Hello Everyone,
One more thing happened at Gilgal. Read with me Joshua 5:10-11.
10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain.
Passover celebrated God’s protection and provision.

You remember the story how the Hebrew people smeared lamb’s blood on their doorposts to protect them from the death angel it was the last plague against Egypt.

God had declared, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt” (Exodus 12:13)

Only the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross of Calvary 2000 thousands years ago will protect you from the awful judgment of God for your sin.

We are not justified because of our good intentions.
We are not protected because of our tearful appeals.
We can do no works to merit God’s favor.

ONLY the BLOOD puts us in right standing with God.
ONLY the BLOOD washes away our sin.
ONLY the BLOOD can bring complete and total forgiveness.

As the Old Andrae’ Crouch song that we have sung so many times says, the blood of Jesus “reaches to the highest mountain” and “flows to the lowest valley”. That is why “it will never lose its POWER”.

The blood of Jesus Christ is strong enough to break the chains of drugs, alcohol, crime anything that holds you captive.

It overwhelms bad habits, it overwhelms bad financial strongholds, and it overwhelms bad friendships.
It is the Passover that exceeds any Passover meal, freeing us from the punishment we deserve.
It is the center of our hope and faith in Christ.

It is God’s provision for all the messes we find our selves in.

When we stand on the principals of Gilgal,
praise for all His past blessings,
a sincere heart that repents of sin,
and a full faith in the blood of Jesus Christ and all He accomplished on the Cross-

We are then standing in the perfect place where God can bless us in the Year of Our Lord 2010.

We then are ready to enter “more”.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
The second lesson of Gigal shows up in Joshua chapter 5:1-9 read with me.
1 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites. 2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again." 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. 4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. 5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not. 6 The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. 8 And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed. 9 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.

The generation that had come out of Egypt had forgotten something along the way. During the forty years they spent wandering in the desert, they stopped practicing the sign of the covenant God had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

That sign was circumcision.
To be a Hebrew male meant being circumcised.

But as sons were born during the wilderness wanderings, God’s people failed to honor their covenant obligations.

So now it is like God is saying, “Stop everything. This generation is living in disobedience. Don’t take another step until you straighten this out.”

When Joshua had circumcised all those who where supposed to have been, the Lord responded with, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” (5:9)

Listen: Your holiest days will be your happiest days.

The people of Israel got right with God at Gigal, and then they were ready to go out and conquer the land.

You do not need to pray about things that God has already called sin.

God lovingly calls us to obedience. He never gives UP.
The fact of His Holiness can never be compromised!

To reject God’s requirements does not set us free to enjoy our independence. Instead it puts us evermore into a deeper bondage.

Only when we are in obedience to His commands are we truly free to live in His blessings and go forward.

Don’t take one step into 20010 if you are in disobedience go back and do what God has said to do.

And then you will be in the “Place of God’s Blessing” in this New Year.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

At Gilgal, Joshua followed God’s command to take twelve large stones from the middle of the Jordain River-which God had miraculously divided to allow his people to cross on dry land-and set them up as memorial stones.

The purpose of the stones was to ignite discussion with the next generation: “In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean? Tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord” (Joshua 4:6-7)

When they would do this they would be reinforcing the miracle of God’s power and provision.

These stones were not idols to be worshiped.
They were a testimony to the faithfulness of the one and only true God!
They gave reason to give praise to God.

Instead of looking at the battles ahead of them and worry about what was going to happen they could focus on the twelve stones, and their fears would evaporate.

Their God had stopped the flood stage Jordan so they could cross over! Surely He could stop the arrows, spears, and rocks of the enemy, too!

In our times of confrontation with those things that would try to come against us it would be best NOT to focus on the troubles lined up against us.

Instead, we need to celebrate the God who has already demonstrated His POWER and PROVISION in our past.

We do not need to be fretful or anxious.
We need to anchor our hearts and minds in God’s overwhelming track record.

Your Bible says, “Come near to God and He will come near to you” (James 4:8)
Apparently not all Believers live the same distance from God.

As we live a life FULL of praise and thanksgiving for God’s past mercies and blessings we experience God coming closer to us in the present.

What a difference it would make if we would simply paused once an hour or so to say, “Thank you Lord for being so good to me! I give You praise!”

Just think how much more the Joy of the Lord and the Peace of the Lord would be ours all day long.

Yes we will have problems in 2009, it is inevitable. But instead of worrying about what we are facing are going to face look at the difficulties in the reality of ALL that God has done for us in the past.

Look at the STONES that you have for a testimony of God’s faithfulness!

Be “happy in God” on the fact of His faithfulness up to now-that is the first lesson of Gilgal.

Certainly each of us has at least twelve stones of Gods faithfulness in our lives.

I am looking forward to a great New Year, but first I must pause and look back at the Faithfulness of God in the past.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Phil

Hello Everyone,
I think Paul called Jesus indescribable because of His purpose in coming to earth. The angels announced to the shepherds, "Unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord."What do we celebrate at Christmas? We celebrate the fact that Jesus came into our world to save us. God saw that mankind needed saving.
When God looked at our world He knew that our greatest need is not for more wealth, nor better schools, not even a better welfare system. Our greatest need is for a Savior. Our greatest need is to be saved from the very flames of hell, itself.How do you describe that? How do you put into words what God accomplished when He sent His only begotten Son into the world?I think that Jesus, God’s gift, is indescribable because of His nature, because of His purpose in coming to earth, & thirdly, because of the grace that Jesus is given. You know, every gift that I give this Christmas will be given because the recipient of that gift has some claim on me.Now you might not like that idea, but that is true. I’ll buy a gift for my wife because she is my wife. I’ll buy gifts for my children because they are my children. I’ll buy gifts for my grandchildren because they’re my grandchildren.
We buy gifts for family members because they are family.Now if I buy a gift for you & you are not in my family, it is probably because you bought a gift for me last year & I didn’t buy a gift for you. So I owe you one this year, & so the cycle keeps on going.If I give a gift to feed the hungry, or clothe the naked or to take care of the homeless, I do it because down deep inside I recognize that I have a debt, a feeling of obligation to them. That is what makes God’s gift so special. He doesn’t owe us anything. We are in constant rebellion against Him & His will for our lives.With that in mind, Paul says something remarkable in the 5th chapter of Romans. He says, "While we were yet in our sin, while we were yet the enemies of God, Christ died on the cross for us."God gives a gift, not because He feels obligated to give a gift but because His love is so overwhelming. It’s a gift of grace.And when you stop at the manger at Bethlehem & look at the Christ child, you must realize that He is a gift of grace. And there are no words adequate enough to describe God’s grace towards us in Jesus.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
Now at this time of the year we do our best to describe the greatness of God’s gift of Jesus to us. Musicians have composed some of their greatest music on this theme: Handel’s "Messiah," Bach’s "Christmas Oratorio," & the beautiful hymns, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," ”Silent Night, Holy Night," "O Little Town of Bethlehem," & my favorite, "Joy to the World.”
Some of the greatest music we will ever hear are written about God’s indescribable gift. Poets & painters & sculptors have taken up the tools of their trade to honor Jesus, the gift of God’s love.Now Paul said, "Thanks be unto God for His indescribable gift." Why does Paul call Jesus "indescribable?"
I think that there are at least four reasons.First of all, I believe that Paul calls Jesus "indescribable" because of His nature. How do you describe Jesus? What words would you choose?
How do you describe a baby born of a virgin?
How do you describe God in flesh, walking on earth & reaching out to hurting people?Isaiah said He would be called Emanuel, "God with us."
How do you describe that? What words would you choose? How do you describe that which is spirit when all we have ever known is that which is either physical or material?
How do you describe God who has all knowledge when all we have is limited knowledge?How do you describe God who is all powerful?
How do you describe the eternal?
How do you describe the indescribable?Paul says that we can’t. Words aren’t adequate. But many of the wisest men in the world have tried to describe Jesus.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
2 Corinthians 9:15 is a short verse, only 8 words long. Listen as the apostle Paul says, "Thanks be unto God for His indescribable gift." This is the time of year when we are concerned about choosing just the right Christmas gifts to give to the special people in our lives.
But let me ask you, "Have you ever received an indescribable gift?" Have you ever received a gift that was beyond description? I thought about that for a while this week. What kind of gift would it have to be to be called "indescribable?" Would it be a gift that you open & look at & say, "This is just beautiful, & it is something that I’ve wanted all my life - what is it?" Or maybe it is a gift that carries a lot of emotional feelings with it.
It was given to you by someone very special, & it was a complete surprise when it was given. You’ll treasure it always because of the memories.
Would that make it an indescribable gift?Or maybe it would be a gift that you cared so little about that you wouldn’t even bother to find words to try to describe it.Every human gift is describable by someone.In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul at first is writing about human gifts.
The church in Corinth is taking up offerings to give to the poor Christians in Jerusalem.
He commends them for their eagerness to help, & reminds them that those who sow sparingly will also reap sparingly, but that those who sow generously will reap generously.Then he shifts his attention from human gifts to God’s gift of sending Jesus to earth for us. And he cannot find words to describe it. He says, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift."

For 30 plus years I have been trying my best to describe this indescribable gift in every way that I know how and as of yet I have not come close.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
The message of Christmas is there is a savior to receive Luke 2:11“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” The real purpose of Christmas is never about spending but saving.His name is Savior (Mt 1:21)
21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
His ministry is Savior (Mt. 9:13)13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
The message of Christmas is there is a sign to be believed Luke 2:12 “This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”Keeping Christ in Christmas is a sign to the world that God cares about people. The message of Christmas is there is a story to be shared Like 2:17 “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.”Christmas is the story about God’s love“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…(John 3:16)Christmas is the story about God’s liberty …that those who believe in him shall not perish…(John 3:16)Christmas is the story about God’s life…but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
"Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ, the Lord."

Shepherds were men of faith. They probably had more faith than some of the scribes & Pharisees who went to the synagogue every day.They believed in a Messiah. All of God’s chosen people believed in a Messiah. When things got especially hard, during times of poverty & enslavement & exile, they would think about the Messiah & God’s promise that one day the Messiah would come.They prayed over & over again, "Let the Messiah come. Let Him come today!" They prayed that prayer for hundreds of years, & they must have wondered, "Is our faith worth anything? Does God hear our prayers? Does God keep His promises? Will the Messiah ever come?"There must have been many who quit praying, & quit having faith. But when the announcement came to shepherds, God was saying, "Your faith matters, & it is not in vain. I am a God who hears & who keeps His promises. Now the Messiah has come, & I have kept My promise."How about us? Sometimes we become tired. There may be times when we wonder if it is worthwhile going to church.
Some of you have prayed. "Oh, come, Lord Jesus," we pray, "come quickly!" We wonder why He is waiting so long. We wonder if it is worth it all.But one day He will come. He will come for all of us, shepherds & kings, wise men & peasants. He will come for His people.
He’ll dry our tears & take away our pain. There will be no more death, no more good-byes. Then we’ll say, "It was worth it. It was worth it all!"

Oh How HE Loves Us!Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
"Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ, the Lord.".
The second thing this passage teaches us is that life matters not only to you, but your life counts with God.Do you think that maybe those shepherds might have sat around the campfire many times & wondered if life was really worthwhile or not. "What difference does it make if we watch the sheep or not?"Maybe you have wondered also, "What difference does it make if I get up every morning or not? It seems as if my life is an endless cycle of things that really don’t mean anything”.

When God comes & makes His announcement to shepherds, He is also saying to us, "Your life is worthwhile. It is My gift to you. Therefore live every moment of it, because your life does matter to Me."Listen, every life matters. We should know that. It’s impossible to live, even for a few minutes on this earth, & not influence somebody in one way or another. We are always influencing someone, either for good or for bad. Some years ago, a cartoon appeared in newspapers across the land. It pictured two farmers in Kentucky, standing in a field as snow fell softly. One turned to the other & asked, "Anything exciting happen today?" "Nah, nothing exciting," said the other farmer. "Oh, there was a baby born over at Tom Lincoln’s home, but nothing exciting ever happens around here."But that baby born in the home of Tom Lincoln one day became the President of the United States. He changed the course of history & liberated the slaves. One life can make a difference!I wonder if there were people in Bethlehem on that night so long ago, asking, "Anything exciting happen today?" Maybe they were told, "No, nothing much.

Oh, I hear some woman gave birth to a baby in a stable, but nothing exciting ever happens around here." Except that a baby was born, a baby that changed the world.Life counts. Life matters. Your life & mine. Lives of shepherds & lives of kings, all are important to God.

Oh How HE Loves Us!Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
Shepherds were at the opposite end of the social spectrum from King Herod & all the influential people of the day. They lived in the fields with their animals. They weren’t respected. They had no power or prestige. Yet, God’s angel came to them & said, "Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ, the Lord."

Unto shepherds a Savior was born.In that one simple announcement God made known some very important truths.First of all, it tells us, "No matter how insignificant you may think you are, God knows you, & you are important to Him."All throughout scripture we see God honoring & using people & things that the world would overlook or ignore.The Apostle Paul writes, "Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world & the despised things..." (1 Cor. 1:26-28a). A Jewish teenager was sold into slavery by his brothers & carted off to Egypt. Yet, when God wanted to deliver a very special message to Pharaoh, it was the slave, Joseph, who was brought out of the dungeon to interpret the message. God uses the lowly & despised to show His power. Five thousand men, plus women & children, stayed late on a hillside one day, listening to Jesus. There was no food & the people were hungry. Well, that is not totally accurate. There was one little boy who had 2 fish & 5 little loaves. But it was enough, because God took that small amount & fed the many. He is always doing that, isn’t He?So when God decided to select a mother for His Son, He went past the fashion salons & beauty salons. He went past the furs & diamonds & gold, & went to an insignificant village called Nazareth. He found a peasant girl. She did not dress in designer clothes.
She did not have a great education. But she was pure, & God selected her to be the mother of His only begotten Son.So when the Christ comes, He is born in a stable. He is wrapped in swaddling clothes & laid in a manger.The world looks down its nose & says, "That’s foolishness." But Paul says, "The foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, & the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength." (1 Corinthians 1:25) When God makes His announcement, it is delivered to shepherds. It is like Jesus saying in the Sermon on the mount, "If God cares about sparrows & lilies, then He cares about you."
If God cares about shepherds, He cares about you!We need to hear that, don’t we? We all need to hear that. All of us have known feelings of rejection. All of us have known feelings of being left out. Christmas comes and the announcement is made to shepherds. “Unto you a Savior is born."Celebrate this Christmas the fact that God knows you, & you are important to Him."

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
So what does life look like for those who find the secret of contentment?They will rejoice in the Lord more Philippians 4:10“I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. ”Are you ever concerned about how little rejoicing in the Lord you do?The only way to renew our worship is to find our contentment in the Lord?

If our contentment is found in the Lord there will always be opportunities to rejoice in the Lord.They will do more for the Lord Philippians 4:13I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Here is the wrong picture of contentment: Sitting down and doing nothing.Once you have learned the secret of contentment you will actually do more for God. They will bring more Glory to God Philippians 4:20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen
The best way to bring more glory to God is to find our contentment in Him.How does it bring glory to God if we are trying to find our contentment in someone or something else? It doesn’t. Finally they will give more Philippians 4:15-16.15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need.” We can only give more if we have found the secret to contentment. Once we have found the real secret to contentment we will have more to give.The secret to contentment costs nothing -so that leaves you and me free to give everything.
That was why the Philippians could give and keep on giving even when other churches stopped.
Oh Hoe HE Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
We see that Contentment is something that must be learnedPhilippians 4:12b “...I have learned the secret of being content…”Where does a person learn the secret to contentment?•Is it during the times where you find yourself full or is it during the times where you find yourself hungry? •Is it during the times where you find yourself living in plenty or is during the times where you find yourself living in want?The answer is both! Contentment is being the very same person regardless of the circumstances.
What has a person learned that allows him or herself to find the secret to contentment? They have learned that in order to find contentment they must get themselves into a right relationship with GodThe very SOURCE of all our contentment comes from having a right relationship with God.Whenever we lose our contentment it’s always because we have somehow neglected our relationship with GodHow do you know when you have gotten yourself into a right relationship with God?When you are experiencing God’s strength.You and I are like rechargeable batteries. When we lose the charge we have to be recharged. We get recharged through having a right relationship with God.
· When we read, study and apply God’s word we are recharged.
· When we pray we are recharged.
· When we worship together on Sunday’s and Wednesday’s we are recharged.
· When we share our faith we are recharged.

So what does life look like for those who find the secret of contentment?Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
First of all you need to see that Contentment is a SECRET. Paul said in Philippians 4:12:I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,Most people don’t know the secret to finding contentment.Most people think the secret to contentment is found at a higher pay level; at a better job; in a bigger house or at a different location. We need to understand that contentment is an inside job.Paul goes on to say: “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”The secret to finding contentment is coming to the understanding thatContentment is an inside job!Being content has nothing to do with what is going on outside of me but everything to do with what is going on inside of me.Paul says you can take everything I have away from me and I’ll still be content.”
The truth is that most people don’t know that contentment is an inside job. Let the Holy Spirit do His work in your heart this season.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
Philippians 4:19 has got to be one of the most encouraging verses found in the Bible. “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”When God promises to meet all our needs that is some of the most exciting news we could ever receive.Question: What is the greatest need in a believer’s life?•Is the greatest need in a believer’s life a financial need?•Is the greatest need in a believer’s life a physical need?•Is our greatest need the same for every believer?In Philippians 4:10-13 we find a description of what could be the greatest need in a believer’s life.I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.The greatest need in a believer’s life is to have contentment.To have peace in our hearts and peace in our minds (which is what contentment is) is every believer’s greatest need. If you need contentment in your life then you need to see what Paul says in verse 12b. “…I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
Yes the greatest need in a believer’s life is to have contentment. Let’s take time this week and see what Paul can show us about contentment.

Oh How HE Loves Us!Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
It is a gift that takes a lifetime to unwrap…an indescribable gift, that truly ENRICHES THE LIFE OF EVERYONE WHO GETS ITI have not found one Christian in my 30+ years of walking with God that has said…”since I got saved, my life is worse than it was before”Why? Because God’s gift of salvation is meant to enrich the life of everyone who will receive itIt enriched the lives of the Shepherds that day.Luke 2:20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.They realized there life would never be the same again from that day forward.The same is true for all who receive the gift of the Christ-child.Before I received the gift…I felt lonely even in a crowd I had no hope.But after receiving this gift…Jesus walks with me everyday…I am not alone.Deut 31:8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."Before this gift…I was doomed to live eternal life in hell…but because of this gift…I now have eternal life in paradise.Before this gift…I have no hope…nothing to look forward to…nothing to live for.But Jeremiah 29:11 tells me: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Before receiving this priceless gift…my life had no peace…anger and depression consumed me.But now Isaiah 26:3 tells me: “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”Paul says in Rom 8:6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;Yes…this gift that takes a lifetime to unwrap, enriches every life that receives it.I know many of us can’t wait to unwrap those gifts that are under the tree.But I want to remind us all that the unwrapping of the most precious gift of all is not just to be unwrapped once on Christmas day.But it is a gift that is meant to be unwrapped everyday…for the rest of our lives.The child that was born in the manger that day…was a gift that was wrapped in swaddling clothes.But as we unwrap that gift we all can see that it is…A gift that is INSTANTLY ours when we receive itA gift that takes a LIFETIME of unwrappingA gift that was of ENORMOUS valueA gift that is to be GIVEN awayA gift that ENRICHES every life that receives itMay we all treasure this gift as we take the time everyday to unwrap it EVERY DAY OF our lives.
Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone
This week we are looking at the Gift that takes a life time to unwrap. This gift was not a cheap gift, but it was a gift that has AN ENOURMOUS VALUE.1 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.Who can begin to put a price on the gift that God has given us through His Son Jesus?The Shepherds realized what an enormous gift they had been given.Luke 2:20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.The wise men understood as they tried to bring gifts to present to a King, but they knew that His life was worth much more than gold, frankincense, and myrrh but this is all they could come up withWhat gift can compare to never dying, never suffering, never crying, never feeling pain again, but to live eternally in a place called Heaven? It is indescribable!And it is of enormous VALUE…it was the greatest gift ever given…and cost more than anything ever could.And yet, it was given to each and every one of us FREELY…it costs us NOTHING!Many times when we get things that are precious to us…that are of enormous value, we want to keep it for ourselves.But that’s not what Jesus wants us to do…He doesn’t want us to keep it but He wants us to GIVE IT AWAY.Acts 20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ’It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ "This gift that we have been given that takes a lifetime to unwrap was meant for us to give to others.It is not just our gift but a gift for all to receive.The Shepherds in the field realized this…look at Luke 2:17-18When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.This time of YEAR is a time to give the most precious, indescribable gift ever given…to spread the Word what you have been given, and have seen, and been told about this child.It is a gift that takes a lifetime to unwrap…an indescribable gift.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
Not only was this gift an instant gift…but it was a wrapped gift that… TAKES A LIFETIME TO UNWRAPWhen Jesus was born that day in Bethlehem, it was just the beginning of the gift unwrappingSee, he came wrapped in swaddling clothes…a gift for us all to unwrap.And not just once, but everyday of our lives on this earthEveryday we wake up, we get to unwrap another part of the gift of a life to the full and eternal life that God has prepared for us.1 Cor 2:9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"Just when I think I have unwrapped all I can…like the last present on Christmas…God blows me away…and allows me to unwrap a little more of His many promises and of His salvation.The gifts like peace, joy, love, faith, kindness, gentleness, meekness, understanding, revelation, even tribulation, and on and on.Paul knew this gift would take a lifetime to unwrap that’s why he said in Phil 2:12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,He is not saying that salvation requires work…He is saying that there is so much of God’s salvation to unwrap…you will have to work at it…taking a lifetime to unwrap.

Hello Everyone,
This is one of the most wonderful times of the year…it’s just a few days until Christmas and a lot of people are waiting with anticipation to see what gifts they getThe gifts are wrapped in beautiful wrapping paper, and then decorated with bows, and tinsel, and pretty ribbonsAnd the sad part is, there almost seems like a let down after you have unwrapped all of your giftsNot because you didn’t get what you wanted…but there is something magical about unwrapping those gifts in anticipation and excitement as to what is in the box beneath the bow.And probably most of us…if I were to ask…couldn’t remember what we got for Christmas last year. But I want all of us to know that there is a gift that we can unwrap everyday of our livesIt is “THE GIFT THAT TAKES A LIFETIME TO UNWRAP”…and I want us to look at that gift this week as we are on the doorstep of the celebration of Christmas.
First, I want us all to see that on that day…when baby Jesus came…He gave us all…AN INSTANT GIFTLuke 2:6-7 “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son”.Because of the birth of this baby…because of the life that now existed in Him…we all instantly received the gift of life…to never have to die againMatt 1:21-23 says: She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us." It is an instant gift that God promises to all who would ask for it…John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

This gift “The Son of God” comes with an eternal warranty.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

Do you know anyone who cannot sit still? They always have to be doing something. Even when sitting, their motor is running [leg shaking]!The Apostle Paul was like that…he always had to be preaching or witnessing or discipling or visiting.
He could have settled down comfortably in the large church at Antioch, but he didn’t…not as long as there were more people who needed to be reached, he had “itchy feet.”He didn’t view the church as a parking lot, but as a launching pad!We see in Acts 15:36-16:5 the beginning of Paul’s 2nd Missionary journey…and we’ll see here some essentials of effectively reaching the one:Number one thing that we need is The Right Passion.Today we would say “drive.” Some people are just driven…some have a passion for money…some for fame. And Paul’s passion was reaching the lost.1 Cor. 9:16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
He’s saying, don’t pat me on the back because I witness and preach …I have to do these things…it’s in my bones!He’s saying, for me, witnessing is not an option…reaching the lost is not a suggestion…it’s a command! He was passionate about it.Another word for it is enthusiasm, which comes from 2 greek words: en and theos… “in God”! We can’t go wrong with enthusiasm.

It helps us do anything and do it better. Col. 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

You can’t have too much enthusiasm.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,

What does “Complete Surrender” look like? Read with me:

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

This brings with it the understanding that there is a breaking of my INDEPENDENCE with my own nature and a complete surrendering to the SUPRMANCY of THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

No one can do this for me, I must do it myself. God may bring me up to this point every day of the year, but He can not put me through it.

It means the breaking of my carnal, natural desires, the breaking of my independence from God.

It is bringing my personality into oneness with Him, not for my own ideas, but for absolute loyalty to Christ.

Any thing else less than a total break from the old life is fraud.

This is what we must decide will I give up, will I surrender to Jesus Christ, and make NO conditions whatsoever of how the break comes.

As soon as the break from this world and my own desires comes, at that very point in time, the supernatural takes place at once, and the witness of the Spirit of God is unmistakable- “I have been crucified with Christ”.

The passion of being a believer is that I deliberately give up my own rights and become a bond-slave of Jesus Christ.

Until I do that, I do not begin to be a disciple of Christ.

One person a year who hears God’s call is reason enough for God to put our Church here.

As an organization the church is not worth anything, it is for nothing else but for God to help Himself to lives.

The questioned is, is He going to help Himself to us, or are we busy with our own agenda?

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,
After you put your faith in Christ you will only want to do what pleases God. Anyone can receive this faith. How?

The answer can be found in the rest of verse 6 of Hebrews 11“because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”Number one thing I must come to Him.Notice what he is not saying. I must come to church. I must come to Christ.Secondly I must believe that He exists.I believe that He exists only in the moments I want to please Him.If I do not want to do what pleases Him I do not believe that He exists.
If you or I are deliberately doing something that does not please God and do not want to turn away from it then we don’t believe God exists.

You don’t believe a Holy God exists. You don’t believe in a God who says through the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:19-21 “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Lastly I must earnestly seek Him.I must be serious about wanting to please God by receiving His Son Jesus Christ.

I must be more interested in pleasing God than in pleasing myself or others.

He only rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,

The phrase that we need to look at in Hebrews 11:6 is …and without faith…It is impossible to achieve my purpose in life which is to please God without faith.“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)Faith in what God does for me in Jesus.Jesus pleased God in everything that He did.

When anyone places their faith in Christ God credits that person as someone who also pleased God in everything they did. In Hebrews 11 the names of Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Rahab the prostitute, Gideon, Samson and David are listed.

Reading about them only in Hebrews 11 you would think they only did what pleases God. You never read about one thing they did wrong? Question: Did David ever do anything that displeased God? Did Moses? Did Abraham? God forgives and God forgets when we put our faith in Jesus.After you put your faith in Christ you will only want to do what pleases God. Anyone can receive this faith. How?

The answer can be found in the rest of verse 6 of Hebrews 11 and that will be our thought tomorrow.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,

My e-votion is a few days late I have been running be hind for the last few days.

We left off last week looking at Hebrews 11:6 “How to please God”.

The only way into heaven is by pleasing God.Now we said this phrase “and without faith it is impossible to please God” contains some bad news in the middle…what is that bad news?...It is impossible to please God… “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-11) The world and many even in the church have found an unbiblical way around this bad news in the middle of our phrase. How?

They say “If it is impossible to please God then let us just change god. Let’s change god into a nicer, kinder, gentler god. Let’s make this new god pleased with everything the old god wasn’t pleased with. Lets make this new god ok about sins the old god wasn’t ok about. The old god was all for our holiness but lets make this new god all for our happiness. And if anyone says to us you can’t do that lets make the argument that all we are doing is replacing the Old Testament God with the New Testament God. The problem with that argument is that our verse is not from the Old Testament but the New Testament. Paul said to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:3-4)“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” Our purpose in life is to please God. If you want a purpose driven life that is it.

Unless you and I please God we will not go to heaven. But it is impossible to please God.
So unless there is another part to this phrase no one is going to heaven.

That is what we will look at tomorrow.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,

I want to concentrate on the first part of Hebrews 11:6. The part that says “And without faith it is impossible to please God…” This phrase tells us three truths. 1. It tells us our purpose in life 2. It tells us how to reach our purpose in life.3. It tells us some very bad news in the middle The first truth that we see in this verse is our purpose in life.
Our purpose in life is to please God.“This is my Son whom I love with him I am well pleased.” (Matt 3:17, 17:5, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22)Jesus said in John 8:29b “I always do what pleases him.”1 Thessalonians 4:1 “Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.”“By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one… who pleased God.” (Heb 1:5) Before you are taken from this life you must be commended as one who pleases God!

Why? No one who does not please God will be found in heaven.The majority of this age believes more in the Grandparent clause than The Word of God.” The Grandparent clause says…” God always sees the good in everyone.”
My question to them is how many Grandchildren does God have?
God does not have any grandchildren. God only has children.

You are not going to heaven because your parents had you baptized as a baby. My kids are not getting into heaven because their dad’s a pastor. Matter of fact I am not getting into to Heaven because I am a pastor. The only way into heaven is by pleasing God.
Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,

The Fathers extends mercy by not making us pay for our sins.
He removes ours sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) and frees us from both guilt and judgment.

In Christ, we do not get what we deserve. God’s mercy is not at the expense of His justice.

Because Christ has been judged in our place, we do not receive what we deserve—punishment, for our sins.

What hope-filled and amazing news! Mercy is a great gift.

BUT God’s love goes one step farther. God overflows with such AMAZING GRACE that He offers us far more He offers the life of His only Son.
He freely extends His love, friendship, and every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly realms (Eph. 1:3).
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

The perfect, sinless life of Jesus, lived in obedience to the Father, has been credited to us. “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor.5:21).

We become living expressions of God’s goodness, grace, and glory! The grace of God is so extravagant that it almost appears reckless, defying any logical explanation.

As we reflect on the depth of our sin and remember the height of God’s love, our hearts will be powerfully captured by Amazing Grace.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,

Justice - is getting what we deserve.
Mercy - is not getting what we deserve.
Grace - is getting what we don’t deserve.

Mercy does not make sense in a world filled with retaliation and compensation for any and all wrongs.
Mercy can seem foolish and over generous.

As extravagant and reckless as mercy appears, it is eclipsed by the sheer GLORY of GRACE.

Grace --- is getting what we do not deserve.
It is exorbitant, senseless, staggering. Grace takes our breath away and leaves us gasping in stunned amazement.

God deals with the need for justice through the work of Christ on the cross, He shows us mercy by forgiving our sins, and He showers us with grace when we trust Him by faith.

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (KJV)

The price of sin must be paid. Because God is just, He cannot ignore the reality of our sin.

Jesus, the sinless son of God, died in the place of sinful people like you and me (1 Peter 2:24) to satisfy the just judgment of God.
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (KJV)

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,
Second part to having faith in God -By faith we undertake certain things. (Hebrews 11:4)“By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.”James said “what good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?”What is one thing we are all called to undertake by faith? “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did.”We are all called by faith to undertake to offer God a better sacrifice.“Therefore I urge you brothers in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God which is your spiritual act of worship.”(Romans 12:1)Faith is not about speaking something positive.
Faith is about sacrificing something positive. Quote: “There is no success without sacrifice. If I succeed without sacrifice it will be because someone before me made the sacrifice. If I sacrifice without success then someone coming after me will reap the success from my sacrifice”.What is success? Abel’s success was “he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offering. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.”Success is when God speaks well of you.Success always follows sacrifice! Success always follows sacrifice! Success always follows sacrifice!Abraham – sacrificed IsaacMoses – his position in EgyptPeter – his fishing businessPaul – his position in JudaismJesus – his place in heavenIf I want to have a successful Christian life I have to sacrifice some things by faith.•I wish I was better at understanding worship. •I wish I was better at understanding praying•I wish I was better at understanding the Word of God•I wish I was better at sharing my faithWhat would God want me to sacrifice by faith in order to get better at all of these things?Warning: I can either be like Cain or be like Abel. If I’m like Abel I’m going to do it. If I’m like Cain I’m not going to do it.If I am to reach my potential I must:Trust God (Abel trusted God)“Helen Keller said, “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men, as a whole experience it. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” Sacrifice for something bigger than todayI must give up for the moment in order to “go up” the ladder of God’s dream.Make Eternal ChoicesDr. Anthony Campolo tells of a study of fifty people over the age of 95 who were asked this question: “If you could live your life over again, what would you do differently?” Three answers were dominant. They were:1. If I had to do it over again. I would reflect more2. If I had to do it over again, I would risk more.3. If I had to do it over again, I would do more things that would live on after I am dead. Abel “By faith he still speaks even though he is dead.What are we sacrificing to show our faith is real?

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,

What would you consider to be “Real Faith”?

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.” Hebrews 11:1-4Faith is: • An assurance• A certainty• A hopeIn that sense everyone lives by faith. In fact everything would stop if there was no faith.

No one would work if there was no assurance of ever being paid.
No one would travel if there was no certainty that other drivers will obey the rules of the road. The world could not operate without faith.Everyone, Christian or non-Christian, puts their faith in something or someone.
The secret of the Christian life is the faith Christians have is in God.There is two parts to having faith in God 1.The first part to having faith in God -By faith we understand certain things (v3) “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”Faith 101 The universe was formed at God’s Command 1.It establishes the existence of God (Intelligent Design)2.It establishes that God is in command of everything3.It establishes that the The Word of God is true (In the beginning God created…)4.It establishes that what we do not see is greater than what we do see5.It establishes that what we do not see has the power to form what we do seeIf you understand that the universe was formed at God’s command then you understand why evolution is such an attack against our faith in God.1. Evolution attacks the very existence of God2. Evolution attacks the reliability of the Word of God3. Evolution attacks our belief in the supernatural
There is a second part to having faith in God because faith is more than just understanding certain things.
Understanding certain things by itself is never enough faith in God.As James tells us “faith without works is dead (useless).”

Let’s Do something with what we believe.
Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,

As spiritual rescuers, we must focus on the message of Jesus, not Christianity in general, in our conversations.

Our job is to prepare a nonreligious way to talk about Jesus.

Since some lost people may not be interested in hearing about Jesus, we need to find another place to start a conversation that will eventually lead to the gospel.

Because most people are very interested in relationships and ways to make them better, discussing life’s most important relationship is a good place to start.

People realize their need for relationship, but they try to fill that need with all the wrong relationships friends, a husband or wife, or children.

They don’t realize that a relationship with God is the relationship they’re searching for.

To help people understand this, there are four basic facts that we need to present to them:

There is a relationship they were created to have.
It’s a relationship they don’t have because of what they’ve done.
It’s a relationship they can have because of what Jesus did.
It’s a relationship they must choose.

And that is where we are right now have you chosen to have a relationship with Jesus?
If you have then there is One- Less life that will be lost now share Him with someone else today.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,

To be effective communicators of Christ’s love, we need to realize that our culture has changed radically over the past few decades.

We have become a post-Christian culture. Therefore, to rescue the lost around us we must change our methods but not our message.

First, we must realize that the lost do not know the Word of God.
So, while we need to refer to the Word of God when talking about Jesus, we also need to let the person know why we are referring to the Word of God.

Because most do not know the Word of God, they do not know God’s rules.
So, they believe that sin is not an issue and that there are no absolutes.

Instead of starting with the person’s sin, we should start with the symptoms of their sin causing problems in their lives.

Another roadblock in this post-Christian culture is that the lost do not speak our language.

We need to always communicate in a way that people can understand, using a nonreligious vocabulary.

The good news is that unbelievers are spiritual seekers.
George Gallup has said, “Surveys document the movement of people who are searching for meaning in life with a new intensity, and want their religious faith to grow.”

The bad news is that they are seeking in all the wrong places for all the wrong things.

Because of the lack of absolutes, people seeking spirituality will combine all sorts of forms of spirituality to find what they’re looking for.

But, because they are not truly seeking the truth, they will never be fulfilled.

What they are saying by their actions is: “It may be true but I don’t care.” That sums up the spiritual blindness of so many people around us today.

This is why it’s so important so show people that Jesus will transform their lives. He will give them the peace, the healing, the meaning everything that they are searching for.

One at a time “One-Less” life destroyed.

Oh How HE Loves Us!!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,

Average, everyday Christians are in the best position to communicate Christ to unbelievers.
1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Quote: “Many Jesus-followers miss their destiny on earth because they are so focused on themselves. They focus on themselves because they underestimate and under trust God …prayer is the weapon that unleashes all the power of God to bring dying people to the cross of Jesus.”

Praying for the lost should be a regular part of our lives. Instead of trusting in what some one called the “powerless P’s” persuasion, programs, promotion, and personality we must rely on the POWER of GOD.

For our prayers to be effective, they must be focused.
The Word of God identifies five specific targets that we should focus our prayers on:

Pray for natural opportunities (Colossians 4:3).
And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
Pray for prepared hearts (Acts 16:14).
One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message.
Pray for your heart (Matthew 9:38).
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
Pray for God’s Words (Ephesians 6:19).
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
Pray for a paralyzed enemy (Colossians 1:13).
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

The lost around us will only make it into Heaven one way and that one way is as a result of our prayers our prayers build the foundation for their salvation.

And with our prayer there might just be One-Less.

Oh How HE Loves Us!!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,

Second Corinthians 5:20 tells us that we are Christ’s ambassadors.

It is an ambassador’s job to represent a person or a country in another place.
The ambassador should be a reflection of what he or she represents in every way.

Quote: “Jesus is counting on us to represent what He is like by the way we live, to communicate clearly the message that cost Him His life.”

We have been called to be a reflection of Jesus wherever we go our homes, our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and our schools.

As believers, we are ambassadors whether or not we want the title.

Because we are His children, people will form opinions of Jesus based on our lives.

The greatest Divine assignment for us is to be His ambassadors in His rescue mission saving people from an eternity in hell.

God’s POWER enables us to accomplish this mission.
We do not have to do it alone.

To tell you the truth, we can’t. Our job is simply to be willing and available and to reach out to as many as possible.

As we commit to God’s rescue plan and dare to get out of our Jesus lifeboats, our lives will begin to have a deeper meaning and satisfaction.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

PS It is about to RAIN!

Hello Everyone,

We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.
-John W. Gardner-

When we ask God to help us see others through His eyes, we discover how empty and desperate those around us are.

Seeing the crowds of people wandering around like lost sheep, Jesus had compassion on them. Our Lord wants us to share in this compassion and an urgency to lead these lost ones to Him, the Good Shepherd.

It is natural for us to be consumed with ourselves and our daily routines. But God wants to consume us with passion to see the people in our lives the way He sees them.

The Bible gives us some ideas of how God sees those who do not know Him: “staggering toward slaughter” (Proverbs 24:11),
“condemned” (John 3:18), “perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18), and
“living in darkness” (Matthew 4:16).

Until we have a sense of urgency about the rescue mission God has entrusted to us, those around us will stay just like they are, and we will remain dissatisfied with our lives.

We must ask God to break our hearts for the lost and allow Him to give us His love and compassion for them.

One-Less

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,

Quote: “A life that’s filled mostly with earth-stuff and earth-pursuits is going to be ultimately unsatisfying.”

God created us as eternal beings with an eternal purpose.

The more time we spend on temporal activities, as good as they may be, the more we will hunger for the eternal ones.

None of our stuff, jobs, homes, or material possessions will last forever.

But God has made us with a drive to do something that will last forever.

The friction between the two the temporal and the eternal causes dissatisfaction in our lives.

God has called us to move out of our small, comfortable lives and to pursue something bigger than ourselves something that will require total dependence on Him.

God likes to come and shake up our comfortable lives.
If we will let Him, He will give our lives greater meaning as we live for those things that are eternal.

One of the greatest tragedies during the sinking of the Titanic was that many of those who made it into the water alive were left stranded by half-empty lifeboats that rowed away without rescuing them.

Out of 20 lifeboats rowing to safety, only 1 turned back in time to save a few other passengers.

Over 300 of the 1,517 people who died that night lost their lives simply because those who were already saved did not go back to rescue more!

The story of the Titanic is a perfect picture of the Church.
We who are saved and comfortable in our churches are failing to rescue those who are drowning in the world around us.

God is urging us to get out of our “safe Jesus lifeboats” and reach out to those struggling to survive in the water.

We need to get beyond our temporal, self-focused lives and introduce them to Christ and the hope of eternal life.

Me-centered Christianity will never satisfy the longing and restlessness that God has put in our hearts to make a difference in our world.

Making a difference with One-Less.
Oh How HE Loves us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,
One-Less: One-Less life destroyed. One-Less marriage ended. One-Less soul lost for eternity. Who will be your One-Less today?.

Read with me Colossians 1:24-29
24Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
Our main job as Christians is to reach out to those around us who do not yet know Christ.
Nothing that we can ever do for God compares to this one thing.

But for some reason very few believers are actively involved in this mission that God has commissioned us for.

Many do not share Jesus with others because they lack the sense of urgency and desire to do so.

Others feel inadequate for this assignment and simply do not know how to reach the lost.

Being willing to talk to those God has already put in our lives, understanding our current culture, and learning how to effectively communicate Jesus are the key aspects of being an effective rescuer.

It’s easy for our lives to fall into a predictable holding pattern to become comfortable with the status quoi.

As believers, we are busy with plenty of Godly activities, but this is not enough to keep us from wanting more.

The problem isn’t the quantity of activities, but their quality.
Doing more and more of a good thing is not enough to keep our lives from seeming like they are standing still.

The key to satisfaction is doing something that pushes us outside of ourselves something that moves us out of our comfort zone.

Something that God has destined us to do. One-Less!
Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,
Years ago, a story appeared in a Northwestern newspaper concerning a truck driver who, on a foggy night plunged his rig down a river gorge where he’d expected to find a familiar bridge. But the bridge was out. Miraculously uninjured, the shaken trucker managed to crawl from the wreckage and make his way back up to the road. Frantically waving his arms and screaming at approaching vehicles, he did all he could to warn them of the impending danger.
"The bridge is out! Turn around!" Most of the traffic on this foggy night ignored his pleas, considering him a wacko -- to their own danger.
Such is the situation many in our modern world face. Many have actually experienced the pitfalls this life holds and know which way is the wrong direction. But their warnings go unheeded. In fact, most are reviled, ridiculed -- and yes, flamed -- for having the arrogance to tell others which is the wrong way.
But what if there really is a wrong and a right direction? Are you sure that the road you travel won’t leave you without a bridge at your journey’s end?
When we speak God’s Truth to others, we have done our job and their response is not our problem.
If we fail to confront them with the claims of the Gospel, we will be held accountable.
As rescuers all we can do is show the way by our lives our actions and our words.
As one Old Pastor use to say preach all the time and when necessary use words. It is time that we started using Gods Word and declare it to a lost generation.
How will they know unless some one preaches?
Oh How HE Loves Us!!!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,

One writer put it this way: “In His tool kit God has some believers who are His forceful hammers, some who are His rough sandpaper, some who are His quiet but relentless screw drivers, others who are His finishing tools”.

But even if we truly do want to reach out to unbelievers, we will not be effective if we do not know how to.

We must learn how to show Jesus to others through the silent witness of our lives and through acts of kindness, talk about Him in our conversations and be watchmen for this generation.

Once people see Jesus in us, we will then have the right to talk about Him, because then we are simply giving “an answer to everyone who asks ...to give the reason for the hope” 1 Peter 3:15

We are Watchmen, Rescuers, Guardians you pick the title but they all have one truth we are responsible to share this Gospel with this generation.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,
I read the other day that: “When it comes to a life-or-death emergency, proximity equals responsibility. Whoever is on the scene, whoever is in the position to make a difference is responsible.”

Each of us as WATCHMEN are responsible for trying to rescue the lost people God has placed in our lives.
When I say lost I am talking about spiritually lost.

For us to reach them we first must want to reach them and secondly we will need to know how to reach them.

You would think that it would be natural that believers would want to go out and win the lost. But experience tells me this is not the case.

If people are not willing to be watchmen, the best sermons and teachings on evangelism will not motivate them.

Some people feel they do not have the gift of evangelism.

Now there is a gift of evangelism given to some (Ephesians 4:11), but we are all challenged with the responsibility to share Christ with others.

Some believe that they need to have a certain personality or to be a particular type of person in order to be effective at evangelism.

But God can and will use all types of people.

We have this great message in earthen vessels let’s share it.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,
Read with me in Ezekiel chapter 33 verses 1-9:

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: 'When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. 5 Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.'
7 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.
If we are willing to let God break our hearts for the lost, He will use us in tremendous ways.

He will start with those closest to us with those that we already have relationships with.

It doesn’t matter what we do for a living, what kind of personality we have, or what talents He has given us; we are all equipped and responsible for reaching those who do not know Christ.

When we realize that our everyday activities are Divinely ordered, we will start to understand the importance of the things we do and the people we meet.

God has surrounded us with people only we can reach.
We work at the jobs we do, go to the schools we do, and shop at the stores we do by God’s design.

Lost people are looking for common, everyday people to reach out to them people who can relate to them.

They are not looking for religious people, or professional ministers to talk to.

The challenge we have is to use the natural platforms God has already provided to influence those who live in our circles.

And who knows maybe we can make a difference in someone’s life and making them ONE LESS.
ONE LESS person who is living in defeat ONE LESS person who will be loss forever ONE LESS person who is just going through the motions of life instead of having a life that matters.

We are watchmen we must declare Gods grace and mercy to a lost world.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,
When you get a chance if you have never seen it go to www.youtube.com and see the Susan Boyle video.

When Susan Boyle first stepped onto the stage everyone’s focus was on what she didn’t have. She didn’t have the right looks. She didn’t have the right clothes. She didn’t have the right age. She was so nervous she didn’t even have the right answer to describe the area where she was from in Scotland.
But there is one thing Susan Boyle has that has made her famous today- A beautiful singing voice.When the disciples began helping Jesus to feed the 5000 each disciple did so with a nearly empty basket.Here is how it started: The 5 loaves and 2 fishes were divided between 12 disciples. Therefore in each disciple’s basket there was 1/6 of a fish and less than a half of a loaf of bread
It was only as they kept ministering did they see the loaves and fishes multiply It was only at the end after everyone had enough to eat did the disciples find themselves left with a full basket“So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.” John 6:13We want to start out ministering to others spiritually full and to finish empty but that’s not the lesson from the feeding of the 5000.

The lesson from the feeding of the 5000 is this.
· Instead of starting out full and finishing empty,
God wants us to start out empty and finish full. By finishing full I mean more than just receiving financial blessings.
I mean deeper relationships, increased faith, a new perspective on life and a joy in seeing your life count for God. You’ve got the goods so:
Don’t let problems that are outside your control stop you from ministering to others.
And: Don’t allow what you do not have from stopping you from starting a ministry to others.

Oh How HE Loves Us!!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,
Don’t allow what you do not have from stopping you from starting a ministry to others.“Philip answered him, “Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite”! John 3:7 We can’t even talk about not stopping ministering to others if we have not first started ministering to others. The # 1 reason we don’t start ministering to others is because we don’t think we have what it takes.Question: How do we not allow what we do not have from stopping us from starting to minister to others?Answer: It can only be done by focusing all of our faith on what we do have. Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother spoke up. Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” John 3:8-9“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” 1 Cor. 1:26-29

Those of us who do not have much to offer should be excited right about now because we are exactly what God is looking for.

Oh How HE Loves Us!!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone’

What was that something that Jesus knew? “My Father is always at his work to this very day.” God is always at work even in the problems that are outside our control. One of the things that God is working into us whenever we face problems that are outside our control is perseverance! Perseverance means we continue to minister to others even as God ministers to us.

As we were challenge a couple of week’s ago to comfort as we have been comforted.“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Cor. 1:3-4)So let’s follow the example of Jesus and not let problems that are outside our control stop us from ministering to others.

I have experienced that most of the time, ministry opportunities do not come when everything is smooth sailing.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,
The first lesson that we see in the “Feeding of the 5000” is don’t let problems that are outside your control stop you from ministering to others.Now in the case of problems that we bring on ourselves -it might be best to wait till later before ministering to others.It’s the problems that come into our lives that we have no control over those are the kinds of problems that should never stop us from ministering to others. Think about it! If every problem outside of our control stopped us from ministering to others then the Devil will just keep sending those kinds of problems into our lives. In feeding the 5000 Jesus refuses to let problems stop Him from ministering to others. What was the Timing of this miracle? John 6:1 –“Some time after this…” Some time after what we might ask?Let’s look at John 5:16-18 to see: “So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too, am working.” For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” The Jews persecuted Jesus to try to stop Him from ministering to others.Jesus refuses to let the problem stop Him from ministering to others.But instead of the problem getting better- the problem just gets worse Question: How is Jesus still able to continue to minister to others even after the problem got worse?
Answer. There was something that Jesus knew that allowed Him to continue to minister to others no matter how bad the problem got!

We will see what Jesus knew tomorrow.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,
“When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.” (John 6:5-6) Jesus always had a ministry mindset.Our text says that: “He already had in mind what he was going to do.”Matthew 20:28 says: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.”
Jesus wants all of His followers to have a ministry mindset too.“He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for all these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him.” If Jesus already knew what He was going to do why did Jesus test Philip?Is Jesus doing it to grade Philip’s ministry mindset? There are 2 lessons to learn from the feeding of the 5000 that can help us all to grow in our ministry mindset.

I know that “You’ve Got The Goods” to change lives. With these two lessons we will see this week how we can grow in our ministry mindset.

Oh How HE Loves You and Me!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,
Hannah overcame her discouragement. First of all She had Peace.1 Samuel 1:17 Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him." 18 She said, "May your servant find favor in your eyes." Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.Peace I give you but not as the world gives you.This Peace is based on the promises of GodSecondly She gave Praise 1Samuel 1:19 Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah.Weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning.Hannah got her promise1Samuel 1:19b Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. 20 So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the LORD for him."In the course of time Hannah got her promise!She named him Samuel – so that if discouragement returns she had proof of God’s power.For those of you who are faced with discouragement I believe Hannah would tell us: Stand up to your discouragement Pray about your discouragement Believe God is greater than your discouragement

Be BOLD be STRONG for the Lord thy God is with thee!!!!!
And Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,
What got Hannah out of her discouragement?
The answer is Hannah herself!1Samuel 1:9 Once, when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s temple. The first thing Hannah did to help overcome her discouragement was to stand up.It’s wasn’t as easy as we think for Hannah to stand up because nobody else was standing with her!We are told that even Eli the priest was sitting down when Hannah decided to stand up.Hannah lesson: We are not to take discouragement sitting down.
We can stand up to discouragement even if we have to stand alone. The second thing Hannah did to help overcome her discouragement was to pray.
1Samuel 1:10 "In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD." Hannah had some legitimate reasons for not praying…She could have said I’m too bitter to pray right now…I’m too emotional to pray right now…But instead she prayed… And she prayed a prayer that overcame her discouragement. What is in a prayer that overcomes discouragement? A prayer that overcomes discouragement is a prayer that only God can hear.1Samuel1:12-13 As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk. Eli was observing Hannah’s mouth as she prayed but God was observing Hannah’s heart.Hannah prayed in her heart because she was praying so only God could hear her.If Hannah had prayed out loud she may have been tempted to pray; so that only Eli could hear her.There is a danger in putting too much emphasis on public prayers because: There are some things you can’t pray out loud. You can lose focus on who you are praying too because your thinking of what others might be thinking about you.Eli thought Hannah was a drunk.
She was not concerned what others thought she was only concerned with what God thought.

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor phil

Hello Everyone,
Being a good husband Elkanah tried his best to help Hannah out of her discouragement.1 Samuel 1:4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb."Whenever they would go up to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Elkanah would give Hannah double portions to sacrifice. He would try to help her out of her discouragement by loving her more. Elkanah would also try to help her out of her discouragement by telling her how blessed she really was. 1Samuel 1:8 Elkanah her husband would say to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?"Peninnah on the other hand was not quiet as supportive to Hannah.1Samuel 1:6 And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat." On the one hand you have those who are trying to help make life better for you but on the other hand you have those who are trying to make life worse for you. Elkanah is being Christ-like to Hannah in helping her out of her discouragement. He is loving her. He is giving her double portions. He is saying nice things to her.

Penninah on the other hand is being devil-like to Hannah.
Irritating her and provoking her to bitterness.Notice when the discouragement was at it’s worse. 1Samuel 1:7b “Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.” Whenever Hannah went up to worship the Lord she was singled out for attack. This went on year after year!What got Hannah out of her discouragement?
The answer is Hannah herself!

Oh How He Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
Question: Do Christians struggle with discouragement?Answer: Experience tells us that all Christians might suffer from discouragement from time to time.

Even great Bible characters struggled with discouragement One person who struggled with discouragement is a woman named Hannah. And we read about her in 1 Samuel chapter 1.I found out this week that her name means grace.
(Even after we are saved by grace we are not immune from struggling with discouragement.)In 1 Samuel chapter 1 verse 2 we find out the cause of Hannah’s discouragement:“He had two wives; one who was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.” (v2)Hannah was discouraged because she had no children. We see right here one of the greatest reasons for discouragement:Discouragement happens when something is easy for others- but impossible for you! All Christians may get discouraged because not everything is easy for us. For some of us nothing is ever easy! Ever been around someone who makes everything look easy?
It can leave you feeling very discouraged. In verse 5 we are told why Hannah could have no children?“…The Lord had closed her womb” We are never told the reason why the Lord closed her womb.Here is another major reason for discouragement.Discouragement happens when you have no answer to why God allows certain things to happen in your life.You lose your job. You lose your health. You lose someone or something you love.

This week we are going to look into the life of Hanna and see how to overcome discouragement.

Oh How He Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
What does this supernatural comfort we find in 2 Corinthians 1 do in the life of the believer?It causes you to rely on God (V9b)“But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.”People are relying on one of two things to get them through life. They are either relying on themselves or they are relying on God.
This supernatural comfort also delivers you. (V10)“He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers”. Notice the tenses: He has delivered us past tense He will deliver us present tense He will continue to deliver us – future tenseThis comfort that comes to us from God is not only supernatural but it is also overflowing.“So that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (v4b)For those of us who are comforted by God are we to keep that comfort to ourselves?The best people we can reach with the comfort of God is people who are just like us.“God can’t use a person to the maximum, until he or she has been hurt deeply.” A.W. TozerHow do we access the comfort of God? By prayer (v11)
“as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many”.
Personal prayer and the prayers of others allow us to access the comfort of God.Praise God for how He is comforting you in the middle of your sufferings.Ask Him to use you to comfort others.

Oh How HE Loves Us!!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
What does this supernatural comfort that we have read about in 2 Corinthians 1 do in the life of the believer?It firms up your hope. (V7)
“And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so you also share in our comfort.”“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead-since he was about a hundred years old- and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” (Romans 4:18-21) Abrahams hope was firm despite: All hope The facts His age His physical condition His wife’s condition
It keeps your head above water (V8) “We do not want you to be uninformed brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.”How did Paul make it despite the hardships, the suffering, the great pressure and the despair? The comfort of God!

Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
Compassion and comfort go together.Compassion always moves a person to comfort.How do we become more compassionate? We become more compassionate by first receiving compassion from God.
God comforts us in all our troublesSome of the types of trouble God comforts us in can be found right here in 2 Corinthians chapter one read it and see that He comforts us:In times of distress (v6)In times of suffering (V6)In times of hardship (v8)In times of great pressure (v8)In times of despair (v9)In times of deadly peril (v9)In times of death (V9)It’s important to see here that the comfort God gives is a supernatural comfort.“For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” (V5)This comfort that the apostle Paul experienced did not come through his own ability.

“But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” 2 Corinthians 1:9bIt’s a supernatural comfort.It comes from God the Father through God the Son by the Holy Spirit.What does this supernatural comfort do in the life of the believer?It produces in you patient endurance (v6) “If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.”Patient endurance refers to that quality of character that does not allow us to surrender to circumstances or give up in trials.God produces in you patient endurance by causing you to see the greater good.“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” (James 1:2-3)

There is a greater day a coming.
Oh How HE Loves Us!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,
The apostle Paul starts 2 Corinthians chapter one verse three by praising God the Father.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
He praises Him first for being the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and secondly for being the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. Paul came to know that God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ by Divine revelation. In Acts 26 Paul testifies that one day at about noon on the road to Damascus he had a Divine revelation and he came to see that God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now in 2 Corinthians Paul also praises God for being the Father of compassion and the God of ALL comfort.In verse 4 we come to know how Paul came to this knowledge.“Who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” How did Paul know that God was the father of compassion and the God of all comfort?He knew this by personal experience.
By what God did to him, for him, and through him!There are some things we can only know by Divine revelation and there are some things God wants us to know through personal experience.One thing God wants us to know by personal experience is that He is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.
Oh How HE Loves Us!!
Pastor Phil

Hello Everyone,

JESUS PROVIDES FREEDOM.
A freedom that can only be experienced through His saving GRACE.
A freedom that can give you a greater liberty than any law or constitution of man.
A freedom that NO man can take away, that NO law can stop, that NO power of earth or power of hell can destroy.

THAT’S Experiencing FREEDOM!

Whether we are rich, poor, sick, well, old, young, or any other circumstance of life, we can still have the freedom that Jesus gives.

HAVE YOU Experienced HIS FREEDOM?

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Phil

Hello Everyone,

When we come to know Jesus – Jesus who is the TRUTH, the LIFE, and the WAY – that’s when we really learn what FREEDOM REALLY MEANS.

WHEN JESUS MAKES YOU FREE YOU ARE FREE INDEED!
WHEN YOU COME TO KNOW TRUTH (JESUS), HE SETS YOU FREE!

When you are under Satan’s bondage you don’t have a choice of whether to live in sin or not Satan is a hard taskmaster.

He will take you deeper, farther, and longer than you want to go.

But GOD gives you the FREEDOM TO CHOOSE whether you will continue to walk with Him or not.All to often, Christians choose to stray.

BUT GOD IS GRACIOUS AND LOVES US AND IS WILLING TO ACCEPT OUR CRY FOR REPENTANCE AND SALVATION AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

You see, there is the real Freedom of choice, the real right to life, the right to pursue happiness and it’s only found in Christ.

Jesus wants you to feel free from sin and the bondage of oppression.
Jesus wants you to enjoy life – He has even given us all of eternity to enjoy that life.
Jesus wants you to be happy – Happy in the knowledge of Him and in having a real purpose for living.

JESUS PROVIDES FREEDOM.
Oh How HE Loves Us!

Phil

Hello Everyone,

There are many who claim to have no one controlling their lives.
They claim to have all the money in the world.
They claim to have the ability to control every circumstance around them.

But they are blind to the fact that they are controlled by the Devil. Don’t be deceived.
You will be a slave to someone or something.
You have little choice.

We can either be controlled by the Devil, or we accept the Lord and surrender to Him and be controlled by God.Those are your ONLY options.

WHAT ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES WE READ?
JESUS SAID THAT THE TRUTH WOULD MAKE YOU FREE.
He said that if the Son has set you free then you are free indeed.

Are these a lie? Is there no real FREEDOM?WHAT IS THE FREEDOM WE SPEAK OF?

When we come to Jesus, confessing our sin and accepting Him as Lord of our Life that’s when real freedom begins.Only in Jesus do we have a real choice.

Jesus loves us so much and yet He will allow us to make the wrong choices if we want to.
The Blood of Jesus will break the Yoke of Sin that hangs around our neck.
The Blood of Jesus will break the chains of oppression that binds us.
The Blood of Jesus will wash away every sin and stain that is on our heart and soul.

THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, JESUS CHRIST WILL BREAK EVERY POWER OF HELL THAT BINDS US.

That’s Experiencing Freedom
Oh How He Loves Us!

Phil

Hello Everyone,
There is only One who can give real freedom, only God can give real freedom.
Read with me:

John 8:32-36 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
33They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"
34Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Jesus Christ is the source of real FREEDOM AND EQUALITY.
If you were to ask anyone on the streets whether they are free they would say YES!BUT ARE THEY REALLY FREE?Like it or not, there is no such thing as absolute freedom.

We may live in a free society, given the right of freedom by our constitution and protected from outside intervention by other nations but the fact is WE ARE NEVER REALLY FREE WITHOUT CHRIST.In a free society, men, women, boys and girls are able to move about and do what they want to do.

Sadly, within each of us, there is a heart that chases after the bondage of sin.Sin, rebellion against God, brings us into the bondage of darkness.It places us under the condemnation of the Law of God.It sentences us to eternal punishment.We are free to commit our sin but our sin then determines our destiny and our freedom is gone. Satan does not allow you to have freedom.He does his best to steal your joy, life, and your ability to pursue happiness.

He will take your home, job, family, soul and leave you bound and afflicted every time.He doesn’t give you a choice of what you will do next.
He takes your ability to choose away and leaves you with only one course to follow.

We are powerless within ourselves to get away from his grip and to change our own heart.

WE ARE SLAVES TO OUR OWN DESIRES.
SLAVES TO OUR OWN SIN
SLAVES, BOUND BY SIN AND CONDEMNED BY SIN
SLAVES POWERLESS TO BREAK FREE
SLAVES IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT WE CLAIM AS FREEDOM.
SLAVES AND UNABLE TO EVEN BELIEVE THAT WE ARE SLAVES

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
And that is the only way to “Experience Freedom”.

Oh How He Loves Us!
Pastor Phil