In Pursuit of Happiness

The other year, Shea and I went to see a movie of this same title. The movie is about a man and his son losing everything and in the end getting more in return. As I recall the movie and its story, which is true by the way, I am reminded of Job. Job is the oldest book in the Bible. It even predates Genesis which was written by Moses. Job, the Bible says, was a perfect man. He trusted in God for everything and often prayed for his home and family. Unexpectantly one day, his world begins to fall apart and he loses everything. Everything but his faith in God. Although he could not always see or feel God, he would not give up on God being there. Job was in pursuit. He knew that true happiness was not found in what you possess, but who possesses you. He knew that in the end the only thing that mattered was his relationship with God, and that is what he pursued. What are you pursuing for happiness today? What is it that you believe will truely make you happy? If it is anything other than God, then you are pursuing the wrong things. God bless

Like a Fire

Jeremiah 20:9 says, "His Word is in my heart like a fire..." I wonder, is this how you feel about His Word today? Does it burn within you? Jeremiah found himself in a trying time and almost quit the ministry, but could not because the Word was alive in Him. Remember that we live by faith and that faith is fed by the Word. We can not live by feelings or emotions. We can not live by what we can see. We live by what we believe. There are times when I can not see God in the situation, but it does not mean that He is not there. There are times when I can not feel Him, but again, it does not mean that He is not there. I pray that His Word will be a fire in me. I want it to be a passion in my soul. I want to hunger for it and go after God through it. I want to be able to hear His voice through it and be able to speak it into the lives of others. If we are not careful we can get away from His Word and not know that we have. We must discipline ourselves to daily take the bread that He has for us. Pray that His Word will be a fire in you today. God bless.

Campmeeting!!

As I sit at my desk to write this morning, I stand in awe of God. He is so wonderful to us. We here at Friendship have just come out of our first campmeeting. Campmeetings were created by those who were hungry for a move of God and had a desire to come together and see Him move. They were evangelistic in message and had a focus on the lost being saved. Going all the way back to the first campmeetings in Kentucky in the 1800's, God was faithful to show up and meet with His children. In 2009, God has not changed. Where ever there are people hungry for Him and desiring to see the lost commit their lives to Christ, He will be there. It was no different here with us this weekend. With 6 or 7 (testimonies still coming in) getting their hearts right with God during our campmeeting, I can definitly say "God was with us." Last night after church, one of our men was able to go home and lead his wife in the sinners prayer!!!! The fire is burning no doubt, but we must do what is neccesary to keep it alive. Passionatly pray, fast, and read your Bibles. Pursue God and hold fast to your faith. God bless

What is God Saying to You Today?

I want to ask you an important question today. What is God saying to you? What are you hearing from God? The Bible says in John 10, that we as sheep hear His voice. Are you hearing God today. Many times He will speak to us through His Word. Sometimes it will come through a song or someone close to us. However, there are also times when He will speak to you in you spirit. Can you hear Him today? If not, then why? Perhaps there is something in the way that needs to be moved. You see, we as Christians, must hear Him. We recieve our instruction from Him. We recieve encouragment from Him. We also receive correction from Him. If you have gone a long time without hearing Him, search your heart today and ask Him to open your ears again to His voice. God bless

Great Kickoff

We had an awesome service last night to kick off our first campmeeting here at Friendship. Bishop Doyle and Sylvia Roberts came in from the Columbia area and preached a powerful Word from the Lord. Faith-travelers Drama team came in and blew us away with their ability to worship God through mime and interpretive movements. I am so looking forward to the rest of this weekend. I found out this morning that we had 1 young person accept Christ last night and that makes this whole weekend worth it! This has been a dream of mine for so long. I have wanted to create opportunities for the community and other churches to come together and worship. This is the launching pad, I pray, for that dream. We at Friendship, are not in competition with any church body. Rather, we want to have fellowship with, and help other congregations. We believe that God has called us to have unity with His people. Last night was the first part in that dream becoming reality. For all who are coming this morning and again tonight, get ready to go somewhere with God. God bless

Confidence in Troubled Times

David writes Psalms 3 while fleeing for his life. His beloved son Absalom has decided to steal the kingdom from his father, and as a result David's life is in trouble (2 Samuel 15-18). David writes in Psalms 3:2, "Many say about me, there is no help for him in God." We all face troubled times. We are all going to have times of despair. Why is it that when we do face these times, those around us want to say it is our fault? An example of this is Job. We know, because we have the privilege to look from the outside of the story, that Job did nothing wrong to deserve his trouble. In fact, the Bible says about Job that he was perfect. Wow!!! Do you mean that I, a Christian, am supposed to face troubled times? Yes!!!! I Peter 1:6-7 speaks of our faith standing trial. David has done nothing wrong, yet his own son has decided to steal the kingdom from him. The result was that those around David began to look for reasons why the trouble came on him. They began to say that God would not help him because he must have sinned in some way. Not true!! David responds to those detractors by declaring in Psalms 3:3, But You, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts me up. I cry aloud to the LORD, and He answers me from His holy mountain." David did not let the words of others or their opinions distract him from what he knew to be true. Understand that sometimes trouble comes. It does not always mean that you have failed God in some way. When trouble comes, 1) search your heart before God, 2) if everything is right in you, then have faith in God and wait it out. The trouble will be for your good. Just hold on and believe. God bless

What is God doing in You?

I am excited about what God is doing in me. I am excited about what God is doing in our church. From time to time I will come to you and give you a chance to speak to me. I wonder what God is doing in you. Are you willing to share the experiences you are having with Him. My prayer is that He is challenging you to grow, that He is stretching you at this time. That is what He is doing in me. At Friendship, the Lord has been speaking to us about being His masterpiece and workmanship. Alot of people struggle because they don't understand who they are in Christ and what it means to be in Christ. I am so thankful for not only what God is doing, but for those who are allowing Him to do the work. If you get a chance today leave a comment and testify to what God is doing. God bless

Wanting to Get it Right

I spent most of yesterday sitting under the teaching of a man who has led Lee University for the last 24 years. For those of you who are not familiar with Lee, it is a pentecostal university in Cleveland, TN that is under the umberella of the Church of God. Dr. Conn challenged us as pastors to be great at all aspects of our calling. You see, I am not just a preacher. As a pastor I have to wear many hats. I can not ignore any of the responsibilities that I have. If I do, then those around me that I have been given to serve, will pay the price. The same goes for each of you. In your life you wear many hats. Those of parents, spouse, employee/employer, provider, caretaker, etc. You do not just have one responsibility. My challenge to you today is for you to look at your life and see if you have ignored one of these hats lately. You see, I want to get it right. I want to be the best I can be. God bless

It's Sunday

Psalms 122:1 says, "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the LORD." It's Sunday morning and we are getting ready for church. Things are a little more hectic now when it comes to getting ready for church. It takes us longer now that we have two small children. Add in the fact that we live 20-25 minutes from the church and that means I get up between 6 and 6:30 on Sunday mornings. However, it does not put a damper on my desire to enter into the House of God. We must not allow Sunday's to become just another day. Sunday is the first day of the week. Sunday is the day that Christ rose from the grave. Sunday is the day that the early church fathers set aside to celebrate the ressurection. In the O.T. the children of Israel were commanded of God to worship in the Sabbath which is Saturday. In the N.T. we have no such command. We have however be told in Hebrews 10 not to forsake the fellowship of the saints. Don't let Sunday become just another day. Get excited about it. This is our opportunity to come together and celebrate our risen Saviour. This is our opportunity ot come together and worship our Lord. It's Sunday and I am going to His House!!!! God Bless.

God Has a Plan for You

Psalms 139:14-16 tells us that we were created by God and that He saw us in the womb. The Bible says in these verses that even then He had thoughts for us and that He knew the number of our days! In Jeremiah 29:11, the Lord tells us that He has thoughts, or plans, for us. What an amazing truth. You are not here by chance. You are not a mistake. For even if you were unplanned by your parents, you were in God's master plan. He has plans for your life. The question to be asked is, What is His plan, and, Am I living it out? Your life will fill empty and unfulfilled until we follow God's plans. His plans are to prosper us. I must sit at His feet today and find out what He has for me to do. This can not be a day off in my faith. Don't waste even a saturday. Use everyday to glorify Him and to do His work. Find out what He has planned for today. God bless

Follow Through

Yesterday we talked about catching up when we let things get behind. As I said, this is a challenge to me as well. Sometimes we get reminded of how much we have let things go or of how lazy we have become and we get really motivated to change, and then in just a couple of days or weeks we are behind again. We have good intentions but no lasting convictions. Remember Proverbs 6, if the ant does not gather in the summer he will starve in the winter. If the ant intends to gather every morning, but then allows small things to distract him, he will never accomplish what he needs to do. Sometimes we feel good just because we "meant" to get it done today, but meaning to is not enough. We have to eliminate all of the small things that get in the way of us fulfilling our purpose. We each have been given a purpose in this life from God. How are we doing at accomplishing it? Every day is a step in getting it done, but if we allow ourselves to be distracted we may get to the end of life and see that we missed the point of our existence. God bless

Church Dedication

Friendship Church of God will be having our church dedication for our new facility next weekend. We have been able to lock in a great lineup of speakers for this special occassion. Bishop Doyle Roberts of International Praise COG will be coming in on Friday Sept. 25th at 7:00p.m. Pastor Dennis L. Ayers Jr. form Grace Covenant COG will be here for our saturday morning service on Sept. 26 @ 10:00 a.m. Bishop David Kemp from Fort Mill COG will be here on saturday night @ 6 p.m. to do the dedication and bring the message. I will be speaking on Sunday morning and Bishop Eddie Allen, Church Ministries Director for the COG state offices in SC will be here on Sunday evening. This is shaping up to be a powerful weekend. Make sure you do not miss a service.

Catching Up

For those of you who follow on a regular basis, you noticed that I did not post yesterday. I am so sorry. I started this because I felt the Lord leading me to do so, and I purpose in my heart every day to listen to Him for instruction on what to write. Here lately I have felt as if I am behind on everything. Moving into our new church has been awesome and exciting, but it has also meant alot of work on my part to get my things moved in and together. This is not an excuse by any means, just an opening to this mornings thoughts. You see, we all get into this same situation from time to time. We tend to put off things until they can no longer be put off. Benjiman Franklin once said, "Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today." There are alot of chores and jobs that we put off for another day that can really be done today. By putting things off we only create more work for us down the road. Then we get rushed, tensed, stressed, and tend to take these things out on those we love. There is no benefit to procrastination. I must admit this is a challenge to me. Proverbs chapter 6 verses 6-11, tells us to consider and watch the ant. The ant has no leader, but knows that when there is work to be done, do it. It gathers food when it needs to so that when winter comes it can rest. If the ant does not gather in the summer it will starve in the winter and not rest. We must do today what is before us. Don't get lazy, you will only reget it later. God bless.

We Have the Victory

We have an enemy. The Bible identifies him as a thief, a lion, an advesary. His plan is to steal from you the peace that God gives, to kill the hope that you have, and to destroy the fellowship you enjoy with the Lord. He is the same enemy that Adam faced in the Garden of Eden. He is the same one who thought to put his throne above God. His name is Satan. In Hebrew this word means opponent and in the Greek it means accuser. He is an opponent who works against us to tear us down and defeat us. He is also the accuser who reminds you often of the person you used to be and the mistakes that you have made. But I want to remind you this morning that if you are washed in the Blood of the Lamb, and you have been born again in Christ Jesus, that Satan is defeated. We have been given the victory over our adversary. The Blood is against him!!! No matter what he does or what accusations he brings, he is defeated. You have victory!! Saints of God hold on to Jesus and one day you will see your enemy tied up with chains and cast into the pit. What a day that will be. One day Satan himself will have to bow and knee and confess that Jesus is Lord!!! Praise God for the victory!!! God bless.

Wow!

Wow! That is the best way that I can describe yesterday. We had two great services here at Friendship. God moved in a marvelous way and I am so very thankful. He always knows what we need. He reminded us in the morning service of one of the reasons we need the church. Don't forsake church attendance or think that you can make it without it. You won't. In the evening service He spoke to us about having a consistant craving for Him and allowing His Spirit to move daily in us. Wow! In the altars last night, people were refreshed and restored. I love seeing people break through and recieve His blessing. Remember, those who do hunger and thirst will be satisfied. I pray today that each of you will make yourselves available to Him today. There is no telling how He will use you. He has great things planned for you today. God bless

Safe in His Hands

We live in a world that is evil. Every day we hear of violence and murder. Every day we are reminded that there are those out there that want to do harm to children, the elderly, or just anyone who gets in their way. We are reminded that our homes and cars are possible targets of break-ins. How can we have peace in a world like this? How can we have peace while sending our kids to schools that are becoming battle fields? How can we sleep at night not knowing if someone is out there waiting for the lights to go out? We can have peace because of the One we serve. David says in Psalms 4:8, "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety." It is the Lord who protects us and our children. It is the Lord who looks over our things. We can not allow this world to cause us to fear. The Lord has not given us fear. Fear is of the devil and has no place in the heart of a believer. If you are struggling with fear today, turn it over to God. Jesus says that we can come to Him with our burdens and problems. When we do, we find rest. God bless.

O What Fellowship

In my reading this morning, I read 1 Corinthians 11. In this chapter Paul writes about proper worship and the Lord's Supper. Communion was such a big part of the early churches worship service. It is believed that everytime they gathered they took part in this service. It is also believed that many believers took communion daily. Communion points to two things. First, it points back to Calvary and reminds us of the price that Jesus paid for us on the cross and how that that great act of love gives us fellowship with the Father. Second, it points toward our future in Heaven, for Jesus said that He would not eat this meal again until He did so with us in the Kingdom. Communion actually means fellowship. Communion reminds us of how we came into this fellowship and where this fellowship will take us one day. O What Fellowship!!! To know that I did not deserve this, but because of His great love for us!!! Before I leave you with this this morning, let me remind you that in 1 Cor. 11:28, Paul says "let a man examine himself." We can not just take the bread and the cup. We must have a clean heart. We must live a pure life. We can not have anything in us that would disconnect us from fellowship with the Father. Before you try to worship today, examine yourself in prayer and scripture. Then enjoy the fellowship. God bless (and go GAMECOCKS)

What Are Your Plans For Today

What are your plans for today? Most of us have occupations that will consume most of this day. Some of us have plans that will take up most of the evening. The reality is that the biggest part of today is already spent and we have just gotten out of bed. My question to you today is, How much of today have you given to God? We have taken the time to carefully plan out our day and how we want it to go without putting God into the planning. It is God who has given us today and He has created it with a purpose. He also has plans for us today, that unless we seek Him, we will miss. When we miss God's plans for us we become unhappy and unfulfilled. We miss opportunities to share our faith and help others in need. When we overlook God throughout the day we also overlook those in need around us. We are far too often so self-involved that we fail to be the hands and feet of Christ. Don't leave God out of today. Let Him have today and see the plans that He has for you. God bless.

Blindsided

It is finally football season!!! One of the terms that you will often hear during a game is "blindsided." It is often used to describe what happens when a linebacker runs fullspeed into the quarterback from behind. It simply means that the quarterback did not see it coming.
Have you ever had that kind of experience. You thought everything was opening up well down field, and just when you were ready to act on something "BAM"! It can take the breath out of you. It can put you on the sideline for a few plays. It hurts and can cause you to become fearful of the next time. Unfortunatly we all have "blindsided" moments. The key is how we respond to them. We can let them take us out of the game or we can tighten up our straps and go again. Genesis 37 describes for us one of these moments. Joseph is on his way to check on his brothers who have been in the fields taking care of the flocks. When he arrives they attack him and throw him into a dry well. As the story goes, he is sold into slavery and winds up in a prison cell falsely accused. Joseph had been blindsided! However, he did not allow this to destroy him. He kept his faith in God and eventually was given the postion of second in command for the entire Egyptian empire. I like what Joseph says in Genesis 50:20 when addressing his brothers, "You thought evil against me, but God meant it for the good." We don't understand "blindsided" moments when they come, but if we will allow God to work it out we will see His plan in the end. Have a great day and God bless.

Never Sell Out

"And Naboth said to Ahab, the LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to thee." (I Kings 21:3) In this passage of scripture we find king Ahab trying to purchase a vinyard that is near his palace. The vineyard belongs to the family of Naboth. This vineyard had been in the possession of Naboth's family since the Israelites took the land as God had promised. This was his inheritance and would one day belong to his children. Naboth refused to sell.
We cannot sell our inheritance to the devil. God has given us things that the enemy would want us to give him control of, but we must refuse. We must be as Naboth and declare, "it is not for sale!" God Bless.

Just A Few Thoughts

I am adding an extra blog today. I am currently at the office trying to get some work done. When I left the house this morning, Nathan was having a bad day so I decided to bring him to work with me. I must admit, I am not getting alot of the things done that I would like too, but I am enjoying it. Being a pastor can take you away from your family alot if you are not careful with your time and schedule. These last few weeks have been rough in that aspect.
I have learned some things from the Holy Spirit while being with my son this morning. First, the Father is just a call away, and we don't always have to have a problem to call on him. Second, there are things that are too big for our hands to move, but His are the right size. Third, He is delighted when we show intrest in His work. Have a great day and God bless.

Struggling with Liberty

I Corinthians 6:12 says, "I am allowed to do all things, but all things are not good for me to do. I am allowed to do all things, but I will not let anything make me its slave."(New Century Version) There are those in today's church who have the same struggle that the church of Corinth had in Pauls day. The struggle is with liberty. We have been given liberty through our relationship and faith in Christ. However, we are not to use our liberty as an occasion to sin. While it may be lawful in our land to buy alcohol or x-rated materials, it is not good for a believer to do so. While it may be lawful to buy tobacco products, it is not expedient for a believer to do so. While it may be lawful in our land to have a sexual relationship before marriage, it is not healthy for a believer to do so. There are alot of things lawful in society that for Christians will hinder our walk with God. Paul says here that what may be lawful may actually cause bondage. Christ did not give us liberty so that we could in turn enter back into bondage. As Christians we are to stay away from anything that we might become a slave to. Whether it is drugs, alcohol, gambling, or sexual perversion, we must not allow ourselves to be a part of it. We must give ourselves totally to God. We must know that we are not our own, but His. Are there any places in your life that are in bondage instead of liberty? Give those places to God. God Bless.

Labor Day

Today is Labor Day. The summer season is winding down and fall is around the corner. Many will use today as a vacation day. A day to get away and do no work. While that may be okay with our secular jobs, it is not with our Kingdom jobs. The work that God calls us to do never ends or ceases. In Luke 9:23, Jesus teaches that we are to "take up our cross daily, and Him." This means that there are no breaks in our relationship with Him. I can't slow down or take a day off with my Bible reading and prayer. This means that there are no days off in living out my faith before others. Many of you will probably be around family and friends today that are not saved. You must not lay down your cross today just to be around them. We must carry our cross. We must share our faith. We must do the work of the Kingdom. Don't take a vacation on God, for He never takes one on us. God bless and have a great day.

This is it

Today is the day. I am preparing today to give my first sermon in the new sanctuary. I know that today will be an emotional day for everyone. I just pray the emotions don't take place of the Spirit. This has been in the works for the past 12 years. In July of 1997, Pastor Freddie Fields and his wife came to Rock Hill and started this great church. Pastor Freddie went to be with the Lord earlier this year, but I know that he would be very proud. He loved this church, the people, but mostly he loved the Lord. When I came here as interim pastor in Sept. of 2003, I was so lost about what a pastor was. God has given me grace, mercy, and time to learn. I am still learning, and my desire is to be a pastor after His heart. I want to be who the people need me to be. So many things have changed in the last 6 years, but God has never and He never will. Hold to His unchanging hand today. God bless.

WOW

Wow!!! Those words seem to be the best way to describe how I feel. For the last five years we have been working to get into our new facility. We have been turned down by banks, gone through different plans and contractors, but yesterday we finally made it. I still dont't feel like it has all sank in. I don't know what it will be like to not be in talks with the bank or lawyers. That has been so much of my life for so long. It really felt at times like I would never see this day, but September 6, 2009 will be our first Sunday in our new sanctuary. So many have made sacrifices to get us here. Many have given money, others have given countless hours and time away from family. I cannot express how thankful I am to them all. This is not just a dream come true for me, but for all of the Friendship family. I just want to thank God for hearing our prayers and seeing our needs. May He now give us the grace to be who He wants us to be in our area. We may have a building, but I still desire God's presence above all things. God bless and have a wonderful weekend.

Cast Your Net on the Other Side

In Luke chapter 5 and again in John chapter 21, we find two seperate accounts where Jesus instructed the disciples to cast the net in a different direction. In both instances they fished all night and caught nothing. Fishing is a symbol of our call to win lost souls. Jesus said He would make us "fishers of men." The night is a symbol of the sinful condition of this world. We are to be "lights" in a dark world. Is it possible that like the disciples we have been working all night trying to do the work of God and not caught anything because we have been casting in the wrong direction. It was only when they heard from Jesus which direction to cast, and then obeyed, that they saw a result. We can not just throw our nets out without purpose and aim. We must follow the Lords directions. We must know which side He intends for us to throw. Don't work all night for nothing. Ask God today to give you direction in His work and then it will be productive. Ask Him to lead you to the right individuals. The ones that He wants to hear what you have to say and to see His glory in your life. Then and only then will you make a difference for the Kingdom. God bless and have a great day.

Just Wondering

First, I want to apologize for the late post today. I have been out at the church so that the different crews can come in and finish what they need to do. I hope everyone's day is going well. I am looking for some feedback today that will not only help me, but those who are following as well. I am not a big reader, but I do try to push myself and read books that will help me to be better as a believer and as a pastor. So, I was wondering what are some of the authors that you read and what type of Christian books do you like? What are some titles that you have read recently that you would suggest to others. Speak up and let us know. God bless.