This Sunday!!

God's love is central. It is amazing how if we are simply rooted and grounded in our Father's love we don't fall for all the religious gimmicks and formulas people peddle as tools to get Him to care about us in our situations.

God's love is personal. We have a president, but He's never once called me, wrote to me, encouraged me when I was down; and yet the God of the universe, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords~ talks to me every day! Why? He loves me and it's personal!

Romans 8:28-39 says…

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rediscovering This Sunday....

I was at TBN this morning recording a show that will air Friday December 12 th at 10:30 am and the topic was this new series we are doing, “Rediscovering the Love of God.” Is there any greater revelation than seeing the love of our Father in the face of the Son? Jesus said in John 14:9, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father…” Wow! God is Christ-like? Could it be? Our hearts sing in response! Because if God is Christ-like then I know His heart and attitude towards me, others, sinners, the broken, and lost people. He is now not only trustable, He is approachable. He not only means well, He means to make me well; make all of us well; all of humanity well for that matter. Too often we try to know and believe God’s love for us by using our performance, our human intellect, our circumstances, our feelings (God forbid right?), and even the law. We’ve heard so much law in the American church (why I’m not sure) that we think God’s love is based on our ability to keep it. We mistakenly relate to God by our conduct instead of by the character of Jesus Christ ~ who clearly loves us because of who He is not because of what we do. I mean, do we honestly think we control God’s character and nature by how we perform? If we do, we are nothing short of arrogant. God is who He is, and His feelings towards me are up to Him and His character not up to my religious abilities.

I will leave you with this: When a child was asked who Jesus was he quipped, “Jesus was the best photograph God ever took of Himself.” Another little girl added, “Jesus is the One who gave God such a good reputation.” That’s just great, great revelation right?! See ya Sunday!!

Sunday and Lovingkindness!

This Sunday we will dive back into the series, "Rediscovering the Love of God"!! We will share another life-changing video testimony with you and be looking again at 1 John 4:16-19 and Ephesians 3:14-19. I will be sharing on some things that prevent us from truly knowing and believing the love God has for us: Using our carnal mind to 'know' God's love, using our feelings, using circumstances, and using the law. None of those things can give you the revelation of your Father's great love for you and yet so often those are what we look to. You do not want to miss this wonderful time in the Lord as we revel in and completely rediscover His relentless, steadfast, unending, everlasting love!!

This Sunday!!

Be sure and join us this Sunday as we begin the brand new series, "Rediscovering the Love of God!" Is there any revelation more important than this one? A well-known theologian was asked recently, "What is the most important truth you ever studied?" and he answered, "Jesus loves me this I know. Every truth flows through this truth." This is so true, for it is our Father's love amazing love for us that even allows us to believe all His other promises like provision, protection, forgiveness, and patience. I know personally my whole world changed with the revelation that God didn't love me because I was so good but because He was so good. Not because I was so pure but because He was so pure. That steadfast and relentless love, once received and accepted, empowered me to be good and to be pure not because I had to but because I wanted to.

God won't make you love Him, but you don't have the power to make Him not love you. Let's come together this Sunday to know and believe the love God has for us; receiving it and becoming one with it.

Highlights from Brian's Message

Here’s a few things from my notes from Sunday’s message Grace for Life (Elder Brian Cannon)

Feel free to post your favs in the comment section if you have ‘em!!

1) Colossians 2:6- There’s only one way to live the Christian life – the same way you got saved – rest and receive God’s Grace.

2) It’s not what would Jesus do, it’s “Jesus do what you do through me”

3) The Glory of God is the declaration of who God is so the “hope of glory” is Jesus being revealed in and through us

4) The key to living the Christian life is knowing that the life of Christ is within us

5) Work really really hard at not working really really hard as a Christian

6) Learning of Jesus and spending time with Him is so necessary to reflect His love and life from within

7) The contrast of Saul and Paul (Religion and Relationship with Christ). He went from hands that went into people’s houses and drug them out for jail time to hands that worked incredible miracles. This is redemption!

8) Romans 6:14- Under law (and self-effort) sin will have dominion over you. Under Grace sin will not!

This Sunday!

Be sure and join us this Sunday as we come together to worship our great God and Savior Jesus Christ once again! We've got a little bit of a surprise for you in both services that I think will really bless you. So let's come singing, praying, reaching, and engaging with God's Spirit this Sunday and let the saints be joyful in Glory!

This Sunday!

Be sure and join us this Sunday for the conclusion of the Pride series! There are so many stout things on the Lord’s heart for this Sunday as He continues to lovingly and mercifully remove any pride or symptoms of pride from us. We will complete the Pride Test this Sunday, and I have listed the complete 10 below:

You might struggle with pride if:

1) You’re always talking about yourself (good or bad)

2) You cannot deal with being overlooked or ignored

3) You don’t like receiving

4) You cannot rejoice when others get blessed

5) You often lie or exaggerate

6) You are easily angered or offended

7) You are never wrong (in your own mind)

8) You think you are better than someone else (or more valuable)

9) You think certain tasks are ‘beneath’ you

10) You believe you don’t need anyone or anything

Cannot wait to see you and worship our Lord together!! Let’s come singing, praying, rejoicing, and renewing!

Love in Christ,

Pastor Steve

Culture Shift

Just a few things all followers of Christ should be considering: 1) It has become quite obvious that the media and some in government have desired for some time to re-shape America's culture with their own set of values. Afterall values and beliefs are what shape a culture. 2) If a group of people want to initiate a new set of values and beliefs especially about who God is and what man needs, guess who they will need to eliminate and/or silence? You guessed it. Any existing people who have a revelation of who God is and what man needs. 3) It is time for the church in America to get ahead of the world's events instead of just reacting. Think of Joseph and Noah, they heard God and prepared for the flood and famine BEFORE they happened. It would appear to me that we must get back to hearing God's present tense voice of preparation before it's too late.

Pastor Steve Eden

Join us this Sunday!

Be sure and join us this Sunday as we continue the series on “The Price of Pride”! This week we will begin taking “the pride test…” It is also important that we continue to pray for Choctaw Road Baptist church, Harvest Life church and others here locally that are partnering with us and repenting of pride in the churches. The elders have also heard a lot on “Purpose and intention”. The Lord says no longer can we just ‘come on Sundays’ but we must gather with purpose and intention, preach with purpose and intention, praise with purpose and intention, do our small groups with purpose and intention, build relationship and community with purpose and intention, and evangelize with purpose and intention. It’s time to ‘redeem the time’. Cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for us this Sunday!!

Love in Christ and Community,

Pastor Steve and Stacy

Tolerantly Intolerant

As you can see in Houston Texas, the clash is growing between "Do you belong to the CULTURE of this world?" OR "Do you belong to the CULTURE of the Kingdom of God in Christ?" You see-- values, ideas, and morals are what shapes a culture. If you do not think that the media, the government, or other similar entities are not trying to shape America's culture with their thoughts, ideas, and values of what is "right", you are sadly mistaken.

Perhaps the most important question that should be asked right now is: "WHO IS THE SOURCE OF THE THOUGHTS/IDEAS/VALUES YOU USE TO DETERMINE WHAT IS TRUE ABOUT YOU? ABOUT GOD? ABOUT LIFE? Is it the media? Is it laws of the land? Or is it God and what He says? I can promise you the "tolerance" we are being "shown" as Christians appears to be getting smaller and smaller.

This Sunday!

Join us this Sunday as we get back to the series, “The Price of Pride”! We will be looking at how Pride tries to cost us maturity and praise. Pride costs us maturity because it is not willing to listen or learn from others. Paul says though in 1 Corinthians 8 that those who think they know everything know nothing as they ought to know! Pride costs us praise because it cares more about self, comfort, and what others may think than giving God praise according to His name (Psalm 48:10). Psalm 134:2 says “Lift your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord”. Raising our hands in praise does not make us crazy or charismatic, it makes us people who want to bless God!! Let’s be free in our worship this Sunday and giveour hearts fully to His Name! Cannot wait to worship with you!

Partners is Coming!!

Be sure and join us this Sunday as it is time for our 7th Annual "Partners in the Gospel!" All the kids will be enjoying fun games, Xtreme animals, cotton candy, and of course "salvation station" while the adults will be emphasizing and celebrating their unity as a church family! You don't want to miss this great event at both the 9am and 11am services!

This Sunday!

I would like to invite you to join us this Sunday as we continue the series, "The Price of Pride". We will be looking at how Pride can hinder the Empowering Grace of God from working through us. When Scripture says, "God resists the proud but gives Grace to the humble", we need clarification that Peter and James are not saying we lose the saving Grace of God by entering into pride or self-centeredness. That might create quite a few insecure Christians if that were the intent. But God's Grace is more than just one dimensional. It does more than save us, it also empowers us to express Jesus to others. My point is that if we are in pride, we don't lose our identity in Christ we just lose our ability to live out our new identity and express Jesus to others. We don't stop Jesus love coming to us (He's just so good), but we can stop Jesus love from coming through us. So it is crucial we remain humble in our walk with the Lord, willingly acknowledging our need for Him at all times - especially if we want Him to be seen in and through us. The reason you have people sit in church their whole life who never become loving, kind, mature, and empowered is because they were never told the criteria for those things is not deservedness but rather receptivity.

The right fuel!

It's true that bitterness and rage are fuel but they are most definitely the wrong fuel. There may not be anything more unnatural, unsatisfying, and unhealthy to the human heart than bitterness. Why? When God made us, He designed us to thrive in things like love, joy, peace, and forgiveness. We cannot escape this incredible design because we did not make ourselves.

Coming This Sunday!!

Be sure and join us this Sunday as we continue the new series, “The Price of Pride”! We will be covering the 4th price of pride: It will cost you promotion. Pride costs us promotion in two ways: 1) God does not promote the proud, He promotes the humble (1 Peter 5:5-6). Be careful here though because the enemy loves to promote the proud and take them places their character cannot keep them. 2) Pride masked as false humility says, “Oh God, I’m not worthy to be promoted or used by you, you should use someone else…” If God desires to promote us to advance His plans and purposes in the Earth, who are we to say no? Cannot wait to join with you in worship and Word this Sunday!!