Friday, August 29, 2008

DON'T HOLD ON TO THE PAST

The Bible talks in great detail about dreams. When I think about dreams, Joseph immediately comes to my mind. God gave him a dream that changed the course of his families as well as the nation of Israel's destiny. It brought great difficulties to him before it proved true but God really spoke through the dream.

I have really enjoyed having people in our church that are trained to interpret dreams. It is amazing the doors of ministry it has opened for the church to reach out into the community as well as meet need among our own congregation. What I have discovered is, God is really speaking to us through dreams.

While I don't claim to be one who has completed the course on dream interpretation, I do believe God gave me insight to a dream I had recently and its application. I have shared it with the congregation and now want to post it here on the blog site.

I saw 3 white cars in a beautiful parking lot. All 3 cars were in great shape but one was an older body style, one was current and the final one looked futuristic. All of a sudden there was a mass of people, that I only saw from the back, running to get into the cars. The cars cranked and got ready to move. Suddenly, the older one blew up and steam and liquid spewed from under the hood. The other two cars left the parking lot while the one was stranded. The people riding in that car got out and I saw several things. Some were upset and yelling while others were in pain.

The Lord spoke to me several days later about it's meaning. I have been diligently praying daily for increase in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and God revealed to me that this was a word of wisdom given to me in a night vision for our church body.

God said that anyone holding onto past things as the way to move forward would find themselves; burned, frustrated and stranded. I can think of many things in the natural to use as examples or illustrations but the Lord said that was all I needed to say.

I find often times that I get myself stuck dwelling on yesterday's provision. I need to cling to God's provision for today only. This has re energized my prayer life. I want to be found seeking God on a daily basis so God can keep me moving forward. I do want to remind myself of God's past faithfulness but at the same time, seek him for new provision today.

I am discovering that His mercies really are new everyday. Designed specifically for what today brings.

I encourage us to have a new experience with our Heavenly Father today. It will propel us forward.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Kevin

Thursday, August 28, 2008

KNOW HIS WILL

The question of knowing what God wants me to do is a big one in the life of the christian. I think all of us feel like if we knew what God wanted us to do, then we would be at peace and able to do our best. When we have a big question mark, I believe we pull back and get timid. God's word has an answer for discovering His will. Caution before you read this, you may not like it. Just wanted to give a little disclaimer before offering the scripture. God says...

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1–2)

We find in Romans 12:1–2 what we call a conditional promise. The promise is that you can know what the perfect will of God is for your life. The conditions are that you must present yourself to God and that you must not be conformed to this world.

Notice the order. First, you offer yourself as a living sacrifice, and then you will know the will of God. A living sacrifice!!!! Kind of sounds to me like an operation while you are awake without any medecine. In other words, not a whole lot of fun. We tend to want to know God’s will first and then decide whether we want to give ourselves to it.

It reminds me dinner time around our house. Kelly will ask him the girls “Are you hungry?”
Often the response is, “What are you cooking?” If it is vegetables, then they are not hungry at that particular moment. But if it is ice cream, then they are ready to eat.

In the same way, we will sometimes say, “Lord, what is your will? Before God reveals his will to us, He is looking for a surrendered heart. The revelation of purpose and vision will not be revealed until there is total surrender. The question is, are we going to do what He says? The part that makes this so challenging is that God sees the intentions and desires of our heart. He knows where our sincerity level is at all times. It has been said that the condition of an enlightened mind is a surrendered heart. I agree with the statement and God.

If you want to know the will of God, then you must have a heart that is surrendered. Present yourself to Him. Then you will know the good, pleasing and acceptable will of God. This is a powerful and awesome exchange.

Remember, this Sunday, we finish the series: "You want me to do what?"

God Bless You,

Pastor Kevin

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Walking with Jesus

It is so difficult to know God in difficult circumstances. A man named Greg Laurie is a minister who just lost his college age student. He has been writing about God's grace to him and his family in the circumstance. I thought this was a powerful revelation from a man walking through a deep valley. Be blessed today and remember to tell the people you love that you love them. I hope you enjoy his word.

"After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country." (Mark 16:12)

I think it’s interesting to note those to whom Jesus chose to appear after His resurrection. We don’t read about Him appearing to Caiaphas or Caesar. Now if it had been me, the first person I would have appeared to would have been Pilate: “Yo, Pilate! Remember me? Can’t keep a good man down, can you?” Or I would have appeared to Caiaphas, the high priest who, for the most part, orchestrated the crucifixion.

But it is interesting how Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus and joined them on their journey. We don’t know who they were, and they are not mentioned again in the Bible.
The Bible tells us that Jesus appeared in another form to them as they went into the country. In other words, He was going incognito. They didn’t know that it was Jesus. The last sight they had of the Lord was His beaten and bloodied body. Surely they wanted to get that image out of their minds. There they were, walking along, and Jesus was walking with them. It’s a reminder to us that at all times, even when we don’t realize it, Jesus is walking with us.

Isaiah 43:2 promises, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.”

Maybe when you are in church, you feel close to God. But wherever you go, you can know that Jesus is with you there too. When you are going through hard times, even when you cannot feel Him, Jesus is there.

Sunday, Part 2 of "you want me to do what?"

If schools are closed Wednesday, we will have no church that night.

Blessings,

Pastor Kevin

Monday, August 18, 2008

THE POWER OF THE CROSS

Oswald Chambers is one of my favorite devotional writers. I always find great encouragement in the word found in, "My utmost for His Highest". I found this thought on the work of the cross and though it would be a blessing to our church today. More than just something to put here or to have something to write, I believe that understanding the in depth and complete work of the cross is essential in the life of a believer. It is the difference in life and death. It's the difference in whether you will live in grace or under the law. I hope God enriches our lives today to walk in freedom and grace.

Chambers writes, "We trample the blood of the Son of God underfoot if we think we are forgiven because we are sorry for our sins. The only reason for the forgiveness of our sins by God, and the infinite depth of His promise to forget them, is the death of Jesus Christ. Our repentance is merely the result of our personal realization of the atonement by the Cross of Christ, which He has provided for us. ". . . Christ Jesus . . . became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption . . ." ( 1 Corinthians 1:30 ). Once we realize that Christ has become all this for us, the limitless joy of God begins in us. And wherever the joy of God is not present, the death sentence is still in effect.

No matter who or what we are, God restores us to right standing with Himself only by means of the death of Jesus Christ. God does this, not because Jesus pleads with Him to do so but because He died. It cannot be earned, just accepted. All the pleading for salvation which deliberately ignores the Cross of Christ is useless. It is knocking at a door other than the one which Jesus has already opened. We protest by saying, "But I don’t want to come that way. It is too humiliating to be received as a sinner." God’s response, through Peter, is, ". . . there is no other name . . . by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12 ). What at first appears to be heartlessness on God’s part is actually the true expression of His heart. There is unlimited entrance His way. "In Him we have redemption through His blood . . ." ( Ephesians 1:7 ). To identify with the death of Jesus Christ means that we must die to everything that was never a part of Him.
God is just in saving bad people only as He makes them good. Our Lord does not pretend we are all right when we are all wrong. The atonement by the Cross of Christ is the propitiation God uses to make unholy people holy.

God Bless You today. Please remember to come the Sunday for part 2 of "You want me to do what?"

Also, remember that we will follow the Orange County public school decision for closure in determining our Wednwsday night services. We are believing for some needed rain only, to renew the land as this storm passes by the state of Florida.

Pastor Kevin

Thursday, August 14, 2008

GOD GETS THE GLORY

None of us enjoy suffering. I hate it personally and it sure makes us have to answer some hard questions about our faith. The really cool part is God is up to the challenge. It might all pass through His hands but know this; He is a loving and remarkable God. A few days ago we discovered that any kind of suffering makes us stronger. When the walls are strong, the city rejoices the bible declares.

Next, God can get glory through our suffering. Anyone can be at peace when the sun shines down from a blue and cloudless sky. But when those qualities shine out from the midst of a dark and destructive storm, that’s another matter entirely.
That, in essence, was the challenge Satan laid before God. “Job follows you because you have blessed him in every way, but if those things were taken away, it would be a different story. He would curse you.”

In order to show the falsehood of Satan’s argument—and to strengthen Job’s faith at the same time—God allowed these multiple tragedies to crash into Job’s life.
The result? Job not only refused to curse God, he actually blessed Him. What a rebuke to the enemy! What a witness to the world.
It is a powerful testimony when a believer can praise God while suffering. Remember the story of Paul and Silas, arrested for preaching the gospel in the city of Philippi? The Bible tells us that the jailer had them stripped and flogged. Then they were put in a dungeon, where their feet were fastened in stocks.

How did they respond? Here’s what the Bible says:
“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:25 nkjv) That word “listened” could be translated as listened with great interest. Why? Because they had never heard anybody sing praises to God in such a place. And that’s about the time the Lord sent an earthquake: “At once the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” (Acts 16:26-28 niv)
The jailer responded by saying, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” In effect, he was saying, “I’ve been watching you guys. I’ve seen how you have taken such terrible punishment without cursing. I’ve seen how you can worship in the worst circumstances, and how you could have escaped but didn’t. All I can say is, whatever you have, I want it.”

Your circumstances may not be as dire as those of Paul and Silas. But people are watching you. If you’re in the midst of a hardship or a difficulty, they’re watching to see if you will really practice what you preach, and live out what you proclaim. The way you handle suffering in your life can bring great glory to God.Paul the apostle also suffered from an unnamed “thorn in the flesh.” No one really knows what it was, but he spoke of it in his letter to the Corinthian church, and said that he had asked the Lord on three separate occasions to remove it. But God said no. Even though God had done miracles through Paul, bringing healing to others, He chose not to bring that healing in the life of His loyal servant in this particular situation. When Paul asked why, God gave him this answer: “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 nlt). Was Paul discouraged by this answer? It sure doesn’t sound like it! He goes on to say, “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (vv. 9-10).

So God can be glorified through our weakness. His light and power can shine through the chips, cracks, and cracks in your life, drawing others to Himself.

To God Be the Glory!!!

Remember, Sunday we begin the series, “YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?

Bless You,

Pastor Kevin

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

TRANSFERED

Never forget that God is in control of all the circumstances that surround a believer’s life. God is in control of your life, and involved in all the details.

Your suffering has not escaped His notice. Your situation has not somehow been buried in His inbox. He is intimately aware of everything going on in your world, and no detail is too small to escape His attention. The word “oops” is not in God’s vocabulary.
And as we can so clearly see from the book of Job, the devil can do nothing in the life of the believer without the express permission of God.
Okay, you say, but if He’s in control, why does He allow these hurtful things to happen to me and to people I love?

One reason is Suffering makes us strong. I know what you are thinking, I don't like that either.
The apostle James tells us: “When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don’t treat them as intruders, but as friends. Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. . . . you will find you have become men of mature character, men of integrity, with no weak spots.” (James 1:2-4 phillips)

God allows hardship in our life so that our beliefs will become more real to us, and less theory. We can start living out our faith-life in the real world.
I’m reminded of all the people you see driving big SUVs. Most of these fancy rigs have 4x4 capabilities. Some guys take it a notch above that, buying those big gnarly tires, and mounting huge lights on top And what do they do with these powerful vehicles? They brag to their buddies, and say, “Yeah, just look at this thing. Look at what it can do. I could drive this baby up the side of a building.” Do you notice though that most of them never get the truck out in the dirt and mud so it can do what it was designed to do. They want it without spot or wrinkle. (that sounds kind of Biblical doesn't it) So they never want to actually use that vehicle for its intended purpose!!!

We can be that way with our beliefs. I can imagine God saying, “You know, you have a lot of really great beliefs. You talk about them all the time. I think it’s time you started putting some of them into practice. You talk about how you trust Me. You talk about how you believe I can provide for your every need. Let Me put you in a situation where you have no other resources and really have to trust Me for that provision.”
You see, God can allow these hardships and trials and shortfalls in our lives so that we will exercise our faith muscles, and step out on trust alone. We need to transfer our faith from the realm of theory to reality. Let the transfer begin. I will add another reason tomorrow as to why God will allow suffering.

Remember Sunday!! We begin the series, You want me to do WHAT?

You are the Head and not the Tail,

Pastor Kevin

Monday, August 11, 2008

LOOKING LIKE GOD

William A. Ward said, "We are most like beasts when we kill. We are most like men when we judge. We are most like God when we forgive." I found this incredible story of forgiveness and perspective and thought it would be a great blessing to our lives.

Hubert Humphrey, a Democrat, and Richard Nixon, a Republican, were long time political foes. In 1968, Nixon won a bitter presidential race against Humphrey. The two men hated each other. In January of 1978, Hubert Humphrey died, after a long battle with cancer. At his funeral, there was a most striking scene. Richard Nixon, disgraced by Watergate and forced to leave office, was seated next to Humphrey’s wife, Muriel. There is a story behind this scene.
Three days before Humphrey died, a friend came to visit him. He told his friend that he had just called Richard Nixon. Both surprised and alarmed, his friend asked why he had phoned him. This was Humphrey’s reply: "From this vantage point, with the sun setting in my life, all the speeches, the political conventions, the crowds, and the bitter fights are behind me. At a time like this, you are forced to deal with your irreducible lessons, forced to grapple with that which is really important. What I have concluded about life is that when all is said and done, we must forgive each other, redeem each other, and move on. I forgave President Nixon, asked him to forgive me, which he did. Then I asked him to sit with my wife at my funeral."

It is easier to go through life with an open heart, that a clinched fist. C. S. Lewis declared, "To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you."
The Apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Ephesus, "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you," Ephesians 4:32. Jesus said in Matthew 5:43-45, that when we forgive we most resemble our Heavenly Father. Not praying for the sick, not giving, not ministering or all the things that are like the Lord, but forgiving. God puts a really high premium on forgiving. I guess because the price of forgiving us and giving us the ability to forgive was very costly.

It may not be in the Bible, but there is God’s own truth in Alexander Pope’s proverb, "To err is human, to forgive divine." Remember to show off our family resemblance by forgiving. God Bless You.

We start a brand new series this Sunday called, "YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT, GOD? I am really excited about what God will do this week.

(David Arnold)

Remember to seek the Lord this week. It will bring irresistible joy and make God bigger. (Psalm 70:4)


Pastor Kevin

Friday, August 8, 2008

YOU CALLED ME!!!

When Kelly and I first got married, we always dreaded the phone bill coming at the end of the month. We lived in Virgina and both of our families lived out of state and we loved talking to them. When the bill arrived, we didn't like it so much. A few years ago one of the carriers came up with unlimited long distance. What a great idea!! (wish I had thought of it years before) We were constantly trying to get our families to call us so they would have to pay the bill. You see the company always bills the person who places the call. You make the call, you take care of the bill.

Evidently, God feels the same way. In John 15:16, Jesus says, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you...". Jesus picked us out to place His great grace and favor on our lives. Since he placed the call then He assumes the responsibility for the payment. That just makes me smile while I sit here typing. Someone else has to pay besides me. When God takes responsibility, he fulfills all the letter of the agreement. He never runs out of resources, gets tired or decides to quit. HE IS RESPONSIBLE! Not out of obligation but because He really wants to be our caregiver.

Jesus goes on in this verse to say, "...and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you." God confirms His call by adding some pretty incredible benefits. He appoints us to be fruitful. An appointment can only be removed by the one who made it. God's commitment is fruitfulness that lasts. Early in the 15th chapter of John He says He will reposition us, prune us and even burn away dead parts to keeps us fruitful.

The other great part of this responsibility is the last part of verse 16. He gives us whatever we ask the Father in His name. That is AWESOME!! What else should we expect though from someone who is willing to pay a bill that's not His? He Called Us!!!!


See ya Sunday, Expect great things from our God,

Pastor Kevin

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

“THE SPECK, THE PLANK, AND THE HYPOCRITE”

In the nineteenth century, two of the greatest English preachers were Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker. In the early part of their ministries, they had a good relationship, even sometimes exchanging pulpits. They were examples of unity among Christians in England. Even though differing on some doctrinal points, they remained dear friends. After several years, Spurgeon discovered that Parker attended the theater, and accused him of being unspiritual. Parker found out that Spurgeon enjoyed cigars, and countered that Spurgeon was unspiritual. Their disagreement became so intense that they stopped speaking. Innocent people were forced to take sides. Instead of remaining stepping stones for love and brotherhood, they became stumbling blocks.

The statement, "Think of your own sins, and you will be more understanding of the sins of others," is good advice. In Matthew 7:1, Christ admonished, "Judge not, that you be not judged." He then warned of focusing on "the speck," (referring to a straw, a piece of chaff, or a very small particle) in someone else’s eye, while we maintain a "plank," (logs, or heavy beams on which the temple was built), in our own eye. According to Christ, the person with a log in his own eye, who attempts to deal with a tiny fault of another, is a hypocrite, someone who pretends to be which he is not. Our obligation is to put out of our lives those glaring faults that prevent us from properly appraising the character of another, before we seek to deal with the small faults of someone else.

John Wesley wrote to a friend, "The longer I live, the larger allowances I make for others. I exact more from myself, and less from others." The more we grow in grace, the more we will see how far short we fall from the perfection which is in Christ, and demonstrate a more charitable attitude towards one another.

A young parishioner noticed on his pastor’s desk a smooth, polished rock inscribed, "The First Stone." When he expressed surprise, his pastor explained that it was a constant reminder of John 8:7, "He who is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone."

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them" (Mother Teresa).

(By David Arnold)


Walk in love,

Pastor Kevin

Monday, August 4, 2008

Don't Quit!!!

A young college student, in his freshman year, was struggling with a course in French. He was so discouraged that he wrote home to his parents expressing his temptation to drop out of school. His dad sent him a poster of a young man, around nineteen years of age, in his football uniform. He was sitting dejectedly at the far end of the bench, covered with mud, his hair disheveled, and his face buried in his hands. The caption reads, "I Quit." Elihu Root said, "Men do not fail; they give up trying." Here are some thoughts about "Wanting To Quit," then some input on "How Not To Quit."

"First: Wanting To Quit."

1. Wanting to quit is a sign of success, because only successful people can quit.
2. The more you have to quit, the more you want to quit. Samuel Johnson declared, "Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance."
3. You can enjoy the luxury of wanting to quit if you know you’re not going to quit. Wanting to quit, and actually quitting are not the same.
4. Quitting is really changing. Sometimes we all need a change, but don’t quit on an unfinished task, calling it change.

Second: "How Not To Quit."

1. Burn the bridges behind you. Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "To reach the port of heaven we must sail, sometimes with the wind and sometimes against – but we must sail, not drift or lie at anchor."
2. Don’t expose yourself to what you do not want to be. Ten years from now you will be what you read, view, and listen to via the media, and the people you associate with. Albert Einstein warned, "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."
3. Don’t tell anyone you want to quit, when you want to quit (except for a close trusted friend, and, even then, be cautious).
4. Lock yourself in so you can’t quit. Have a fixed and determined spirit. Great people are just ordinary people who just don’t quit. Marylin vos Savant stated, "Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent."

Now, for the rest of the story. I began with the illustration about the poster showing a young football player, despondent and defeated, with the caption, "I Quit." However, down on the bottom of the poster is a little picture of a black hill outside of Jerusalem, with a very crude cross, and next to it these words, "I didn’t!"

Jesus did not give up on us. He is still pressing forward for the best in our lives. When you want to quit, remember that God is your faithful Father. His past faithfulness is a deposit of his future plans to intervene in your life.

(By David Arnold)

Kelly and I love you very much, DON'T QUIT!!!

Pastor Kevin

Saturday, August 2, 2008

AN ANXIOUS MIND

Peter Marshal was a Scottish-American preacher. He became pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D. C. in 1937, and twice served as U. S. Senate Chaplain. On one occasion, he broke all precedent for prayer in the United States Senate by praying: "Help us to do our very best this day and be content with today’s troubles, so that we shall not borrow the troubles of tomorrow. Save us from the sin of worrying, lest stomach ulcers be the badge of our lack of faith. Amen."

In Luke 12:29, Christ admonished, "Do not have an anxious mind." The word for "anxious" means, "all up in the air about something," that suggests "hovering between hope and fear, restless." Further, He stated in Matthew 6:25, "Stop perpetually worrying." The word "worry" itself comes from an old German word which means "to choke." Then, through the years, the term came to be used to denote "mental strangulation." Maybe this is why John Wesley stated that he would just as soon swear as to worry.

Once when Martin Luther felt very despondent, he heard a bird singing its evening song. Then he saw it tuck its head under its wing and go to sleep. He remarked, "This little bird has had its supper and now is getting ready to go to sleep, quite content, never troubling itself as to what its food will be or where it will lodge on the morrow. Like David, it abides under the shadow of the Almighty. It sits on its little twig, content, and lets God care."

In 1 Peter 5:7, we are told to "Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." The word "cast" means to throw something away or throw it onto something. The same word is used in Luke 19:35 for throwing garments on a colt in preparation for riding. It expresses a definite act of our will in committing to God our worries, giving them up to Him, and allowing Him to take responsibility. George Mueller reminds us, "The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety."

There is on record in an early Greek manuscript, the name of a man called Titedios Amerimnos. The first name is a proper name. The second name is made up of the word which means "to worry," with the Greek letter Alpha prefixed to it, which makes the word mean the opposite of what it formerly meant. It is thought that this man was a pagan Greek who perpetually worried, but who after being saved, stopped worrying. So he was called, "Titedios, The Man Who Never Worries." Remember, when we put our cares in God’s hands, He puts His peace in our hearts."

(By David Arnold)


I am creating a worry free zone in my life. God bless you. See you in service this weekend.

Pastor Kevin