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CALLED OR NOT?

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, FAITH, Preaching messages, Soul Winning, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 9, 2015| Leave a Comment »

NATION CHANGING FAITH #2PMSmall Nation Changing

John 3:36 NLT

36 And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.

What does this verse mean to you? The up side is that if I believe in Jesus I have eternal life. That’s truly great! The down side is that anyone who does not obey the Son of God, that’s Jesus, will never experience eternal life – ever! That’s confronting! I can think of a lot of people who don’t obey the Lord Jesus Christ. All around us are people who don’t know Jesus. Couple this with knowledge that each verse is divinely inspired and infallible (See here for evidence). All around us people are perishing! If you are truly saved that is disturbing for you and creates a compassion for those who don’t know Jesus and drives us to want to reach them effectively with the message of Jesus love.

With this in mind Jesus gathered His disciples together as He was about to leave planet earth and He gave them instructions, what to do next.

Luke 24:47-49 NLT

47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48 You are witnesses of all these things.

49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”

Jesus asked them to go to the nations. They went….

Every disciple of the 12 went to preach the gospel and 10 of the 12 were martyred for their faith.

My story starts as a uni student in QLD when I was studying Electrical Engineering in my second year. People from the INC church in Brisbane came down to the uni and sang in a band and someone preached. I just happened to be in the same room as that which took place from the church.

My life was full of waisted energy, getting drunk a lot and leading the Engineering Student Association which was mostly about booze ups and blue movies. Since school I had failed a few subjects and was repeating them all without even a clue whether I wanted to be an engineer. But then Jesus touched my life. He became to very real to me and I changed my whole outlook on life when I was born again.

There was a life changing experience at salvation.

Right away I got involved in the church and youth work and serving in Kids Church. I gave up drinking, swearing and sleeping around because Jesus was so real to me and I was very grateful that He had died for me and rescued me from hell. We studied the bible and we could see the reality of heaven and hell.

Hell was real and so many people were going there. I read scriptures like this:

Rev 14:10-11 NLT   10 must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.”

That sounds horrific and if that’s real then I need to do all I can to stop people going there.

There’s a motivation to serve Him.

Even though I was studying at Uni, I still managed to get to  the church twice every Sunday and Wednesday night for bible study, the early morning prayer meeting at 5am every Friday morning, then go out on the streets every Friday night to share the gospel with people until 12-am – 2am when we would drive home exhausted. There was youth meetings every Saturday, Uni Study and of course time with my girlfriend. No wonder my poor old mum got upset with me for not mowing the lawn sometimes.

There was an ethic to work hard.

For the disciples, the call of Jesus was to be with Him. The lawyers and Pharisees of the day took note that the disciples had been “with Him”. Maybe you didn’t hear an audible voice, maybe nothing really that dramatic has happened to you. But I want to ask you this question?

Did Jesus really touch your life? Have you got a compassion for the lost people all around you? Then all the motivation you need is to see the reality of heaven and hell and commit to hard work for the most important task on earth. That’s the call of God to be with Him and serve Jesus with all you’ve got.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. Are you a patriot? Do you love Australia… Its people I mean?
  2. What would you do to win them to Christ?
  3. What if you were lost and you were counting on someone from Plenty Valley Church to tell you about Jesus?
  4. How many Aussies will end up in heaven?
  5. What;’s your philosophy of life concerning enjoying life and making a difference in eternity?

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NATION CHANGING FAITH 

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, FAITH, Salvation, Soul Winning, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 2, 2015| Leave a Comment »

God reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy throne. Ps 47:8 NLTSmall Nation Changing

We are part of a great movement of churches called International Network of Churches. Originally named Christian Outreach Centre, our movement began in 1974 with the church located West End in Brisbane. The founder, Clark Taylor was an unlikely choice as God’s choices often are. He was a cattle drover from the Northern Territory who got saved at a Billy Graham Crusade in Brisbane in 1959. As the church began, there was explosive growth, with many salvations and miracles of healing and very soon passionate men put their hand up to plant churches and so the one became many as new churches sprung up around QLD and NSW.

Pretty soon people wanted to travel overseas to plant churches and COC began in the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Zealand, New Guinea and further afield. As courageous men and women travelled to start churches in each nation there was a strong belief that the purpose was nation changing.

As I joined the church staff in 1980 as a youth leader, we were starting to expand across Australia and the vision was clear. AUSTRALIA FOR CHRIST.

We have a belief that God can change a whole nation. The gospel is the power of God that changes lives and impacts nations. The church is the plan of God to liberate the broken humanity and bring nations back to God. Jesus made the mandate clear when He said, “I will build My church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” I was dramatically affected by the vision. I wanted to lay my life down for the vision of Australia For Christ. How was I so moved? It was revelation, I had a clear understanding of how lost people are. We studied the bible and it was clear that without Jesus as saviour people were headed for hell, a Christless eternity of torment and destruction that lasts for ever and ever. I was overwhelmed with gratefulness for what God had done for me in rescuing me from sin and death. I was saved and going to heaven now and what right did I have to enjoy such a huge and free gift while not having a care about those perishing around me. I was like Paul who said, “I feel myself under a sort of universal obligation, I owe something to all men, from cultured Greek to ignorant savage. That is why I want, as far as my ability will carry me, to preach the Gospel to you who live in Rome as well.” Rom 1:14 Phillips.

I was and am possessed by this vision. I love my country and I am passionate to see it come to Christ. I am believing and working as hard as I can to reach as many people as I can with the unmatchable message of His love and forgiveness so that far less Australians end up in hell than would have if I had not lived. I have been serving full time for 35 years yet I believe we have only just begun. My vision is to see 100 churches in Victoria and Tasmania before I retire or pass on. Is there anyone who would dare to believe with me?

God can change nations. O nations of the world, recognize the Lord; recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. Ps 96:7 NLT

In Nepal, INC has a leader Ps Raju & Samita Sundas, who has been mightily used by God to plant churches and work alongside the new president of Nepal in assisting to form the constitution. He has started schools and a relief agency and has one of the largest churches in the nation. See here for more information.

Can God change nations? It’s easy to answer that question, if he can create the heavens and the earth, of course he can change nations. The important question is will He use us to change our nation?

Through Moses God changed the nation of Egypt and set Israel free to go out from under slavery and enter the Promised Land. Through Daniel God changed the heart of King Darius to follow The One True God and forsake their idols.  God says, “I have a plan for the whole earth, a hand of judgment upon all the nations.” Is 14:26 NLT.  God has changed nations in the modern era. In 1904 revival broke out in Wales and the whole nation was dramatically affected. Since the 1920’s South Korea has experienced a growth in Christianity from negligible levels in 1945 to over 30% of the population now born again. In Africa and South America national revival has created nations that have large percentages of born again Christians as their population.

Watch the hand of God on his servant Daniel.

Daniel 6:1-10  NLT

6 Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province. 2 The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king’s interests. 3 Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.

4 Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. 5 So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”

6 So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius! 7 We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions. 8 And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” 9 So King Darius signed the law.

10 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.

Daniel was old, he was faithful, he was stable, he had a real faith in God and a trust that God was in control. He prayed. People were out to get him because God was with him to such an extent that they were exceedingly jealous.

When the King proclaimed a decree that no man shall pray to any God for 30 days, Daniel did not fear, he continued to pray. Sure enough the enemies were watching and waiting, and they saw him pray. He didn’t hide away he opened the window towards Jerusalem. Consequently the governors brought him before the King, this man has broken your commandment O King! He must be thrown to the lions. Reluctantly the king followed through on his own decree. But he agonized over the fate of Daniel and fasted all night. In the morning the king rushed down to the lion’s den to see if Daniel had survived. He must have had some expectation. He’s alive!

Daniel’s God answered the king’s prayer, now the king was convinced, there is a God in heaven and he is Daniel’s God. Here’s his conclusion.

Daniel 6:25-27  NLT

25 Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: “Peace and prosperity to you!

26 “I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end.

27 He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”

God changed a nation through one man. God can change Australia. Will you believe? If you believe, will you pray? If you believe, will you serve the Lord?

If the vision for Australia for Christ has touched your heart, then respond by doing these things:

  1. Live wholeheartedly for God
  2. Be in church every week and participate in UC groups.
  3. Give generously to the vision.
  4. Share your faith with everyone around you.
  5. Consider the call of God on your life to serve in the ministry. Some are called to plant churches, some to assist pastors as support ministries.
  6. Be trained for the ministry in HUB, church training, and Bible College.

To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations. Rev 2:26

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Discuss how grateful you are for your own salvation.

2. What can you believe for in terms of the growth of Christianity in Australia

3.  Do you have a vision for Australia to come to Christ?

4. How can you contribute to seeing this nation find Jesus Christ?

5.  Are you called to the ministry (part time or full time)?

 

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SURROUNDED!

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, Preaching messages, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 27, 2015| Leave a Comment »

FAITH SPEAKS  #4AMFaith speaks WEB

Ever felt like you’re surrounded by the enemy? Ever felt like the odds are stacked against you? How do you handle it? Do you throw a tantrum? Do you sulk? Do you go into depression? Do you seek comfort in substances?

  • Maybe your boss just called you into his office and gave you the spiel, “I hate to do this but I have you let you go”
  • Maybe that lump you thought was nothing turns out to be cancer.
  • Maybe you find a packet of Crystal-Meth in your teenager’s bedroom.
  • Or maybe you are hit with the tsunami of negative situations when all three of these type of things hit you at once!

Life overwhelms us all at times. You face big problems or you face a problem for a very long time. King David spoke about these times when he said, “When my heart is overwhelmed, I go to the rock that is higher than I.” If you don’t have Jesus then you go to anywhere you can find comfort, some go to booze, some go to the pokies, some go to porn, some go to medication; but Jesus says, “Come to me, I will give you rest.” He says, “Roll your cares upon Me, for I care for you.”

Faith speaks! What comes out of your mouth will help you or hinder you. If you are a person of faith, this is what will happen to you. Bad news arrives. You react as any human would through disbelief, shock, panic, fear and disappointment. Then after a short period of time you get into gear and you say, “God is able! He will help me. I believe that the Lord is on my side!” Your situation will turn around after some time. It may be a short time or a long time. Through the experience you will be a better stronger person.

When you are not a person of faith this is what will happen to you. You get bad news. You react like any other human would through disbelief, shock, panic, fear and disappointment. You then spiral down wards into the blame game, whose fault is this anyway? Or you may throw a tantrum and let anger take over hurting people with your words or fists, or punching walls or other defenceless objects. Then you may seek to justify your problems by giving yourself permission to act outside your own values by gambling, drinking or taking substances. Your end position is less than your starting point.

Bible stories are great. They make for great reading, but also we can learn from them. God placed them in the bible for us. They are true stories and they are written down to help us, to teach us how to live and how God works with people. 1 Corinthians 10:11(AMP)

11 Now these things befell them by way of a figure [as an example and warning to us]; they were written to admonish and fit us for right action by good instruction, we in whose days the ages have reached their climax (their consummation and concluding period).

Let’s take a look at this great story. 2 Chronicles 20: 1-6; 15-24

2 Chronicles 20:1-6  (NLT)

20 After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat. 2 Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.” (This was another name for En-gedi.)

3 Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. 4 So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help.

5 Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord. 6 He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!

15-24 15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord. 19 Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout.

20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”

21 After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!”

22 At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. 23 The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. 24 So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.

Think about King Jehoshaphat in this story. He is surrounded! He is hopelessly outnumbered. In verse 3 it says he is terrified! Three armies surround him and his nation of Judah.

It’s not fair!

He has a go at God here. He says in verse 10-11, Hey God you didn’t let us invade these nations when Israel journeyed through their lands, now they have come back to attack us. It’s not fair!! In life we are very often in the situation where it doesn’t seem fair. Strangely it doesn’t seem to make any difference to anyone or anything that we point that out!!

The King’s reaction

The king reacts really well. He goes straight to God in prayer. He says it’s time to fast and seek God. He reminds God of His promises.

The man of God speaks.

In verse 14-15 the prophet stands up to speak. It’s OK he says, God is with us! Don’t be afraid. The battle is the Lord’s. Go down to them. That’s fine for you to say but we could get killed!! How do you react to the words of the man of God?

The King’s reaction again.

King Jehoshaphat bows down, the people fell down and worshipped, the Levites (priesthood) praised the Lord. That’s a faith response. What is your response to the words from the man of God? Don’t go asking the unbelievers for advice. They have no idea how God can work in a situation. They will take you down the pub, that’s no answer.

When the man of God speaks you have a choice. Will you believe? The King gives some great advice. 2 Chron 20:20 (NLT) Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”

So here’s the plan, the army marches out and the singers go in the front. Anyone feeling vulnerable? This is what they sang, Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever! That is faith speaking right there! The result was the Lord set ambushments against the three invading armies.

It matters what comes out of your mouth. This is not conventional warfare. Faith speaks! What does faith say?

  1. Thanks God!
  2. God is good!
  3. He is able!

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, what is coming out of your mouth?

We all face tough times, but God is with us and how we respond to troubles will block or enable faith to make a way for God to help us. God reacts to faith, not to complaining. Our task this year is to grow in faith so that means we will need to learn how to respond in faith. That is why we need to learn that FAITH SPEAKS!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Describe the feeling of being overwhelmed.

2. How does God feel when you are overwhelmed?

3. When circumstances are against you what usually come out of your mouth?

4. How does a person of faith respond to troubled times?

5. Do you need to feel faith to start speaking words of faith?

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FAITH SPEAKS

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, FAITH, Preaching messages, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 21, 2015| Leave a Comment »

SUNDAY MESSAGE 21ST JUNE 2105 AM

Faith speaks WEBImagine the beginning of time when God created the heavens and the earth.

Gen 1:1 NLT In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”

And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.

6 Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” 7 And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. 8 God called the space “sky.”

And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.

9 Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened.

20 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.

 24 Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.”

As you can see when God speaks things happen!

God creates things simply by speaking, He operates in faith voicing His will and purpose and His words convey the power necessary to create what He speaks. In Hebrews this verse describes who Jesus is.

Heb 1:3 AMP He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high,

Now consider that God has created man to be like Himself, made a little lower than the angels (Ps 8:5) yet truly a little lower than God. Man made a spirit being after the image and likeness of God and called to Subdue, replenish the earth and fill it. (Gen 1:28) Are we not to create also by our words? Has God not spoken to us about using our words to create and change things?

Consider Jesus commands to His disciples. Mark 11:23 AMP Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him.

The power of your words is through a believing heart. Rom 10:9-10 ESV  9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

And again Jesus says, for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45 amp)

I think perhaps we have failed to realise the power in our words as born again believers. The Church is the assembly of those Born again, born of the incorruptible seed of the word of God, born from above, who are called now to subdue fill the earth and conquer it. Jesus gave us the example when He spoke to the man with the withered hand, “Stretch forth your hand.” The command to do the impossible, followed by a miracle. Later Peter James and John enter into the same experience saying to the cripple at the gate Beautiful in Acts 3, “Rise up and walk!” And he did!

Just simply saying these words conveyed the power necessary to create a miracle. However, not words only but a believing heart expressed through those words.

In fact, now that we are born again and living in right relationship with God, He expects of us to live at a higher level of revelation and power. Jesus had high expectations of His disciples as He instructs them, “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.” (John 14:12 amp)

As believers we pray now not so much prayers of supplication, “God will you do this and that.” But prayers of declaration, “Be healed, in Jesus Name.” If we are to do the works of Jesus and greater then we will need to do those works as He did them by speaking the miracle, by declaring the outcome we want to see because we have faith in our heart and we speak words of creative power from our mouth.

One of my earliest examples of using this kind of praying was as a new Christian I drove past an old picture theatre every day on my way to Uni and this theatre showed pornographic movies. As a new Christian I was incensed that this filth was pouring into the community so I cursed the picture theatre and a few days later it burned to the ground in the middle of the night with no loss of life. I was shocked by the power of my words and a bit scared about the responsibility of how we should use this power.

Mostly we use this power to bring about healing, life and answers. There are thousands of cases of where we have prayed and spoken words of faith to command sickness to leave, pain to go, tumours to disappear and have seen many many healing miracles. We declare answers for peoples’ lives as they experience trouble and difficulties. When a couple faces marriage stress we pray life and peace over that marriage, when a person goes though financial hardship we declare the blessing of God over them. Answers come through the application of God’s word through a faith filled heart.

If you want to know whether you have a faith filled heart, just listen to what comes out of your mouth. If the words coming out of your mouth are filled with despair and negativity, then fear and doubt are filling your heart, but if the words coming out of your mouth are speaking the answer and speaking the miracle outcome you seek then you know your faith is at work. Don’t wait for some feeling of faith to roll up and bite you! You may feel overwhelmed at the start when things go wrong, but faith doesn’t look at feelings and circumstances, faith looks at what God’s word says. We must emulate God in calling those things that are not as though they already are. (Rom 4:17)

You can pray reactive prayers that address problems that arise, but are we praying prayers of declaration that are aimed at creating a better future for us and for God’s purpose. Add to you prayer life, after praying for the miracles to overcome present problems, the declaration of the better future that you want to see.

Right now in this church we need to see an increase in financial flow. So this is what I pray: The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favour) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquillity of heart and life continually). And they shall put My name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them. (Numbers 6:24-27 AMP)

Jabez cried to the God of Israel, saying, Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and You would keep me from evil so it might not hurt me! And God granted his request. (1 Chronicles 4:10 AMP)

And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]. (Psalm 1:3 AMP)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

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FAITH SPEAKS IN THE MIDST OF PAIN

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, Preaching messages, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 7, 2015| Leave a Comment »

FAITH SPEAKS  #1AMFaith speaks WEB   Following the death of a member of our community; let me share with you all about how to grieve and how to comfort others who are grieving. Grief is a normal human process we will all go through at some point in our lives. When we are grieving we may feel a wide range of emotions from sadness to anger, to resentment to depression to acceptance.  You can’t hurry the grieving process, it takes time, but you can comfort one another and pray for one another. Jesus is the one who heals the broken-hearted. As Christians we have a huge advantage over non-Christians because we have hope. Our faith is enables us to see that the loved one is now comforted and at peace.   For our loved one who dies in the Lord we know that there is no more sickness and pain is gone and they are rejoicing in the presence of God with total joy and life and peace. Not only that, but we know we will see them again when we pass from this life.  We grieve because of loss but there is hope which gives us very real comfort. Grief is helped by being together and supporting one another. Grief is made harder by isolation. The human touch is vital. How do talk to someone who is grieving?  If someone has lost a loved one you may feel like you don’t know what to say. You may be afraid to say something that makes the person feel worse or reminds them of the loss and so you may be tempted to not approach or not say anything. Here’s what God says to do: Rom 12:15 AMP  Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’ grief]. When you see someone in grief, at your earliest opportunity, go to them and be present. Minister the appropriate touch, which may be a hug, a kiss on the cheek, clasping hands, a touch of your hand on their shoulder. For close friends just holding a person can minister tremendous comfort. The words we can share are, “I love you. I care about you. I’m here for you. I’m sad because you are sad.” Probably avoid the obvious clichés like, “At least they are in heaven now. You’ll get over it. There’s better days ahead.” It helps to say sweet memories of the person who has passed, remembering beautiful times and funny times you had with them. For those who are not close friends we can add comfort by just saying, “I’m very sad for your loss, I will be thinking about you and praying for you.” Can we spend some time just now greeting one another and praying for each other. Some will want to give a hug and comfort to someone who is grieving. Others may be content to just chat to each other. This morning we begin our theme of Faith Speaks. Faith has got something to say. It’s not timid, it’s not shy, its’ not weak, it’s strong, and it’s passionate and it’s alive. The scripture teaches that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Faith is convinced! Faith knows that the word of God is true! Faith doesn’t wait for conditions to improve to say what it wants to say. Faith lives in the future of answered prayer. Oh how we wish that life had no pain. But without pain there is no cry for help and there would be no finding of the answer. Into every life comes tragedy and heartache. Faith has something to say about that too. Psalm 61:2 AMP From the end of the earth will I cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed and fainting; lead me to the rock that is higher than I [yes, a rock that is too high for me]. Faith isn’t always saying, today is a great day, today I am a winner. Some days are dark days, but faith has something mighty to say of those day days. Faith says, “my God is with me, He is able when it all gets too much for me.” This week at HUB the leaders have been praying through Psalm 18. Let me encourage you to pray through this psalm. In this Psalm David who is yet to become King over Israel, is running from King Saul and from the Philistine enemies. He has been pursued and nearly dies his friends are few and treacherous! But he has one great friend. Listen to David’s prayer. Psalm 18 AMP 2 The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my keen and firm Strength in Whom I will trust and take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower. 3 I will call upon the Lord, Who is to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies. 4 The cords or bands of death surrounded me, and the streams of ungodliness and the torrents of ruin terrified me. 5 The cords of Sheol (the place of the dead) surrounded me; the snares of death confronted and came upon me. 6 In my distress [when seemingly closed in] I called upon the Lord and cried to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple (heavenly dwelling place), and my cry came before Him, into His [very] ears. Notice how he describes his feelings when everything is going wrong. “the torrents of ruin terrified me” When tragedy strikes we know the pain and the storm of emotions that flood over us. It can all seem too much. When we have faith, what comes out of our mouth is creating answers and leading us to help. Out of our humanity we will say, “It’s all too much, Why God? It’s not fair. I want to die.” We have all been there. If you haven’t just wait a while! But when we have faith we say like David, “I feel really bad BUT God is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my keen and firm Strength in Whom I will trust and take refuge. We will go through it sometimes, but don’t go through it alone. God loves you and He wants to be there for you. He is the great healer. Jesus came to heal the broken hearted. God is never the source of our pain, He is always the answer, the rescuer. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. What kind of circumstances are a challenge to your faith? 2. How can the body of believers around you be a help to you at a time like that? 3. Is it normal to have doubts at times? 4. What do you think Paul meant when he said Fight the good fight of faith? 1 Tim 6:12 5. Is your faith grounded in God’s word AND connection to the body of believers?

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HOW DO YOU PRAY WHEN THINGS GO WRONG?

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, FAITH, Preaching messages, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 30, 2015| Leave a Comment »

FAITH PRAYS # 5 PMFaith Prays-final-02

Sometimes in life things go wrong.

There’s a lot of difference between a hiccup and a disaster. A hiccup might be, you go out to get in the car and you have a flat tire. Or maybe you arrive at your fav café and there’s no tables left.

Then there’s some moderately annoying situations like, girls, you arrive at a high class function and someone else is wearing your dress! Or guys, you go to the fridge to get that last piece of pizza left over from last night to have for breakfast and your mum fed it to the dog. – Devastation!

But sometimes the news is all bad and at that moment you feel powerless.

How do you pray?

How do you pray when the doctor says, I have some bad news for you?

How do you pray when your life long partner says I’m leaving you?

How do you pray when your loved one has passed away?

How do you pray when you’re facing financial disaster?

When you have faith – you pray.

Whether you have faith or not your feelings are the same.

You feel powerless and you feel as though God has abandoned you. Your experience of loss impacts your emotions greatly.

When King David went through that time he said: Ps 10:1 AMP

Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself, [veiling Your eyes] in times of trouble (distress and desperation)?

Whether we are a small child or a grown man, when things get really bad what we truly want is someone to come and put their arms around us and tell us it’s going to be alright.

When you have those feelings, in spite of those feelings, you pray and you push into God. When you have faith you pray because you know God cares for you. He has the biggest arms to wrap around you.

This is how King David prays in times of distress. Ps 18:1-6 AMP

To the Chief Musician. [A Psalm] of David the servant of the Lord, who spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said:

1 I love You fervently and devotedly, O Lord, my Strength.

2 The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my keen and firm Strength in Whom I will trust and take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower.

3 I will call upon the Lord, Who is to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.

4 The cords or bands of death surrounded me, and the streams of ungodliness and the torrents of ruin terrified me.

5 The cords of Sheol (the place of the dead) surrounded me; the snares of death confronted and came upon me.

6 In my distress [when seemingly closed in] I called upon the Lord and cried to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple (heavenly dwelling place), and my cry came before Him, into His [very] ears.

All the same feelings are there. The “torrents of ruin terrified me” but he prays nevertheless. He knows who his God is. How does he know who God is? He has read the word and his heart has embraced the one who was there to rescue Noah, was there to rescue Abraham, was there to rescue Joseph. David trusted in God and he went through trials and tests to prove the faithfulness of God.

1 Samuel 17:33-37 AMP

33 And Saul said to David, You are not able to go to fight against this Philistine. You are only an adolescent, and he has been a warrior from his youth.

34 And David said to Saul, Your servant kept his father’s sheep. And when there came a lion or again a bear and took a lamb out of the flock,

35 I went out after it and smote it and delivered the lamb out of its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard and smote it and killed it.

36 Your servant killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God!

37 David said, The Lord Who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and the Lord be with you!

In life when you go through small troubles, it’s a time to learn faith and see God’s hand deliver you and be there for you. Then later when bigger troubles hit you, you are ready, you know your God is for you and will deliver you.

When you go through deep waters you pray because God cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7 AMP

Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

Have you been through deep waters? Your emotions may have been going crazy, but what was coming out of your mouth? Maybe you start out saying like David… Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself, [veiling Your eyes] in times of trouble (distress and desperation)? But very quickly, if you are a person of faith you start saying, The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my keen and firm Strength in Whom I will trust and take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower.

God wants to show Himself strong on your behalf, but He needs you to walk in faith in order to make a way for Him to move. In this story a father has a disaster on his hands because his son is possessed by an evil spirit, and he cries out to Jesus for help.

Mark 9:22-24 AMP

22 And it has often thrown him both into fire and into water, intending to kill him. But if You can do anything, do have pity on us and help us.

23 And Jesus said, [You say to Me], If You can do anything? [Why,] all things can be (are possible) to him who believes!

24 At once the father of the boy gave [an eager, piercing, inarticulate] cry with tears, and he said, Lord, I believe! [Constantly] help my weakness of faith!

Faith is the constant expectation that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He said He will do. Faith is confidence in God and trust that He is good.

When things go wrong, you pray, and you trust that God is there for you and He cares for you. If God be for you who can be against you?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. When things go wrong, your emotions can go go crazy – is this normal?

2.  Can you pray when your emotions are going crazy with worry and stress?

3. What do you think God is feeling when you are in distress?

4. It may feel like God has abandoned you but what is the real picture?

5. Make this prayer something you can find easily when you need it… Psalm 61:2

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ARE YOU FILLED?

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, Preaching messages, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 24, 2015| Leave a Comment »

FAITH PRAYS #4 AMFaith Prays-final-02

Acts 2:1-13  MESSAGE BIBLE

A Sound Like a Strong Wind

2 1-4 When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

5-11 There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. When they heard the sound, they came on the run. Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were thunderstruck. They couldn’t for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, “Aren’t these all Galileans? How come we’re hearing them talk in our various mother tongues?

Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; Visitors from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene; Immigrants from Rome, both Jews and proselytes; Even Cretans and Arabs! “They’re speaking our languages, describing God’s mighty works!”

12 Their heads were spinning; they couldn’t make head or tail of any of it. They talked back and forth, confused: “What’s going on here?”

13 Others joked, “They’re drunk on cheap wine.”

Today is Pentecost Sunday, what does that mean? That means it is the day of the year when we celebrate the day of Pentecost when the early church was baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit.  Pentecost was 50 days after Passover which is our Easter time.

If you have faith then you will pray. AS Jesus departed the earth physically he left his disciples with one instruction, “stay here in Jerusalem until you are filled with power form the Holy Spirit.” They waited in the upper room, about 120 of them. They began to pray and wait on God. Just think what that must have been like. They experienced the trauma of watching the cruel death of Jesus on the cross, the elation of his resurrection and then 40 days of teaching about the kingdom of God. The bible says nothing about that 40 days of teaching. What did he speak about? We don’t know but this one thing I know it would have been inspiring!!! So they were now in the upper room praying for 10 days.

Could you pray for 10 days? After the roller coast ride of the last six weeks it was probably hard to concentrate. Perhaps it was a time of reflection and considering what the rest of their lives would be like.  The next few years were going to be intense, life changing and world changing.

What they didn’t have but they desperately needed was the power of the Holy Spirit. Yes they had spent three and a half years with Jesus, witnessed thousands of miracles and seen the dead raised over and over again, yet Jesus was very clear, “Don’t leave Jerusalem until you are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.”  We cannot do Gods will and God’s work if we don’t have God’s power. In fact you were designed to have God’s power resident in you.

Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit was with them and would be in them. This was to take place after the resurrection.

Christianity without being filled with the Holy Spirit is hard work. We are meant to live Spirit filled lives, thoroughly filled and flooded with God himself. If Jesus warned His disciples not to leave without it, and think what kind of preparation they had; then all the more we should need this.

How do I know if I have been filled? It’s an experience. You will know for sure if you have received this power. It’s power!

Can I be filled and not speak in tongues. Yes, tongues is the overflow. It is the one sure sign that you have been filled. If you don’t want tongues, ask yourself why? Sometimes I have met Christians who have a take it or leave it attitude about tongues and often that is because they tried to receive it and nothing happened and so now they are resigned to life without it.

Paul said I speak in tongues more than you all. Seems like it was high value to the greatest apostle of all, so it will be high value for me. Being a Pentecostal isn’t just that I speak with tongues, it is that I have a spirit led life. What are the marks of a spirit led life?

  1. I love prayer, I talk to God through the day, I converse with the Father with Jesus and with the Holy Spirit.
  2. I read God’s word and I get more than information. I receive revelation. I see things written in it that lead me in understanding God’s will in my life at this present moment.
  3. I hear God’s voice in my heart. Being Spirit led is sensing the urging of the Holy Spirit to act and obey Him in certain ways. (Bought lunch for a pastor from Hawaii)
  4. I have a passion to witness, to share God’s love with others.
  5. I have a sense of eternity that makes me a pilgrim in the earth because I have a home in heaven

These signs are for being spirit filled not just being a tongue talker. We need to be filled daily. Right through the book of Acts the disciples were filled and filled again with the Holy Spirit.

The kind of Christianity that the disciples lived was fuelled by a world changing faith. It was a nation changing team of people who were not interested in the pleasures of this world but were focussed on the kingdom of God and bringing life and hope to a dying world.

Somehow tongues and being baptised in the Holy Spirit has become an optional extra in the lives of some Australian church goers. It’s like a sunroof for your car, it’s cool and useful, but you don’t need it for effective driving experience. The truth is the baptism of the Holy Spirit is like the engine in the car. People without it are pushing their car everywhere and if there’s a big hill to go up many people just put the brake on and camp there for the rest of their life. Some even roll back to where they started and complain, “This new Christian model car is a lemon man, it’s not what I was told it was going to be!”

You’re a Spirit first not a body first. You’re a Spirit first not a mind first. In this western world we live in many people do not even know a spirit realm exists. The education system we have champions reason and excludes evidence outside the realm of empirical scientific measurable facts. However in 75% of countries around the world where the education system includes a spiritual education, the spirit world is very real people live and die by spiritual realities.

For example in Australia the Coory population live with a awareness of spirit realm. To them the dreamtime is more than a story, they have connection with ancestors. Point the bone works for them. Walkabout is spiritual.

When Jesus sent His disciples out to do the work of ministry He commanded them to Preach, heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out devils. All those tasks require the supernatural power of God. So He gave them the power of the Holy Spirit to equip them. If they needed it then, certainly we need it now. Let’s make our goal this year to be baptised in the Holy Spirit, filled with His power and receive the gift of speaking in tongues. Let’s be determined to seek God for this power so that we can do the work of ministry just as the disciples did.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. If you have been baptised in the Holy Spirit share your story of how that happened and what it felt like.

2. What are the benefits of being baptised in the Holy Spirit? (Acts 1:8)

3. What kind of things do you need power for in your Christina life?

4. What is the value of Tongues? (1 Cor 14:4; Rom 8:26; Jude 20)

5. Why are some Christians content to go without the tongues experience?

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MEN MUST PRAY

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, FAITH, Prayer, Preaching messages, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 10, 2015| Leave a Comment »

FAITH PRAYS – MEN PRAY – A message for Men on Mother’s day Faith Prays-final-02

Men, do you want to be part of God’s ultimate purpose that will dominate and fill the earth? Is your world a big one? Is your world described by interacting with something that will change history and bring life and answers to humanity?

Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!”

That sounds like a very powerful force in the earth to me. I want to part of it. I hope you want to be a part of it. I hope you want to lead your family in being a part of it. Bring your family to church men! Lead your wife and kids to Jesus and to the body of Christ, the church that He has planned will overcome and fill the earth.

Young men, listen to the old men and grow up well and wisely. Be devoted to Christ and live wholeheartedly for Him. Be a pray-er and treat all women with respect. Pray for your future wife.  Married men, learn leadership, understand that headship is leadership not dominance. Demonstrate respectful relationships to your children. Take your family to church. Ensure your children find Jesus and as they grow into teens; lead by example. Be in church, pray for your family, lead with humility, be the same in church as you are at home, no hypocrisy. Keep your teens in church and youth group or you may lose them out of the kingdom. Older men, pray for the church. Don’t abdicate your role as the leaders and the wisdom of the body. God says, honour the old men.  Your age brings experience and wisdom. Lead Urban Connect Groups, love the families, lead by example and guide the young men.

If we are going to be great men of all ages, we will be pray-ers. Prayer is not optional if we are going to be part of the church of the living God.

Let’s see what Jesus has to say to men about prayer.

Luke 18:1-8 AMP Also [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up).

2 He said, In a certain city there was a judge who neither reverenced and feared God nor respected or considered man.

3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Protect and defend and give me justice against my adversary.

4 And for a time he would not; but later he said to himself, though I have neither reverence or fear for God nor respect or consideration for man,

5 Yet because this widow continues to bother me, I will defend and protect and avenge her, lest she give me intolerable annoyance and wear me out by her continual coming or at the last she come and rail on me or assault me or strangle me.

6 Then the Lord said, Listen to what the unjust judge says!

7 And will not [our just] God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His chosen ones), who cry to Him day and night? Will He defer them and delay help on their behalf?

8 I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth?

Jesus wanted to empower His own men to pray and not give up, or lose heart. So He told them a story about a widow woman.

Why?

Why tell a story about a woman to men to try and inspire men to do anything. Wouldn’t it be better to tell a story about David? Or about any man. Aren’t we men going to be more inspired about great men and what they have achieved than hearing about what a woman has achieved?

In this story the man is the problem! What’s Jesus saying here? What is He trying to achieve?

This is a story about power! The woman apparently has no power. Men may be reluctant to admit powerlessness. Perhaps a woman more readily feels powerless because they are so often dominated by men. This woman is even more powerless being a widow and having no husband to protect her. As men, are we sometimes guilty of saying, She’ll be right. I’ll fix it! It will buff out! Don’t worry about it.” This woman demonstrated that in the midst of powerlessness, she found power. The secret of her power is persistence not strength! It’s not ingenuity that wins the day, it’s persistence. It’s not the rightness of her cause that wins the day, it’s persistence! It’s not anything else but persistence.

Men ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up). Come on, how many men here have fallen victim to the persistence of a woman?

Learn from the master young grasshopper!

The power this woman has is in her persistent asking. Jesus makes it clear that she won the day because she did not give up. Even in the face of unrighteous judge, she won, how much more will we win when we go to a righteous God in heaven with our plea? Jesus says we will be speedily avenged, but we still must be persistent.

We give up too soon. When we are praying, we stop before the answer leaves heaven. Sometimes we don’t start because we think we can fix it ourselves. We procrastinate or we don’t see the need. Praying men have changed the world!

Acknowledging your powerlessness is key to receiving from God. He says, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. (John 15:5 AMP)

Paul experienced powerlessness and he learned how to overcome in it.

7 And to keep me from being puffed up and too much elated by the exceeding greatness (preeminence) of these revelations, there was given me a thorn (a splinter) in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to rack and buffet and harass me, to keep me from being excessively exalted.

8 Three times I called upon the Lord and besought [Him] about this and begged that it might depart from me;

9 But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me! (2 Cor 12:7-9 AMP)

When he felt weak, then he knew he was strongest because Christ’s strength is made perfect in weakness. When we run out of our own answers we turn to God for His answers. Men, young men, older men, pray! Don’t give up, keep on praying! Pray until you receive an answer.

When I was first married my wife and I had some disagreements and we would argue. I would feel frustrated and we would often preach at each other, trying to score points. What I learned to do was thank God for my wife. I couldn’t change her. I could try and change myself, and that was hard. But the real power lay in thanksgiving. When I thanked God for Chris, He began to work in our lives. It was important that I prayed.

Pray for your wife and kids (if you’re single pray for your extended family)

Learn the power of headship. 1 Cor 11:3 AMP But I want you to know and realize that Christ is the Head of every man, the head of a woman is her husband, and the Head of Christ is God. Spiritual Authority flows down. Headship is leadership not dominance. When you pray for your wife you have power spiritually, God and satan recognise you are the legitimate head and you are the one in authority. If you stand in the gap between your wife and kids and the spirit realm then that spirit realm must recognise your authority over them because God says you are the head over the wife and she over the kids.

How do you pray for your family?

Bless your wife and children. Your words are powerful! Declare blessing over them.

Numbers 6:22-27 The Message (MSG)

The Aaronic Blessing

22-23 God spoke to Moses: “Tell Aaron and his sons, This is how you are to bless the People of Israel. Say to them,

24 God bless you and keep you,

25 God smile on you and gift you,

26 God look you full in the face and make you prosper.

27 In so doing, they will place my name on the People of Israel—

I will confirm it by blessing them.”

Pray for your wife, thanking God for her. Pray for God to give her mercy, strength, and revelation. Declare the covering of God’s presence over her and ask for the angels to surround her. Pray for your children, blessing them, declaring protection over them. Guard them in the spirit by asking for God’s protection over them. Stand against principalities and powers that oppose God’s purpose in their lives.

Spiritually you are the covering and the protection over your family. Guard your home. Demonstrate and promote respectful relationships in your home. There must never be family violence in your home. This includes not only physical injury but direct or indirect threats, sexual assault, emotional and psychological torment, economic control, damage to property, social isolation and any behaviour which causes a person to live in fear. In this church we are making a stand against family violence. Men we ask you to swear an oath on the White Ribbon website: Swear

I swear never to commit, excuse or remain silent about violence against women.

This is my oath.

If there is violence or disrespectful relationships in your home, don’t be ashamed, seek help, come and see me and I will help you. You can change and become the godly man that you were called to be.

Guard your home against unhealthy internet invasion. Teach your children about dangers of internet porn. 85% of 16 year olds are exposed to porn. Approximately 15% are addicted to porn. Any amount of exposure is harmful. As fathers we must protect our children from this great harm. It has the potential to destroy their sexuality and ruin them for healthy married life.

How?

  1. Talk to your kids about porn from about 8 or 9 years old and onwards regularly.
  2. Use filters in your home wifi. For example: See here.
  3. Use screens in open areas like lounge/dinning or study room not in bedrooms.
  4. Limit screen time per day. Create active living and sport.

If you struggle with porn yourself seek help. Come and see me and begin the process of change. Lead by example.

Pray for your wife and children. Stand in Faith for their salvation and security. It will take a determined effort on your part but eternity will reward you for it.

Let’s pray!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What time of the day do you find is most workable for you to pray?

2. What motivates you to pray?

3. What answers to prayer can you tell us about?

4. What things stop you or try and stop you praying?

5.  How can you overcome those things?

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FAITH PRAYS

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, FAITH, Prayer, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 2, 2015| Leave a Comment »

FAITH PRAYS  Faith Prays-final-02When I first became a Christian I was 20, single, living at home and each night before bed I would talk to God for a while as I looked out my bedroom window over the lights of the neighbourhood. I think I got involved in prayer early in my walk with God simply because I was thankful that Jesus had saved me. Soon I prayed more because I began to imagine talking to people about Jesus and what I would say and what I imagined they might say in response. It was imagining how I might preach to an individual or a small group of people. From this scenario I would pray and talk to God about my day and my world and it wasn’t hard to let 30 minutes or even an hour slip by. Question: What motivates you to pray and talk to God? Prayer is a product of relationship. Maybe for some it begins with need. You may feel helpless and so you reach out to God for help and you begin to talk to Him. However, what truly motivates us is love, we pray because we love Jesus. When you have faith, you pray! When you have faith you know and understand the realities of your spiritual life. You fully understand that you were lost and now you are heaven bound. The realisation of that causes you to feel the great sense of gratitude for Jesus and what He has done for you. Faith enables you to know and trust that God loves you and wants to heal you and provide for you. Faith is the belief that God exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6)  So prayer begins with praise and thanks. It flows into asking and believing for those things you need God to do for you. It deepens with meditating on God’s word and seeking His presence and power. It closes with thanks and commitment, yet it never truly closes because our whole day can be filled with prayer. When the disciples asked Jesus to show them how to pray He responded with what we call the Lord’s Prayer, which is really the disciple’s prayer. Matt 6:9-13. You see and understand that your life is so small compared to the world and the Kingdom and yet being linked up to God makes you a key player in the purposes and plans of God that He has ordained. When Peter James and John left their nets to follow Jesus, they left behind a small world of fishing and selling their catch to a whole new world of impacting the entire planet with God’s plan of love and the preaching of the gospel. Today 2000 years later we are still talking about them and learning life lessons from them through the scriptures.  Luke 5:1-10 David was an amazing pray-er. As we read the Psalms we see a man of relationship, a man who talked much to God and thankfully he wrote many of his prayers down as the Psalms. Psalm 27:8 You have said, Seek My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital need]. My heart says to You, Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek, inquire for, and require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word]. (AMP) Perhaps you feel your vital need is something to eat or the next episode of your favourite mini-series, but your vital need is what you have been mediating on – what you have been thinking a lot about. If you have not felt a desire to pray, then simply take some time to think. There’s plenty of time if you decide to turn off screens. Think deeply, it’s called reflective thinking, about what Jesus has done for you. Imagine sitting down with Him sitting opposite you and thinking about what you might say to Him and what He might say back. Question. Estimate the average time each day that you watching a screen, other than for work. Faith Prays. There’s the natural dimension of your life. And there’s the spiritual dimension. The spiritual dimension is by far the largest. It’s the part of your life focussed on eternity. You can focus on the natural world 100%, but the natural world is influenced by the spiritual world.  You can live a bigger life when you focus on the spiritual world all around you. You can live with God, work with Him and see changes take place in the natural world because you apply faith. Will you decide you’re going to live a bigger life? Will you switch of the screens sometimes and just interact with God, give Him your undivided attention? Make prayer a vital part of your day and your life. CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE ABOUT SCREEN TIME… http://www.mychristiandaily.com/index.php/fp-left-menu/14250-jesus-vs-netflix DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. Is prayer a vital part of a Christian’s life? 2. How much time do Christians pray nowadays compared to say bible times in the new testament? 3. Estimate the amount of screen time each day apart for work related. 4. Is there value in limiting screen time so that you can focus on prayer? 5. What would you like to pray about today?

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YOU WERE RAISED!

Posted in Church, Equip the Saints, FAITH, Water baptism on April 25, 2015| Leave a Comment »

FAITH IN GOD # 4AM –  RAISED TO LIFE  elevation Baptism 5

This weekend is baptism weekend. It is a weekend of victory and joy. It is a weekend when lives are forever changed by powerful decisions to follow Christ and be changed by the experience of water baptism.

Here is some exciting video of the Youth meeting on Friday night where seven people were baptised.  (Content added later).

I love this message from one of our young people who spoke so well about her decision to be baptised.

“Honestly I’m so proud of who’ve I’ve become.

Tomorrow I am getting baptised and yes honestly I’m scared and yes I’ve had doubts. But who I am today is so much better then who I was. Being addicted to certain things was such a bad life style and I’m happy I chose the life I did but I wouldn’t be who I am today if it wasn’t for the youth ministry at plenty valley church, I mean the choices I made ruined my life at that time and now I’m proud to become a new person. ‪#‎jesusismywaterboy But honestly thank you to everyone there that never gave up on me when I gave up on myself. They helped me so much and I am so grateful.” – Kirsten May Barnes.

This morning several of our children will be baptised. Tonight a number of people will be baptised. We have shared two powerful messages about water baptism this month, please listen to them on the podcast even if you have already been baptised because it will give you fresh revelation about the power of water baptism and how you can apply your faith to that experience right throughout your Christian life. Some here today have decided to be water baptised but want to wait until their family is available so that they can witness their life changing event later in the year. I think that’s great. To have your friends and family watch you go through the waters of baptism is profoundly impacting for them and may be a catalyst to their own journey with Christ beginning.

You were raised!

Romans 6:4 We were buried therefore with Him by the baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious [power] of the Father, so we too might [habitually] live and behave in newness of life.(AMP)

When you are baptised you are buried with Jesus and you are raised with Jesus!

You were buried with Him, and you are raised with Him. These two great pictures God gives you in water baptism to illustrate two powerful truths to you.

Buried and raised. Death and life. A finishing and a new beginning.

Romans 5:10  For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more [certain], now that we are reconciled, that we shall be saved (daily delivered from sin’s dominion) through His [resurrection] life.(AMP)

His death accomplished what? – Reconciled to God, sins forgiven. Judgement averted. End to our imminent eternal death sentence.

His resurrection accomplished what? – Deliverance from sin’s dominion. Power over the sin and the old life to rule us.  Power to say no to temptation.

Romans 7:4  Likewise, my brethren, you have undergone death as to the Law through the [crucified] body of Christ, so that now you may belong to Another, to Him Who was raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. (AMP)

What has His death accomplished? – We have died to the law! That means all the crimes against God that we committed are no longer relevant. We died, the old man, the previous life has died and is buried. This new life is now a new person, a new creation.

What has His resurrection accomplished? – To enable us to bear fruit! Resurrection life in Christ enables us to bear fruit. It is the power to do right and do good in God’s purpose which is the works of faith. We bear fruit when we believe and then act. We bear much fruit when we are abiding in Christ (John 15:5)

Rom 4:25  Who was betrayed and put to death because of our misdeeds and was raised to secure our justification (our acquittal), [making our account balance and absolving us from all guilt before God]. (AMP)

What did Jesus death accomplish? – Dealing with our misdeeds. His death took away our sins by paying the penalty of our sins which is death. His death forever appeased the righteous judgement of God against sin by punishing Jesus in our place.

What did His resurrection accomplish? – Justification! To be made just as if we had not sinned. To be acquitted means to be released from charges, to be declared not guilty. This is about the on-going life. This is about the future, the way we live now, which is a life of freedom from guilt and condemnation. We are justified by Christ through His death and resurrection. We now stand before God every day “just as if we had not sinned”

There’s plenty there to rejoice about if you will allow the truth and revelation of God’s word to deeply penetrate your soul. I recommend you take these verses and meditate on them at your leisure.

Let’s baptise some people!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What are the two ideas that come from reading the verse Romans 5:10 His death accomplished what? and His resurrection accomplished what?

2. What are the two ideas that come from reading the verse Romans 7:4 His death accomplished what? and His resurrection accomplished what?

3. What are the two ideas that come from reading the verse Romans 4:25 His death accomplished what? and His resurrection accomplished what?

4. Jesus died for you and ALSO Jesus was raised for you. How much have you realised before, the different things accomplished by these two events?

5. Now that you are raised to life (Walking in newness of life) with Jesus how will you act?

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