definition of grace is unmerited favor. The Greek word for grace is the same as for favor. “Grace” conveys the picture of a superior stooping down to help an inferior. Mainly, grace is God’s ability and empowerment. We are told to come boldly to the throne of grace (God’s ability), so that we can obtain God’s strength, wisdom, and ability. If grace would be increased in our lives, hard things would become easy. Jesus said that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Grace is NOT mercy. Mercy is not getting the judgment you deserve. Grace helps you with the ability and empowerment to get out of what you needed mercy for. In Genesis 6:5-8, God saw man’s wickedness and regretted He created him, and if Noah wouldn’t have found grace in the eyes of the Lord, He would have wiped out all men and animals from the earth. We’re here because He gave grace to Noah- grace to build an ark and to do what he needed to do. Grace picks us where mercy ends. It was God’s mercy to the Israelites when they complained, that His wrath didn’t wipe them out, but His grace was shown when Moses extended his rod and the Red Sea parted. God’s grace was shown when Peter walked on the water, and Jesus’ mercy was demonstrated when Jesus reached out for Peter when his focus turned away from Him, and he doubted. We need God’s grace!
Cling to the Word
The Israelite army fled from the Philistines, but four of David’s mighty men fought against eight hundred of the enemy (2 Samuel 23:9-12). Eleazar stood against the enemy and fought to the point of his hand being stuck to his sword. The men stood and fought, and the Lord brought about a great victory. God will do that for us, but we must stand, clinging to the Word of God. Proverbs 4:13, 20-23 tells us to hold onto instruction (the Word) and guard it, because it’s your life. When we delight in His Word, we delight in Him. First of all, we have to get the Word of God into us. Every day at home, get into His presence and into His Word. That’s where you will receive strength for what’s ahead of you. Your hand will grab onto the sword (the Word of God), and you won’t let go of it, because you have a foundation of truth inside of you. Meditate on the Word and sing Scripture songs. If you have the Word in the proper perspective, you will live according to it. The Word is health. Guard what you allow to come in, which guards your heart, and allow the Word to come out of your mouth. The battles that we fight are spiritual ones (Ephesians 6:10-18), and the way to have victory is to take up the full armor and stand, being full of the Word of God. Every part of the armor really is based on the Word of God, whether it’s the belt, shield of faith, or any other part of the armor. The Word in our mouths is truth. Psalm 119:162 tells us to rejoice in the Word as one who finds great treasure. The entrance of God’s Word gives light and understanding (Psalm 119:130). Praise God, sing, dance, be joyful, let praise be in our mouths and a two-edged sword in your hand (Psalm 149:1:6). Get the Word in you and cling to it.
More Grace
Word Given During CWI Service
“Get Ready for the Outpouring” Given by Larry Hostetter:
My children, the shaking is coming. Get yourselves ready. Get yourselves in the Word, because you have to trust in Me like you’ve needed trusted in Me before, but My power and My love is sufficient. I have a boldness, a boldness for you, a boldness you have never experienced in your life, and a love, and a power, and an anointing that you’ve never experienced in your life, because it’s time for the outpouring. So, get ready! Get ready! Get on your knees. It’s time to be holy. It’s time to put things aside. It’s time to shake yourselves. Shake off those things that have a hold on you. They don’t belong to Me! They don’t belong to Me, and you need all of Me that you can get.
Be ready, My children! Be ready, My children for I’m coming soon! I’m coming soon! I’m coming soon! Get ready! Get ready! Get ready!
It seems like a long time coming, but time is very, very short, so be ready. Be ready! Be in your Word. Be on your knees. Be opened to hear the Holy Spirit, and do what He says.
There’s so much to be done. I want to see souls come flooding into My kingdom. I want to see peoples’ lives changed by the power of a living God, because you can’t do it on your own. It’s not by might. It’s not by power. It’s by the Spirit of the living God. You need to know Me more and more and more. You need to know Me more and more and more.
Pastor Sydney Ropp “More Grace”
Texts: James 4:6; Acts 4:33. The grace of God is His favor, His wisdom, and His empowerment. Our part is to be humble, living to do His will, not our own will. We are to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). With enough grace I can do anything He asks me to do. We have to come to God boldly and humbly (Hebrews 4:16). Grace is NOT God covering-up or overlooking my sin. It is God’s empowerment for me not to sin. Sin should no longer be our master (Romans 6:14). If you are in a “wilderness experience”, it could be because of hardness of heart. God graces you to come out of the wilderness, but you still will have to face enemies, and then His grace is there for you, if you are obedient. Grace, proclaimed to her by the angel Gabriel, made a huge difference in Mary’s life (Luke 1:26-30). God’s grace was on Jesus (Luke 2:40). God does give more grace to some people than to others. Jesus grew in wisdom, grace, and stature as a child (Luke 2:52). John 1:14-17 says that Jesus was full of grace and truth. We have received grace upon grace from Jesus’ fullness. It is by His grace that we can go through the valleys in life. We need God’s grace now more than ever, because there are more people on the earth than ever before. Ask Him for more of His grace.
Hear and Do the Word
We are told to be doers of the Word and not hearers only, and if we don’t, we are self-deceived (James 1:22-25). To remember the Word, so write it down. Pastor Sydney asked God for dreams and visions, and He gave him a dream about financial wisdom. He was sure he would remember it in the morning, but he didn’t value it enough to write it down, and in the morning he could not remember it. Joshua 1:8 states how important it is to keep the Word and meditate on it. Knowing the truth does not change anything, unless you act on it. Live in the Word. We can become deceived in our relationship with the Father, if we do not talk to Him. You cannot have a relationship with someone you do not talk to. Be a hearer, doer, and you will be blessed. Ezekiel 33:30-32 relates about people who hear what to do but do not do it. “Doing it” is not talking about it, planning to do it, and wanting to do it. The Word has to be what sustains us. Walk in the light that you have. He will bring to your remembrance what you have put into yourself in the past. We let the Word slip if we are not doing it, and we are deceiving ourselves. God’s Word brings light and understanding. Are you walking in the light that you have? Build your life on the solid rock. How you stand in a storm reveals how established you are in the Word. Use what you have (Luke 19:20-26).
His Presence, His Grace
Texts: Acts 4:33; Exodus 33:1-6, 11-17. Moses told God that he would not leave Sinai and go into the Promised Land without the Lord. He asked God for grace for Him to show Moses His way and that Moses would know Him. God said that Moses found grace in His sight and that His presence would go with him. God’s presence is God’s grace. Greater grace results in greater peace. Peace is the indicator of God’s grace. Pastor Sydney and his wife, Jenn, tell of the grace that God gave Jenn after surrendering and submitting to Him when He told them that they were to move to Lancaster at a very inconvenient time. You eat the good of the land if you are obedient and willing. You have to submit to God’s will (James 4:6-7). Get into His presence. Get into His grace. You can get out of God’s grace by regarding the wind and the waves, the outside pressures, and worries. The “Yeah, buts” will sink you. An idol is anything that takes the place of your Source. It’s you thinking you can do it yourself in your own ability. God’s grace is in everything. Don’t think you can do it on your own. The time is short. We need great grace. The word of grace is to empower you (Acts 20:32). Rotten talk tears you down (Ephesians 4:29). Minister life and encouragement. Grace is the opportunity for you to have faith.
Walking in the Light of the Word
Text: James 1:22-23. In order to remember the Word, we need to speak it, write it down, and reread it. Ezekiel 33:30-32 gives a description of people who were excited to hear the Word of the Lord, but they didn’t obey it. Their mouths spoke much love, but their hearts pursued their own gain. The Word should change us and we should act according to it. Knowing what the Bible says isn’t enough. John 8:31-32 tells us that we must continue in the Word to be a disciple of Jesus. It’s the truth you know (intimately) that sets you free. Knowing is in the heart, not just the head. Freedom comes when you continue in the truth. The one who keeps His commandments is the one who loves Jesus (John 14:21). You are deceiving yourself if you think you are doing the Word and really you just know it in your head. You will be blessed in what you do if you continue to do the Word (James 1:21-25). Doing the Word is walking in the light. If your spiritual eyes are good, your whole body is full of light. The light shines into our spiritual eyes. Light exposes what is in the dark. Don’t keep walking around in the dark, but walk in the light. Ephesians 5:8-14 says that we should walk as children of light. We should judge ourselves, but before we judge anyone else, we need to remove the “planks” in our own eyes (Matthew 7:1-6). Are we walking in the light of the Word about our speech? About tithing? About walking in love? Know the truth and walk in it. Judge yourself. When light comes in, rejoice.
Grace: Pleasing God
(There was communion and children departments’ participation.) Text: Acts 4:33. Pastor Sydney reviewed about grace. When we are in God’s presence and experiencing His grace, we enter into peace, joy, and victory (Psalm16:11; Psalm 5:11-12; Psalm 30:5, 7). How can we receive more of God’s grace? Psalm 89:17 tells us that pleasing God releases His grace. Even your enemies are at peace with you (Proverbs 16:7) and they don’t triumph over you (Psalm 41:10-11) when you please God. It was the grace of God that protected Jesus, and He had that grace because He always did what pleased the Father (John 8:29). We should walk as He did, always pleasing the Father. You can choose to delight to do His will by agreeing with Him quickly.
Be A Doer of the Word: God Is Light
Text: James 1:22. Are you practicing in faith what you have heard about healing, tithing, etc.? Talking and making plans are not the same as doing what you have heard. Be a faith-walker and do what you say. God is light, and when we walk with Him we are in the light, but when we walk away from Him, we enter areas of darkness. In darkness, you lose your direction and get confused. The Word you see is the Word you need to walk in. Don’t move away from God and from His light. Darkness is sin and is a violation of the light you have. Look for the light.
The Role of the Apostle and Pastor
Texts: John 21:15-17; Philippians 1:27; 2:12, 19, 25-30; 3:17; 4:10. A pastor’s role is to feed (with the Word) and protect the local church. The Lord told Apostle Dale to keep his feet in the local church and his hands in the world. Jesus had world dominion in mind. If we are after the world, we need a world structure. Apostle Dale makes a comparison of his role with that of Paul’s. Paul was an apostle. He wrote his epistle to the Philippians from prison, so even though he wasn’t physically with the people, he knew what was going on with them. He communicated with them. He expected their obedience to him. He determined the movement of ministries and teams. He expected their service to the apostolic ministry. He expected them to follow him. During his lack of presence, he expected them to care for one another. He expected them to take care of his needs. Apostle Dale told about the Lord’s calling Pastor Sydney to come to Lancaster. In the first phase, he saw him pastoring and covering the pulpit in his absence. In the second phase, he saw him traveling and learning with Apostle Dale, and in the third phase, he would release and send him. We are in phase one, where Pastor Sydney will be installed as the CWI pastor. Apostle Dale will step out in apostolic ministry. Under Apostle Dale will be Pastor Sydney Ropp (CWI, Lancaster), Pastor Gene English (Slavic church in D. C.) and Pastor Jay Stoltzfus in Colorado, and Pastor Demeke Getahun (Ethiopian Church). Pastor Demeke’s church will be joining CWI and will take the CWI name. Artack and Anna (Slavic) will be coming to New York, Philadelphia, and Lancaster. Pastor Sydney shared how the Lord brought him and Jen to Lancaster. God’s will cannot be stopped, although it can be delayed. We live in perilous times. Pray and be bold to confess your faith. We can have greater unity, because we have a common Lord. Lord, help us find our place in Your kingdom.
The Blood Covenant
Pastor Sydney shared his testimony of his salvation and peace in a serious accident. Because of what Jesus did for us in the New Covenant, we can come boldly into the throne room. Covenant means to cut where blood flows. It is a binding, unending agreement with one another. Jesus’ covenant is unending. In a covenant each person loses his own identity and individuality. Some covenants were made by cutting wrists and intermingling the blood and then catching the blood in a cup of wine and then each one drank it. Sometimes an animal is cut in half with parts opposite each other. The participants would walk through the blood to the other person and so on. It’s because of the blood that we can see glory. Hebrews 8:6-10 tells us that Jesus is the Mediator of a better covenant. Abram and God made the first blood covenant (Genesis 15). Each animal God told him to bring to Him symbolized something: the cow (wealth), the goat (strength), the ram (political power and favor), the turtledove (love forever), and the young pigeon (dependency). David and Jonathan had cut a covenant (1 Samuel 18; 2 Samuel 9). God’s covenant never weakens. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:11-10:23). Jesus’ sacrifice was done once. Jesus took away the first covenant (Hebrews 10:9). We should not lack because of our covenant (Psalm 23:1). He restores our soul. He leads us on the right path. We don’t need to fear evil even when we are in the valley of the shadow of death. He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies. This is our covenant meal. We participated in the Lord’s communion.
Healing By Honoring Jesus and Forgiving
We should hold the Word more valuable than anything else. Those who came to Jesus for healing honored, obeyed, and believed Him. We can be hardened by unbelief. Believing is simple. The Isaiah 53:1-9 account of Jesus’ stripes healing us was written hundreds of years before Jesus came to earth. Matthew 8:16-17 and 1 Peter 2:24 were written when and after Jesus was here. By His stripes we were healed. Jesus suffered in hell to pay the price for us. (Acts 2:25-31) He tasted spiritual death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:9) He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18) He not only had the sin of everyone on Him, He had people against Him. When He was being “tried”, He did not open His mouth to answer their accusations. To be forgiven, we must forgive. It is not a “tack on” to His instruction to make prayer work, but it is actually the condition for it to work. (Matthew 6:9-15) Unforgiveness places you under the curse of the law, even though Jesus took the curse for us, and we are redeemed through His blood. (Galatians 3:13) We must forgive in order to be healed. Forgiveness is a choice to release the other person. Go to the person privately; bind the evil spirit; loose the plan of God. (Matthew 18:15-20) Be quick to repent when you sin. (Matthew 5:23-24). Faith does not work if you’re in unforgiveness. (Mark 11:20-26) If you are blaming God, you must forgive Him, even though He did nothing wrong. Jesus took all injustices upon Himself. What did Jesus say on the cross? “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” For Him to stay in faith, He had to forgive those who were killing Him. (Luke 23:32-46) He died in faith and forgiveness. He paid the price for our sin and sicknesses.
God’s Plan of Shalom For You Includes Forgiveness
God has a good plan full of hope and peace for you. God is the author of good things. Peace (shalom) means completeness, soundness, welfare, safety, health, prosperity, tranquility, contentment, and friendship. Isaiah 26 verses 12 and 3 say that God will establish shalom for us. You can be in a crisis on the outside and still have peace on the inside, like Jesus asleep in the boat in the midst of a big storm. Jesus expected His disciples to deal with the storm by speaking peace to it. If you can stand in peace, you can get the victory. If you can’t, then you need to get into the Word. You will get to the point that you can even laugh in the circumstances by keeping your mind on Him. A requirement is forgiveness. In Mark 11:26 we are informed that if we don’t forgive, God can’t forgive us our sins. The blood washes away my sin, but if I refuse to forgive, He can’t forgive us. What do you do about it? You say that you forgive the person and release them. When the thought of that person and your unforgiveness come up, take captive that thought. Thinking on the problem is thinking on the flesh, which is death. Set your mind by the power of the Word and truth, submitting to God’s plan. If we are not walking in forgiveness, we are in darkness. Jesus is light, and if we walk in the light, we walk in love and fellowship with one another, and Jesus’ blood can cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:5-10). Once we are born-again, we have the power and ability to walk without sin. If we say that we have fellowship with God, but we walk in darkness, we lie. We must be hearers and doers of the Word. We are deceived if we know to walk in the light, but we don’t do it. Judge yourself and examine yourself by the light of the Holy Spirit. If Christ is in you, the flesh is dead! When that memory comes from the “dead man”, tell him to be quiet. Say, “NO! I have forgiven them!” Unforgiveness keeps your prayers from being answered. God’s love is never taken from us, but we separate ourselves from Him by our unforgiveness (Romans 8:9-39). (We received communion after self-examination.)
Being Led By the Spirit of God
Pastor Sydney, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, had three young men tell about Samuel, Judas Iscariot, and Peter. Each Bible character was called, but each responded differently. Pastor Sydney then read the books of Ephesians, Jude, and Titus. (There was a word given at the beginning of the service.)
Looking Ahead Part 1 – How to Leave Your Church
We have more and more of God in our lives (Proverbs 4:18). God gives increase (Psalm 115:14). Isaac sowed in famine, and he went forward and got richer (Genesis 26:12-15). The believer should be the envy of the world. God told the Israelites to obey His voice and walk in His will, that it would go well with them, but they disobeyed and went backward (Jeremiah 7:23-24). We are family. Don’t look back and think about those who have left. Be committed to one another. Sit down with the person who wants to leave. Release them and forgive them. Walk in love. We’re in covenant. We need to be committed to each other. Ask people who come to your church why they left their previous church. The only reason should be that the Lord told them to go. There is a place where you are supposed to be. Be in His will. When leaving a church, pray through it with them. The timing and the place are important for a blessing. Your leaving should leave everyone brighter. Submit to authority and repent if you left a church the wrong way. Some of the people Jesus called were looking back in a longing way (Luke 9:59-62). Look to the future. Hebrews 10:38 says that if anyone draws back, God has no pleasure in him. God’s time is now. Step into obedience.
Looking Ahead Part 2
The path of the just shines brighter and brighter, and the just shall live by faith (Proverbs 4:18 and Hebrews 10:38). We are different because of the light in our lives. Our future is brighter and brighter, and we are going forward with increase. Looking backwards will cause you to stumble and fall. Pulling back is the opposite of going forward in faith. Keep your eyes looking ahead. Complaining is looking back longingly. The Israelites couldn’t enter the Promised Land because of unbelief (Hebrews 3:7-19; 4:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-12). What you look at, you will desire. Look to the future, where you victory is. It’s ahead of you (Exodus 14:10-23; Number 11:4-20). If you look behind yourself, you miss the miracle that you’re experiencing now. Don’t hate the provision of the Lord. Rejoice in His provision for you today. Look forward in faith. Philippians 3:12-15 says to forget those things which are behind and reach forward to the things that are ahead.
Looking Ahead – Getting Wisdom and Understanding With Focus
Texts: Proverbs 4:18-27 and 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. There is natural and spiritual seeing. Spiritual seeing is getting an image from the Lord. David was able to defeat Goliath because he built a desire by his repeated asking about the reward for the one who would defeat him. He did not want the giant to keep defying God, so he kept his focus on the promise. Don’t look at the fear side of things but on the faith side. Keep God’s Word in your heart. Guard your heart. Look straight ahead. You go where you look, so don’t look at the problem. Proverbs 29:18 says that we need revelation (prophetic vision) and to listen to instruction to be happy. Otherwise, we’ll run wild, casting off moral restraint. Habakkuk 2:2-3 tells us to write down the vision. This is so that our eyes will be focused on it. Hebrews 10:38-39 and 11:1-12:2 tell examples of people who lived by faith by focusing on the eternal and spiritual (not seen) promise. Psalm 123:1-2 tell us to keep our eyes on the Lord.
Looking Ahead – Just Looking
Genesis 2:16-17 and 3:1-6 tell of Adam and Eve hanging around the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve became deceived by what she was looking at, and Adam was deceived because he obeyed his wife rather than God. Looking at the tree brought desire, which is a great motivating force. You will go after the greatest desire you have. Desire will lead to action. Keep your eyes where God wants to take you. Husbands and wives should make a list of the positive attributes of their spouses and keep focusing on the positive list. You become what you look at. Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:15-26). If you look at the wrong thing long enough, you will become dull and insensitive. If God tells you to do something new and difficult, don’t look back longingly. Make sure that what you’re looking at brings light and not darkness (Luke 11:34-36). Desire the best gifts, the gifts of the Spirit, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Expect miracles. [Other Scriptures: Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 1 John 3:2.]
Looking Ahead
Miracles By Faith
Pastor Syd has found three conditions in the miracles he has seen in his own life. They are: #1 Having a great desire or desperation; #2 Finding the Word of God concerning your situation; and #3 Releasing your faith by speaking it out and acting on it. Luke 18:1-8 tells about persistent faith. The trial of your faith is patience, the lapse of time until you see the manifestation. The gospel is the power of God (Romans 1:16-19). We will press in when we see God as our only source, and we don’t back off of it. Pastor Syd shares how he believed God for a set of new tires and how God provided for them without his sharing the need with anyone else. We have God’s thoughts, and He has revealed the deep things to His people. Find the will of God for your situation by getting His Word on it, and then you can pray according to it. Don’t be money-led. His power is in His Word, and when you take it like a pill, it releases His power and faith. Pastor Syd relates how the Lord supernaturally told him to which school to send his son. In Luke 17:11-19 the ten lepers were cleansed because they were desperate and acted on Jesus’ word to go to the priest. The one leper who returned to thank Jesus was saved and made whole – spirit and body (sozo). Pastor Syd demonstrated point #3 by the supernatural way God took care of their need for their house after the economic crash in 2008. In Acts 14:7-10 a lame man heard the gospel, had faith that could be seen, and then released that faith by acting on it by leaping up and walking. You can stand on the Word, because it will work for you. Release your faith by speaking and acting as though it is true.
Miracles By Faith
Message is similar to July 26, but is condensed. Pastor Syd has found three conditions in the miracles he has seen in his own life. They are: #1 Having a great desire or desperation; #2 Finding the Word of God concerning your situation; and #3 Releasing your faith by speaking it out and acting on it. Luke 18:1-8 tells about persistent faith. The trial of your faith is patience, the lapse of time until you see the manifestation. The gospel is the power of God (Romans 1:16-19). We will press in when we see God as our only source, and we don’t back off of it. Pastor Syd shares how he believed God for a set of new tires and how God provided for them without his sharing the need with anyone else. We have God’s thoughts, and He has revealed the deep things to His people. Find the will of God for your situation by getting His Word on it, and then you can pray according to it. Don’t be money-led. His power is in His Word, and when you take it like a pill, it releases His power and faith. Pastor Syd relates how the Lord supernaturally told him to which school to send his son. In Luke 17:11-19 the ten lepers were cleansed because they were desperate and acted on Jesus’ word to go to the priest. The one leper who returned to thank Jesus was saved and made whole – spirit and body (sozo). Pastor Syd demonstrated point #3 by the supernatural way God took care of their need for their house after the economic crash in 2008. In Acts 14:7-10 a lame man heard the gospel, had faith that could be seen, and then released that faith by acting on it by leaping up and walking. You can stand on the Word, because it will work for you. Release your faith by speaking and acting as though it is true.
Overcoming Fear
In Mark 4:35-41, after His teaching on the Parable of the Sower, Jesus told His disciples that they were going to the other side of the lake. That word was the seed, and His disciples heard it. However, cares and fear overtook them when their boat was filling up because of a violent storm and high waves. Jesus was sleeping, and after rebuking the wind and calming the sea, He rebuked them for not believing His word. Everything that God tells you to do has the grace in it for it to be done. Being obedient does not mean you will never have storms. When storms come, the devil will tell you that you were not obedient, and if you believe him, fear and doubt come in. Psalm 34:17 tells us that God delivers us from destructions. He does not say that we will not have problems but that you can come through them unscathed. Get rid of nightmares by changing what you are thinking about when you go to bed. Fear is a spirit. It does not go away by mental exercise. The enemy will often tell you that God does not love you. Do not question God’s love for you or His character. Faith works through love. We must believe that He loves us. God will NOT abandon you in any crisis. The power is in the Word of God. When He gives you a word, speak to the mountain, and it must be removed. Find God’s Word and speak it in Jesus’ name. In Acts 27:9-24 Paul spiritually saw trouble ahead on a voyage he had to take, but when the storm lasted for days and days, he did not command the storm to stop. Why? An angel of the Lord told him not to be afraid, that he and all the other people on the ship would arrive. Why did the angel tell him not to be afraid? It was so that he would know the will of God in the situation and so that fear and doubt could not get in, if he believed the angel. Faith begins where the will of God is known. God leads you by a spirit of peace, but you need to follow His leading. Determine God’s will for yourself and let Him guide you by His peace. How do you know if it is the devil putting fear on you or God warning you? If it inspires fear, it is of the devil. If it is of peace, it is from God, even if it does not make sense. We need to have a sincere and genuine faith that believes what God has promised. We should build each other up in our faith (2 Timothy 1:2-5). Fear is a spirit, so take authority over it, and even better, do not let it in. Only Caleb and Joshua believed the Lord when they spied out the Promised Land. Caleb had a different spirit – one of faith (Numbers 14:24). Listen to the Holy Spirit; He will guide you (John 14:1, 26, 27). Speak to fear and tell it to get out! Make null and void any agreements you may have made with the devil. Do not let fear in!
Aug 10
Overcoming Fear – part 2 – Yield to Faith
Text: Mark 4:35-41. God’s Word carries us to the power of God. God had to speak to bring forth the power of God (at and since creation). Do not hide fear, but walk in faith. There are times when you need to command, rather than to pray. When you have God’s Word, and He has already said something to you, you command whatever would try to hinder or stop that from happening to leave in Jesus’ name. Jesus could command because He was saying what the Father had already said. Praying is asking; the disciples were praying because they were in fear and did not yield to faith in what Jesus had said. There are difference levels of fear and faith. The difference is how much you yield to one or the other. Fear is a spirit and must be dealt with spiritually, not mentally. Resist and command fear to go (John 14:1, 26-27). We have believed and therefore speak because we have the same spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13). The spirit of fear and the spirit of faith are both looking for someone to come into and express themselves through. Speak His Word. The spirit of faith will come because you have yielded to it. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word. Fear of death is the power of death (Hebrews 2:14-15). Beware that many ads use fear to get you to buy their products. Do not let fear come in, but yield to faith. Satan cannot force you into fear, nor can Jesus force you into faith. How can you tell if you are in faith or fear? Faith accompanies hope. Fear accompanies dread. If you have no rest, you are in fear. Job said what he feared came upon him. Fear starts an expectation of whatever you are fearful of. That expectation is a force that causes an intersection later. What do you do with fear? You resist it and replace it. Guard your heart and do not yield to fear (Isaiah 7:2-4). The Lord is with you to fight your battles (2 Chronicles 32). Faith never brags on its opponent. For every fear that will put you in bondage there is a truth that will set you free.
Aug 17
Overcoming Fear – Resting in His Word
Offering message: Karen Burrows gave an inspirational word about finances. Is our praying complaining? God told Charles Capps, “I would appreciate it if you would stop telling Me what the devil said.” We bind God by the words of our own mouth. We must change our confession and agree with God’s Word. Confess aloud God’s promises. Sow more in tough times with joy. Sermon: Fear can influence our decisions and bind us up. Fear goes to whoever yields to it. Text: Mark 4:35-41. One way to get a truth down in you is to hear it again and again. Ask God to show you where you have yielded to fear, and then yield to His Spirit in faith. Fear is invasive. Choose to resist fear. Pastor Syd shares the testimony of overcoming fear which was trying to fill him and his wife in her high-risk pregnancy by confessing the Word and getting agreement with a faith-buddy. Pastor Dale used his authority to command the spirit of death to leave, and she was healed. During times when you are in the thick of things, you need to have someone, who is not emotionally attached, to come alongside to help you. We have authority over fear. The name of Jesus is greater than any phobia. Have a faith-buddy. Do not hide fear or be so full of pride that you do not ask for help. There is a spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13). The Spirit of Jesus is the spirit of faith. Both the spirit of fear and the spirit of faith want to use your tongue. What do we do with fear? #1) We resist it. #2) We replace it with the Word of God. For every fear that would bind you up, there is a truth that will set you free. Where there is fear, there is no rest. Paul said that they had no rest, because there were troubles and fears, but God comforted them (2 Corinthians 7:5). To get rid of nightmares, go to bed without fear. No demon can force you to fear. Pastor Syd shared about the ALS challenge and what he learned about ALS. As he was reading that it can happen to anyone, fear tried to come in. He immediately replaced it with the Word. The first person mentioned having his part in the lake of fire in verse 8 of Revelation 21 is the coward (Revelation 21:6-8). The other sins named are based on fear. When you have the truth before you, but you are afraid to operate on it, there is no more help for you. Yielding to fear keeps you from being an overcomer. Those who believe, enter the rest (Hebrews 3:12-4:12). Monitor peace and joy in your life. We can be at rest believing in His promises and His Word since the foundation of the world. We can rest in the truth that our righteousness is in Christ, not in any works. Make every effort to enter into His rest in the Word. Declare the Word as truth over your problem. Live in love and have boldness. Love drives out and has no room for fear (1 John 4:15-18). Fear is a form of hell on earth. Heaven is living love, peace, and joy. Job yielded to the spirit of fear. Psalm 91 is a place of resting.
Overcoming Fear: Resting in His Word- Aug 24
Psalm 91 belongs to us and tells us that we do not need to fear any evil. The first person mentioned having his part in the lake of fire in verse 8 of Revelation 21 is the coward (Revelation 21:6-8). The other sins named are based on fear. Ask yourself what you are expecting? Are you in fear or in faith? A spirit of fear will grow on you if you yield to it. Fear is a spirit. We are a spirit. The spirit of faith is not knowledge. We are to operate in it. The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of faith. What do we do with fear? #1) We resist it. #2) We replace it with the Word of God. Fear is so pervasive that it can become a basis of what we do. Ask God to show you where you have been operating in a spirit of fear. Root out fear! It is our responsibility to walk in faith. Rest, taking hold of His Word and promises.
It Is Time for a Visitation
LaVere Soper, a missionary and evangelist from Scotland, preached on the timeline of God’s visitations to the earth starting from 1184. Do we understand what is happening in the world? (Luke 12:56; Luke 19:41-44) The percentage of Christians has dropped compared to the population. God wants to use us now! Romans 13:11 says that our salvation is nearer than we first believed. God can give you a vision of what is going to happen. (Ephesians 5:15-17; Revelation 7:9-10) The revival is coming, and we need to be alert and self-controlled (1 Thessalonians 5:4-6). LaVere compared the number of churches to the number of unreached people groups. (Matthew 24:14; 2 Peter 3:11-12). For what is ahead of us, we must be strong and courageous. Four different times and with four different circumstances, we read that someone (and that includes us) needed to be strong, to be of good courage, not to fear, and not to be dismayed. In Joshua 1:1-9 God was speaking to Joshua. I Deuteronomy 31:1-8 Moses was speaking to Joshua. In 1 Chronicles 28:20 David was speaking to Solomon when he was turning the kingdom over to him. In 2 Chronicles 32:7 Hezekiah told his military captains to be strong and courageous, neither be afraid or dismayed. In Revelation 21:8 God said that cowards will go to the lake of fire. Are you willing to die for Jesus? An extremely high number of people are martyred every day for their faith. How can you be strong? It is a command. There are seven keys that make it possible to be bold, courageous, not fear, and not be dismayed. 1) Deuteronomy 31:6 tells us the Lord goes with us. 2) He does not leave or forsake us. 3) He goes before us. God has already finished the works He has for you to do. 4) Joshua 1:8 God is not a respecter of persons. 5) 2 Chronicles 32:7 says there are more with us than with the enemy. 6) 2 Chronicles 32:8 tells us that the Lord is with us to fight our battles. 7) 1 Chronicles 28:20 He will not leave until the job is finished. What are the reasons that we can be motivated? 1) We will inherit the promises of God (Deuteronomy 31:7). 2) No man shall be able to stand before us. (Joshua 1:5). 3) Obeying God prospers you wherever you go (Joshua 1:7). What are some practical things for you to do? 1) Seek God (2 Chronicles 15:2-15. 2) Be loyal to God (2 Chronicles 16:9). 3) Hear and received words and prophecies of God. Get fear out of your mind and soul by filling your mind with faith. The more faith you put into yourself, the less room there is for fear. [Communion was served.]
Overcoming Fear
[There was a word at the beginning of the sermon about whom will you serve.] Text: Mark 4:35-41. In this passage it mentions that there were other boats with Jesus. Maybe there was a lot of fear in those people in the other boats. Those people benefitted also when Jesus calmed the sea. Sometimes we can experience what someone else is going through, especially when we are helping that other person. Learn what to yield to and what to resist. The disciples were expecting to die. Jesus told us not to worry and that we should not say things about lack or loss (Matthew 6:25-31). We are to ask in faith, not in fear and doubt (James 1:5-6). Are you expecting hope or dread? Fear is contagious. In Luke 8 Jairus would have had reason to fear, especially when the report came that his daughter was dead, but he stayed in faith. Fear will stop your miracle. Do not be afraid but only believe. How can we not be in fear? The God of hope fills us with joy and peace in believing so that we may abound in hope (Romans15:13). He has promised us the victory (1 Corinthians 15:57-58). Trusting in man brings a snare, but we are safe if we are trusting in God (Proverbs 29:25). Do not be led by the fear of man. If God tells you to do something, do it! People are held as slaves by fear (Hebrews 2:15). Do not be afraid of death. The Lord is our light and our salvation, whom shall I fear? God will conceal me in the day of adversity. Wait on the Lord. Your assignment: Personalize Psalm 34 and declare it. [Kaytie Lueke shared a testimony about trusting God completely.]
Safe and Secure
Karen Burrows: God gives us so much including eternal life. Our response to Him should be worship with thanksgiving and in giving. God created us to worship. Sermon: Use the news as prayer requests. Pray and trust the Lord and declare that those evil things that are happening may not enter your house in the name of Jesus. Learn to know when the Holy Spirit is alerting you to pray. It may mean safety and protection for someone. 2 Timothy 3:1, 10-11 says that there will be perilous, fierce times in the last days. God delivered Paul out of them all in his day. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 tells of the blessings of the Lord under the law, if you faithfully obey His voice. Deuteronomy 28:15-61 expounds on the curses if you do not obey His voice. Every plague is part of the curse. Poverty is part of the curse. We are not under the law because Jesus redeemed us from the curse, having been made a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). Jesus took the curse for us! You can walk in divine health. Believe you have been redeemed. Psalm 4:8 tells us that we can lie down and sleep in peace for God makes you dwell in safety. Psalm 91 applies to those who dwell, live, sit, and abide under the protection of the Most High God. It is important what you say. Say, “In my God I will trust!” Because I said that with authority, He will deliver me from the hidden dangers. Be willing to take refuge under His wings, just like a chicken protecting her peeps from a hawk. Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling. He will protect, and He will save, even in these perilous times.
Safe and Secure – Protection Promises
Offering message: God so loved you, He have His only begotten Son, so that you would be in the family of God. Try to outgive God. God wants us prosperous (3 John 2). Why does God want you to be prosperous? 1) (Deuteronomy 8:18) He gives you power to get wealth so that you will establish the Kingdom and covenant of God on earth. 2) (Ephesians 4:28) We work with our hands so that we may have to give to others in need. Jesus was wealthy. He had a treasurer. He was a giver and blesser. When we are blessed with our needs being met, then we meet the needs for others (Philippians 4:19). Be anxious for nothing. Ask God for more so that you can bless others. Sermon message: God make me live securely (Psalm 4:8). The Lord shall preserve you (Psalm 112). Psalm 91 says that if you live under the protection of the Most High, you will dwell in the shadow of the Almighty. The three parts to living safely and securely are: (1) I willsay of the Lord that it is Him in whom I will trust. (Psalm 91:2) (2) Trust in the Lord. What do you trust in? Is it your job, money, gun, ability, preparedness? It is okay to be prepared, but do not trust in that (Psalm 120:7; 60:11-12). Samson could kill the lion easily because the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. (3) I will not fear (Psalm 91:5). You control whether you will yield to fear. You will be tempted to fear. I will fear no evil in the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4). What is God’s part of keeping you safe and secure? He covers you with His feathers. The enemy is setting traps for you. You do not have to walk into the trap if you listen to the Spirit of God (Psalm 91:3). He knows how to protect you. GOD IS GOOD. THE DEVIL IS BAD. Take authority over what the devil is doing to you. Is everything that happens God’s will? We are to know the will of God. God did not give you sickness or disease. Pastor Syd related an experience in hearing the Spirit of the Lord. He was helping someone build a house. One morning the Holy Spirit warned him, “Watch where you step, or you’ll be crushed.” He needed to help loading logs for the crane operator. He was reminded about what the Lord told him and stepped away from where he was standing. The logs broke loose and fell right where Pastor Syd had been standing. When the enemy has a plan of destruction, the Holy Spirit will warn you. Satan will say things to you to get you into fear. Does what you hear inspire fear or unrest? Are you covered and in the secret place (Psalm 91:4)? Jesus lamented because the people of Jerusalem were not covered, so He could not protect them (Matthew 23:37-39). We are to be alert because our adversary (the devil) prowls seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). (1) Satan roars to inspire fear, giving him access to the person. (2) He has to seek for you, because he cannot find you, unless you open the door through fear. (3) He is looking for someone he may devour. He does not have the power and authority to devour you. James 5:7 says to submit to God, rebuke the devil, and he must flee. What might look like God’s judgment is really the result of people being uncovered, without God’s protection. If there is judgment, God desires to delay it (Luke 13:1-8). Prayer can delay judgment. The prayers of others can spare a person’s life and judgment. Your part for others is to be praying. Pastor Syd read the rest of Psalm 91.
Safe and Secure – Oct 12
The Church Outside of These Walls
Offering message: Love compels you to give. God gave His very best. Why do you give? Godly love has to give. God wanted a people to give to and to love. Luke 6:38 (Give and it shall be given to you. With whatever measure you give, you shall be given.) We have to be good givers and receivers. Just say, “Thank you”, when someone gives you something. Loving means trusting. 2 Corinthians 9:6-12 (As every man purposes in his heart.) Give to God. Receive from the Lord. Sermon: Ephesians 4:1-16. Grace was given to each one according to the measure of the Messiah’s gift. The five-fold ministry is to train and equip in the work of the ministry, to build up the body of Christ. There should be unity of the faith and the knowledge of God’s Son. Matthew 28:18-20 (The Great Commission). All authority was given to Jesus. He told us to go and make disciples of all nations. This includes training in the work of the body and expanding and growing the body. Go out and put into practice what you learn. Prepare the ground with prayer. Mark 16:14-20 tells us to go and act as an agent on Christ’s behalf, laying hands on the sick, casting out demons. This is what we are to do in the world. Unbelief is not believing in the face of evidence. James 5:13-18 is written to the church; what to do when someone is sick, when you pray. Church has to be happening outside these four walls. Are you listening to the Lord? All of us are commanded to make disciples and to lay hands on the sick. Be looking to be used. Church is about proclaiming the Good News.
More of Him: The Church Outside of These Walls
John 14:15-20. If we keep God’s commandments, we love Him and Jesus will love us and reveal/manifest Himself to us. Jesus is in me and I am in Him. Don’t separate yourself from God. You have His righteousness. When you obey His commands is to have more of Him. Acts 1:8 says that the disciples would receive power after the Holy Spirit came upon them. Then they would be His witnesses. Acts 1:15 says that they were praying. Church is more than what happens in these four walls. The function is what is happening outside these walls. Acts 2 is about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He came upon them so they would receive power. When you receive Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes in you. When He comes upon you, it is for power. When the church gathers together, we worship and get equipped to go out to the battlefield. Live dangerously and He will keep you safe and secure. Even after the disciples were imprisoned, they went back preaching. They were empowered by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:18-20 (The Great Commission). All authority was given to Jesus. He told us to go and make disciples of all nations. This includes training in the work of the body and expanding and growing the body. Go out and put into practice what you learn. Prepare the ground with prayer. Mark 16:14-20. If you’re not “fishing” for Jesus, you’re not following Him. Everything I need is in this Word. We can obey the Word. We are equipped in boldness. We can go in faith. Father, let Your Spirit be bold in me. Signs will follow those who believe. Operate in His name always. Luke 10:18-20 (snakes, poison). The disciples went out and preached and signs followed them. In following His commands, you are qualified for His protection.
Safe and Secure
Psalm 91. God is your shield. Trust Him, and don’t fear. How do we get back after we have stepped out of the secret place? In Judges 6-7 the Israelites hid, the Midianites kept impoverishing them, and finally they cried out to the Lord, and He sent them a prophet. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said that the Lord was with him and called him a mighty man of valor. He offered the Angel a sacrifice, and he told Gideon not to fear. Gideon later built an altar and gathered all the people together. There was a huge army against them, but the Lord told him to send home those who were afraid. Twenty-two thousand went home, and then the Lord had him eliminate more until only three hundred men remained. He needed encouragement, so the Lord allowed him to hear the Midianites talking about a dream in which the Israelites won. Gideon divided the men up into three groups, told them to take trumpets and pitchers. With only three hundred, they defeated an innumerable amount. The Lord fought the battle for them because they obeyed. Obedience is the key to coming back to the secret place. He will give you step by step instructions. In 1 Samuel 30:3 David and his men’s wives had been captured. His men wanted to stone him. David strengthened himself in the Lord. You build yourself up by speaking to yourself. Speak out words of victory. Pastor Syd read confessions from Charles Capp’s book. He demonstrated how you can declare, pray, and confess the Word to build yourself up in the Lord. First Corinthians 16:13 says to watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. We are to act the way the Word says we are. The words of Psalm 31 are true for us, too. Speak the Word of God into your situation. This is my truth. Submit to His Word. Read the Psalms, such as 27 and 18, as confessions and declarations to strengthen yourself. Your fellowship time with the Lord is so important. Seek His face. Wait for the Lord. Be courageous. He will strengthen your heart. The body should build each other up. If you get out of the secret place, build yourself up in the Word and in the Lord and the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10). What happens in the natural realm happens first in the spiritual realm.
Safe and Secure – His Angels – Nov 22
Psalm 91. Faith for protection comes from hearing the Word on it. Our part to protection is #1 Say God is my refuge and my fortress. #2 Have faith and trust. #3 Do not fear. God’s part in verse 3 is to care for us, deliver us, and cover us. The world is not a safe place to live, but you can be safe in it. Psalm 91:11 and 12 tell us that God has angels to protect us, and He will give them orders concerning us to protect us. Our part is to have faith. Psalm 34:7 says that the LORD encamps all around those who fear and honor Him, and He delivers them from danger. We have a personal angel. Matthew 18:10 says the little ones have angels, and they do not leave when the little ones grow up. Do not try to test your angel. Angels are created, whereas we are born. We are sons of the Most High; the angels are not. Angels are not feminine. Hebrews 13:2 relates that we can meet and interact with angels without knowing it, because they can take on human form. Do not look for angels, and do not worship them. Do not pray to or converse with angels. We can talk to God through the Holy Spirit. Make sure what they say lines up with the Word of God. If it does not, it might be an angel of light (of the devil). There are doctrines of devils. God’s angels are powerful. In 2 Kings 19:32-37 (and 2 Chronicles 32:21) the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 people, who were like the special forces of that army. Psalm 68:17 tells us that there are thousands of thousands of angels. Elisha prayed that his servant would be able to see that there were more angelic forces than physical enemies. There is rank among angels, such as archangels. What is our part in working with angels? Psalm 103 notes that angels obey God’s Word, listening to the voice of His Word. Hebrews 1:13 and 14 say that ministering spirits are for those who will inherit salvation. Our part is to speak the Word of God. Acts 12:1-19 is about an angel freeing Peter from prison, while the church was praying. Sixteen lives were lost to save Peter, because the guards were executed for letting a prisoner “escape”. Angels assisted Lot and his family, the three men in the fiery furnace, Daniel in the lions’ den, and Paul and Silas in prison. God respects (honors) faith, not people. How do we qualify for God’s protection? We must be in the secret place. We must be obedient – going and telling others about the Word and Jesus. The Lord has given His angels charge over you.
Safe and Secure – His Angels – Nov 23
Psalm 91. Faith for protection comes from hearing the Word on it. Our part to protection is #1 Say God is my refuge and my fortress. #2 Have faith and trust. #3 Do not fear. God’s part in verse 3 is to care for us, deliver us, and cover us. The world is not a safe place to live, but you can be safe in it. Psalm 91:11 and 12 tell us that God has angels to protect us, and He will give them orders concerning us to protect us. Our part is to have faith. Psalm 34:7 says that the LORD encamps all around those who fear and honor Him, and He delivers them from danger. We have a personal angel. Matthew 18:10 says the little ones have angels, and they do not leave when the little ones grow up. Do not try to test your angel. Angels are created, whereas we are born. We are sons of the Most High; the angels are not. Angels are not feminine. Hebrews 13:2 relates that we can meet and interact with angels without knowing it, because they can take on human form. Do not look for angels, and do not worship them. Do not pray to or converse with angels. We can talk to God through the Holy Spirit. Make sure what they say lines up with the Word of God. If it does not, it might be an angel of light (of the devil). There are doctrines of devils. God’s angels are powerful. In 2 Kings 19:32-37 (and 2 Chronicles 32:21) the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 people, who were like the special forces of that army. Psalm 68:17 tells us that there are thousands of thousands of angels. Elisha prayed that his servant would be able to see that there were more angelic forces than physical enemies. There is rank among angels, such as archangels. What is our part in working with angels? Psalm 103 notes that angels obey God’s Word, listening to the voice of His Word. Hebrews 1:13 and 14 say that ministering spirits are for those who will inherit salvation. Our part is to speak the Word of God. Acts 12:1-19 is about an angel freeing Peter from prison, while the church was praying. Sixteen lives were lost to save Peter, because the guards were executed for letting a prisoner “escape”. Angels assisted Lot and his family, the three men in the fiery furnace, Daniel in the lions’ den, and Paul and Silas in prison. God respects (honors) faith, not people. How do we qualify for God’s protection? We must be in the secret place. We must be obedient – going and telling others about the Word and Jesus. The Lord has given His angels charge over you.
Safe and Secure – God’s Warnings Protect Us – Nov 29
Offering message: Three rules concerning your finances are: 1. Give your full tithe. 2. Do not complain about prices and your finances. 3. Thank God for His faithfulness in your income. Do not pull out your seed with negative words. Offering Scriptures: Deuteronomy 28:1, 8; 14:22,23; Proverbs 18:20, 21; John10:10; Romans 4:17; Acts 16. Sermon: Psalm 4 (especially verse 8); Psalm 91. You have to choose in faith to receive God’s protection like you choose His salvation. Your part is to make Him your God and to say that He is your God and that you trust in Him. Also, you must resist fear. God’s part is that He will deliver you, cover you, and shield you. God also protects us by His angels, which you must make sure you do not dismiss by your words. Psalm 31:1-4 shows another way God protects you- by warning you. He leads and guides us. Pay attention to His voice. Proverbs 27:17 tells about the sensible person seeing and hiding from evil, whereas the simple one goes ahead and gets punished. Ezekiel 3:17, 18 tell the watchman to give warnings so that lives are spared. We must listen to God’s leading. Matthew 2:12-22 tells about God warning the wise men and Joseph by an angel in a dream. His warnings are part of His protection. Do not blame God for what happens when you have been warned by Him to do or not to do something. Pastor Syd told powerful experiences of when he did not listen to God’s warning and when he did. His son, Carson, is alive because he listened and obeyed. Sometimes you will have to do something because of a dream, and other times you may have to pray about it to prevent it. Do not override God’s warnings. Noah was warned and it took over a hundred years for the fulfillment to come. It is never God’s will for someone to die in an accident. He warns people. Be faithful to His warnings.
Safe and Secure – God’s Warnings Protect Us – Nov 30
Psalm 91. Faith for protection comes from hearing the Word on it. Our part to protection is #1 Say God is my refuge and my fortress. #2 Have faith and trust. #3 Do not fear. God’s part in verse 3 is to care for us, deliver us, and cover us. The world is not a safe place to live, but you can be safe in it. Psalm 91:11 and 12 tell us that God has angels to protect us, and He will give them orders concerning us to protect us. Our part is to have faith. Psalm 34:7 says that the LORD encamps all around those who fear and honor Him, and He delivers them from danger. We have a personal angel. Matthew 18:10 says the little ones have angels, and they do not leave when the little ones grow up. Do not try to test your angel. Angels are created, whereas we are born. We are sons of the Most High; the angels are not. Angels are not feminine. Hebrews 13:2 relates that we can meet and interact with angels without knowing it, because they can take on human form. Do not look for angels, and do not worship them. Do not pray to or converse with angels. We can talk to God through the Holy Spirit. Make sure what they say lines up with the Word of God. If it does not, it might be an angel of light (of the devil). There are doctrines of devils. God’s angels are powerful. In 2 Kings 19:32-37 (and 2 Chronicles 32:21) the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 people, who were like the special forces of that army. Psalm 68:17 tells us that there are thousands of thousands of angels. Elisha prayed that his servant would be able to see that there were more angelic forces than physical enemies. There is rank among angels, such as archangels. What is our part in working with angels? Psalm 103 notes that angels obey God’s Word, listening to the voice of His Word. Hebrews 1:13 and 14 say that ministering spirits are for those who will inherit salvation. Our part is to speak the Word of God. Acts 12:1-19 is about an angel freeing Peter from prison, while the church was praying. Sixteen lives were lost to save Peter, because the guards were executed for letting a prisoner “escape”. Angels assisted Lot and his family, the three men in the fiery furnace, Daniel in the lions’ den, and Paul and Silas in prison. God respects (honors) faith, not people. How do we qualify for God’s protection? We must be in the secret place. We must be obedient – going and telling others about the Word and Jesus. The Lord has given His angels charge over you.
Safe and Secure – Do Not Ignore God’s Warnings
We are self-deceived if we think we are doing our part of Psalm 91 and 4:8 just because we know that we should be trusting God, but we are not really doing it. There are hundreds of phobias. One spirit of fear invites in other spirits of fear. We can be self-deceived by fear. Fear paralyzes. Shut the door to fear by speaking to it with authority in the name of Jesus and rebuke it. It is NOT okay to let any fear in, because God cannot protect you if you do. Psalm 31:2 tells us that God leads and guides us. Pastor Syd told of the time that Jen’s father was piloting his plane with eight people on board. The front landing wheel was locked in at a 45 degree angle. He trusted God and saw His miraculous help. To not get in Satan’s net, be led by God. He warns us (Proverbs 27:12). Do not override or ignore His warnings. Pastor related about a time he did not heed the inward witness of the Holy Spirit and was in an accident. An accident does not always mean that someone is in disobedience or in sin. God will give warnings, so pay attention. In Acts 27:9-31 Paul perceived that the voyage he was going on was going to encounter disaster, but no one would heed his warnings. Sometimes you do not have any input into decisions that can lead to dangerous places. Even so, like Paul, if you walk with God through it, He will give favor to you and even to those with you. Jeroboam willfully ignored God’s warning, and the man who delivered the warning God clearly gave him also ignored God’s warning. The latter man trusted in man, overriding what God told him to do and ended up being killed by a lion. How do you know if you are in fear or if God is warning you? Pastor Syd shared an experience of sensing fear about boarding a plane. He went to a bathroom to get alone with God to ask Him about it. He started to have peace, so he knew it was okay to get on the plane. If you are not sure, get into God’s presence, because the spirit of fear will not be there. Train your spirit to be alert to God’s Spirit.
Dec 7
Safe And Secure – Faith or Presumption
Psalm 91. How do we abide in God? In 1 John 3:23, 24 we are told that whoever keeps God’s commandments abides in Him. What are His commandments? We are to believe on the name of Jesus Christ and to love one another. We are responsible for what we allow. The parent must not permit fear in his/her house. If you are dealing with an issue, keep fighting until you get rid of it. Do not give up and do not get into condemnation. Jesus was tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:5-10), but He knew the Word. We must know the Word and rightly divide it. Do not tempt or test the Lord. Bringing something to your awareness is God’s protection. We must accept the protection that He gives in the form of a warning. There are many examples in the Bible of God’s giving a warning. In Matthew 12:14 Jesus became aware of the plot against Him and withdrew. In Acts 14:5, 6 the disciples knew violence was being attempted against them, and they fled. It is spiritual pride to think God will protect you when you know not to do what you are doing, and you do it anyway. Being made aware of something is a warning. There may be times when you are impressed to go somewhere, but the Lord may give you a word to tell you to stay (Acts 9:10-19). Ananias knew it was dangerous to go to Saul, but he had a word from the Lord to go. If there is a dangerous situation, you need a word from God to know what to do. Are we money-led, family-led, or Spirit-led? In Acts 9:23-30 Saul learned about a plot to kill him. Jehoshaphat had to prepare to fight, but the Lord told him He would be with him and that it was His battle. If a person would know that a thief was coming, he would have not allowed his house to be broken into (Matthew 24:43). Ask God what you need to do and then prepare. Faith without works is dead.
Safe and Secure – Power and Authroity – Dec 20
Texts: Psalm 4:8; Psalm 91. Even if your flesh is shaking when you are afraid, your heart should not be afraid (Psalm 27:1). We have spiritual authority over things that want to kill, steal, and destroy (Psalm 91:13). If you submit to God, you can resist the devil, and he will flee from you. We can stump on the enemy. In Luke 9:1 and 2 Jesus gave the disciples power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. In Luke 10: 1, 9, and 17 He sent out 70 disciples with authority over sickness, and they came back amazed that demons were subject to them because they had authority in Jesus’ name. Lions, serpents, and scorpions represent spiritual enemies. Jesus gave power in His name over things that are spiritual and natural (Mark 16:15-18). Satan tempted Jesus by using the Word that he knew Jesus knew (Luke 4). We must rightly divide the Word and ask how a verse matches with other Scriptures. Do not tempt God by putting yourself in a dangerous situation. Jesus’ word to the disciples was that they would go to the other side of the lake (Luke 8:22-25). If you are operating in the will of God, you can apply the power and authority of the name of Jesus Christ. It is only when you are submitted to Jesus that you have power and authority. You can be bold if you are where you are supposed to be. God will bring you the whole way (Psalm 91:13-16). If you are not where you need to be, repent. Then you will have long life. The Lord watches over His Word to perform it.
Safe and Secure – Power and Authority – Sunday Dec 21
Texts: Psalm 4:8; Psalm 91. Even if your flesh is shaking when you are afraid, your heart should not be afraid (Psalm 27:1). We have spiritual authority over things that want to kill, steal, and destroy (Psalm 91:13). If you submit to God, you can resist the devil, and he will flee from you. We can stump on the enemy. In Luke 9:1 and 2 Jesus gave the disciples power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. In Luke 10: 1, 9, and 17 He sent out 70 disciples with authority over sickness, and they came back amazed that demons were subject to them because they had authority in Jesus’ name. Lions, serpents, and scorpions represent spiritual enemies. Jesus gave power in His name over things that are spiritual and natural (Mark 16:15-18). Satan tempted Jesus by using the Word that he knew Jesus knew (Luke 4). We must rightly divide the Word and ask how a verse matches with other Scriptures. Do not tempt God by putting yourself in a dangerous situation. Jesus’ word to the disciples was that they would go to the other side of the lake (Luke 8:22-25). If you are operating in the will of God, you can apply the power and authority of the name of Jesus Christ. It is only when you are submitted to Jesus that you have power and authority. You can be bold if you are where you are supposed to be. God will bring you the whole way (Psalm 91:13-16). If you are not where you need to be, repent. Then you will have long life. The Lord watches over His Word to perform it.
Christmas Eve service
A Heart After God – Jan 10
Pre-sermon message: In Ezekiel 36:25 God said that He would give us a heart of flesh and would give His Spirit in us. He has done that since Jesus came. Your harvest field is where you are placed. Go! If you are not fishing, you are not following Jesus. Am I a follower or a fan of Jesus? We do not want to be a church that has lost its saltiness, thinking we do not need Jesus and not having a heart for the lost. Be a person who cares. Listen and pray for the lost. Show Jesus’ love to them and disciple them. Sermon message: Psalm 110:1-3 says we are to make His enemies His footstool by putting the enemy under our feet by using His authority. We are to rule and reign in the authority of His name. We are also to be willing volunteers. Isaiah 1:18-19 informs us that we are to be both willing and obedient in order to eat the good of the land. Obedience means listening with the intent of understanding and doing. All of God’s blessings belong to us, but it is up to us to do what is needed to receive them. Pastor Syd tells of a Hell’s Angel who became gloriously converted but didn’t understand how to convince his friend of Jesus’ goodness. Forcing his friend into praying the sinner’s prayer did not change his heart, because he was not willing and his heart was not right. To receive salvation requires both a willing heart belief and a confession of faith. Be sowers of compliments, compassion, and life. What is the perfect heart? Is it not a heart which goes after God whole-heartedly? God through Samuel said that He looks at the heart, not the outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7). His eyes go to and fro looking for those whose hearts are perfect, whole-heartedly, completely willing, completely given to Him. He shows Himself strong to those whose hearts are perfect toward Him. In 2 Chronicles 15:16 and 16:9-12 it is recorded that King Asa was wholehearted for the Lord his whole life yet he made mistakes. God judges our hearts. We can make mistakes and still have a whole heart toward Him. Likewise, you can do the right things but have a wrong heart. In 2 Chronicles 25:2 Amaziah did what was right but not with a perfect heart. Be full of mercy. Mercy comes before judgment. Do not judge the other person’s heart. Pastor Syd was feeling condemned about never being brave against something, and the Lord reminded him of a time he chased a wolf who was eyeing their chickens for his dinner. Let God comfort you when you have been too hard on yourself. Samuel told Saul that he was foolish and that God wanted a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:13-). Check in your heart: Am I willing?” Psalm 37:3, 4 says to delight ourselves in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our hearts. David was humble and grateful. David asked God to restore the joy of His salvation and uphold a willing heart in him (Psalm 51:12). We do not want hardened hearts (Psalm 16:5-11). Have a heart after God.
Offering sermon by Karen Burrows: 3 John 2; Deuteronomy 8:18-19; Malachi 3:9, 10; 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Galatians 6:7-9. It is the Lord your God who gives you the power to get wealth. Do not forget to thank and follow Him when you prosper. Bring your tithes into the storehouse and be obedient to Him and His Word. Remember, what you sow, you shall reap. Give as God purposes in your heart, cheerfully. Do not complain, but give back (speak) His Words.
A Heart After God – Jan 11
Pre-sermon message: In Ezekiel 36:25 God said that He would give us a heart of flesh and would give His Spirit in us. He has done that since Jesus came. Your harvest field is where you are placed. Go! If you are not fishing, you are not following Jesus. Am I a follower or a fan of Jesus? We do not want to be a church that has lost its saltiness, thinking we do not need Jesus and not having a heart for the lost. Be a person who cares. Listen and pray for the lost. Show Jesus’ love to them and disciple them. Sermon message: Psalm 110:1-3 says we are to make His enemies His footstool by putting the enemy under our feet by using His authority. We are to rule and reign in the authority of His name. We are also to be willing volunteers. Isaiah 1:18-19 informs us that we are to be both willing and obedient in order to eat the good of the land. Obedience means listening with the intent of understanding and doing. All of God’s blessings belong to us, but it is up to us to do what is needed to receive them. Pastor Syd tells of a Hell’s Angel who became gloriously converted but didn’t understand how to convince his friend of Jesus’ goodness. Forcing his friend into praying the sinner’s prayer did not change his heart, because he was not willing and his heart was not right. To receive salvation requires both a willing heart belief and a confession of faith. Be sowers of compliments, compassion, and life. What is the perfect heart? Is it not a heart which goes after God whole-heartedly? God through Samuel said that He looks at the heart, not the outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7). His eyes go to and fro looking for those whose hearts are perfect, whole-heartedly, completely willing, completely given to Him. He shows Himself strong to those whose hearts are perfect toward Him. In 2 Chronicles 15:16 and 16:9-12 it is recorded that King Asa was wholehearted for the Lord his whole life yet he made mistakes. God judges our hearts. We can make mistakes and still have a whole heart toward Him. Likewise, you can do the right things but have a wrong heart. In 2 Chronicles 25:2 Amaziah did what was right but not with a perfect heart. Be full of mercy. Mercy comes before judgment. Do not judge the other person’s heart. Pastor Syd was feeling condemned about never being brave against something, and the Lord reminded him of a time he chased a wolf who was eyeing their chickens for his dinner. Let God comfort you when you have been too hard on yourself. Samuel told Saul that he was foolish and that God wanted a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:13-). Check in your heart: Am I willing?” Psalm 37:3, 4 says to delight ourselves in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our hearts. David was humble and grateful. David asked God to restore the joy of His salvation and uphold a willing heart in him (Psalm 51:12). We do not want hardened hearts (Psalm 16:5-11). Have a heart after God.
A Heart After God – Jan 17
Offering message: 3 John 2; Deuteronomy 8:18; Job 36:11; Psalm 35:27; Psalm 118:24, 25; 1 Chronicles 4:10. God gives us the power to gain wealth, and He has pleasure in our prosperity. God’s prosperity adds no pain with it. Sermon message: How can we have a heart after God? He wants us to get in line with Him. Isaiah 1:18 and 19 say that we will eat the good of the land if we are willing and obedient. He is your Source, and He wants you to be blessed. Our being willing and obedient ties in with seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness. A heart after God is a willing heart. Money reveals the heart. Each one of us must examine his or her own heart. Covetousness blocks blessings. Where your money is, there your heart will be. Matthew 19:16 tells of a rich ruler to whom Jesus told to sell all his belongings and give to the poor and follow Him. He went away sorrowful. Jesus said, “How hard it is for who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God.” Mark 10:23-31 says that those who leave houses and family for His sake will receive 100 times more now. You can desire to do things for Him but not really be willing. In this country we are self-sufficient and do not depend on God. In Luke 19:1 Zacchaeus gave half his goods and restored four-fold whatever he took. Jesus did not have to ask him to do that because Zacchaeus had a willing heart. God looks at your heart. If you are willing, it is the same as doing it. Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac showed God his heart. We must be both willing and obedient. A lot of times money is not the problem, but it is a lack of faith and willingness. Get willing, and then you will get the vision and the faith. God is not against our having riches, but we are not to trust in them (1 Timothy 6:17-19). In fact, He became poor that through His poverty we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). He richly provides us with all things to enjoy. We can have full enjoyment by doing good, being generous, being willing to share, or in other words, seeking first the kingdom of God. We read of the Corinthians giving an offering willingly (2 Corinthians 8, 9). Ask God for finances to give where you want to give. It is okay to exhort to give. He who sows bountifully, reaps bountifully. Each person should give as he purposes in his heart. Are you willing in your heart? We should give because we love God. Be moved by compassion, not because of need. God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you may have sufficiency and abundance. Give yourself willingly to Jesus.
A Heart After God – Jan 18
Psalm 110:1-3; Isaiah 1:18, 19. God is our Source. Money reveals your heart. Where are you putting your money? The source is not your money. How are we to eat the good of the land and have a heart after Him? The answer is by seeking first His kingdom and by willing and obedient. A perfect heart is wholehearted. Matthew 19:16-22 and Luke 19:1-10 contrast two different people with two different kinds of hearts, one not willing and the other one willing. Are we trusting God for our finances? If we put ourselves last, He will put us first. It is covetousness to think, “I can’t believe they spent that much on that.” If we surrender and submit ourselves to God, we will not need to hear from the Lord to give something. Do you have a willing heart? In 1 Timothy 6:17-19 God was talking to the rich. That’s us! See yourself as rich, because He has made you rich (2 Corinthians 8). He gives us richly all things to enjoy. To fully enjoy all things, do good, be rich in good works, be willing to share, and be ready to give. See that the work of God gets accomplished. It is God’s will that you have the good of the land. Be willing and do His will.
Prepare Your Heart – Jan 31
Offering message: Acts 20:35 says it is more blessed to give than to receive. Giving 1) obeys God’s laws, 2) submits to God’s lordship, 3) exhibits God’s heart, 4) illustrates His salvation, 5) recognizes God as your source, 6) widens God’s smile, 7) advances His kingdom, 8) in faith releases God’s power, and 9) is an act of worship. Sermon message: The CWI Prophetic Conference could be called a Revelation or Power or Speaking or Holy Spirit conference. God wants us to prepare our hearts to be stirred up and to receive from Him, so we can go out to others. When Israel was returning to Jerusalem, the Babylonian king sent the captives back with provisions. Those who went back were those people whose hearts God had stirred (Ezra 1:5). We should be stirred up and willing. In Ezra 7:9b, 10 Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Lord, to do His will, and to teach His ordinances. The gracious heart of God will be on you. Prepare your heart with only His agenda. Do not stifle Him. God’s truth, wisdom, and understanding will come into you and flow out of you when you get into His presence (Psalm 73:13-16). His power in us is to flow out of us to others. We need singleness of purpose to expand the kingdom. We need boldness. Psalm 126:1-6. We need to see the lost and to be “salty” people. Let the compassion of God fill you as you pray and want His agenda. Use the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) praying (Ephesians 6:17-18). Pray at all times. Pray in the Spirit. Stay alert. Pray for all the saints in the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 is the core Scripture for this conference. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in everything. Do not despise prophecy. Test prophecies. Hold onto what is good in the prophecy. Treat the Lord’s Word as precious. Stay away from every form of evil, because it dilutes the power of God in your life. The gifts of the Spirit are for each as He wills. (The rest of the service was spent in prayer.)
Prepare Your Heart – Feb 1
When Israel was returning to Jerusalem, the Babylonian king sent the captives back with provisions. Those who went back were those people whose hearts God had stirred (Ezra 1:5). In Ezra 7:9b, 10 Ezra had prepared his heart to study the Word, to obey it, and to teach it. You should not ignore a stirred heart. Take the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) with praying out the Word, praying at all times in the Spirit (tongues) with a posture of prayer (Ephesians 6:17-18). Yield to the Holy Spirit and push away the clutter. We need boldness. Allow the Holy Spirit to empower you. Stay alert with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. The power for this area to be changed is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in everything. Do not despise prophecy. Test prophecies. Hold onto what is good in the prophecy. Treat the Lord’s Word as precious. Stay away from every form of evil, because it dilutes the power of God in your life. Esteem and hold onto what God has said. Ask, “Father, how can You use me?” (We spent time in prayer.)
A Heart After God – Feb 8
Text: Joshua 5:13-6:1. Even though the Israelites knew they were going to the Promised Land, they still had to fight to take it. Even those who believed Joshua and Caleb’s report had to go through the wilderness. The victory at Jericho was the beginning of taking back what the Lord had for them. It took obedience and faith with a willing heart. Jeremiah 33 is about God’s covenant to David, stating that David would never fail to have a man sitting on the throne, and that is Jesus. We have been grafted into the house of Israel. Joel 2:28-3:21 is about God’s promising the Holy Spirit and His pronouncement of judgment. Amos 9:11-15 is God’s declaration of restoration. This is the time when the harvesters overtake the sowers. Brother Ron Cohn: encouraged us to go up to a new level. He shared about the two swords mentioned in the Bible. There is the sword of the enemy, of death, of darkness, and of conflict without solution. The other sword is the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. This Sword of the Spirit will bring life or death, death if you lack experience and discipline and use it as religion. The degree of your effectiveness in this world and success as a child of God will depend on how disciplined and trained and skillful you are in using the Word of God. It is a sword. You need to know how to use the Sword so that it severs, separates, brings healing, and ministers. God placed cherubim at the east gate of the Garden of Eden and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:23-24). The flaming sword is a type of the Spirit and the Word of God. The typologies of the Spirit in the Bible are oil, water, wind, and fire. Typology means sketches, outlines, hints. The Gospel books are transition books. The New Testament from Acts to Revelation has only some typologies. The flaming sword turned eight ways. We are to seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Do not seek experiences. You will have experiences because you serve God. Seek the Word, the Sword of the Spirit.
Marriage That Reflects Christ – Feb 15
There are so many wrong beliefs about marriage, many from our society. Many people are not as interested in truth as much as they are in knowing that what they believe is true. For example, when Pastor Syd became filled with the Spirit, everything that he believed before needed to be looked at to determine if it was correct. Does it line up with what the Word says. We need to love truth. Lord, show us truth, and we will get rid of the pre-conceived ideas. Allow the Spirit to take the Word and bring it to life in your marriage. A humble person acknowledges that my perspective maybe isn’t right (2 Chronicles 7:12-14). Seeking the Lord starts at home. What happens in the home impacts the church and then the nation. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. The singular cause for the decline of this nation comes out of the home. We need to turn from our wicked ways. The home should reflect Christ and the church. The marriage unit has always been the last wall to fall before judgment takes place in a nation. The marriage unit is critical for the church to be what it is called to be and for our nation to survive and be effective. The second important point is that every question and concern about marriage can be answered in Christ’s relationship with the Church. How should I respond to my wife in this situation? The answer is, “How would Christ respond to the Church?” The marriage unit reflects Christ and the Church. Some Scriptures are misquoted or taken out of context. For example, people sometimes take Galatians 3:28 out of the context of the rights to things of the kingdom in verses 19 – 4:7. It can be taken and misapplied and opens the door for the enemy to do more harm. The idea of marriage being 50/50 is not Scriptural. Our marriages should reflect Christ and the Church. Homosexual relations are wrong (1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10). Satan does not care if he gets a woman in the ditch on one side or the other: “under a man’s thumb” as seen in some repressive religions or as seen in the Women’s Lib movement, which is bondage packaged as freedom and is geared at breaking down the leadership of the man. God wants women free. Ephesians 5:22-33. Keep thinking and reflecting Christ and the Church. Anything that is not truth is bondage, because the truth sets us free. Sin is pleasurable for a season, but then comes the bondage. Determine to structure your marriage as the Word says it should be. If we need to change something, we will.
Marriage That Reflects Christ – March 1
Our thinking and beliefs sometimes can filter what we hear in a way that changes truth. It is extremely important that we hear correctly and use the Word correctly. Heed how you hear. We need to compare Scripture with Scripture. If we just read Galatians 3:28 out of context and without comparing it with other Scriptures, we can distort what God is saying. Lord, show us truth. In 1 Peter 3:7 husbands and wives are said to be co-heirs. There is rank in the home, but there is also equal value to each of the married pair. In James 3 we find there are four kinds of wisdom: godly, earthly, sensual, and demonic. Romans 1:18-32 gives a description that easily could be for the time we are in. It tells about people with darkened hearts, trading truth for lies, being ungodly and unrighteous, being wise in their own eyes, worshiping and serving the created things rather than the Creator, not glorifying God, being unthankful, not using their bodies the way God intended them to be used, being disobedient, etc. Hollywood wants to make homosexuality seem natural and normal. A darkened mind will believe sinful ways are truth. We will look at marriage from the standpoint of Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:24-32, 22-24, and 33).
Marriage – March 8
Genesis 3:11-24 tells of God’s cursing the serpent, the woman in childbirth, and the land that man would take care of, after Adam and Eve sinned. Genesis 1:28-31 is about God’s creating man in His image. The unsaved still live under the curse of the law. With faith, all curses can be broken. Man’s original role was to work and keep watch over the land. He was to nurture, plant, work, and care for (Genesis 2:4-15). God told the man not to eat of the tree of good and evil. Eve had not been formed or created at that time. The right to name the animals took authority. There was no helper for man, so God took one of Adam’s ribs and made woman. Women’s role before the fall was to be a helper and an aide. Both Adam and Eve had equal authority before the fall. God formed the male and fashioned the female. Man was to watch over the garden, and it was up to him to take authority. Eve stepped out of her “aide” role. Adam did not protect her, but chose to follow her rather than to follow God, which was idolatry (Genesis 3:1-9). God called to the man, because he was to be the responsible one. The role of the husband is to be the head of the home. He is to protect his wife. The role of the wife is to be his helper. Adam did not try to stop Eve. He followed her rather than God, which was idolatry. Husbands, how will you answer: “Why didn’t I do what I was supposed to do?” Wives, how will you answer: “Why didn’t I operate in the role God created me for?” The wives should only read Ephesians 5:22-24. Husbands should only read Ephesians 5:25-33. The husband’s role is to love his wife, take leadership, and ask himself: “What would love (Christ) do?” Wives, Christ compares you to the Church. You should ask: “How should I (the Church) respond to Christ (my husband)?”
Marriage – March 15
In our marriages we can get caught up in the moment, but we need to ask ourselves, “How important is this?”, especially in the light of eternity. The role of the husband is to be the love enforcer, and the wife is to be his helper. (Ephesians 5:22-28) There are four things to remember and to do that will answer every question about marriage. Pastor Syd was able to teach about two of these. #1) How we should relate to one another is love, as Christ loved the church (1 Corinthians 12:31-13:2). Love is more important than faith. #2) There is one law under the New Covenant, and that is, as believers, to love one another (Matthew 22:35-39; Romans 13:8-10; 1 John 3:23-24; John 13:34). Believe in the name of Jesus Christ and love one another just as He has loved you, even more than you love yourself. Jesus laid down His life. The sign that you are a believer is how you honor and prefer others. Love your enemies. Home should not be a place to flesh out. If you do not want to be “fleshy”, renew your mind as soon as you get up in the morning. Love is a choice. You choose to love, even when you feel hate. We were Christ’s enemy, but He chose to love us. Choose to love. The feelings will come. Love is not a feeling. Sex is not love. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:3-8). You can choose to walk in love. Do not act like you feel, but base yourself on the Word.
Marriage Walking in Love – April 19
1 Corinthians 13. Husbands and wives, remember and do these four things: 1) The answer to every question in your marriage can be answered by Christ and the church. 2) New Covenant Christians have one law: the law of love (John 13:34-35). We are to love one another as Christ loved us. He loved us by giving His life. What is love? It is a choice, an act of your will. Choose to act in love. You can love someone, but still get feelings of hate or whatever. What is not love? It is not a feeling, but it produces feelings. It is not sex, but sex can be an expression of love. All the other gifts work by the better way, which is love (1 Corinthians 12:31). You can speak and pray in tongues, but without love, it is like a noise (1 Corinthians 13:1). You can have strong faith, but without love, it does not work. Love in the home should reflect Christ and the church. GOD IS LOVE. FAITH WORKS BY LOVE. If your faith is not working, check out your love-walk. Love suffers long, is kind, does not envy, and does not fail. It means I will endure with you, act properly toward you. 3) Giving. The greatest expression of love is giving. A person who loves forgoes their own comfort for that of the other person. Love is not conceited, does not behave improperly, does not seek its own, and rejoices in what is right. It is not about who is right, but what is right. Discern when to keep your mouth shut. Love never gives up, because God is love. Hope is expectation with pleasure. Love is the gateway to God. There is no defense against love, which means that Satan is powerless against love. Love is a commandment and a spiritual force. You give access for someone when you walk in love toward them.
Marriage – You Are to Be Valued April 26
Our marriages should reflect Christ and the church. When Satan attacks marriages, he is trying to destroy Christ and the church. Even if you had a broken marriage, you can walk in victory. Look to God to fulfill what you need in your marriage. Ephesians 5:25-33 tells how marriage should look: a husband should wash the wife and family in the washing of water by the Word and love his own wife like he cares for his own body. Each one of us is valuable to God. God gave His Son for me. Psalm 49:7-8 and 1 Peter 1:18-19 tell us that nothing and no one can redeem us; only Christ and His blood could and did. We make a big mistake when we do not value what God values and honors. People are what are most important to God. We are to treat others, such as our spouses, as though they are extremely precious. Stay anchored in love. First Peter 3:3-4 says that our beauty comes from our inner being, the hidden person of the heart. What God values is a gentle and quiet spirit. Satan tries to devalue whatever God values. Be careful not to let Satan lure you into devaluing what God values, even in a joking way. It takes away the other person’s life. Satan tries to get you to devalue and even despise your spouse in your mind. Take control over your mind and see your spouse as God does. 1 Peter 3:7 says for the husband to give honor to the wife as being equal heirs of equal value. Do you value your spouse? We are not to judge (James 4:11 and Romans 2:1). The people in Jesus’ hometown did not value Jesus (Matthew 13:54-58) because they judged Him after the flesh. We need to judge according to the Spirit. Call out to the deep, good things in the other person.
Current Events and the Believers Involvement – May 5
Pastor Sydney shared his heart about what is happening in this country and what is our responsibility. The Constitution is the highest authority in our government. The role of judges is to uphold the law, not to make it. What is our role? We need to pray and vote for just judges. If someone is attacking you, turn the other cheek, but if there is an attack against your family or others, be prepared to protect them. Be armed. You have the Holy Spirit in you. Pray in the Spirit. Surrender is different from being overpowered. Jesus told His disciples to get swords in the Garden of Gethsemane. Raise your kids to respect authority and to love justice and truth. Justice is not the same as getting even or getting revenge. Justice has to do with what is right. Our families should raise a generation that loves truth. In one generation we can change a nation. Bring changes. Rise up and change this nation. People who blame others will not change, do not take responsibility, and are not in faith. Do not blame your spouse. Do not blame groups in society, political or otherwise. Bring righteousness back to this nation. Pray and walk it out. Faith activates works.
Marriage – May 17
(There was a time of prayer and a powerful testimony by John) The answer to every question in your marriage can be answered by the relationship of Christ and the Church. Satan attacks marriage because it should resemble Christ and the Church. If someone should be caught or snared in wrongdoing, those who are spiritual should restore him/her (Galatians 6:1-2). Those who are developed spiritually in love carry one another’s burdens. To restore means to repair, build up, and lift up out of the trap. Restore with a spirit of gentleness, humility, being quick to listen and not being full of pride. The greatest problem in marriages is selfishness. Watch out for yourselves, spy on yourself, take aim at, and keep an eye on yourself. A fleshly person examines others for faults. You can be tempted by pride. Flesh and the devil always want more. Temptations begin in your desires. Each person is tempted by his own evil desires (James). Is your flesh ruling you? Tempted means to be drawn away, enticed, lured, and baited. Satan tempts you based on your desires. He often gets blamed for what is really your own flesh. Remember, Satan is not omnipresent. He just gives the order for his fallen angels and demons to do his work. Just like Satan with Jesus in the wilderness, he overplays his hand. Satan wants you to go against the Word of God. Take authority over both Satan and your flesh.
Marriage – Being One with Christ – May 31
(Communion was received during praise and worship time.) Mini-sermon: The disciples were kingdom-minded (Acts 1:8). They waited for the Holy Spirit and power, and they became witnesses. Being a witness means you share what you have seen and experienced of the Lord and what He has done for you. Allow God to move through you. Sermon: Text: Ephesians 5:22-33. Your marriage should reflect Christ and the church. God loves us because we are part of His own body. Like Christ, the husband provides, protects, and gives gentle care-taking. In Matthew 1:1, 16 the Bible records that Joseph was the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called the Christ. In Luke 1:26-35 the angel appeared to Mary and told her that her son would be called the Son of God. Then she went to Elizabeth, and she came back three months pregnant. Luke 3:23 records that Mary’s baby was thought to be Joseph’s child. Mary became one with Joseph and took on his lineage. When a couple marries, the wife takes on the husband’s lineage, and they become one. This is not about headship in the home. In the same way we take on Jesus’ identity. Your body is your spouse’s (1 Corinthians 7:1-6). The body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body (1 Corinthians 6:12-20). There is a covenant of oneness between spouses. Christ is the image of God over all creation. Colossians 1:15-23 tells about the image of being one. Christ is the head of the Body. He presents us as holy, blameless, and above reproach. A husband should lead.
Marriage Submission and Irreconcilable Differences – June 7
God can move and revival can come when our marriages reflect Christ and the Church. Satan wants us to think truth is bondage. God’s commands carry power and authority. Irreconcilable differences in a legal sense mean that there is no chance a marriage can be saved and the two partners can no longer agree. The point you disagree on opens the door to seeing more points of disagreement. Focus on what you agree on and find the common ground. The only solutions that will work are God’s solutions. Submission is not bondage, because God is not the author of bondage. We need deliverance from strife in our marriages, not from our marriages. Submission applies to the man as well as to the woman. James 4:6 tells us that He gives greater grace. He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Pride is the nature of Satan. We should say, “I am pleased with …” rather than saying, “I’m proud of …”. Pride is being unteachable. Pride cares about looking good. Pride is 100% devil. James 4:7 instructs us to submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. You only successfully resist the devil when you submit to God. There are demonic spirits working in the disobedient (Ephesians 2). The spirit of rebellion is deadly and opens the door to destruction. Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up. Submission literally means “under the mission”, to be under, to yield to, and taking your place under the person God told you to be under. We submit by making Jesus Christ our Lord and king. We all have the same rights to the kingdom of God, but we are not of the same rank. Submission is NOT: 1) agreement, 2) easy, 3) being forced or made to do something, nor 4) weakness. It takes great strength to submit. Meekness is not weakness. Jesus and God had two different wills, but He submitted to God’s will. God may ask you to lay down your life. Jesus suffered when He submitted. Submission is done in the heart. Submission was required in the Godhead (1 Corinthians 15:28). 1 Corinthians 11:3 tells us, “Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ.” Some people mistakingly call love, submission. It is God’s anointing that gives leadership to the man. He is the one who is to lead. Hebrews 13:17 reminds us to obey those who are leading us and to submit to them. Today many pastors are not shepherds, but hirelings. The man is the head because he is ordained by God. Respect the place, even if you do not respect everything. Respect the place, but you may not everything he does. A mark of submission is humbleness. His grace will come to you. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Marriage – Submission – July 5
Text: James 4:6-10. Submission is always your choice, because it cannot be forced on you. You choose to submit when you do not agree. The world thinks of submission in terms of bondage, but godly submission requires humility and opens the door for the person who is submitting to receive God’s grace. When we submit to God’s will, God tells us that He will lift us up. Satan did not submit to God, and he hates when we do, so he comes to steal the truth from us immediately. We are to submit to God and resist the devil. Satan wants to rob God’s grace (His power) from you by stealing your submission from you. Submission means under in rank, but not under in value. What is submission? 1) It is not agreement. 2) It is not easy. 3) It is not being forced. 4) It is not weakness. You have to be humble to submit. It is a safety net against deception. Who do we submit to? 1) To God. 2) To your own spirit. 3) Children to their parents. 4) Wives to their husbands. 5) Younger to the elder. 6) Employees to employers. 7) Citizens to civil leaders. (Pastor Syd cited Scriptures for each of these.) The time to not submit to authority is when the one over you directly goes against what the Word tells you. Philippians 2:8-15 says that Jesus humbled Himself by being obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. God exalted Jesus for His obedience and gave Him the name above all over names. When we submit to God, His grace can come to us.
Marriage and Submission to God – July 19
Text: James 4:6, 7, 10. When you submit in marriage and in other relationships, God’s grace is released. Satan hates submission, because that was the area in which he fell. God’s grace makes it possible for us to walk in His plan. Submission is not agreement. You submit to someone else’s will when you do not agree with it. If we don’t submit to the one God has put us under, we will not submit to God. Who should submit to whom? We should submit our flesh to our born again spirit (1 Corinthians 9:27); children to their parents; the wife to her own husband; the younger to the elder (1 Peter 5:5); employees to employers (Titus 2:9, 10); and citizens to their governing authority (Romans 13). The head of every man is Christ, the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God (1 Corinthians 11:3). It is not the husband’s job to make the wife submit. Your job is not to make the other spouse submit. The wife decides to submit. Ephesians 5:22-24 tells about the wife and 5:25-30 tells about the husband. Wives, submit to your own husband in everything. The husband’s role is to love his wife and to be constant. Her role is to submit to her husband, even if he is being ugly or mean. Your role is your role to the end of time. Colossians 3:18 tells the wife to submit to her own husband. Submission and obedience are not the same thing. Obey God. Peter submitted to the authorities, but he obeyed God when he was told to not preach in the name of Jesus. Marriage is a God-ordained relationship. Slaves are to submit to their masters, even if they are harsh (1 Peter 18-25). Submission brings grace. In the same way that slaves are to submit to their masters, so the wife is to submit to her own husband, even if he does not obey the word, so that those without the word, may be won by their wife’s conduct (1 Peter 3:1, 2). If your husband is abusive, and you can stay by faith, God’s grace will come to you. If you are not in faith, you may need to get out. A husband is to live with his wife with understanding, giving honor to his wife (1 Peter 3:7). Jesus became obedient to the point of death. Because He submitted, God gave Him grace (Philippians 2:8-15). Submit in your relationships. It allows God’s grace to work for you.
Why Marry – July 26
Sermon: Romans 12:1, 2 tells us to be transformed continuously. God created marriage and His manual for it, the Bible. Why should a couple get married? A piece of paper does not make or break a marriage, since it is just a legal document with the state. Marriage is a public commitment and covenant with God. It is a covenant of oneness. What is the purpose of marriage? It is for reproduction and to raise godly children (Malachi 2:13-15). The world sees and experiences broken homes, which distorts their view of marriage. Marriage is NOT to make you happy (1 Corinthians 7:39, 40). The Apostle Paul’s thoughts were that you would be happier if you remained single. Marriage is NOT to keep you from being lonely. If your spouse does not meet your needs according to your expectations, you separate from your spouse and eventually from God. When man was sinless, before The Fall, God told Adam that it was not good for man to be alone. Wrong expectations and demands bring disappointment. Any problem you had before you were married are amplified after you are married. Marriage cannot substitute what God is meant to fulfill. A husband and wife are two spirits but one flesh (Genesis 1:18-24). Offering message: God established the law of sowing and reaping in Genesis 1:29. His plan was to bring multiplication to the earth through Adam and Eve. God is “I Am”, the God of increase, and when we give to Him, we can apply the law of sowing and reaping to our finances.
The Hope of Glory
What does it mean to be family? It is caring for each other, loving, checking in with one another, showing hospitality. When someone is grieving, we mourn with them. We know that the person who has passed into heaven is gain, but those left here deal with grief for a time. God is the God of all comfort: Isaiah 61:1-3 and 2 Corinthians 1:3-6. Christ died for our sins. It is because of His resurrection that we know we will be resurrected (1 Corinthians 15). We will leave this earth and body of corruption and mortality, and it will come to pass, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” Death is an enemy. Jesus and our loved ones who are born-again are in our future (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We can know that we will have the hope of eternity with Jesus and God if we confess and believe, making Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives (Romans 8:8-10). Make Jesus not just your Savior, but also your Lord.
Marriage – Unity and Power
Pre-sermon notes: When the Israelites became unthankful, snakes were biting people. God told Moses to make a brass (judgment) serpent on a pole, and if the people looked on it, they would be healed, similar to Jesus taking our sin by hanging on the cross. How much of the blood of Jesus did it take to forgive your sin? It took all of it. Jesus paid the debt. He gave His all to save and to keep us. May we have a greater understanding of the length Jesus Christ went to, to save us. A testimony is the result of overcoming a test. A great need is an opportunity for a great miracle. Do not confuse laziness with faith. Sermon: In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul tells us that the believer should stay with an unbelieving spouse so the other one is sanctified (set apart unto God). The believer becomes the open door for the Lord to keep knocking on the spouse’s heart door. The purpose of marriage is to have and raise godly children. It is NOT to make you happy, fulfilled, or contented. Marriage actually multiplies your problems, because you have to think about the other person, and you cannot be selfish. If you think marriage will make you happy, after a while you will become bitter and hate your spouse. The only sure cure for your life is your relationship with God. In Genesis 2, we are told that God created Eve to help Adam. (See Ecclesiastes 4:9.) Another main reason God created marriage was so that He could release power through the unity of the husband and wife. There is a lot more strength in two becoming one flesh in a marriage. One can put a thousand to flight, but two can put ten thousand to flight. Genesis 11 tells about negative unity when the people tried to build the Tower of Babel. God said that nothing they plan to do would be impossible. The authority and power of a husband and wife is why Satan tries so hard to break the unity of marriage. Psalm 133 compares unity with the anointing of God. (Also Matthew 18:18-20.) Out of unity comes authority and dominion.A purpose of marriage is for unity and power to multiply our effectiveness.
Marriage – Trouble in the Flesh
Pre-sermon notes: Words of edification, exhortation, and comfort, revelations, and a message in song were given by members of the church. The theme of the words was to walk in love, not to fear, and to be comforters of our land, because we have true love and the true Comforter. Offering message: Jesus gave boat-sinking increase to Peter. God’s goodness leads us to repentance. His goodness to you is showing His love to you. We are humbled by His goodness. Sermon message: Matthew 12:25-29 states that no city or house (family) which is divided against itself can stand or survive. God releases great power through a married couple’s unity, but there is an enemy of that unity. The devil cannot break your marriage. Only you can do that, but Satan will try to bring strife and division and present opportunities for you to be selfish. The devil must first bind up the strongman before he can plunder you. What is the strongman of your marriage? It is the unity of the two of you. In 1 Corinthians 7:28 we are told that married people will have trouble in the flesh. When you marry, you become one flesh, not one spirit. The flesh realm is where there is selfishness with the possible result of divorce. If you walk in love in your home, you can walk in love anywhere. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit (Proverbs 18:21). Most problems in a marriage stem from selfishness and from the words we speak to each other. The words we speak can release victory if we speak with: 1) love, 2) faith, and 3) truth (the Word of God). Love never fails means that love never ends, stops, or gives up. God brings us out to rich fulfillment (Psalm 66:12), and this can be true of your marriage.
Times and Seasons
The Holy Spirit shows us things to come. Pray for the eyes of the Muslims to be opened and for workers to be sent to minister and witness of the Gospel to the refugees, wherever they go. Pray for your neighbors and our cities. Be a witness. Are you willing to be used by God? Text: Acts 1:3-8. The disciples were to wait for the immersion, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They had gone from disappointment to joy when they saw Him after His death and burial. They expected Him to physically restore the kingdom of God to Israel. It is not for us to know the times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. There are many pieces of the puzzle of the times we are in, but the important thing is DO NOT GET INTO FEAR! GET INTO PREPARATION, and do not let the enemy in by being in fear. Ask God how you should get ready to be prepared. Jesus told the disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit had come upon them. What was the reason for needing the power? It was (and is for us) so that they would be witnesses of Jesus Christ locally and around the world. What is your witness? It is what you have experienced of Jesus’ working in your life. When you witness, the power will go from you into the ones you are witnessing to. Make an agreement that you will operate in His power. Be bold. Boldness is a manifestation of His power. He can reveal Himself to others through you. The power will meet you as you step out.
Marriage: Getting and Staying Out of Strife – Sept 27
(There was a word given.) God made them male and female, so that they could become one flesh as husband and wife (Matthew 19:4-6). We are to reflect Christ and His Church in our marriage, which is why Satan hates it. We are not to separate a-God-joined marriage or other relationships. Pastor Syd gave the example of Abram and Lot. Any home or city divided against itself will not stand (Matthew 12:25), so Satan tries to bring division. We are to love our neighbor, which includes our spouse (Galatians 5:13, 14). If you devour one another, you will be consumed by one another. Where there is strife, there is every evil work. Unity in your marriage is your strong man. It is how you walk together, even if you disagree. If you walk in love with your family, you can walk in love with anyone. James 3 tells about the power of the tongue. Proverbs 18:21 states that life and death are in the power of the tongue. There are three keys to victory using your speech. 1) Love: never quits; 2) Faith: all things are possible to him who believes. Do not release death. Change the words of your mouth by saying what God says about the situation; 3) Release God’s truth. Speak it. Speak God’s truth in love and faith. The four things to be Spirit-led (the rules for speaking): 1) If I say … (Proverbs 10:19; James 1:19; Proverbs 13:3; 2) What you say (Ephesians 4:29); 3) When you say it (Proverbs 30:32, 33; Proverbs 25:11); 4) How you say it (Proverbs 15:1; 16:21). God brought us out of the fire and water to a place of rich fulfillment (Psalm 66:12). Peace is the manifest presence of God, and strife is the manifest presence of Satan. You do not have to speak how you feel when you are with your spouse in a time of disagreement. Pride tells and demands. Speak God’s truth into your marriage, so you give Him an open door to your spouse’s life. Declare the Word of the Lord. Truth is eternal, but facts can change.
Holiness- Wholly for God
Marriage is to reflect Christ and the Church. We are to be set apart for and to God. Proverbs 18:22 says that the man who finds a wife finds a good thing. Psalm 34:10 says that those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. If you are looking for a good wife, first seek the Lord. A video with John Bevere being interviewed with Sheila Walsh and Randy Robison about John’s book, Good or God? was shown. Have we replaced good for our relationship with God? Jesus is coming back for a holy church. The angels cry out, “Holy, holy, holy!” Holiness means that we are set apart to be completely His. Pursue holiness and chase after it. There are two aspects of holiness. One is positional, as seen in Ephesians one. He chose us to be holy and without blame before Him in love. The second aspect is behavioral. We either act like the world or behave like Jesus. We have been created for intimacy with God. We draw near to Him because we love Him, not because we want something from Him. James 4:5 tells us that the Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously. God is a jealous God. He is jealous for you. God wants our whole heart. To want or have the world in any part of you is adultery against God. A person can change when he or she is in the presence of God.
Marriage and Divorce: Legal Covenant – Oct 18
The Pharisees asked Jesus if it is lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason (Matthew 19:3-12). God’s plan is that a male and female leave their parents and be joined together. Jesus said that what God has joined together must not be separated. Moses said that a man may not remarry his wife, if she has married another in between. Moses allowed divorce because of the hardness of their hearts. When you divorce, you are in your own plan, not God’s. Jesus said the only exception for divorce is sexual immorality (Matthew 19:9). Paul wished that all men would be unmarried (1 Corinthians 7:6-16). Your marital status does not indicate your spiritual status. The Lord commands that a wife is not to leave her husband. If she does leave him, she is not to remarry or be reconciled to her husband. A husband is not to divorce his wife. Paul said that a believer should stay with an unbelieving wife, if she is willing to live with him, and not to divorce her (or vice versa wife for husband). The believing spouse is set apart by the believing spouse. You are still in oneness, and there is still an open door to the spouse. God has a covenant with the believer. Submit your life to the Lord. 1 Corinthians 7:27, 28 tell us to not seek to be loosed from a wife. Married people have trouble in the flesh. If you are looking for a loophole to get out of marriage, you are like a Pharisee. The sin of divorce is forgivable. Repent and live in the new covenant. While talking to the Samaritan woman, Jesus recognized the five marriages she had had (John 4:17-19). A wife is bound to her husband as long as her husband lives (1 Corinthians 7:39, 40). In Genesis 15 after Abram rescued people from Sodom and Gomorrah, God made a blood covenant with him that he would inherit the land and have many descendants. He and Sarai took things into their own hands and caused an Ishmael. God reestablished His covenant with Abram, changed his name to Abraham, told him he would be the father of many nations, and renamed him Abraham with a blood covenant. God renewed His covenant with Israel, whom He considered as His wife (Exodus 24:1-18). Throughout the Old Testament, such as in Jeremiah and Isaiah, God was angered by Israel’s adultery against Him. When Moses was on the Mt. Sinai for forty days, with smoke and fire coming from the mountain, he received the two stone tablets (Exodus 24-31). The words of the covenant were called The Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28). The people had corrupted themselves, while Moses was up on the mountain (Exodus 32:7). Moses (a type of Christ), interceded for God’s people and reminded God of His covenant with the Israelites, and God relented (Exodus 32:7-14). Why did God change during this “melt-down marriage” problem with Israel? It was because of His covenant with them. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation. Husbands, walk in the ministry of reconciliation. We are reconciled to Him because of the New Covenant. Baby dedication and offering message is placed after the message.
Making Covenant with the Lord and Each Other
How should you find a spouse? Seek the Lord first, and then He will show you or lead you to His choice for a spouse. You make a covenant when you set yourself apart to God. Hebrews 11:6 tells us to draw near to God, seek Him, believe that He exists, and believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He rewards our seeking Him and our drawing near to Him. Faith pleases Him. We get faith by hearing and hearing by the Word. Proverbs 18:22 says that he who finds a good wife finds a good thing, and he obtains favor from the Lord. Seek God and then the blessings come, but do not seek Him just for the blessings. Make God your number one priority. Seek the Lord, and you will not lack any good thing (Psalm 34:10). As you get closer to God, you are getting closer to your future spouse. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). If you abide in God, He will abide in you; you shall ask whatever you desire, and it shall be done for you (John 15:7). Matthew 6:33 commands us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these other things will be provided. God spoke a blessing over Israel and to us, that His plans for us are to give us a future and a hope, but we must seek Him with all our heart (Jeremiah 29:10-14). [There was a service of covenant and communion for singles and then for married couples.]
Earnestly Desire Spiritual Gifts
Jesus said that it was better for Him to go to heaven than to stay here on earth, so the Holy Spirit could come to us (John 16:5-7). Jesus said that we would do even greater things than He did, because He was going away (John14:12). First Corinthians 14:1 states that we are to pursue love and to earnestly desire spiritual gifts. Do you desire spiritual gifts? Do you strongly want them? Ask and you will receive. Make it your burning desire to have God’s spiritual gifts. God has established strength to silence the enemy and the avenger (Psalm 8:1-2). Take authority. Your tongue can establish or tear down strongholds. For example, both Goliath and David used their tongues to decree, but David spoke God’s Word. The Holy Spirit prompts us to declare and decree things. He waits for our words to be spoken. (Kevin Burrows ministered a word and song, and released the anointing to an individual. Larry Hostettter shared a word of testimony and encouragement.)
Serving Jesus – Nov 29
Jesus gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to us to train and equip the saints (the Body of Christ) to do the work of the ministry and to build the Body until we all come to the unity of faith (Ephesians 4:11-13). The Body of Christ could be compared to a picture of Christ in collage form made up of many individual pictures. Ministry is work. Each person takes his or her part. We are not saved by our works, but by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. In Matthew 25:31-46 the first thing Jesus does is to separate the sheep from the goats. This Scripture is about the sheep (the righteous, the believers). It does not apply to the Syrian refugees, except those who are Christians. We are made righteous only by Jesus. His righteousness has been given to us. God sees us as Jesus. Whatever we do for the Body of Christ, for our brothers and sisters in Christ, we do for Jesus, whether it is providing food, drink, clothing, shelter, health, or comfort, when we do it as to the Lord. We need to use wisdom in our priorities and responsibilities, not putting those we are responsible for in danger. We are the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), and Jesus Christ is the Head (Ephesians 1:22, 23). Although we are not saved by works, we are judged and rewarded for them. We are to work for the good of all, especially our fellow believers (Galatians 6:10). What we did to the least of His Body, we did for Him. We are called to freedom and through love to serve one another. We are selfish if we want to be served, rather than serving.
Serving Jesus – Dec 13
Text: Matthew 25:31-46. Salvation is not by works but by grace through faith. That is what divides the “sheep” and the “goats”. However, God judges the sheep, those who have received Jesus, and rewards them according to their works. Those who do not believe are cursed.The sheep are the Body of Christ, the family of God. Jesus gave the five-fold ministry (Ephesians 4:11-13) to train the Body to do the work of the ministry. We are to do the work of the ministry. Romans 12:1 says that presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice is our reasonable service. We are alive and have to choose to be set apart. When we take our place, the whole Body can function. The Amplified Bible says that being a living sacrifice is “spiritual worship”. Ministry is service. It is like being a table waiter, waiting on someone. Service is spiritual worship. Ephesians 6:5-8 tells servants and slaves to be obedient as to Christ. When you sow spiritually to the Lord, you reap back. Galatians 6:10 says to do good to all, especially to those of the household of faith. We are to serve God with spiritual gifts, show honor to one another, and do His will (Romans 12:2-13). Jesus came to serve and for doing that God gave Him the highest position (Matthew 20:25-28). We should not be selfish (Galatians 5:13). We should grow and stop thinking about ourselves. To become great, you must first be a servant. Jesus served the greatest. A mark of maturity is when you stop thinking of yourself and serve others instead. Look out for the interests in others. He humbled Himself to the point of death. He is exalted to the right hand of God, and Jesus allows us to sit with Him. Our homework assignment is to read John 13:1-17.
God’s Word and His Presence Are One: Speak the Truth in Love
Offering Message: The Word is working mightily in me. Just as your soul prospers, which is mind renewal with the Word, so will you be in health (3 John 1, 2). We believe in our heart (our spirit) and confess with our mouth (our flesh). Deliverance does not give you mind-renewal. Thinking God’s thoughts in our soul prospers us. We will work Your Word, Lord. Sermon Message: Political correctness is a cancer in this nation and is trying to shut down truth. It started in the church by our allowing political correctness, and what the church allows, grows. The earth is our place, and we have God’s authority here. We must repent, walk in a love of truth, and be able to discern when and what to speak. We need to speak the truth in love. Ezekiel 3:10, 11 tell us to receive God’s Word into our hearts and hear with our ears. Jesus said that he who comes, listens, and does is a wise man. Speaking truth does not depend on the other person’s receptivity to it. Jesus is the truth. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. His Word gives us access to His presence (John 1:1-18). His Word is the doorway and leads us into God’s presence. Let’s love the Word. Let’s love Jesus. Matthew 8:5-13. God sent His Word and healed them. His Word brings the Presence of God. His Word and His Presence are one.
Serving Jesus – Jan 10
(There was a word given about shakings, the church awakening, changed lives, digging deeper into the Word, and Christ as the living sacrifice.) Offering sermon: Finances are a grace of the Lord. God is able to make every grace abound to you (2 Corinthians 6:8). Sermon text: Matthew 25:31-40. Jesus separates the sheep and the goats, which means that those who are saved (the sheep) are those who believe and confess Him as their Lord. However, we are judged (not saved) by our works. Every act of service that we do horizontally, to other believers, we do vertically in spiritual service or worship to God. We are to be living sacrifices, choosing to present ourselves as living sacrifices to God, holy, acceptable, which is our reasonable service (Romans 12:1). Service is spiritual worship. It is not lip-service, but it is doing, waiting on as a waiter waits on customers. We should ask ourselves: What is my personal service to God and to the Body of Christ? We are to use our freedom to serve one another through love (Galatians 5:13). Fruitless Christians are selfish Christians. The five-fold ministry gifts are for the training and equipping of the Body so they can serve one another (Ephesians4:11). Serving is work, and we can do it as onto the Lord. There should be two to three people deep in each position on the “service teams” in the body at CWI. Jesus gave us the example of being a servant when He humbled Himself and took the place of a slave by washing the feet of His disciples (John 13:4-17). Take the lowliest job and serve each other. If you know these things, you are blessed (happy) if you do them. Want to be happy? Serve others. Colossians 2:23 and Ephesians 6:7 relate about serving enthusiastically and with a good attitude as to the Lord and not to men.
Healing – Is It God’s Will to Heal Today
When we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. Then we can know that we have what we ask (1 John 5:14). Luke 5:12, 13 is about Jesus being willing to cleanse the leper. Jesus is always willing, but the hindrance is our lack of faith. We are told in Isaiah 52:14 – 53:5 that Jesus bore our sicknesses and diseases (incorrectly translated “griefs” in some translations), and carried our pains (sometimes translated “sorrows”), and by His stripes (wounds) we are healed. Matthew 8:14-17 says that He healed all who were sick, and quoting Isaiah, he wrote, He took our weaknesses (infirmities) and bore our sicknesses. First Peter 2:24 notes that He bore our sins, by whose stripes we were healed (past tense). He already provided for our healing. We enforce His Word in our healing. We take it. Acts 3:1-10 is about the lame man who was healed in the name of Jesus Christ. He did not just stand, but he leaped, praising God. The Greek word for “saved” is sozo, meaning physical healing, deliverance, well-being, and more. It is by the name of Jesus Christ that the man was made whole (Acts 4:8-12). There is no other name under heaven that is given among men by which we must be saved. Christ redeemed us from the law (Galatians 3:13). What does that mean? Deuteronomy 28:16-68 are the things that are curses. [They are the curses we have been redeemed from.] We are to go and preach, and those who believe and are baptized will be saved. There would be signs to those who believe, such as laying hands on the sick, and they shall recover (Mark 16:15-18). If you are suffering, pray for yourself. If you are sick, call for the elders of the church and let them pray over you and anoint you in the name of Jesus, and if you believe, the Lord will raise him up. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man makes great power available. We need meekness of heart to believe and receive. The humble get the grace.
Four speakers – Monday evening – Jan 18
Pastor Syd (Hearing and Listening for God’s Spirit’s Leading): Isaiah 50:4, 5. We need open ears to hear what the Lord is saying. Pastor Syd told of how he stood in faith to hear what the Holy Spirit wanted him to do concerning a school for his son, but no answer was coming. He asked the Lord about it, and he heard all the word curses he had spoken against school when he was a child. He immediately repented and put the blood of Jesus over those he had cursed. Immediately He gave him the name of the school and the first grade teacher, and so he knew which was God’s choice. In Mark 4:9 Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” This was the Parable of the Sower. Mark 4:22 tells about the hidden and revealed things, and also says in verse 23, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” We have to pay attention to what we hear. He will show you more if you recognize that the Lord is speaking to you. Then be careful how you hear. We need God’s Spirit to know His hidden wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:6-3:3). He has revealed the hidden things of what He has prepared for us. The deep things are the things we need to develop and cultivate. The natural mind does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. We have the mind of Christ. Paul tired to speak of spiritual things to the people, but they were too carnal to receive them.
Bob Hawk gave a word about shifting, preparation, an awakening, a stirring within us, removing weights, running with new shoes and with the Word. This is a new day and hour of God’s power.
Rocky Veach: A great thing is ahead of us. There is preparation. Rocky shared how one month after he was born-again, the Lord showed him a photograph and said that she was his wife. Expect to hear. Expect Him to surprise you. Expect Him to speak to you. Put yourself in a position to hear. He said that 2016 is “The Year of the Angler”. Put your line with a big hook in the water and let the Lord give you a big catch, some big fish. Jesus used parables because the ones who do not have a heart to hear, will not hear. Parables bypassed the natural mind and were meant to go to the heart. We are open to subliminal things, but open yourselves to the Word and hear what God has to say.
Ron Cohn: Secrets. Hearing. Changing. We should hear the secrets of God and then change. The secret things belong to the Lord our God (Deuteronomy 29:29). Everyday God does something to us, for us, and through us. He shared about paying attention to God connections, like seeing “Rocky” on a TV in a business he was in the same day he was going to meet Rocky Veach for the first time. The body of Christ needs to be ready to hear God’s revelations. Some things God reveals to you are never to be shared, if people are not ready to hear them. There is an alignment of heaven and earth. Ron shared about a “God meeting” with a young man at the gas station and how he knows that his obedience caused that man’s life to be forever changed. Are you willing to pay the price to get God’s secrets? To do that you must cut some things off and consecrate yourself. When God’s secrets are given to a person, they become revelations. God does not hide things from us but for us. In Daniel1:20 Daniel and the three other Hebrews were willing to pay the price and were ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers. God reveals secrets (Daniel 2:21, 28, 29). Ron shared four recent occurrences, such as words from God and open visions that he was to share with people. Can God trust you with His secrets? Will you be willing to pay the price? God knows what is in the darkness. God has His own noise cancellation system. It is not praise and worship. It is a joyful noise.
Pastor Syd: Pride has a root of fear, because you see yourself alone and do not see yourself with God (Psalm 131). Pride keeps you from getting out of your comfort zone. Jesus is all that matters. The Spirit of God is not limited to a certain structure. He can minister through anyone. Ask the Lord to use you. First Corinthians 12 is about the gifts of the Spirit. We can say and believe that Jesus is Lord. There are different gifts and ministries, but the same Spirit, different ministries, but the same Lord, different workings, but the same God. The gifts benefit all. There are three revelation gifts, three power gifts, and three speaking gifts. They are distributed to each one as God wills, but we have to cooperate with Him. Do not receive His grace (empowerment) in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1). They are for someone else. The body is made up of many parts, but it is one body. God has placed the parts in the body as He wills. We care about each other and want to see everyone grow. God has placed apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, gifts of healings, helps, administrations, and variety of tongues in the body. We are to earnestly desire the best gifts, the greater gifts. The best gifts are the most advantageous gifts, the ones that are needed right now. The gifts work because of love (1 Corinthians 13). We are to earnestly desire spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14). If I ask, I receive. Pastor Syd shared about being filled with the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit is praying in tongues to God. If I want to be built up, I want to know what I am praying for. We must yield to the Spirit. It is the overflow of the Spirit. Prophesying to people is for edification, to build them up. If I come to you speaking in tongues, it needs an interpretation. I can pray to the Lord in the Spirit and with the understanding, and then I pray it out in English. This is how you will walk out the mysteries of God. Pray in tongues, and it will help you to get answers in a test or with a problem in school. Flow in the Holy Spirit and pray in tongues until you know what to do. All things must be done for edification. If two or three give a tongue, there must be an interpreter. If two or three give a prophecy, others must evaluate. All can prophesy, one by one, so the others can learn and be encouraged. You may be compelled to use your gift, but you can shut it down. Be eager to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues. It is to be done, but just done in order. What if?… is a question you may have. Sharing a word or tongue at CWI is a safe place, and Pastor Syd is our safety net. Do not give in to fear. Step out in faith, even if you sink. Be willing. Tell God He can use you. Do not be so concerned that you might be wrong. (Pastor Syd talked about a meeting with Pastor Bob, when Syd gave a tongue and interpretation. It encouraged others to do the same.) The church is the body ministering to each other. Jay Stoltzfus: The move of God in CWI in 2006 and the sermons that Pastor Dale preached so touched Pastor Jay with God’s anointing. God wants to re-establish that move in those who were at CWI at the beginning and those who have come since then. God wants to propel the church forward and reattach the parts to move forward and to stir up excitement. God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bones (Ezekiel 37). God needs a person. He is waiting for a man to agree with Him. Speak to the dry bones. As Ezekiel prophesied to the bones, they came together, and they lived and stood as a great army. There may be people you are speaking to that are like dry bones. That might be you. Speak to yourself. It is possible for the dry bones to come to life. We need to be willing, not dry bones. Be fired up. Believe that God has something for you. (There was ministry to those who were at CWI at the beginning of it.) Do not stop prophesying to the dead bones. Speak to them. They will come alive. (Various people in the congregation shared testimonies.) Jay: It takes action to keep the fires stirred up. We will pick up steam as we go.