Over the years it has become apparent to me, as I have studied the New Testament, that Jesus spent time trying to get the church of the day back to where His Father (God) started it. As you study the Old Testament you will see that the sacrificial system was designed to grow a deep, intimate relationship with His people. In this we see that God longed for a people to chose Him because of His grace and mercy. In this we also see a people who had a hard time choosing a God in complete trust. You see all the miracles that God did for them was not enough. They felt like they needed to do something by themselves – they wanted control. We learn about this when the people asked for an earthly king and chose to take the negative consequences of a human king (look at 1 and 2 Samuel). Here is the Battle that is still fought in the church today.
In the book of 1 John we see that 2nd and 3rd generation of the church began to blend the thinking of the day and philosophies of other religions to make a religious system that did not make them look different and gave them control over their own salvation. They had gone astray from the teaching form the beginning that was taught by Paul, John and the rest of the disciples, not to mention Jesus Himself. This I believe is the same major fight that is faced in the modern day church. We are being taught from our society that we have to have control in things that we were never meant to handle ourselves. We are taught that we should look the same in every way as the world. I am not talking about methods of ministry, I am talking about the message and the lifestyle that Christ taught. I read stories almost everyday of how a church has blended the thinking of the day in its belief system. I believe that the enemy is sitting smiling at what is going on. I am convinced that this is why we find so much woundedness in the the church today. I pray that as we study through 1 John we will see what God has for us and His church. I am calling this series, “Staying a Christian in the Church” because it is easy for us to become blind to the enemy…even in the church.
I am looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday and God bless you and your Family.
I am so glad to be able to once again sit down and share my heart with you all. This has been a crazy and difficult month or so for me and my family, but I am sitting here thinking back and seeing the hand of God directing things for His glory. God is good…all the time! I was so blessed on Sunday (there is nothing like celebrating Christ with the family here at TLC) to see you all and to worship with you in the Spirit of Truth. We are blessed as a family to have the talent to have a choir like we do. If you have not told Brian Smith how awesome it was you might just drop him a line or talk to him this Sunday. I just want to Praise the Lord for all He does.
I am studying for Sunday and have been blessed by God’s teaching. He is ever teaching us more about Himself and our relationship with Him. It is wonderful not to have to be here trying to do things on our own. I think for many of us this is a temptation and we find ourselves looking to us not looking to what God really desires and wants for us. So as I was studying today I came across a verse that has really made me think and, to coin a phrase from The Truth Project, to turn and gaze upon the face of God–upon His very nature! Let me ask you a question. Why do we seek the gifts of the Spirit? Are we looking for something to make us look good? Are we looking for something we can do to gain God’s approval or the approval of someone else? Why do we do what we do? Okay, so that was more than one question! I am fully convinced that for so long we have looked for the wrong reasons and we need to step back and reevaluate what we really want. In Philippians we will find that Paul was very much concerned not the gifts but the fruit the gifts will produce.
I will be praying for you all and will be looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday!
I pray that you all are doing well and that you are ever drawing closer to our Lord and Savior. I have had a good week, a week of victory and of blessing – Praise the Lord! I have had the opportunity to see God change the lives of people and watch them stand firm in the blessings of God and face what the enemy throws at them. I know the battle seems so hard and it seems that at times it never lets up. I know how it feels to “grow weary in doing good” but, I also know how it feels to see the enemy run from the battle because he cannot stand against God and His people. Isaiah 40:29 says, “that He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless”. But then the questions comes to my mind is how? How does He give us the strength to us in the midst of a fight and in the battle for the souls of those around us.
I know there are times when I need to find a Sanctuary to renew my strength. I think many times we run and look to people and organizations to find this sanctuary. In these time of searching we are hurt, disillusioned and confused and we find ourselves more weary then when we started. How can we find a safe place to rest and to be renewed? This week we will be looking at this question and we will see how God has always had a plan for us in this area of life. I pray that the Lord brings you to His house in worship and in praise.
In His Grip and In the Sancutary of the Lord,
Pastor Jason
I am writing to you all with a heart full of gratitude to our Lord and Savior Jesus and to the our gracious heavenly Father and the comforting Spirit for the wonderful way that They came and ministered to us this last Sunday. A special thanks goes out to Sudden Calling for ministering to us through song and leading us into worship. I ask that as a church we pray for them on a regular basis for God to use them in a great and mighty way.
My heart is also heavy with all the burdens of God’s people through out these last couple of months. It seems that the enemy is attacking on every front and is not leaving any strategy unused to harm and to hurt and to bring confusion to God’s people. What is our response to this? What do we do when facing such a offensive? We must find ourselves in the place of God’s joy. If we are full of joy then the enemy has no power over us. I know it seems hard to find that place that joy sometimes but it is a necessity if we are to live the victorious life that God intends for us. Remember what Philippians 4 says? Rejoice in the Lord and then rejoice again. To rejoice we must use the joy of the Lord. How do we use it? Well, we find it comes through three different stages in circumstances. One, we remember that God has already won the victory. Two, we use relationships to hold us up through the circumstances. Three, we find the “Secret Place of Power”. This place can only be found in prayer. It seems to me that even in my own life prayer comes last on the list. This should not be! Philippians tells us to pray about everything and worry about nothing. So, how have you been doing in this area? Has your prayer life faltered? Has your communication with God fell silent? Have we lost the the secret of power in prayer? You see I am finding that joy(the source of power for Christian living) can only be truly found in a heart full of thanksgiving to God and expressed in a life of prayer.
This means that all we do and all we say becomes a prayer unto God. When we cry for help we cry to God for He is where our help comes. When we weep for loss, we weep unto God for He has promised comfort for those who weep and morn. When we celebrate, we celebrate unto God for the victory was really won by Him and not by anything that we have done. When we approach God in prayer the end result is joy that flows from His throne into our hearts. I pray that we have been in the secret place of Power and that we are seeking a life of prayer. I am praying for all of you and pray that you receive all that God has for you and your family.
Last week I did not post anything because of the busy week that I was having. This week things do not seen to be slowing down but God has given me time to sit down and write to you all about the awesome God we serve. As I have been studying and reading I am amazed how God’s plan for his people is so simple. It is all about just receiving gifts from Him. In Matthew 7, verse 11 we read, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” Jesus was giving us the simple plan for man. Receive what He has given us. Here is a simple list of the things that God has for us if we just receive them.
1. Hope
A. Forgiveness
B. Unconditional Love
C. Healing and Restoration
D. Abundance – not usually money
2. Joy
A. Forgiveness
B. Unconditional Love
C. Healing and Restoration
D. Abundance – not usually money
3. Love
A. Forgiveness
B. Unconditional Love
C. Healing and Restoration
D. Abundance – not usually money
I know this is a simple list but if you go and really think about this you will see that God is really offering us three things Hope, Joy and Love and all the stuff that we can think of come under these three words. And if you really think about it they all offer the same things. We have made things so complicated.
As we meet this week we will look and see how joy becomes the power for Christian living and that without joy we are completely powerless and noneffective in our walk with Christ. See you Sunday and have a blessed week!
I am so excited about the way God is revealing himself to us at TLC. We are seeing so many awesome things happening in the lives of His people. I pray that you all are experiencing Him in a new and captivating way. I am also looking forward to seeing how God will use us in our world and our community.
I was studying and reading this week and I came across a word that I do not like – Perfection. Perfection to me is something that has always seemed out of reach and kind of discouraging. Let me see if I can explain it. First there is perfection here on earth. I mean we can see people trying to make themselves look, feel and sound perfect and it can really be annoying. Then there is perfection in the church and this is more aggravating because it causes legalism and social classes in the church, “Well, they do…and they say…and did you see how they were dressed”. I know some of us would call that judging but I think it goes much deeper than that. I mean most of the time I see people trying to make themselves perfect by pointing out the faults, flaws and issues of others. Then there is what I call scriptural perfection and I believe the misunderstanding of this has caused more harm than good.
You see when we feel that we can’t be perfect many of us just give up. Some of us just don’t try and still more dig in and try to do it on our own. As I was reading in Philippians, God really spoke to me about perfection and how it is in our grasp if we understand the mind and heart of Christ. I know that many of you will be wanting the answer to this questions but you will have to come to church and hear it. OK, this is just mean of me so, I will give you two pictures that will give you the answer.
Well, I hope that gave you something to think about this week and we are looking forward to see you at church.
We are so excited about what God is doing in our hearts for the poeple of the world and of our community. Last week I introduced a great way that we as a church can reach into the world around us and help supply some basic needs to children and adults around the world. The Lighthouse Church is banding together with Samaritans Purse to help provide 5 fresh water wells in communities and villages that do not have access to fresh water. Water is one of the most essential ingredients for life, yet it is unavailable for people in many countries around the world. Contaminated water spreads disease in communities across the globe; one child dies every 20 seconds from diseases related to drinking dirty water. Samaritan’s Purse responds to this need with ourWells and Water Supply Projects, which provide freshwater wells, water storage systems, and pumps to needy communities.
We are so excited to be doing this that we want to share with you a little about Samaritans Purse and let you see the work that we will be a part of. We will also be involved with Operation Christmas Child this year as a church and will be getting more information for you as we get closer to the time to collect money and donations for packing boxes for children this Christmas season.
I am also excited to be be continuing our series in Philippians. This week we will be looking at the prize for Christian living and we will see that our prize is just not in heaven but also here on earth. I believe that God gives us three prizes that will set us free from the enemy when we truly understand. The first prize is that God has changed the record keeping of the past. To some of us this is a great thing because we truly have a past that is not pleasing to God. But for some it is a thing of pride because we have done “good” things. Well, God no longer looks to the past for His motivation to have relationship with us. He simple just desires for us to know Him no matter what our past is.
My prayer is to see you on Sunday and that you will experience the power of the Holy Spirit as we worship Him in spirit and in truth.
I have never been a great runner. Even in high school I was OK at the short sprints but never at any distance longer than a basketball court. Maybe that is why I like basketball so much. Well, during those years of basketball I learned that even if you are going to lose the game, it is important for you to finish well and at a good energy level. Why? Well, it is because it sets you up for your next game. We’ve seen what happens to teams that have already clinched their division (I am talking football here) and still had games to play. They simply quit playing because there was nothing for them to play for – they were already going to the next level. But those teams that had to win to keep going they really played hard and gave it there best. Sometimes I wonder why this Christian life seems like a fight every step of the way. I mean just when God teaches me something, he shows me something else or maybe we are having a season with everything going great and then it all falls apart from our perspective. I think it is because Jesus wants us to go the distance at full speed with great energy.
There are five areas in our life that I believe God wants us to “play” at full speed if you will. Here they are and lets see how we are doing in these areas.
1. Being a brother
2. Being a co-worker
3. Being a soldier
4. Being a messenger
5. Being a minister of needs
This week I want to talk about these in light of what we have been learning in Philippians 2 – The Pattern of Christian Living: Others First. I believe that we will see thought the like-mindedness of Paul and Epaphrodotius we can see the imparted mind of Christ on these men. This is where God wants His church to be imparted with the mind of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. I pray that you will all be at church this Sunday and that your heart will be ready to receive from the Holy Spirit in our worship and studying of the Word of God.
I have just finished watching the inauguration of President Obama feeling a mixture of emotions. There is a place in my heart that fears the future of America and another part that is proud that we may have seen what Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed about and what Abraham Lincoln talked about in Gettysburg. But in all this I know that God has seen fit to place this man in this office for this time and it is our responsibility to pray for him in the days to come. I believe this is a call for all Americans to find that sense of patriotism that our founding fathers had for our United States. Please join me in setting time apart everyday to pray for our leaders in the local government and in our national government, along with all our soldiers across the world and those who have fought for our freedom.
As we have been studying the book of Philippians, we have been learning the mind of God and the mind of Christ. We are also learning how the Holy Spirit works in those who allow the impartation of the mind of Christ. As we look to the future of our families, our Church, and our nation, we can see that fear has no place and that our faith in not founded in a President, a government or in economic security, but found in the Creator of the universe, the Selfless Father, His saving Son and powerful Spirit. We must turn to Him and ask Him to lead us in all aspects of our lives.
This week we will be looking at how the Holy Spirit worked through Timothy and what an impact he had on his culture and what an example he is to us. Also how we should be living and working in our culture and in those people around us. I believe that we are in a time when the Church is going to have to step up and be what Christ always intended His church to be which is a reflection of Himself and His sacrifices. I pray that we will all be willing to stand up and be counted for Christ. See you on Sunday…at NCHS!
I am so glad to be home this week. Being gone is always a hard thing for me, the older I get the more I become a home body. Anyway, God has been showing me some good stuff about living the mind of Christ. You see, we all can think about how Christ would do things or how He would say things but it is something totally different to live out those things that we think. I know in my personal life I have thought about doing a lot of things but that does not mean that I have actually done anything. Success is not having a idea or a thought – it is putting those ideas and thoughts into action or making them real. You see, thought does not make things real. There are a lot of people who are locked up because they are thinking without reality. So in order for our Christian life to be real we must move the thought into action. First, we must ask the Holy Spirit to impart the mind of Christ to us. Second we must ask the Holy Spirit to enable us to act according to the mind of Christ.
I know in my Christian life I have failed many times in this and it is my prayer that we, as a church, can move to act according to the will of God, for His good pleasure. It is also on my heart to challenge you as individuals to life the mind of Christ and to be Christ hands exstended and love with the heart of God.
We will be meeting again at the elementary school for another week and will have a fellowship time at 9:00am. There will be videos for the kids and coffee for the adults. I pray that you will all be there and that you will bring a visitor with you. Remember that 100% of the people you bring to church will be there.
