Highway of Holiness

While reading through the Bible this week, one verse stuck out to me:

“Because My people have forgotten Me, they have burned incense to worthless idols. And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths to walk in pathways and not on a highway.” Jeremiah 18:15

It is this part of the verse I want to highlight: “to walk in pathways and not on a highway”. In Proverbs 2 it is about the seductress who flatters with her words and her house leads down to death and her paths to the dead. The road of a Christian is a narrow road and we are to walk closely with each other so that we are not seduced into taken a side path. Many have been walking to close to the edge and because they are not in fellowship, have stumbled onto the darken paths.

The paths that lead off of the Highway are many: Prosperity, Sexual Sins, Pride and especially Religion, just to name a few. The path is lit by a counterfeit light that draws them away. They have no idea it will lead to death. They also hop from one path to another, whatever is the big crowd pleaser at the moment or what “Star” minister is hot at the moment. What happened to “deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Me”?

The Highway of Holiness is narrow because it is not for all! He who endures to the end shall be saved. The salvation is not a one time prayer and you are set for life. It is a daily, a moment by moment; walk with the Lord and with His people. Loving Him more than life itself and loving each other that we would lay down our lives. Jesus left us an example to live by: obedience.

Get out from the sway of the flesh, religion and the world. There is nothing in these that can prepare you for an eternity with God. There is nothing worth an eternity without God. Nothing. Repentance is a key that will open your heart to God. He sent His Son because He loved the world, but now that Jesus has come and gone, He loves only those who obey the Lord. Will you be counted on the Highway of Holiness? I pray that you will.

“If we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the Truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us for all sin.” 1John1:6-7

“A highway shall be there, and a road and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool shall not go astray? No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; it shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35:8-10

Walking in His Light with you…MJ

Who Do You Love

Hear what God is showing one of our teenagers:

1 John 2:15-17~

"Love not the world neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not in the Father, but is of the world. And the world which will pass away and the lust thereof: but he who does the will of God abides in him forever."

If you have ever heard John Bevere's "Draw Near" sermon, you know he can preach some really good stuff. He talks about: appetite for the Lord, praying, and a lot of other things. But the thing that captures me the most is the part about: When your body is hungry, it will basically scream," I'M HUNGRY!!!" at you. But your soul won't. Now, if your soul is full from youthful lusts like TV, computer, and telephones, it will seem that your soul is whispering,"I am hungry." You will not hear it. Simple. Your appetite is not on the things of Christ, but of the world and what you feed on is what you will end up hungering for. If you feed on TV, or computer or other youthful lusts, you are hungry for the wrong thing. Paul clearly states that you cannot partake from the table of demons and the table of Christ. You will crave one or the other. As David’s words said,” As the deer pants for the water so my soul longs after thee.” But the question is do we long for him that much? If you want to empty yourself from selfish and lustful desires then follow 2 Timothy as it says: "Run away from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. Then, you won't have those youthful lusts filling up all your time that you could have with the Lord."

Some more verses about youthful lust:

Ephesians 4:22-24~
Throw away your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which was corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Holy Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God, - truly righteous and holy.

God created you to be like him, so, why waste your time on the things of this world. He created us to stand out before all others, so why try and be like them and not like God. We might be persecuted, but let us stand through it all, that we might give all the glory to God.


Galatians 5:19-22~
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

As I said before, God created you to be like him and not like the world. In the scriptures it says,” We were made to be in the world but not of it." So why would you want to waste precious time to be seeking the Lord by partying, drinking, and all those things of the sinful nature.

For Christ,

Lauren

Are You Hot, Cold, or Lukewarm

Revelation 3:15-16

By: Lauren White

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, I will vomit you out of my mouth.”

How do we become hot, cold, or lukewarm? We become hot by dying to ourselves or becoming closer and going deeper into him. We are cold when we drift away or don’t even try knowing him. And being lukewarm means you’re not getting closer and you’re not drifting. But it says “Because you are lukewarm, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” Vomiting is something that no one likes. But God says he will if you are lukewarm. He wants to give someone else the chance to live for him.

How do we become lukewarm? Distractions, television, computer, having cell phones. Those are just a couple of things to mention, but I could have a whole page of them. They are all around us and the only way not to become lukewarm is to die to yourself and live for Him. Stand out in the Crowd. It doesn’t matter if people think you are too religious for them. At least you believe in God, and not in an organized religion.

Big Change

Here is what God is speaking to one of our teenagers:

I am going to high school this year. It is going to be a big change for me. So many worldly people and things around me, conversations that are inappropriate, and everything else you could possibly imagine. I decided this year was going to be one that I would focus on GOD. This would help me to be a better person because I want to be the one that turns Live Oak High upside down! I want to be the one that when people look at me they can just see the love of Jesus in me! I know it is going to be challenging but I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13) so I decided I would pick a person from the Bible that I could follow and they could be my example and that is Esther. I picked Esther because she was set apart from everyone else and just like the Bible says in Deut. 14:2 -We are to be set apart for the Lord God for he has chosen me from all the nations of the Earth to be his own special treasure. I also picked her because she was brave. She stood up for her people and I want to stand up for what I believe in. I shared this to the church and it went along to what we talked about. Starting with the parable of the farmer scattering seeds, which fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, "When you hear what I say you will not understand, when you see what I do you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them." (Matthew 13:14-15) Just the same, Esther had to hear and listen for God and wait for him to tell her when the right time to enter to see the king was. If she would not have fasted and prayed to God for help, everything would have gone wrong. God is faithful and always will be! We just have to trust him.

Rebekah

How Well Do You Paint?
Have you ever done any painting? If you have, you know that if you do a half-hearted job the paint will not last. I want to give you a picture of how I related painting to my foundation while on the Dominican Republic Mission Trip.
Luke 6: 48-49 says:" He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great."
The school building that we were painting is made of concrete walls. They are very close to the ocean and have had hurricanes come in and wash through that village. The scripture says the flood arose and beat against that house. If you look closely at the concrete walls you see holes and cracks that happen over time due to age and weather. It can also be due to not being kept up or maintained properly. What about our foundations, are they being maintained by staying the Word, praying, seeking fellowship with other Christians? If we neglect these things, then cracks and holes can start to appear. They may be small at first but over time, they can become large.
Several of us were painting outside the school building and I was standing with Lauren Jackson. She had a paintbrush and she was taking her brush and literally sticking it in the holes and cracks. As we were talking she said, “I am going to fill up these holes.” As she filled up the holes with paint, she would then put a layer of paint on top to smooth it out. As I have reflected upon what I observed, I thought about our foundations. How do we fill them up? Do we just put a top layer on for a temporary fix or do we really get determined to fill in every crack first. It is just so easy to do the “quick fix” and just paint over the undesirable area so on the surface it would appear everything is fine. Over time though the “quick fix” is not enough because if your foundation it not strong enough to weather the storms that come your way, you will be shaken. The Word says the house fell.
Well, you might ask, what could some of these flaws or cracks be? In Romans 1:29-32 it says, “being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; [they are] whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them." Galatians 5:19-21 says:" Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told [you] in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
Look what God says about the righteous judgment of God. He said we are deserving of death and we will not inherit the kingdom of God. If we allow our heart to get so hardened that we not only practice sin but also take pleasure in it, then we are living in the flesh and not being led by the Spirit. We will be judged. We will not inherit the kingdom of God. Hell is real. It is eternal, never ceasing. It is a fire that will never be quenched.
Galatians 5:24 says:" But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law. And those [who are] Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
As I watched Lauren fill up the holes and cracks, I was thinking if we see something in our life that does not line up with the Word of God, then we need to take our paintbrush and fill it with the righteousness of God. Lauren was not just dabbing a little paint in the crack, she was taking that brush, coating it with a lot of paint, and then pressing the brush into the affected area making sure it was filled up completely. If there are areas in your life that need to be filled in, take it very serious. Do not just brush over it, get to the root. This takes effort. You have to press in, seek God with all your heart. God is serious, He hates sin. Fill in the cracks with love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. After you fill them in, coat it with prayer, reading the Word of God, having fellowship with other Christians.
This is how we grow. If we are not actively seeking God with all of our heart, we will start to have signs of neglect and over time, the cracks will appear. Do not allow yourself to get to that point. Allow God to minister healing to you.

Signs of Cares of the World that Choke Faith in God’s Word

Our topic last week was from 1 John 1, 2 where some church folk thought they were Christian because they “said” they were and not because of obedience to Jesus. Some years back we dealt with what is called the “say religion” where people confused attending a church gathering with Christianity. I read the passage some days earlier from our recent daily reading and felt we needed to revisit the topic. As we were praising God also impressed on me the passage from Mark 4:13. I wasn’t sure how it tied in with the topic, but it did.
In Mark 4:13 we see that the parable of the four seeds is the gateway to understanding all other parables. It is important to note that it addresses much of the error in the church today because not every heart remains obedient and may become disqualified for the Kingdom of Heaven. The first is when someone hears God’s Word and doesn’t understand it and it isn’t allowed to change the heart. The second is when the Word is readily received and the person didn’t realize that testing, trials and temptation are associated with the Word and the person quits believing. The third is when the Word is sown into a person’s heart, but competing worldly interests are allowed to takeover. There is no fruit to give evidence of the Word’s power and it is made ineffective. And lastly, the Word is sown into a heart of obedience where much fruit is grown.
Let’s look at Mark 4:18-19. I believe it pertains to how the Word of God is sown in America. Just the process of living with all our responsibilities to family, work and desire to move ahead we can forfeit the dependence of seeing God’s Word work for us.

(Mark 4:18-19 NKJV) ""Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, {19} "and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful."

And in most church meetings there is no way of knowing if the cares of the world have taken over because there is little revealed about their practices at home. But I think John gives us some sure signs to look for. Read the following passages.

1 John 1:5-8 (NKJV)
{5} This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
{6} If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
{7} But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
{8} If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. {9} If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. {10} If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."

1 John 2:4-9 (NKJV)
{4} He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
{5} But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
{6} He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
{7} Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.
{8} Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.
{9} He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.
{10} He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
{11} But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

The signs are in what a person says with no supporting fruit. John evidently ran into the same situation where people were saying they were something they were not. Perhaps you or someone you know have said what is in chapter 1 verses 6, 8, and chapter 2 verses 4, 6, 9.

1 John 1 (NKJV)
{6} If we say that we have fellowship with Him,
{8} If we say that we have no sin,

1 John 2 (NKJV)
{4} He who says, "I know Him,"
{6} He who says he abides in Him
{9} He who says he is in the light

While there are needs like providing shelter, food and care for ourselves and families we can’t ignore, how do we maintain priority so that the Word is not choked? The opening of 1 John 1 is the key.

(1 John 1 NKJV) "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life;
{2} the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us;
{3} that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
{4} And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

It is the continued revelation of Jesus as we seek Him out on a daily basis that allows us to maintain fellowship with Him and His people. John was able to declare that he saw Jesus and handled Jesus and eternal life was made manifest to him. Have you done that lately? Those who have neglected to seek Jesus as the first part of their day have no defense against worldly cares and are overwhelmed. It has been my experience when someone is struggling to flow with your home church gathering it is the lack of revelation of Jesus. As we read the above passage, not only is fellowship impossible with Christian brothers and sisters but fullness of joy is out of reach also. This turmoil highlights the conflicts inside the person. How frustrating it is to try to do something that can never happen? I like John want others to enjoy the fellowship and joy he had with the Father and His Son, but there is no substitute for the fresh revelation of Jesus.

God Bless,
Bro. Ken

‘Tis So Sweet to Trust In Jesus

'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus

Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve prove Him o’er and o’er;
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
Oh, for grace to trust Him more!

Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust His cleansing blood;
And in simple faith to plunge me
‘Neath the healing, cleansing flood!
Yes, ‘tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease;
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest, and joy and peace.

I’m so glad I learned to trust Him,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Will be with me to the end.

Trust: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something, one in which confidence is placed.

To trust someone would mean that you have formed a relationship with that person. I would not think it would be the norm to walk up to a stranger and automatically place your trust in that person. We would first want to get to know them and develop a relationship. How would you get to know them? Spending time with them, learning all we can about them.

Do we trust God? Do we fully trust Him? Fully trusting is taking your hands off and allowing God to work. It’s not interfering with Him. Are we so passionate about God that we fully trust Him, take Him at His Word? Do we rest upon His promise? Do we have a relationship with God that is so close that we trust Him with every aspect of our life?

Oh, for grace to trust Him more!!

Every

For it is written: "`As I live,' saith the Lord, `every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God. Romans 14:11

Can you imagine EVERY knee of EVERY person will bow before Jesus and confess to God? I am sure we could think of many evil persons and good persons and each one will have to bow before Him. Just thinking about that picture, brings on the fear of the Lord. No one will get away from it. No one will be able to hide from it. NO ONE!

What are we willing to do to be one of the righteous standing there? Are we willing to suffer? Are we willing to hold up His standard? Are we just saying His Word or are we doing His Word? Are we willing to read His word, when we don’t want to read? Are we willing to go help someone with a giving heart, or do we grudgingly do it? Are we willing to sacrifice money and time? What are we willing to do to be like Jesus? Faith without works is DEAD! We may be able to talk it, as many can, but can we walk it and can we live it?

“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”
1 Peter 4:1,2

Paul continues: “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you: but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s suffering, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy…therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.” 1 Peter 12, 13, 19

I wonder how Christians in other parts of the world think about our American Feel Good Gospel. Are we really sold out to Christ? Are we really sold out to each other? Are we really sold out in reaching out to the lost?

“Revive us according to Your Word and revive us in Your righteousness.”
Psalm 119: 25, 40

Let EVERY one of us who call ourselves Christians, bow our knees, our hearts...EVERYthing to Him. Thy will be done, Lord, Thy will be done.

Are You Hungry?

Our local body assembled this week at the home of the Verrett’s. The communion dinner or may I say BBQ was excellent. We must commend Bro. Mike on his pit skills.

Our koinonia or Christian fellowship certainly equaled our communion meal in substance.

Bro Mike offered the subject of “Hungering for God” based on an article he read by Andrew Strom who happened to be referencing another fellow laborer of ours, David Servant. Brother David was teaching on this subject and it seems to be something that the Holy Spirit is urging us to review. You may want to go ahead and read the article, by going here first. It may help our browsing brothers and sisters create a reference as we discuss this topic.

A main point that Brother David offers is that a visitation of God not only is preceded by Prayer and Repentance, but there must also be some measure of hunger of the people for God. Darla underscored this point with the passage from the Sermon on the Mount,

(Mat 5:6 NKJV) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

Only something that is empty can be filled. Have we filled our lives with so many things “of this world” that we don’t have an appetite for God and His Righteousness?

Darla also referenced Psalm 112 which seems to also reinforce this idea of emptying oneself so that he or she can be filled. This Psalm talks about a man who is gracious and lends, and one who gives to the poor. This man bears the fruit of his actions by never being shaken and having his heart established, steadfast.

This all starts with a constant hunger and desire for God to fill us with Himself, a thirsting after His Righteousness. Andrew Strom also points out that as countries are thoroughly “westernized” their hunger typically stagnates, apathy “reigns supreme.” How true is this?

If we can honestly say that we don’t have a growing hunger for God, it is most probably that our own desires have been consuming the things of this world. We then cannot blame God for this. My daughter Lauren shared an appropriate passage for this,

(James 1:12-14 NKJV) Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. {13} Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. {14} But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

God’s expectation of us in the trial is that we overcome not that we would cave in to our desires. As Lauren shared, many people simply count the cost and decide that it costs too much to overcome or resist the temptation or in some cases, flee the temptation. Do we really value the need to overcome the constant pull of the world on our lives? Do we really resist the Devil so that he will flee?

I personally believe the Holy Spirit made the point in our assembly on Sunday. The real issue becomes, “what will we do about it?” I pray that you will meditate on these things and take action! Overcome the world! Empty yourself of it! Cry out to God that He would fill you up with Himself!

I leaved you with this thought, if indeed we hunger not for the things of God, then we must like the prodigal son, come to our senses. He realized that the world was not providing nourishment to his soul. In repentance, he ran back to his father who not only provided the fattened calf but had a great feast in his honor.

(Luke 15:17-23 NKJV) "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! {18} 'I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, {19} "and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants."' {20} "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. {21} "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' {22} "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. {23} 'And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;

Bro Russell.

Set Apart

It all started when someone said these two words, “Set Apart”, then the discussion of God’s word took off! Scripture started flying like fire! Aren’t we called to be “set apart”? What does it mean to be set apart? How do we live in a world and be set apart?
His Word will show us the path.

“But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for Himself; the LORD will hear when I call unto Him”. (Psalm4:3)

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special
people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light…” (1 Peter 2:9)

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away and the lust thereof, but he that does the will of God abides for ever.” 1 John 2”15-17
Do we live in the world and not have anything to do with the world? We are in the world but not of the world. We are to proclaim His Praise, to be a light in the darkness and to be a testimony of Him. God is holy and not only does He call us to be set apart, but He also calls us to be holy…not religious, but holy.

One more thing: set apart does not mean isolate yourself! We all know the stories of groups that isolated themselves and got so far out, that it ended in destruction.

“..that they may be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they may also be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. John 17:21

“If we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us for all sin.” 1John1:6-7


As we continue to gather as a church at the different homes, it is great to see how God is knitting our hearts together. When one shares about a struggle, we rally around them. When that happens, another piece of a wall is removed. We are able to move closer to that person and the group is able to move closer to God. It is a safe place. This can only happen when our hearts are open to the Lord and His Spirit. It is not hype. It is not forced. It is not fake. It is not religious. It is the “Real Deal”. It is the simplicity of the Gospel in action. It is the Spirit of the Living God living in us…changing us daily to be like Him. His word is real. His word is truth. His word is alive. His word must be obeyed. We are becoming His Word, His Light, His ambassadors, and we are still called to be set apart. How set apart are you? Me? Us? Selah!

Depending on God

We started off by one of our ladies saying she was reminded this week that we need not to forget to praise God. Remember the "Doxology?”

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

It’s good to be reminded that He is to be praised and not just in the good times.

We began talking about our dependence on God. Many think that when God comforts us, our troubles just go away. If that were always the case, people would turn to God only out of a desire to be relieved of pain and not out of love for Him. God is faithful. In 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, Paul experienced great suffering. He felt like he was going to die, totally overwhelmed and powerless to do anything. He trusted God. He had to totally rely on Him to help and intercede. Depending on God shows us how much we need Him and how powerful He is and how powerless we are. If He can raise the dead, surely He can see us through difficult circumstances.

I read this the other day:

Have you made peace with your present situation? Can you trust that God is doing His perfect work in your through every circumstance? If you can’t you will grow restless, hopeless and eventually mad at God. You will become bitter and hard.

We should pray for ourselves and each other that in times of difficulties, knowing God will walk through it with us and that He will give us the guidance and direction that we need.

Which Jesus Do You Serve?

This is a great post that I received and wanted to share:

WHICH JESUS Do YOU SERVE??-Posted by Brendon Powell.

There seems to be more than one Jesus to choose from these days.
Which one is the true Jesus and who am I following?

· There’s a ‘seeker friendly’ Jesus, he’s the one who will not offend anyone in anyway. He loves everyone no matter what they do.
. There’s a ‘sow and reap’ Jesus, he made a covenant with man so that man could sow his seed and reap wealth and happiness on earth and then go to heaven when he dies.
· There’s a ‘blend in with the world’ Jesus, he wants us to look like, act like, and be like the world in order to reach the lost.
· There’s a ‘never ending grace’ Jesus, his ‘grace’ covers us no matter what we do or how we live.
· There’s a ‘just believe’ Jesus. As long as you truly believe in your heart, you’re saved.
· There’s a ‘name it claim it’ Jesus. You name it; anything and it’s yours! If you don’t get it, it’s because you lack faith. It’s your fault.
· There’s a ‘carnal’ Jesus. He doesn’t expect you to overcome sin, he understands you’re just carnal.
· There’s a ‘heart dwelling’ Jesus. All you have to do is ask him into your heart and voilà, he’s there. You’re going to heaven!

Truth:
There’s the Jesus who said “Repent and believe the gospel,the kingdom of God is at hand.” -Mark 1:15
He said, “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him.” -Luke 9:23-25
He said without Him you are already condemned. -John 3:18
He said He came to save the world -John 3:16
He said unless you forsake all you have, you cannot be His disciple. -Luke 14:33
He said if we love anyone more than Him we are not worthy of Him. -Matt 10:37-39
He said if you love this life you’ll lose it. -John 12:25-26
He said you cannot serve God and money. -Matt 6:24
He said fear God who can destroy both body and soul in hell. -Mt 10:28
He said be extreme in your war against sin. -Matt 18:8-9
He said love God with all your heart, soul and mind and your neighbour as yourself. -Matt 22:37-39
He said He is the light of the world. –John 8:12
He said the gate is narrow and the way is difficult and few find it. -Matt 7:13-14
He said those who believe in Him but work iniquity will be cast out. -Matt 7:21-23
He said you’ll be hated for His name’s sake, but if you endure to the end, you’ll be saved. -Matt 10:22
He said I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me. –John 14:6

Which Jesus do you serve?

True Repentance

Home church was at MJ’s. There was a sweet, gentle Presence of the Holy Spirit surrounding us as we began to worship. When we started our discussion of God’s Word, one thing was very clear…True repentance gives you a new way to live, not a license to continue in the same sinful lifestyle. Some are being lulled to believe, that if they cry their eyeballs out, walk to the altar and asked for prayer, then they have repented. Sometimes it can be emotional, but emotions do not enhance true repentance. If we continue in the same sin, have we really repented? I think not. We can speak the words, but, if it is not a life change of the heart, are we taking the Lord’s work on the cross in vain? Are we hearing the same spiritual message as from the apostles of old? Is the true gospel being watered down with the “prosperity” and” life is all good” messages? Narrow is the road doesn’t mean it will widen at the end of time. When you walk on a narrow road, you walk closely with others on the same road. “If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness (sin), we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 6-7) True repentance is Life. No Repentance is Death. Let us choose wisely.

Sunday, March 15th

Our discussion this past Sunday started out by hearing from Ken about a book he was reading on Hell. From there we started discussing how in today’s society, so many people don’t take Hell serious. The thought that this is eternal damnation, separation from God should shake you to the very core of your being. That’s just not what we are seeing in the world today. The mentality is that everything is going to be fine; I’m a good person so I don’t have anything to worry about. How wrong is that thinking? Hell is real and if you are not a child of God, that is where you will find yourself.
From there we started reading in Numbers 11 where the children of Israel were complaining to Moses. This time it’s about their food. Each morning God was providing them with fresh manna but they were so busy complaining about what they didn’t have, they didn’t see the miracle from God. Still, they wanted meat. Never satisfied, always wanting more.
Are we like that in our own life? Do we find that we are complaining about what we don’t have instead of being thankful for what we have? Today, things in this world are unsettling, but God is faithful, steadfast, never changing. He will see us through whatever our circumstance we are in. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” God has to be our foundation, if He is not, what you call a foundation will crumble, it will not stand.

He Is Our Strength

We met at Russell and Vicki’s home this past Sunday. We started talking about what’s going on in the world and from there folks started sharing what was on their heart. There is concern for what’s going on in today’s economy. Some of the people were speaking about staying in the will of God, walking in faith, heeding the Word of God. We can do this by staying in the Word, praying, having fellowship with the brethren. After that we went into a time of praise and that lead into a great time of prayer. The meal was delicious of course and we had fun sitting around spending time and talking with one another.
Isaiah 40:28-31 says:
“ Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to [those who have] no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD Shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

Church at The Lamberts

Home church is exactly that...the church gathering at a home. You have heard the saying "home is where the heart is", well, it fits the home church. It is a place where hearts are longing for more of a relationship with the Lord and with each other. The home setting is a relaxed atmosphere that promotes caring, sharing and encouragement. Not only do we uplift each other, but we also challenge each other to BE and DO all that we are called to BE and DO! Also, we gather outside of the homes, as we meet for coffee, lunch or helping someone move, and the like. We have purposed in our hearts to care for one another and that comes from meeting together and getting to know each other...the home church is a great place to start.

Church at "The Verrett's"

One great aspect of meeting in a home is we get to all help in the kitchen when it is time for lunch. Everyone pitches in with the fixing and with the cleaning up, so no one is left with the whole load. As you can see from the smiling faces while leaving, it was a pleasant time for all! We all appreciate MJ for the great pictures she has taken.

Dinner at The Heberts

Some of the ladies met at Teryl and Diane's home Friday night for a evening of fun and fellowship. We had lots a laughs and ate really good. Chef Teryl cooked for everyone and Servant Mike helped.

Church at "The White House"

The great thing about our home church group is we go from house to house of the members of our group. By doing this, we get to really know the family in their own space. Another good thing is we learn to enjoy each other, no matter what house we are in, as you can see from these pictures take today at "The White House!" Different people, different homes...all with the same heart to love one another.

House Church

We are a group of people who just love getting togther and discussing the Word. In our group we have married, singles, and children. We love to get together and share what's going on in each other's lives. Of course, we love to eat so we always have a meal. Sometimes, we just meet up for coffee and fellowship with each other. Relationships are very important to us. We hope you enjoy reading about us and visit our blog often.