Word on Community

"Oh My child, if you could just see what I see in you. Truly you are worth more than you have been told; you can do more than what you've believed. I love using YOU to show My love to others. I love using YOU to touch others, to heal others, to encourage others, to edify others who are troubled and down. Yes I could do it all on My own, but I have chosen instead to do those things through people like you. Just like I sent the first body of Christ to touch and heal, I desire to use the current body of Christ to do the same. I am Spirit, you are flesh; together we are One."

Good Weather This Sunday!

Very grateful to the Lord for this Sunday's good weather because missing last Sunday was tough. I know that gathering with other believers is certainly not necessary to be a born again Christian, but man, it sure is encouraging and edifying to be around other believers who love you and pray for you. One of the things we will talk about in this Sunday's message on Community is the fallacy of the "You only need God" message. While it is true that only God satisfies, people need people too. Just notice how many times God uses people to minister His love and comfort? God used the first body of Christ (Jesus) to touch so many people and yet I am convinced God desires to touch even more people today through the current body of Christ!! Come on out and let's worship together at 9 am or 11 am!!

This is God's Word!

The truest thing about us is what God says about us!

We humbly agree:

That we are one body in Christ!

That we are assembled together by His hand!

And that we are called together through His holy calling!

Community Part 2

This Sunday we continue the series, “Community In An Individualized Culture!” We will be looking at some issues facing many churches today such as how the “You only need God” message has had a crippling effect on relationships in the body of Christ; Failure to marry the Great Commission to the Great Command; as well as understanding God’s design of how humanity is created to need God but need one another as well.

We will begin here in 1 John 4:9-12:

9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God lives and abides in us…

New Series Begins This Sunday!

Join us for the brand new series, “Community In An Individualized Culture” this Sunday!! I really believe God is going to expose some lies and deceptions of the enemy and how he has tried to “individualize” this nation while lining out the benefits of Biblical love, community, and one-anothering.

As humans, we are designed to be part of a greater whole – whether it is being a part of the Kingdom of God, a church, a family, or even a marriage; we were never intended to be the center of all things. When man becomes the center of his own destiny, things wind up off center real quick. Looking forward to worshipping and getting into God’s Word with you!

What if I stumble?

After a poor choice, the enemy will say you are not qualified to fellowship with God, be used of God, or to be His child anymore. He will tell you that you have changed back to being an old sinner. But one wrong behavior cannot disqualify you or change your identity any more than one right behavior qualifies you or saves you! Committing a sin doesn't make you a sinner any more than committing a righteous deed makes you righteous. We are either qualified by Christ's life, spirit, and blood or we are not qualified! God never asked us to earn our intimacy with Him, only to reflect it!

Vision Sunday This Sunday!!

Every year in February we gather together to re-cast Jesus' vision for Grace Church as well as release His specific goals and priorities for the year. It is a great time of unity, prayer, worship, and God's Word! I will be presenting the Vision and goals in both the 9 am and 11 am services. Here is a passage from Isaiah to wet your appetite!

Isaiah 61:1-4; 6

1 "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified."

4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations.

6 You shall be named the priests of the Lord, They shall call you the servants of our God.

Sermon Notes for Sunday!

Here are a few of the high points we will look at Sunday as we conclude “The Secret Place of Prayer” as a Place of Rest and Reflection:

  • The early church fathers saw prayer as simply resting in the love of God. It is important we learn to dial down and allow God to love on us and assist us in processing our thoughts and emotions and experiences from the day. Lord where did I struggle today? Where did I bear fruit after your kind?

  • The early church fathers saw prayer as uncomplicated; just being with God in the present tense. Ever wonder how we could be instructed to “pray without ceasing”? Well, there is your answer. It’s just being with God in the present tense- wherever we are, wherever we go; we are locked into our Abba Father’s internal Presence.

  • The early church fathers saw prayer as a place where not only the world got changed, but they got changed.

  • The early church fathers viewed times of rest and reflection in God’s presence not only as important but as a lifeline to their growth and maturity.

Looking for a safe place to grow, learn, and discover the Truth about you, about God, and about life? Join us this Sunday!!

Sunday's Confession

I occasionally get requests for the different Sunday confessions we do together before getting into God’s Word so I thought I would post our most recent one:

*These are our Bibles! The truest thing about us is what God says about us! *

We disassociate with any and all lies of the enemy!

*We enter into agreement with who God says we are: *

Peaceful, Precious, Pure, Priestly, and Partakers of His Divine Nature!

Daily Meditations? Daily Medications!!

Here is the list of daily meditations I made available last Sunday! Truly He sent His word and healed us!

Be sure and take time each day to meditate on and say these over yourself!

I AM:

A child of God (Romans 8:16)

A joint heir with Jesus (Romans 8:17)

Forgiven (Colossians 1:14)

A partaker of God’s divine nature (2 Peter 1:3)

More than a conqueror (Romans 8:37)

A friend of God (John 15:15)

Chosen by God (John 15:16)

At peace with God (Romans 5:1)

Precious to God (Isaiah 43:3)

Indwelt by God’s Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26)

His Kingdom ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20)

The Righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)

One Spirit with Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:17)

Flesh of His flesh & bone of His bone (Ephesians 5:30)

Full of the Glory of God (John 17:22)

The Light of the world (Matthew 5:14)

Born again with an incorruptible seed (1 Peter 1:23)

God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)

Redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb (1Peter 1:18)

Sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise (Ephesians 1:13)

Blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)

God’s new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

A sufficient minister of the New Covenant (2 Cor. 3:6)

Complete, qualified, and adequate in Christ (Col. 2:10)

Free from condemnation (Romans 8:1)

Holy, without blame & above reproach in His sight (Col. 1:22)

Loved unconditionally by God (1 John 4:10)

A priest in the Kingdom of God (Revelation 1:6)

Accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:6)

Secret Place Prayer This Sunday!

So many great things come from spending quiet alone time with Jesus. Who would've thought that prayer could be a place we can go and be safe/secure, to get to know Jesus and be taught by Him! So far we have talked about prayer as a place of intimacy and honesty, listening, meditation, and now divine imagination/imaging.

Genesis 6:5 says, "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

1 Chronicles 29:18 says, "O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee."

There is no question that what we image ourselves to be in our heart becomes almost a self-fulfilling prophecy of our behavior. Truly the thoughts of our heart become the seeds of our behavior. So in a nutshell, you may find it difficult to soar with the eagles if your self view is a turkey. But seriously, taking some time in prayer to allow yourself to see yourself as God does can bear some amazing fruit!

Join us this Sunday at 9 or 11 am to hear more!!

Just a thought....

Galatians 2:20 says, “It is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me.”

Why would God place Christ inside of us only to be a spectator? Christ is in us to live through us. Do not strive to be good. Participate with God’s goodness already in you in Christ. Do not strive to be holy. Participate with God’s holiness already present within you in Christ. Do not strive to be loved. Participate with God’s love already within you in Christ. Romans 5:5 says the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Spirit. That means Christ AND His love are present in us. We don’t have to work for God’s love, we can work with it!

This Sunday ~ Prayer as Meditation!

This Sunday we will continue the series, “The Secret Place of Prayer” by looking at prayer as “meditation”. The Word meditate means think upon over and over again; to ponder; to reflect upon and to consider deeply. How amazing our transformation if we but take time to really consider deeply all God says about us and receive it into our hearts? Our heart is just like soil according to Jesus and we will “give form” to whatever takes up root there!

God’s Words are Spirit and they are life to us (John 6:63). The realities of the spirit are foolishness to the natural man yet the Christian life is identification with the things of the spirit. Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb by the Spirit. Jesus was empowered for ministry by the Spirit. He cast out devils by the Spirit. The Church was birthed in Acts by the Spirit. We are born again by the Spirit. We are changed from glory to glory by the Spirit. We are endued from on high by the Spirit. We bear fruit by the Spirit. We worship in spirit and truth. Why? Because God is Spirit and God is Truth. Join us this Sunday as we let God wash our hearts/mind with His Word and show what are the “acceptable things of meditation” out of Psalm 19:14 and Philippians 4:8!!

This Sunday on Intimacy and Listening in Prayer!

As I have dove deeper into The Secret Place of Prayer, the Lord has said, “It is a place of intimacy and honesty” as well as “It is a place of Listening…” What joy to know true intimacy which is “to be fully known and yet fully loved.” One of the greatest things Jesus ever gave me was a place of security with Him when He told me He was committed to me and my growth in Him. This allowed me to be open and honest with the Lord regarding my struggles and mis-steps (not for His benefit – He already knew) but for me. His love and intimacy began to empower me to choose Him and His way over my own ways. I learned He was not afraid of my dark places, and better yet, that His light was greater than my darkness; and His love was stronger than my mis-steps.

I also discovered in prayer that listening was one of the greatest gifts I could give the Lord. He had many wonderful things to say but I was often too busy telling Him stuff I wanted Him to do for me to hear Him. He has since begun training me to listen and really take inventory of the Voices that try to sow into me and identify me throughout the course of a day.

Be sure and join us this Sunday as together we experience our Father’s voice, intimacy, and rich, rich love.

The Secret Place of Prayer

Be sure and join us this Sunday as we begin a brand new venture into God's Secret Place! It is mentioned twice in Matthew 6 by Jesus and also in the Psalms. When God speaks of the secret place of prayer, He is not describing an activity we do but a place we go to be alone with Him for intimacy, protection, rest, transformation, and meditation on what is true. It is not about our perfection but about resting in the ONE who loves us perfectly. There are many types of prayer mentioned in the Bible, and each of them are very important - yet we hear so very little about prayer as a place we go to be with Jesus and be taught by Him. It is important to remember we are just as hard-wired for receiving as humans as we are for producing. We all need quiet and restful times (especially starting a new year) where we learn to enjoy God as He enjoys us. Make your plans to come and be a part!

This Sunday and Christmas!!

Is there any better time of year than Christmas? What a gift God has given! 2 Corinthians 9:15 says, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” The gift of Jesus Christ (the Heaven born Prince of Peace) offered to us to bring Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards man is beyond our comprehension. The gift is so amazing, so indescribable, it couldn’t just be said or spoken or written; it had to be seen! It had to be the Word of God made flesh (human form)! John 1:14 says, “We have beheld His glory; full of Grace and Truth”.

The beauty of Christmas is that even though man is not at peace with man yet, God has announced and offered peace with man (Luke 2:8-14)! Even though there is not rampant goodwill between men or nations today, there is goodwill from God and His Kingdom towards man and our kingdom! Again, what a peace offering! What a God! What a Savior! The beauty of Christmas is that in God giving His Son, He gave Himself. And that is truly the greatest gift any of us could give. God showed us an example to follow, more than our children need presents and things, they need us to be given into their lives; present in the midst of good times and bad to heighten, lift, and love them. I love Christmas because God gives the gift to us, we take the gift in us, and now He is the gift given through us.

This Sunday - Mercy comes running!

This Sunday we will look at the heart of God and His love manifesting as mercy. Mercy is when we do not get what we deserve. There are some great truths about God’s mercy and character revealed in the story of Jonah. Aside from that, it is really important for us to agree and receive all that God has offered us through His Son Jesus Christ. I hope the following truths help you do just that:

What God says about you is true whether you agree with Him or not. Whether you choose today to believe He loves you or not doesn't make it true, it's already true; it just determines whether you experience the life and peace of His love for you!!

If and when you commit a sin, renew your mind to agree with God that your standing with Him has not changed despite your 'guilty’ feelings. Make sure you agree with who God still says you are. Dare to believe your poor choice did not change your spirit man’s relationship and union with Christ inside. Remember, an apple tree is still an apple tree even if it doesn’t always have apples on it.

Knowing the Truth will set you free. Therefore, believing a lie will put you in bondage. You might think your bondage is from a sinful behavior, but the lie that produced that behavior is the actual problem. Starting with the chief lie that a sinful behavior could satisfy you. You are too great of creation to be satisfied by anything but the Spirit of God.

The Love of God ~ This Sunday!

I read an article this week where a pastor said to his congregation, "If you have a hard time loving people then you probably don't love God as much as you think you do. Your ability to love people is a direct reflection of your love for God." Man, how many of us can relate to hearing that at some point? How many of us have ever heard, "Get saved, start a quiet time, go to church, pray and fast? We know faith without deeds is dead so deed up baby! Let's all show God we are serious about loving Him! Oh and don't forget we are also commanded to love our neighbors too!"

The problem is that we cannot give away something we have not received! 1 John 4:19 says, "We love because He first loved us!" Wow! God is willing and able to supply us the love we need to love Him and others with? Yes indeed. When we try in our own efforts to love without first receiving love from God, is it any wonder we find ourselves to be more rude than kind, depressed than joyful, wounding others than healing them? The love of God is not only first received, it is of Him and not of us! God's love is supernatural and not easily conjured or copied by a human being. Perhaps we need to start each day with the simple goal of "Being loved by God and knowing and believing the love He has for us." before we venture out into all the deeds and works we have heard about. As we regularly experience God's love for us (first), we will cease from striving to worship, striving to witness, striving to pray, or even striving to love Him; they will come as a byproduct of being filled up with God's fullness.