Are We Too Rich?

In Matthew chapter 19, the Bible tells us of a conversation between Jesus and a young man known only as a rich young ruler. All we know about this man is that he had "great" posessions and that he cared more for those things than he did God's Kingdom. He ask Jesus the question, "what must I do to get in?" Jesus responds, "follow the commandments." The rich young man says that he had already done those things at which Jesus responds and tells him to give everything he has away to the poor and follow Him. This caused the young man to be troubled and he walked away from Jesus. Some of us will read this passage in Matthew and feel like it doesn't apply to us because we are not rich. I beg to differ. You and I may not have financial prosperity, but we are all rich in something. The problem with the rich young man is that he could not give his life away. He could go through the motions of what it was to serve God, but he could not sell out. Some of us have too many things in our lives that are keeping us from being "sold out." Our job is too important for us to live too holy in the work place. Our friends mean so much too us that we don't want to cause friction with them by telling them about Jesus. Our hobbies are too much a part of our lives that we can't give them up for more time with the Father. Being sold out is not just a cool church song or a statment we can make with our lips. It is a lifestyle that Jesus has called us into. Don't make the mistake today of being "too rich for Heaven." God bless

Saturated Life

The word saturated means to be full and unable to absorb any more. I believe that is the life that God intends for us to live. The Bible says in Ephesians 5:18 that we are to be "filled with the Spirit." We should seek to be full of His presence in our lives. If we are full of Him, then there is no room left in us for the influences of the enemy. Galatians 5:25 says, "If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit." What this verse tells us is that if we are going to profess a Christian life then we are to live accordingly. As Christians, we profess to be influenced by the Holy Spirit. If that is our profession then let us live it out. We are to bear the fruit of the Spirit and minister in the gifts fo the Spirit. The only way to do this is to be fully connected to Christ. John chapter 15 tells us that He is the vine that we are to be connected to and that we recieve the ability to produce based on that connection. My prayer today is that we be fully connected to Christ and saturated by His Spirit. God bless

The Lost Disciplines

We have spent the last four Wednesday nights dealing with spiritual disciplines and how they will feed our hunger for the Lord. I believe that in some ways these disciplines have been forgotten by the church and so we have lost the power of a close relationship with the Lord. The first discipline is meditation. God tells Joshua to meditate on His law day and night and that if he does his ways will prosper. David tells us in Psalms chapter 1 that the blessed man meditates on Gods word. Isaac was meditating in a field when God brought his bride to him. Meditation focuses our mind on the Lord. In a day when there are so many things to distract our minds, meditation gives us our focus back. The second discipline is prayer. Prayer is the means by which we communicate with God. Prayer is broken down into four parts: communion, petition, intercession, and thanksgiving. The third discipline is study. Paul tells Timothy to study so that he can learn how God wants him to live. Study renews our minds and gives us knowledge. Jesus tells us in John chapter 8 that knowledge of truth gives us freedom. The fourth discipline is fasting. Fasting brings our whole body into subjection. Paul said that he beat his body into a place of subjection so that he would not be disqualified from this race of faith. As a whole these disciplines will cause one to be focused on the Lord, to communicate with Him, to know what He expects of us, and to be in obedience to His commands. With this comes the power of God in ones life. I pray that we the church will once again turn our whole selves to the Lord. God bless

Here's What's Happening At Friendship

I wanted to post today and give a little insight to whats going on here at Friendship. God is doing some awesome things! We finished our new sanctuary last September and we are already pushing 80% capacity. We have seen lives saved in the altars which is the most important thing. We have taken in new members and started some new ministries giving more people an opportunity to serve. April 1st we will start our 21 day fast here at the church. We will be joining together for 21 days of fasting and prayer. April 24th we will be having our first "Saturday Night Experience." Once a month we will be having a saturday night service with a focus of worshipping God first and bringing the community together as our second focus. A very good friend of mine, George Tallmage, will be coming in that weekend to bring the message. The "SNE" will be a contemporary service with passionate worship. I firmly believe that God is wanting to do some great things through His Church. Notice that I said "through." If we will allow ourselves to be empty vessels that He can fill and use, I believe that He will do some awesome things. Keep us in prayer as we make every effort to follow the Lord. God bless

Holiness

First, I want to begin this morning by telling my oldest son Nathan happy birthday. Four years ago today, Shea and I were in the hospital enjoying our first morning with our first born. I can not describe to you the emotions of that moment when for the first time, I laid my eyes on my son. I love him, and I pray that daily I can be the father he needs me to be, and that he will always see Jesus through my life.
Now, what does the word "holiness" mean to you. I am a member of a Pentecostal denomination here in the U.S. that now spans the globe. Our movement was birthed on the doctrine of holiness. I have been raised in this belief, that we as followers of God should seek a holy lifestyle. I have heard this message preached all of my life. However, yesterday, I heard one of the most convicting messages about holiness that I have ever heard before in my life. It taught me things that I had never looked at before. It made me realize yet again that I have not arrived yet. That I am still not perfect and that there is much to be done in me. I am so glad for God's grace today. I am so thankful that He continues each day to work in me and to work out of me those things that would hinder my relationship with Him. The Bible says in Hebrews 12:14, that we should "follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man will see the Lord." Are you pursuing a holy life today? Are you seeking Him in such a way that you are willing to lay things down that may grieve Him? Seek holiness today that you may see Him. God bless

What would we do without each other?

As I sit at my computer this morning, that is the question that is on my mind. So many people are trying to get by on their own. We can only make it so far by ourselves. We need each other. I know, and have no problem confessing, that others are strong where I am weak. There are things that I do well and I can help others in those areas, but there are areas where I have no idea what I am doing and I need someone to help. The ministry of the church will never succeed if we never let others get involved. Pastors, you must train those around you to do ministry. Don't be afraid that they will try and take your place. Its not yours anyway, it belongs to God. You are in the place that God appointed for you and if you stay obedient to Him, no matter what the enemy does or someone says, the gates of hell can't prevail against you. Also, don't be afraid to get involved with other churches and ministries. It is not about your church being the best, but about all of us fulfilling the Great Commission. As long as we divide up on Sunday's and do our own little things, we will never do the "BIG" things that God has called the Church to do. We can not succeed while divided, we must be in unity. Get out of you comfort zones today and let God expand your way of thinking so that we begin to think His thoughts. God bless

What Are We Chasing?

I sit down with an old friend this past weekend and spent some time talking about the Church. We talked about both the good and the bad that we see going on. One of the things that we both agreed concerned us was that some are chasing "cool" instead of Christ. I believe that we are in a season where some of the methods that we have been using in having "church" needs to be evaluated and possibly changed. Culture has changed but the Church seems to be stuck. Before you get all worked up, let me explain. The Message of the Church should never change. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is central to who we are and what we are called to do. There is no other name that men can call on and be saved. Also, we must continue to preach sanctification and a holy lifestyle. We must also preach and exhort the Church to seek the baptism of the Holy Ghost so that we may be empowered to reach the lost. These are things that cannot change, ever! However, there are some things that can. Music, for one, is changing. Every generation has a song to sing unto the Lord. I love the old hymns of the Church and still sing them, however, I love the new worship as well. If the song has the message of Jesus and His love and mercy for us, then sing it. Technology is bringing change to the Church. We can now use video intros and post live stream video's on the internet. These things are changing how "church" is done. My concern is that in developing new ways to reach the communities around us for Jesus, some have begun chasing "cool." For some it is important for them to be the most cutting edge, the most modern, or the most popular. If these are our motives for change, then our change is sin. Our motives should always be to glorify Him who has redeemed us and called us. It should never be about us. We must follow Him into what He wants the Church to be. We must allow Him to tell us how to do His work. Let us chase Christ and not the "cool." God bless

A Fractured Body

I have never had to experience a bone fracture, but I know people who have. They say that it is very painful. A fracture of the bone takes weeks, and sometimes longer, to heal. It does not go away overnight, and the effects can sometimes linger around for the rest of your life. I look around at the Church body and I see fractures. We have divided ourselves up to the point that we, I believe, are not accomplishing all that God would have us too. On the way to the church that I pastor, there are two churches sitting right across the street from one another. The other day as I was on my way to the office I felt something in my spirit that I had not before. As I passed between the two churches I began to feel the separation. You see, we have divided ourselves up by denominations and feel that the one we are apart of is the very best, and in some cases, we are the only ones that have it right. I wonder how God feels about our division. Paul says that we are to be one body. We are to be in unity. We are baptized by the same Spirit and under the same Headship. However, it appears that we have suffered some fractures. It is so bad, that we never fellowship with others who are outside our own church fellowship. How can we win our communities for Christ if we are not going to work together. We have bought in, as pastors, to the corporate way of thinking. It seems that we are trying to build successful businesses instead of a fellowship of disciples who will go out and do the Lord's work. We are competing with one another and keeping score. This is NOT God's will for His church. I believe that God is calling us to come together as a body once again. I believe that He wants to heal the fractures and deliver us from a cometitive spirit. The enemy has subtly led us away from God's intention for the Church. I am not saying that we should do away with denominations or merger all of our churches. I know that each local body has its own personality and every local church doesn't fit everybody. I know that the local church has a very important purpose. I just feel that we should be working together instead of against each other. The fractures are hurting our ability to do the Lord's work. May God heal the fractures and unify us again. God bless

Distracted by Ourselves

I recieved a response to one of my post the other day concerning things that are taking place in the church that are seem to be discouraging. Note, this is not about a particular church, but the church body at large. The concern was that too many parents and adults are so concerned about themselves that we are overlooking the spiritual needs of our children. It seems that kids are allowed to act up in church and be disrespectful during service and no one cares. We have in many ways become distracted by ourselves. Our children are paying a great price at our expense and I am concerned how we might be judged for how we have not paid them the attention that they need. When I was a kid I was not allowed to talk in church or to do anything that would distract or take away from the service. I was "encouraged" to listen you may say. We also had people in the church who had a burden for the church and spent their Sunday's teaching us on our level about the Lord. As a result to their efforts to teach us and show us Christ, I was baptized with the Holy Ghost at the age of 11 and called to preach. I thank God for those who put their needs last and focused on us kids. I pray that we as adults will not let this generation go to hell at our expense. I pray that we will understand our place and do the work of the Lord. If we do not train them now they will leave and never know the presence and power of the Lord. There was a generation of adults in Israel that thought only of themselves and overlooked the spiritual needs of thier children the results were a faithless generation after them. We must point our children to Jesus and teach them His ways. God bless

Small Things Cause Big Problems

Someone responded to my blog yesterday with the concern that we as Christians get too worked up over small things that don't really seem to matter. First let me say that I have learned that what may not seem important to me may be important to someone else and that we as believers are taught to think of others before ourselves. If I am not careful I can get so wrapped up in what I want or how I think that it should be, that I don't take in to consideration everyone else. Remember that Jesus came not thinking of Himself, but us. Second, I am amazed how we overlook the small things that God is doing every day in our lives while we wait on the "big" stuff to happen. While at the same time we get caught up and all worked up with the little stuff the devil uses to distract us. We are so far away at times from where we should be with the Lord, that we are easily distracted by "things" that have no eternal value. Churches all across America are have battles over the carpet color, styles of music, and what a preacher should wear in the pulpit, but what I don't see is the church weeping in the altars over the lost. Is it possible that we have allowed the devil to get us off track just a little. I have seen people declare their love for the church and profess how that they are right where God wants them and then allow something as small as not getting a phone call when they are out cause them to leave that same church. I am convinced that far too many are souled out to the idea of serving God instead of actually being souled out to God. A heart that is totally God's doesn't care whether there is carpet or sawdust. A heart that is totally God's doesn't care if the preacher is wearing a robe, a suit, or jeans, as long as the Word is coming from the Lord and feeding their soul. A heart that is totally God's doesn't think about themselves, but breaks for the lost and hurting. Let us quit following church and start following Christ!!! I actually saw a video the other day of a preacher telling someone to get the *** out of his church just because he did not have the same views of him on politics!!! This mentality in the church must come to an end. It is time for us to repent of our self-righteousness and ask the Lord to make our hearts His again. It is when we the church humble ourselves and repent and pray, that God will hear our cries and move on our land. Have a blessed day and keep the comments coming in. God bless

What Bothers You?

Yesterday I posted a blog about "Cussing Christian." In the my post I stated how that it concerned me how some seem to be compromising for the purpose of reaching others. As I went through the day and reflected back on some of the things that I had written, I began to wonder what some of you have concerns about. So today I'm asking you to post some comments below and tell me what you see going on in the Church that bothers you. When you look at the Church world, what concerns do you have? I will take your thoughts and over the next few days I will post on them. Don't worry, your names will never be mentioned. God bless

"Cussing" Christians

Is there even such a thing? Can someone be a "cussing" Christian? This is a term that I am hearing more and more. Let me just say from the beginning that I don't believe someone can truely be after the heart of God and have a habit of cussing. Let me explain. James chapter 3 deals with the fact that the tongue is the most unruley member of the body and the most difficult to control. We are reminded how that a horse is controled by a bridle and a ship by a small helm, but the tongue can cause great damage. We have all been in a situation where we have spoken hurtful things before we could stop ourselves. It seems that at times the tongue has a mind of its own. The only way the tongue can be controled is to have your heart full of God's Word and His Spirit. The Bible says that we speak what is in our hearts. If our hearts are full of God, then we will speak with His love. However, if we have filled our hearts with the things of this world and ignored our relationship with God, then how can we speak with His love. James chapter 3 tells us that we are not to curse and bless with the same tongue. We are not to bless the Lord and then curse our neighbors. Sweet and bitte water is not to flow from the same source. Now we can debate all day what is cursing and what is not, but the reality is that if it is offensive to someone it should not be spoken. We are the ambassadors of Christ. Meaning that we are to represent Him in all things. How am I representing Him when I speak? Would Jesus use these same words? In an effort to be "cool" and to reach a crowd, too many ministers of Christ are compromising in their language. This should not be so. Jesus never compromised for the purpose of reaching anyone. He always stayed true to the Fathers will and commandments. He never "toed" the line so to say. You and I do not have to compromise in any way to reach this world. If we show them the real Jesus that in it self will make the differnce. So watch what you say today and make sure that sweet water is flowing from your lips. Post your thoughts on this and lets have some dialoge. God bless

Excited About the Bible

When was the last time that you heard someone say that they were excited about reading their Bible? When was the last time that YOU were excited about spending time in God's Word? I must admit that I too, from time to time, get bogged down and it becomes like a chore instead of a passion. However, this is not the way God intends it to be. The Bible is so full of life and adventure. It is new everytime you pick it up. I am currently reading through Genesis again and it is blowing me away. I have had the Lord show me things that I had never seen before. It is simply amazing. We as believers MUST get excited about the Bible again. It is the Bread that sustains us and gives us hope. It feeds our faith and without faith we can not please God. I don't understand how someone can call themselves a Christian and never read their Bible or pray. It would be like being in a marriage and never being intimate with your spouse. I know that may make some of you uncomfortable, but it is the truth. If we are not in God's Word then we will be disconnected from Him. We will not know His voice, and we will miss His plans for us. This spiritual disconnect will one day lead to a spiritual divorce in which we find ourselves seperated from His presence. I know that we are not saved by works, we are saved by His grace. However, the Bible also says that faith without works is dead. Jesus said that the world would know us as His disciples by how we kept His word. If you and I are not in the Word, how then can we keep it and prove ourselves to be His disciples? Pray today that the Holy Spirit will give you a hunger for the Word and an excitement to go along with it. God bless