JOY

Phil 1:4,6
4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy… 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. –NIV

The word happiness evokes visions of unwrapping gifts of Christmas morning, strolling hand in hand with the one you love, responding with unbridled laughter to a comedian, or vacationing in an exotic locale. Everyone wants to be happy; we make chasing this elusive ideal a lifelong pursuit: spending money, collecting things, and searching for new experiences.

But if happiness depends on our circumstances, what happens when the toys rust, loved ones die, health deteriorates, money is stolen and the party’s over? Often happiness flees and despair sets in.

In contrast to happiness stands JOY. Running deeper and stronger, joy is the quiet, confident assurance of God’s love and work in our lives – that He will be there no matter what! Happiness depends on happenings, but joy depends of Christ.

Philippians is Paul’s JOY letter. The concept of rejoicing or joy appears sixteen times in its four short chapters and the pages radiate a positive message, culminating in the exhortation to “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again Rejoice!” (4:4). More amazing is that Paul wrote Philippians while in prison! Whatever the circumstances, Paul learned to be content, and find his JOY in knowing Christ and obeying Him.

May we share Paul’s aspiration and seek to know Jesus Christ more and more.

I encourage you to READ Paul’s short letter to the Philippians. Take time to Rejoice with Paul and rededicate yourself to finding joy in Christ.

Blessings,
Darren

God Came Down

Luke 2:11-12
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. –NIV

Every other world religion attempts to reach up to God. Good deeds, rituals, acts of service, penance. Some focus on self abasement, afflicting enough “abuse” on ourselves in attempt to appease God. Others focus on self improvement believing that the divine can be found within man through self improvement, science or enlightenment. Most just do not know what to do so they create rules, acts of service or elaborate religious rituals to adhere to in hopes of reaching up to God. All in vain.

The truth is man cannot reach God. God is holy, man is a sinner. In the words of Paul, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Man cannot reach up to God. Any attempts to do so are arrogant in self pride or fool hearty from lack of knowledge.

The wonder of Christmas is that while we are unable to reach God, God CAME DOWN TO US. While we were powerless, God demonstrated his love for us by reaching out to His Creation. God brings us back to Himself. Through His love, His grace, His mercy.

How great is the love and mercy of our God! Ponder today the fact that God CHOSE to come down to us. Why? Because it is impossible for us to reach Him. What great love God demonstrated to His Creation at Christmas!

Phil 2:5-11
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. –NIV

Take time this holiday season to remember…you did not come to God, He came to you!

Merry Christmas!

Blessings,
Darren

Filled to Fullness

Eph 3:16
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. –NIV

“The church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it one so low, so ignoble, as to be utterly unworthy of thinking, worshipping men” – AW Tozer

I believe a fundamental stumbling block for many Christians is the LOW view of God that has either consciously or unconsciously been adopted. When we come to a right belief about God a thousand other temporal problems are relieved.

Paul’s wish is that we would come to have a greater understanding of God’s love. That understanding would lead to experiencing God’s love in ways that would fill our lives in ever increasing ways. Imagine, God’s love as vast as the ocean being poured out into our lives the size of a thimble.

Here is a great thought to think on today…God is infinite and capable of giving more and you are expandable and capable of receiving more.

Imagine the possibilities!!!

Blessings,
Darren

by my Spirit

Zech 4:6
6 So he said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty. – NIV

Though this message was spoken to Zerubbabel, it applies to all believers (2 Tim 3:16). As a follower of Christ we are to resist trying to do things in our own strength and instead rely on and depend upon God’s Spirit through us. Keen intellect, political maneuvering, or human strength cannot accomplish God’s work; we can only do His work if we are enabled by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus entered his ministry in the power of the Spirit (Lk. 4:1, 18) and the church was empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1:8). Only if the Spirit continues to govern and empower our lives will we accomplish God’s will for us; this is why Jesus baptizes his followers in the Holy Spirit

Luke 3:16-17
16 John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. – NIV

For most believers the greatest need is NOT to try harder, do more or plan better. These are human endeavors done with human power. The greater need is a FRESH outpouring and infilling of God’s Spirit in their lives.

Resist the temptation to pursue Spiritual matters by mere human effort. Instead, get away for seasons of prayer, renew yourself in God’s Word and wait for God’s presence fresh and new in your life.

Acts 3:19
19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, - NIV

Remember, God wants to do MORE in you than you can ask or imagine BUT it is through HIS POWER by HIS SPIRIT, not yours…

Eph 3:20-21
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, - NIV

Blessings,
Darren

WHY NOT PRAY?

2 Chron 7:14-15
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. –NIV

As Christians why wouldn’t we pray? We all know that prayer should be as much a part of a follower of Christ as eating, drinking and sleeping. The question isn’t whether we should pray but how, when, where or what.

BUT the truth is we DO have to be encouraged to pray. It is not a modern day phenomena either. Paul constantly had to remind and encourage the early church to pray, church history gives further evidence of our neglect for prayer, and in pulpits across America today church leaders are forever having to remind their flocks to pray.

Why? Let’s be honest and list a few reasons Christians do not pray…

*Do we really believe in Prayer?
-intellectual acceptance and personal experience are worlds apart. We would all say we believe in prayer but if you’ve never experienced meeting God in prayer it is hard to believe it is necessary or beneficial

*Some avoid prayer because they are avoiding God
-it is absurd of course. We know we cannot hide from God. Yet guilt, fear or shame can keep us from coming to God in prayer.

*Avoid prayer out of laziness
-Prayer is a spiritual discipline and takes effort. In a world full of distractions it takes effort to pray.

*Some give up on prayer because they are angry with unmet expectations
-Believe in God, trust in Christ but give up on prayer because God did not respond in a particular way they felt He should

*Some people do not know how to pray
-many people avoid conversation with other people. Same goes with God. Initiating a conversation can be intimidating.

The truth is Satan does not want us to pray. As a Christ follower, Satan will use whatever distractions, discouragements or intimidation to keep you from prayer. WHY? Because as Christ followers PRAY IS OUR GREATEST WEAPON.

2 Cor 10:2-6
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. – NIV

I encourage you to revisit your prayer time. Reflect on God’s promises above and the potential hindrances to prayer. Why should we pray? A better question is: why wouldn’t we?

Blessings,
Darren

GIVE THANKS

1 Thess 5:16-18
16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. –NIV

While on vacation last week in Branson with my family I saw a church marquee that read…We do not need more to be thankful, we need to be more thankful.

What a powerful truth. Paul reminds his readers that being THANKFUL is God’s will for our life. Taking time to reflect and think on God’s blessings, rather than our challenges, pleases our Father and keeps life in proper perspective.

On this week after Thanksgiving I encourage you to intentionally begin this new week being THANKFUL. Before offering up to God any needs, complaints or problems you will have to face this week, first take time to THANK Him for all that you have. Health, family, faith, job, provision, friends…more than that God’s love, His grace, His faithfulness and His promises. Everyone’s list will be different but this I promise it won’t take long to come up with many, many things to be thankful for.

One tradition that my wife had as a child growing up that we have brought into our own family is taking time before the Thanksgiving meal to go around the table having everyone give thanks for something or someone over the past year. It never fails to be a powerful time by intentionally pausing to offer God thanksgiving and appreciation.

Perspective is a powerful thing. Almost every situation can be seen as negative or positive. This year one of the things I was thankful for my mother’s successful chemotherapy and the renewed appreciation it has given many in our family for the simple blessing of life.

I encourage you today…grab a piece of paper, list them out loud or tell a friend about all that you have to be THANKFUL for today. It will lift your spirit, lighten your load and place you smack dab in the center of God’s Will for your life!

Have a great week!

Blessings,
Darren

Need Refreshed?

Ps 19:7
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. –NIV

Let the Word of God REFRESH you. God’s Word is the Bread of Life. It never grows stale, is never outdated and feeds the soul. The Word brings healing, strength, comfort, direction and eternal priorities. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God

God’s Word is eternal, unchanging, steadfast and true.

It is trustworthy, comforting, challenging and convicting.

God’s Word is a firm foundation

Matt 7:24-25
24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. – NIV

In the Word you will find JESUS and in Jesus you will find the WORD

John 1:14
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.- NIV

In Christ you will find life

John 10:10
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – NIV

Make a practice to coming to God’s Word daily. It’s not just any book, it is THE BOOK

Heb 4:12, 16
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. – NIV

God’s great gift to His Children, His Word! Read it, meditate on it, believe it and BE REFRESHED!

Blessings,
Darren

IF

2 Chron 7:14-15
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. – NIV

God has a preferred destiny that hinges on our obedience. Free will allows us to walk in the general will of God but does not unleash the fullness of God’s preferred will. To receive all that God desires requires submission to Him. As John the Baptist declared…”He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30).

God’s condition of “if” is a startling reminder as believers that God has given us a responsibility of choice…our limited earthly supply or Heaven’s unlimited bounty. Spiritual apathy is the enemy of our soul and the church. It keeps us impotent as believers, anemic as a church and powerless in the world in which we live.

Jesus declared that He has given us “the keys to the Kingdom” (Matt. 16:19) and with it “all authority” (Matt. 28:18). Prayer removes the keys from our pocket and begins to unlock the door of the Kingdom where we will find the authority and power needed for the day and age we live in.

IF we will do our part in obedience to God, He will do His. In this verse God asks four things from His people.

HUMILITY
- Without Christ we have nothing, with Him we have everything

John 15:5-6
5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. – NIV

-Pride constantly draws us away from dependence on God to live our life, walk with Christ and perform ministry dependant on our own strength

James 4:6-8
6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. – NIV

-The path to Spiritual authority always begins with humility.


PRAY-
-God waits for us to call upon Him.
-James reminds us that we have not because we ask not (James 4:2).
-Prayer connects the unseen with the seen. Is the channel through which
Heaven’s provision reaches Earth’s need. Prayer binds the work of the
enemy and gains victory in spiritual warfare. (Matt. 6:9-13)
-Prayer develops dependence of God and fellowship with Him. Prayer
melts away the blinders of this world and let’s us glimpse into eternity
-Prayer is the Christian’s weapon, the greatest power on earth because it is the only thing that affects the spiritual world (2 Cor. 10:4)

SEEK MY FACE -
-We are called into fellowship with God, sons and daughters of the
King. True spiritual hunger produces a desire to know Christ
more intimately.
-The longing to know the Blesser more than the blessings. Like
the words of this old song, “turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full
into His wonderful face, and the things of this world grow
strangely dim in the light of His mercy and grace...”

TURN FROM WICKED WAYS-
-Spiritual renewal always begins within the heart and life of the seeker

Heb 12:14
…without holiness no one will see the Lord. –NIV

-a pure life makes way for God’s presence


GOD’S RESPONSE to our obedience?
-He promises to HEAR from heaven, FORGIVE our sins and HEAL our land.


Resist spiritual apathy. Refuse to live in anything less than God’s full provision. Let us rise up in obedience and seize God’s promise of IF to us today…

Ex 9:16-17
16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. – NIV



Blessings,

Darren


NOTE: I have set aside Sunday Nights in Nov & Dec at The Rock as a CORPORATE
PRAYER TIME for our church family. JOIN US as we agree together for spiritual break through in our homes, our church and in our community!

HUNGER

Ps 42:1-2
42 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? –NIV

An ongoing desire to know God more fully is a prerequisite to maintaining a current experience of God’s presence and power in our life. As believers we are called to a task that we are unable to accomplish on our own. We are dependant upon God and He desires to meet with us if we will call upon Him.

Matt 5:6
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. -NIV

As believers we are expandable. No matter where we are on our spiritual journey there is the ability for more expansion, more growth, more experience. We are capable of receiving more and God is capable of giving more. Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul in the twilight of His ministry…

Phil 3:10-13
10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection…12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on…-NIV

There are many things God desires to do IN us and THROUGH us. Works of God that will not be fulfilled without seeking Him. We must be cautious not to allow our selves to become full with this world or we will lose our appetite for God. On the contrary, if we will feast on God He has already given us His promise…

Ps 34:8
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. –NIV

How do you increase your hunger for God?
*Ask God – there are some prayers that God loves to hear
*Make Room – it is hard to be hungry for God when you are full of the world
*Taste & See – commit to seeking God in a renewed season of prayer and fasting.
*Join with Others – seek out fellowship with other believers hungry for more of God

One final promise from God’s Word…

Prov 8:17
17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. – NIV

Blessings,
Darren

A New Thing

Isa 43:19
19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. – NIV

Are you looking to the past or the future for your spiritual strength? When the past is brighter than the future we are in danger spiritually. All of us should look to our past for direction, wisdom, encouragement but BEWARE…anytime our memories become greater than our dreams we will experience a loss of motivation, passion and strength for TODAY!

The Lord reminded Jeremiah very clearly what His thoughts were about the future…

Jer 29:11-12
11 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. – NIV

God has plans for our lives YET fulfilled! Unreached destinies, new destinations, untapped resources, giftings to be discovered and good works to accomplish.

Eph 2:10
10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. - NIV

God is a FORWARD moving God. I encourage you today to look forward. What does the future hold? What NEW thing is God speaking to you? God wants to speak NEW life, NEW passion, NEW direction into our lives as we look forward in anticipation and faith. Hear the passion of the Apostle Paul after serving God for many, many years…

Phil 3:13-14
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. –NIV

I encourage you today to KEEP PRESSING FORWARD. Thank God for the past but look to the future. God is not through with you yet! The best is yet to come!

Blessings,
Darren

Open Our Eyes!

With God you are always in the majority.

The King of Aram, weary of the prophet Elisha, sent his army to surround the city of Dothan. When morning came the servant could only see one thing…that in the middle of the night the enemy had surrounded them! The prophet on the other hand saw something different…

2 Kings 6:15-16
15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. 16 "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

In the midst of their enemies Elisha and the servant were not alone. The servant needed his eyes opened so that he could see that they were surrounded by the power and protection of God.

17 And Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he may see." Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. – NIV

The most frequent promise in the Bible is “I will be with you.” God spoke to Joshua a promise for every believer, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” and before Jesus left He reminded us of this great promise…

Matt 28:20
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." – NIV

You are not alone today. I encourage you to do as the prophet Elisha. Next time you are challenged or burdened, face difficulty or feel surrounded by your enemies…PAUSE and PRAY a simple prayer…

“O Lord, open my eyes so that I may see what I can not see… that your power and protection surrounds me. I am not alone, you are with me.”

Remember, with God you are always in the majority!


Blessings,
Darren

LOOK AGAIN!

Luke 1:41
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. -NIV

John the Baptist and Jesus were second cousins. Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, were cousins. While pregnant Mary visited her pregnant cousin Elizabeth and scripture records that Elizabeth’s baby, John, recognized Jesus as Lord and leaped for joy.

Fast forward…over 30 years have passed. John has grown up and is preaching the anticipation of the coming Messiah, “repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” John was around Jesus, but did not perceive what he had recognized as a baby in his mother’s womb. Years of interacting with Jesus…family reunions, social gatherings, every day events. Jesus, my second cousin. UNTIL one day, John LOOKS AGAIN…

John 1:29-30
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! - NIV

In a moment, in an instance John saw again what he had seen before…Jesus! That fresh revelation changed everything. No longer Jesus, second cousin, but Jesus, Savior !

John 1:34
34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." – NIV

Sometimes we just need to LOOK AGAIN. It is easy to get so busy, so caught up, so comfortable with all the religious and church activity around us that we can quit seeing Jesus for who He is. A name, a prayer, a song sung, an event attended, t-shirt worn, another service, another lesson to teach…

When we see Jesus for who He really is everything changes. Renewed love, refreshed desire, rekindled passion. Take some time today and LOOK AGAIN, you may see what you haven’t seen in awhile!

"Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! – NIV


Blessings,
Darren

The Power of an INVITATION

The Power of an INVITATION

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

For 4 weeks in September, Pastor Brian challenged our students to step out of their comfort zone, shine their light and INVITE their friends so they could experience RSSM Student Ministry and hear the life changing message of Jesus Christ. THE RESULT? Over four weeks our students brought 222 FIRST TIME visitors. GUESS WHAT? 47 young people made a commitment to Christ! Think about it, about 1 out of 5 students invited gave their hearts to Christ and in one month our youth ministry experienced a growth of about 50 students! All because students stepped out of their comfort zones, let their light shine and INVITED their friends and fellow students to come.

What is the power of an invitation? For 47 students it was the difference between eternal life and eternal death.

Obviously, we do not save anyone, only Jesus can do that, BUT God does use us in the process. God has promised if we will lift up Jesus He will draw all men to Himself. I want to encourage you to let your light shine. Step out of your comfort zone, take the bowl off and GO FOR IT! INVITE someone in your family, at your work, in your neighborhood, at the ball field or marketplace to JOIN YOU at church this Sunday. You never know, the power of that invitation! Just ask 47 students!!!

Blessings,
Darren

Keep Standing!

1 Cor 10:13
13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. –NIV

Nobody likes to go through difficult or hard times but the truth is that no one lives a completely trial free life and seasons of hardship can actually mature and develop our faith in God

James 1:2-5
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. – NIV

Real quick, 3 things Paul reminds us about overcoming trials/temptations…

#1 Common to Man –
DO NOT face trails/temptations alone! Others before us have faced similar trials and great strength is available for us if we will open up our lives to others
2 Cor 1:3-5
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 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. –NIV

#2 God is Faithful-
You will never know the full measure of God’s grace until you have come to the end of yourself. Allow your temptations/trials to cause you to draw closer to God and lean into Him
2 Cor 12:9-10
9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. – NIV

#3 Always a Way Out-
If we will trust the Lord and not abandon ship He always works for our good.
Rom 8:28-29
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. –NIV
God’s way isn’t always our way but He always provides a way out. Expect God’s strength and His deliverance. Are you feeling tempted? Are you facing trials?

I encourage you today to take God at His Word and KEEP STANDING!
Eph 6:13-14
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. – NIV

Blessings,
Darren

Our God Reigns!

Our God Reigns!

1 Chron 16:31
31 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, "The Lord reigns!" -NIV

Ps 47:8
8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. -NIV

Ps 93:1
93 The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength.- NIV

Our God reigns. He reigns over all the earth, all mankind and all circumstances. God sets above all, beyond all, outside of His creation. He is not limited to, affected by, taken by surprise or without answer to the needs of His creation.

Rest assured today that our God, YOUR God, reigns over…every circumstance, every burden, every trial, every pain, poverty, injustice, sickness and death. He reigns over sin, brokenness, confusion and heart ache. He holds our past, is aware of the present and controls the future. Rest assured OUR GOD REIGNS!

Try something today…instead of telling God how big your circumstance is, tell your circumstance how BIG your God is!

Mark 11:22-24
22 "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. -NIV

Join with all of Heaven today and declare OUR GOD REIGNS!

Rev 19:6
6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

Have a Great Day and Incredible Weekend!

Blessings,
Pastors Darren & Toyie

Any Lost Loved Ones?

Last night at CATALYST 2010 - BEYOND ORDINARY over 185 teens were in attendance and 32 teenagers responded to the call to live for Christ!!! Over the last 3 weeks more than 250 different teenagers have walked through the doors of RSSM Student Ministries. God is moving!!

Do you have any loved ones that you are praying for their salvation? I want to encourage you, DO NOT stop praying and believing.

A couple days ago in my devotion time this statement from Paul stuck out to me as he was expressing thank you's to people in the 16th chapter of Romans.

"Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me.They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was" -Romans 16:7

Did you see that? Andronicus and Junias were Paul's relatives in Christ praying for Paul's salvation while he was still Saul the persecutor of the church. What a glorious day it was not just for Paul in Acts 9, when he met Christ but for those who had PRAYED for him as well.

I am sure there were days when Andronicus and Junias were discouraged and frustrated about praying for their relative Saul. After all, nothing about his outward behavior gave them any hope. ALL of that CHANGED in a moment. When they least expected, Christ appeared to Saul the persecutor of the church and transformed him into Paul the Apostle.

It does not matter what outward circumstances are. Christ can change a life in a moment. Keep Praying and Keep Believing!

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" Gal 6:9

Have a Great Day!

Blessings,
Pastors Darren & Toyie

One of life's toughest decisions...

Gen 12:1
12 The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. - NIV

Leaving comfortable for the promise of a greater destiny in one of life’s toughest decisions. Abraham knew Haran. For seventy five years he had live there, built a life and I am sure grown comfortable and in many ways satisfied. Now God shows up in his life desiring to take Abraham to a greater destiny.

Gen 12:2-3
2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." -NIV

One Catch…he has to leave comfortable for the unknown.

Heb 11:8-9
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. - NIV

Here lies a great truth…often to experience the future requires letting go of the past. Leaving the land of comfortable is often a prerequisite for God to move us to a place of greater destiny. God knows the most dangerous place for a believer to be is too comfortable. Why???
1. You stop growing personally
2. Faith dwindles while reliance on the past increases
3. Loss of passion
4. Become increasingly critical of others

What about YOU? Have you grown too comfortable? Is everything in your spiritual life explainable, predictable and routine? It is an easy place to fall into. Believers do it, churches do it as well. We have all been there, but not all come out.

How do you leave comfortable?

1. REDISCOVER your First Love – everything starts with a renewed desire for personal prayer, worship and God’s Word. A clear picture of eternity changes everything!

Heb 11:10
0 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. - NIV

2. Be willing to let God STRETCH YOU – step out, take a chance, follow your heart, obey and trust God’s leading

Gen 12:4
4 So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran – NIV

Be fore warned, it will not come without pressing pass some fear but do not give in! Outside of comfortable is where passion is found, faith is alive and destiny unfolds.

Remember, leaving comfortable for the promise of a greater destiny is one of life’s toughest decisions. I’m glad Abraham said YES. What will you and I do???

Blessings,

Pastor Darren

Believed not Explained

"One of these days some simple soul will pick up the Book of God, read it and believe it. Then the rest of us will be embarrassed"

I came across this quote from Leonard Ravenhill not long ago and it simply will not leave me. He goes on, "We have adopted the convenient theory that the Bible is to be explained, whereas first and foremost it is a book to be believed (and after that obeyed)."

As a believer ever find yourself trying to explain the Word of God, hoping you could make people understand, only to finish feeling frustrated??? How often do we approach our class, or small group or teaching forgetting that it is not the head we are trying to reach but the heart of our listeners. Christianity is a message to be believed not dissected. The power of Christianity is not found in sharp intellect or quick whit but rather a burning heart.

Touch the heart of your listener and their mind will follow. Touch only the mind and you may never have their heart. So often we start with the head (endless attempts at explanation and convincing) and it never moves to the heart (faith and belief), therefore it doesn't manifest into obedience in their life. We live for Christ from our heart. Perhaps this is why Jesus told us that so often our barrier to receiving from him is our need to become like children. Children live from their heart (belief). So often as adults we try to live from our head (knowledge).

The ability to quote scripture, teach without error, move in religious motion does not mean their is BELIEF. You can believe without fully understanding but you can understand and not believe! There are many things I still do not fully understand about God but believe - such as His grace in my life, the work of the Holy Spirit, His sovereignty, the list is endless!!! If I can only believe what I can explain I won't have faith for most of what God wants to do in my life!

I don't think the woman with the issue of blood understood how God would heal her but she believed. I don't think Peter really understood how Christ would turn him from a fisher of fish to a fisher of men but he believed. I don't think the thief on the cross understood how he would see Jesus in paradise that day but he believed.

On the other hand, the religious of the day claim to understand everything yet believed nothing. Be careful, your head can get in the way of your heart! Quite honestly my greatest belief has often come with the least knowledge. My "knowledge" can get in the way!

BEWARE: Try to explain to long to others what God has put in your heart and your faith will shrink - snuffed out by human logic! Sabotaged by the head.

Don't misunderstand me we have a logic, we have a knowledge, but it is not from our head, but rather birthed from the Spirit of God in us (I Cor 2)

Are you ministering from your head or your heart? I encourage you...let open your heart. Let people see your passion, feel your love, sense your belief. This is the great need in church today. Let's dare to simply BELIEVE God's Word, and if we are in need let us join with the apostles in asking, "Lord, increase our faith!" (not our knowledge)

Have a great day!

Blessings,

Darren & Toyie

We are a PENTCOSTAL Church

Someone asked me the other day what that means. In a nutshell I responded that it means we believe, and expect, in the modern day supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and world.

The Rock is a PENTECOSTAL church.

Jesus told the early followers to wait and be filled with the Holy Spirit before heading out for ministry (Acts 1:4). They obeyed and guess what? God baptized them in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and immediately they were filled with boldness for evangelism accompanied by signs and wonders (Acts 2). So much so that scripture records that the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:47)!

When asked about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues Peter responded that the promise was for every believer!

"Peter replied, repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for YOU and YOUR CHILDREN and for ALL who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call" -Acts 2:38-39

We are a PENTECOSTAL Church:

*We believe in and practice the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the intituled evidence of speaking in tongues (Acts 2, 10, 19)

*We believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit - Healing, Miraculous signs, Word of Knowledge, Word of Wisdom, Faith, etc. (I Cor 12)

*We believe in Spirit empowered boldness for evangelism (Acts 1:8)

*We believe in the laying on of hands, the anointing and the supernatural (James 5, I John 2)

Do YOU believe in PENTECOST?

Does your life reflect your belief in Pentecost? Have you received the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues? Do desire for God's Spirit to move in your life?

As a leader at The Rock does your ministry reflect your belief in Pentecost? Do you often speak of the necessity of the Holy Spirit? Do you allow time to hear what the Spirit is saying, lay hands on those you minister too and believe for the supernatural?

Paul has warned us about doing ministry on our own...

"My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit' s powered, so that your faith might not rest of men's wisdom, but on God's power" I Cor 2:4-5

We need what the early church prayed and waited for...

"Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of you holy servant Jesus. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly" Acts 4: 29-31

Would you agree with me in lifting up this request to the Lord for our church family?

Funny, while many seem to worry about new people or unbelievers being offended or resistant to Pentecost that is not my experience.

Usually it is comfortable Christians that are the most resistant to the Holy Spirit. I encourage you to focus your energy and faith on those that are hungry and seeking...I promise...they're out there!!!

If we can encourage or help you in any way let me know!

Blessings,

Darren and Toyie

PS. - Did you know that there are over 600 million tongue talking Pentecostals around the world? Estimated 1 out of every 3 believers alive today!!

The Power of ONE

Happy Monday!!!

It is BACK TO SCHOOL, BACK TO CHURCH time. The summer break has been awesome but now it is time to get back into the routine!!! (those of you like me who work year round are going...what break! I know, I know but still the summer is awesome!!!!!)

Seriously, though, we often talk about reaching our city or changing our world. Statements like that sound great and certainly spiritual BUT IMPOSSIBLE! The truth is, none of us can change reach the whole world and quite frankly God isn't asking us to.

However, we can all reach ONE. Is there ONE person you can invite??? ONE co-worker, neighbor, family member or even stranger??? Instead of thinking about the impossibility of the whole world, concentrate on the POSSIBILITY OF JUST ONE!

I challenge to ask God the ONE He is asking you to reach out to. Make the call, drop by their house, send them a text or email. If everyone just reached ONE can you imagine the possibilities?????

Have a great week!

Blessings,

Darren & Toyie

Time to Reboot?

The other day my IPhone wasn’t working right. It was ok, but slow. Dropping calls, struggling to load data, sluggish. It was functioning but something was wrong. It has happened before and the man at the store told me to turn it off and give it time to reboot. It seems nowadays phones are more like computers than phones. He said sometimes the phone gets a bug, small virus, or just a glitch that affects the performance. It will work but not as efficiently, making every task much more difficult and take longer than necessary.

So I turned the phone off and rebooted it. Amazing, the thing is like brand new! I forgot how good that phone works!

The Lord spoke to my heart. Sometimes you need to reboot. It works but something is wrong. You will never know how wrong until you reboot. Only after rebooting will the difference be clearly seen.

If you are like me, when circumstances or life feels bogged down my natural solution is to simply work harder. Keep on keeping on. Sometimes that is the answer. Perseverance is certainly a part of life as well as Christian character. However, perseverance isn’t always the answer. More effort doesn’t always produce more results.

Eccl 10:10 If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success. – NIV

Sometimes we just have to “turn it off” spend time alone with God and let him “reboot” our system.

Acts 3:19-20
19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
NIV

Let us never forget that for a believer it is not by might, nor by power but by God’s Spirit. In Him we live and move and have our being. Christ in us the hope of glory.

Perhaps like me, sometimes you need to let Christ REBOOT your system so that you can gain fresh perspective, new insight and greater clarity for the tasks before you.

Blessings!

Love over knowledge

This morning in my devotion time it occured to me that it is more love in my life that I need not knowledge. How often in times of need,or circumstance do we look for knowlege to bring an answer or solution. It is certainly natural, the widsom of man, but what does God say?

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God" - Phil 1:9-11

Paul told the Phillipians that it was LOVE they needed more of above all things. Paul said that as their Love for Christ deepened so would their knowledge and depth of insight. Knowledge and insight gained through Love leads to righteousness and brings glory and praise to God.

So often I seem to pass over love and go straight to knowledge. After all love is a "feeling" and knowledge is logical, pracitcal and readily useful. Is it? The Bible warns that knowledge without love can puff up leading to self righteousness, arrogance, pride and in the end - less love. Knoweldge can lead us to that precarious place of being right yet wrong at the same time. Ever find yourself at that dead end street? I seem to end up there more often than I would like to admit. Time and time again Christ leads me back to the path of LOVE.

Love has the power to melt pride, teach us to consider others first and open our hearts to renewed insight and wisdom. Love brings praise to God and honors Him. Love seeks no wrong, is patient, kind, trusting and above all never fails (I Cor 13). Love opens our heart to see things we have never seen, consider options never thought of and purifiies motives. Paul says the fruit of that will produce greater knowledge and insight than I could ever have without it.

Lord, today I ask you to increase my love. Both my love for you and others. I am tempted to today to rely on my own knowledge. Help me, to seek love, above knoweldge, for the situations I will face today; bringing greater glory and praise to your name. Amen

Blessings!

How much will we win by?

Are you content to just win or run up the score???

In Matthew 16 after Peter responded that Jesus was the Christ, Jesus made the declaration, "upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hell will not overpower it"

Hell cannot hold back the church. The church is not a building or creed or program but a movement of people who are passionately following Christ.

As believers we give hell and the devil way to much credit. Jesus likened Hell to a gate. A gate that was powerless to contain the movement of the Gospel. It cannot contain it. Also, gates are defensive not offensive. Designed to guard or protect. They never attack. Hell is always on defense, while the church is always on offensive. Aggresively carrying the light of the Gospel into the darkness. Hell's only hope is that the church quits playing offensive.

The good news is that victory is guaranteed. Christ has already won the victory. We win in the end. The kingdom of darkness is on continual defense while the church is on perpetual offense.

The question then is not will we win, but rather by how much??? How big of a dent in the gates of Hell will we make? Will we run up the score??? Forcefully advancing the Gospel without growing satisfied?

Every one of us as believers make a choice. To win or win big. Every church must make a choice, to win or win big. Resist the temptation to just win, keep pressing full court and win big...in your life, in your ministry, in your community.

Personally, I don't want to just win...I want to keep running up the score!!!

Blessings,
Darren

What are you planting?

Two farmers, one a novice and the other seasoned, are visiting over coffee early one morning at the local diner. The novice farmer, visibly shaken and frustrated, is complaining to the seasoned farmer about his recent harvest. The novice farmer is irate that his field has produced green beans. On and on he belly aches about how his worthless field produced nothing but green beans. Green beans everywhere.

Finally getting a word in, the seasoned farmer asks the novice farmer, "what were you wanting you grow?" "Corn, I wanted corn!" the novice farmer exclaims. The seasoned farmer graps his coffee of cup, leans back, takes a sip and then simply asks the novice farmer, "if you wanted corn, why did you plant green bean seed?"

HONESTY CHECK...ever find yourself wanting to harvest something you didn't sow???

Wanting love, sowing anger. Wanting financial peace, sowing debt. Wanting a stronger family, sowing work. Wanting spiritual vitality, sowing sin. Wanting honesty, sowing white lies. Wanting respect, sowing gossip. Wanting God's blessings, sowing disobedience


God's Word teaches us an invaluable principle in Galatians 5:7 "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows"

Green bean seed produces green beans. Corn seed produces corn. That is the way life works. God set it up that way. He also set up His Kingdom in the same way.

I cannot tell you how much time I spend visiting with people who want to continue to sow green bean seed and somehow magically harvest corn. Whatever you sow you will reap. Whatever relational decisions, financial decisions, family decisions, life decisions, spritual decisions you sow you will reap.

How silly the noivce farmer was to be so mad and irate about not harvesting corn. Honestly, if it was a true story we would consider him crazy! How many Christians do you know that are mad, even at God, about their harvest despite the seed they sowed! Isn't that just as crazy???

Likewise, don't you think it is funny for Christians to sing about, pray about, believe "by faith" every week about reaping a harvest of corn when they are planting green bean seed in their life???? Isn't that crazy??? I think it is.

If I want corn, I have to plant corn. The most spiritual thing I can usually do in my life is simply change the seed I am sowing!

What kind of things does God say we should plant in our life? Probably most important is the Fruit of the Spirit listed in Galations 5:22 "but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control."

I don't know about you but I would LOVE to have a HUGE harvest of these things in my life and my family. I guess I better get sowing seed...what about you???

Just don't forget to sow the right kind of seed!

Blessings,
Darren

Spiritual Osmosis???

Thanks to Webster one definition of osmosis is "an apparently effortless absorbtion of ideas, feelings, etc."

One of the greatest misconceptions is that spiritual growth in our lives will "just happen" in time. By attending enough services, singing enough songs, listening to enough sermons, participating in enough Bible studies that somehow through a Spiritual Osmosis transformation is destined to happen in our lives and others.

Honestly, who hasn't watched people soak in church for years and years and years with little, if anything, seeming to "absorb" into their life?? What's worse, what about our own lives. How many truthes have I heard time and time again that just don't seem to effortlessly happen in my life! What gives???

Spiritual growth must be intentional. Check out the action words I capitalized in the following scripture from my devotion time this morning...

Prov 2:1-5
1 My son, if you accept my words and STORE up my commands within you,
2 TURNING your ear to wisdom and APPLYING your heart to understanding,
3 and if you CALL out for insight and CRY aloud for understanding,
4 and if you LOOK for it as for silver and SEARCH for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

Although not through Osmosis, God's Word promises that we can all grow spiritually. God has promised to empower us through his Spirit but we must ACTIVELY ENAGAGE in the process. In the New Testament a variety of ACTION words or phrases are used to describe Christ's spritual growth process in our life as well as our responses- being transformed, putting off/putting on, Christ being formed in us, maturing, growing, birthed in us, submitting, humbling, fighting fight of faith, enduring, testing, faith, etc. ALOT OF ACTION WORDS, NO OSMOSIS!

My point? God wants to partner with you and I to mature us into the image of His Son so that we can fulfill His purpose for our lives (Eph. 2:10). Where is God wanting to grow you? It won't happen by accident. Spend some time in prayer, pick an area needing spiritual growth in your life and take some ACTION. Make a decision to grow spritually. Follow the advice of Solomon, purpose in your heart to make spiritual growth a priority...I promise that is one prayer that God is always ready to answer!

Blessings,
Darren

Is wrong wrong even when no one is looking?

As most are aware we have had quite the weather in Oklahoma over the last couple of weeks. Like many, I have suffered some property damage, although nothing compared to those who have lost so much.

Now that the storms have passed the real fun has begun. Contractors are out in groves, every imagineable insurance company has set up camp and like most I find myself right in the middle of all the frenzy needing to get estimates, claims filed and settlements. This morning I came across a verse of scripture in my devotion time-

Prov. 20:17 "Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel"

How easy it is during times like this to let greed override integrity. Tell me, will those who claim to be followers of Christ resist the tempation to take more than what is rightfully theirs during this chaotic time? It is certainly easy to exagerate claims, roll in old damage as new, pad estimates, or upcharge customers since the insurance company is footing the bill.

Is integrity required at all times even if the victim is the insurance company, who after all charges to much anyway????

Is integrity something we do for others or for ourselves? I would be lying if I didn't say for a fleeting moment it was tempting to fudge about an answer, leave off some information or answer round about some of the questions asked me by the insurance company - none of us our immune to the temptation of the carrot when the enemy dangles it in front of us.

However, it isn't to the insurance company I owe honsety to. It is to myself. More than that it is to Christ - the one I represent.

I was reminded of a couple other verses in Proverbs today...

Prov. 11:3 "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity"
*****It is a comforting feeling to not have to try and remember what you
said in fear that you might not say it the same way again!

Prov. 4:18 "The path of the irghteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day"
*****Right is always bright and clear. Wrong comes in many shades of
darkness

Is wrong wrong even when no one is looking? I guess the answer is the same as it is to another age old question...If a tree falls in the forest when no one is around does it still make noise?

Have a great day.

Blessings,
Darren

Shut Your Mouth

This morning during my devotion time I was reminded just how quick our mouths can get us into trouble. It is humbling but look at what God's Word says...

Prov 18:2 A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions. NIV

Prov 18:6 A fool's lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating. NIV

Prov 18:7 A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul. NIV

Ever find yourself speaking without listening, speaking without even thinking??? I know I do at times and seldom does it turn out good. I hate the taste of rubber, but I sure have stuck my foot in my mouth enough times to know what it tastes like!

Listen to what James warns us about the tongue...

James 3:5-6
5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. NIV

So what is a proven remedy to help keep our mouths shut? LISTENING!

In the same chapter in Proverbs, God teaches us a better way...

Prov 18:13 He who answers before listening— that is his folly and his shame. NIV

Prov 18:15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge;the ears of the wise seek it out. NIV

Prov 18:17 The first to present his case seems right,till another comes forward and questions him. NIV

God Word is straight to the point at times. Those who speak before listening will be fools. Those who listen before speaking will be wise.

It is difficult at times to remind myself but 9 out of 10 times the best thing I could do is SHUT MY MOUTH and let wisdom fill my life. After all, who wants to be a fool???

Have a great day!

Blessings,
Darren

He who walks with the wise grows wise...

I never cease to be amazed at the practical life changing truths in God's Word. So powerful, yet so often so very practical.

For example just look at a few verses from my devotion time this morning in Proverbs 13 (Note: great devotion is to read the proverb of what ever day of the month it is!)

Prov 13:1 A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.

Prov 13:3 He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.

Prov 13:10 Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.


Prov 13:11 Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.


Prov 13:20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

Prov 13:24 He who spares the rod hates his son,but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

In just a few verses such incredible wisdom on subjects as diverse as personal growth, gaining wisdom, handling of money, raising of children...

None of the wisdom is complex, difficult to understand or beyond the reach of any reader. The question simply remains for me and you...will we trust that God's way is better than ours? His ways are simple, ours are often complex. His ways are light, ours are often heavy. His ways are steadfast, ours are often subjective. His ways are clear, ours are often muddied.

Personally, when I read God's Word I am reminded how simple life can really be if I will accept and live by God's wisdom.

Yet, if I am completely honest with me it seems that my nature is to try to make things more complex and difficult than the need to be

Lord, help me sit at your feet and learn a better way.

Blessings,
Darren













A continual reminder to me that so often truth is very simplistic and striaght forward whereas deception is every shade of complex, muddied and multi-faceted.

The Deception of Good

Today while visiting with a friend about walking with Christ the Lord dropped this nugget in my Spirit…a good thing becomes bad thing when it distracts from a greater thing.

As I pondered this thought I was reminded at how true and challenging this thought is. “Bad” things are easy to detect and clear to see that a greater thing is better. A wrong attitude, wrong action, wrong choice is often easy to recognize and a better choice or path is often clear. Following through on such an observation can be much more challenging but the ability to see that a greater thing is needed to replace the bad thing is seldom in dispute.

Is not the greater challenge when it is the good thing being questioned? Good by nature is exactly that…good. Yet a good attitude, good action, good choice can actually prevent us or keep us from a greater thing. How deceptive it can be to fill our lives with good things leaving no more room for greater things. Isn’t this Jesus' challenge to Martha in Luke 10:38-42? Martha was busy with many good things but was distracted from the greater thing. The good things became a bad thing when they kept her from the greater thing…spending time with Jesus.

For the sincere follower of Christ the question is not whether our life is filled with good things. That is a given. The question is will good things keep us from greater things. Is there any room in our lives for Christ to challenge us to something better? To leave good for great?

This is the challenge before us not only as individuals but as a church family. Not the forsaking of bad. Our church is good. Many good things, many good ministries, many good people. It is not a wrong we are trying to right but a greater we are seeking to discover.

Experiencing Christ ourselves is good, helping others experience Him is greater! Living life is good, opening our lives to live with others is greater! Enjoying God’s blessings is good, sharing it with our community is greater!

There are many good Christians and good churches in our community. I don’t want to be good. I don’t want to let the distraction of good to keep me from greater. I want to hear Christ speak over me the words He spoke to Mary, “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

So I ask us...what good things in our life might God be trying to challenge and replace with greater things?

What an adventure we are on...Eph. 2:10!!!!

Blessings,
Darren

Jesus and Tradition

***Below are excerpts from my response to an email I received today about drinks in the sanctuary. The real underlying question is about tradition. Before younger readers launch into a bariage against tradtion let me say that part of tradition is expecting others to do what you do. Anytime I find myself in a different environment outside of my preferences and struggle to connect with Christ I must ask myself if I am locked into a tradition. I know perhaps as many in the younger generation stuck their form of tradition as the older are in theirs. With that said enjoy...I would love feedback***

Wow, this is such a touchy subject because it really has nothing to do with logic but rather is processed by people at an emotional level.

Most people who feel so strong about no drink in the sanctuary do not feel that way during non service times – such as changing light bulbs, hanging Christmas decorations, etc. Why then at a certain day, certain moment, certain time does something that is otherwise ok become not ok? Obviously the answer is not a logical one but an emotional one. The feeling that drinking a beverage in the sanctuary dishonors God, yet to drink the same beverage at the same time in a different location such as a classroom while studying God’s Word is not dishonoring.

Is God honestly offended on a Wednesday night by a person drinking coffee in the sanctuary studying his Word while at the same time not being offended by someone drinking coffee at the same time in the Young Professionals class studying His Word? The logical answer is clear but once again we are not dealing with logic but people’s emotions.

Paul wrote about this in I Cor 8. Some believers still bound up in tradition felt “sinful” if they ate meat sacrificed to Idols and were trying to oppose their opinion on everyone else. Other believers, especially gentiles, who did not have the hang up of Jewish tradition about “unclean meats” couldn’t understand the problem with eating the meat. After all, what does meat have to do with their relationship with Christ??? While clearly expressing that the act itself of eating of the meat is not “sinful” Paul tries to bring balance to keeping peace among believers of different mindsets. In this case, Paul says that while he himself and others eat meat and don’t worry about it, while in the presence of someone who does he would abstain so as not to cause their faith to weaken. However, at the same time Paul constantly presented teaching on the sufficiency of Christ, rather than outward deeds, so that those same people weak in faith could grow in their understanding to embrace different cultures and different modes and expressions of worship.

My point? The only logical reason to keep drinks out of the sanctuary is 1) is it a cleaning issue – spills, etc. 2) is it a distraction

To me during worship times it can be a distraction as well as a potential mess since there is standing and sitting and much moving around. Bible study times on the other hand it is neither distracting nor any greater risk of mess than elsewhere on the campus.

I know you asked a simple question and I wrote a book response but do not under estimate how significant this question is. It is about way more than drinks in the sanctuary. It is about whether we as a church family will transition to reach out to our community. They don’t come in with our traditions. They act different, think different, dress different, etc. Which is more important to us…to give them Jesus or traditions. These are tough questions because we answer them logically but feel them emotionally. There are many people in our church that are going to have to go through a period of emotional stretching out of traditions to get back to the priority of connecting people with Jesus. It will be felt at all levels – music, service order, service times, dress, etc…

We must continue to pave the way in prayer, be consistent in clear teaching and demonstrate steady love to those experiencing emotional stretching without being moved from the task before us…which is transitioning our church to reach our growing community with the wonderful message of Jesus Christ.

There is a reason why every AG church in South OKC has shrunk over the last 10 years. It isn’t about drinks or no drinks, contemporary or traditional, casual or dress…it is about priority – keeping the traditions or reaching people for Christ. Turning a church from inward focused to outward focuse is the constant task of church leadership.

It is good to take a personal evaluation once in awhile of your own focus. I do regularly. Ask yourself, do I spend more time talking and visiting with new people or people that I already know? The answer to that question reveals our focus – outward or inward.

To see the harvest that we have prayed so many years for it will take more and more people becoming outward rather than inward focused. That transition is an emotional journey that our church family must travel. It is my prayer that the majority will make the journey, but it is a journey that we must take.

Thoughts????

Something that can change Everything

The REVOLUTION continues within our church family. One by one people responding to the challenge to "BE the change you want the World to be"

What does this change look like? Our idea of change or someone else's? Is there an unchanging change that we can look for or is change subject to mulitple opinions? After all if there is not one change that is correct then why change at all???

The foundation of this REVOLUTION must be the return to and rediscovery of GOD'S WORD. Here is where we will find the power so desperately needed in our day.

Below are my notes for this Sunday's message "REVOLUTION - Power of God's Word". Take a look, let me know your thoughts...

Text: II Kings 22: 3,8,11-13

Intro.: -One of the saddest passages of scripture is found at the very end of the book of
Judges
Judg 21:25
25 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.
-A time when the Word of God and the MEN of God were silent
*A time when man was left to make his own decisions, his own set of
Ethics which of course led to no distinction between God’s people & the
world
-This is exactly what has happened again in our text
-King Josiah has taken over the throne & the Word of God is absent
*in fact, there is now a generation alive that does not even know about the
Word of God
*As a result scripture records that the temple was in shambles, Passover
was not being observed, and sin had taken over the hearts of the people:
-To the point they were even sacrificing their own children
(You can read more about Josiah in II Chron. 34)
-In our text, however, something happens that changes EVERYTHING
*it is a changes that creates a REVOLUTION - revives the people, reunites them with God, purges the sin out of their life and restores their relationship with God
-What happened that was so profound, that had such an impact, that fueled a
REVOLUTION??? THE WORD OF GOD WAS FOUND!

I. The Word of God Brings REVOLUTION
-Many people are looking for revival, the renewal of the church
*it is no secret that the church needs revived today!
-What will revival look like when it comes?
*Does revival have a certain look? Does it have to be packaged in a
certain manner? Is revival an experience or a lifestyle? Can the church
live in revival (it certainly cannot live in a constant EMOTIONAL HIGH)
-Make NO MISTAKE about it, God is stirring a REVOLUTION in our church
*What all will that entail? What will it look like?
*I do not know what all a supernatural move of God in our midst will
look like BUT I DO KNOW THIS…
A TRUE MOVE OF GOD WILL BRING THE CHURCH BACK TO GOD’S WORD
John 1:1-2
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
*To know God is to know His Word
*Jesus is God’s Word incarnate

II. Every REVOLUTION begins with an awakening!
-II Chron 34 - tells us that in the eighth year of his reign King Josiah began to
seek the Lord (he was sixteen)
Teenagers listen:
1 Tim 4:12-13
12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
-An awakening begins as God stirs a hunger in our hearts for Him
*there is increasing dissatisfaction with the status quo
-As our hunger increases, BELIEVERS WILL BEGIN TO DRAW CLOSER TO THE LORD
James 4:8,10
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up
-(Chron 34:8) As Josiah’s hunger for the Lord grew he began to purify the land
and the temple
-even without being told, Josiah knew to draw close to the Lord it was going to
take some changes!
*Josiah had hunger BUT WHAT WAS HE TO DO?
-He had to discover God’s WORD!

III. Discovering God’s Word
-It is great to have a hunger for God but without the Word of God that hunger has
no direction
Prov 19:2
2 It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.
-So many believers have gotten of track in their spiritual walk because they have
neglected the Word of God
*estimated only 10% of Christians understand and have a Christian
Worldview
-Without the Foundation of God’s Word TRUTH erodes
*Jesus warns only the TRUTH sets us free & has power
-any lesser form of Truth is not the TRUTH and therefore does not have power
*Is maybe man’s “good teachings” but it does not have God’s supernatural
power – I Cor 2 – only TRUTH undiluted has power
-When we don’t know the Word we are left on our own power/strength and will
inevitably fall back into the sinful nature

IV. When Josiah Found the Book of the Law (God’s Word) Three Things took
place:*He was CONVICTED, He was CHANGED, He was CHALLENGED

Josiah was CONVICTED
*Without the book of the Law, Josiah was left to live the best He knew how
-Sin nature always takes over!!!
-Barna research reveals “born –again Christians” live at the same standard as non-
Believers…why? No conviction
*The Word of God revealed to Josiah how far He had fallen from God
2 Kings 22:11-13
11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. 12 He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king's attendant: 13 "Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD's anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us."
*The Word of God is meant to invade our lives!!!
Heb 4:12-13
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
-God’s Word does more than comfort it CONVICTS
*God’s Word is designed to point sinful man to a Holy God!!!

Josiah was CHANGED
*true REVOLUTION will bring people beyond emotion and into CHANGE
*God’s likens His Word to a mirror that is meant to show us what we look like so that we can CHANGE to become what we should look like!
James 1:22-25
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does.
-To hear the Word of God and not be changed is to deny the purpose of the Word!
*Great DECEPTION is to confuse hearing with doing
*Josiah was changed by the Word of God
2 Kings 23:3
3 The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD-to follow the LORD and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.
-You can read for yourself BUT the Word of God CHANGED the way Josiah
lived, what he did and what he allowed!
*we are called to be Followers of Christ (I Jn. 2:6)
*If God’s Word doesn’t change our actions than our hearts have not been
changed

Josiah was CHALLENGED by the Word of God
*to often all we hear about is the “No’s” of scripture
-don’t do this, quit that, stop this
-and for many of us we do need to be told NO!
*However, the Bible is not written to take away from our life BUT to lead us to a HIGHER LIFE
-the Word of God CHALLENGES us to a REVOLUTION of a higher level of
Living
*Scripture shows us a different way of living…apart for the world’s standard
*This is the call of Christianity…this is the REVOLUTION
-living in the world but not of it…foreigners, ambassadors
-living by a higher standard that lifts our life, our family, our community,
humanity up rather than keeping them down
*ACCEPT the challenge to live at a higher place…join the REVOLUTION
-“Be the Change You Want the World to Be”
-Let God’s Word set the standard of our life
*not looking to bring Christ down to us but rather letting God lift us up to HIM
-life of good works, higher purpose, greater values, agents of change

IV. If you want a REVOLUTION in your life, in your family, in our church, let us
REDISCOVER THE WORD OF GOD!
*let the Word of God begin to change you through the preaching of the Word and
the DAILY reading of the Word.
(Revolution Bible reading journal, commit to Live It group)

V. CLOSE
-Let’s begin our journey towards a REVOLUTION by letting the Word of God
CONVICT & CHANGE us today
Heb 4:12-13
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

-Is the Word of God penetrating you today? Is God speaking to your heart and
drawing you to Him?
-Gut check honesty this morning…if you want a REVOLUTION in your life you
will have to let the Word of God Convict and Change you
-God has held up the mirror of His Word this morning?
*What do you see?
-Is there Conviction?
-Is there need for Change?
-Begin the REVOLUTION in your life at the altar this morning!

Death to Agnostic Christianity

Everyone struggles with doubt from time to time whether prayer matters. Left unchecked it is easy to fall into what I call Agnostic Christianity. As part of the REVOLUTION taking place God is awakening believers to the necessity and power of prayer. Join the Revolution!

***Below are the notes for my message this Sunday morning to our church family at The Rock as we conitnue our series "REVOLUTION"

“Death to Agnostic Christianity”
REVOLUTION series

Text: Gen. 28:10-22

Intro.: -We have many AGNOSTIC Christians in our churches today
*Agnostic vs. Atheist
-Agnostic Christians are those who believe that there is a God, believe they need
to know Jesus as their savior, believe they are going to go to heaven when they
die BUT ARE NOT CONVINCED that God cares or is involved in their day to
day life
*No one comes out and says “I’m an agnostic Christian” in fact, most
Who find themselves in this mentality probably do not even recognize it
-There is sincere belief that one day in heaven everything will be
better BUT the struggle is to believe that God can, or will, change
circumstances NOW!
-Perhaps from lack of good teaching/knowledge of God’s Word, feelings of
insignificance, or the disappointment of previous “unanswered prayers”
*the overall feeling is that God’s only concern is for their salvation and
then leaves us to struggle through this life on our own until Heaven
-PRAYER then is a good exercise to vent, throw up wish lists or even gripe and
complain BUT FAITH & EXPECTATION grows slim as circumstances
are accepted at face value

I. In our text we find a man, Jacob, that has spent his whole life born into
Abraham’s lineage and interacting with God through Agnostic faith.
-Moving through the rituals, family expectations and religious obligations with
little to no personal interaction or relationship
*hearing about the God of his father, the God of his grandfather and
relating to their God at a distance – perhaps a “force of good” but nothing
intimate, nothing personal
-Jacob comes to a spiritual crossroad
*He has heard the promises of God over his life yet he is struggling to
own them as personal
-Jacob has a Revolution in his soul when he is awakened to the reality of the
ACTIVE presence of God in his life (vs. 16)
*Jacob’s response was to begin a conversation with God (PRAYER) and a
personal relationship was born (vs. 20-22)

II. How can we have a relationship with a spiritual God while we live in a physical
body?
-How do we bridge this gap???? PRAYER
-God has connected the unseen with the seen through prayer
-Listen again to the famous prayer Jesus taught His disciples and see the
connection between the unseen & the seen:
Matt 6:9-13
9 "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come ,your will be don eon earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.' NIV

-The unseen and the seen (heaven & earth / spiritual world & natural world) are
connected more than we can fully understand
Matt 16:17-20
. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
NIV
2 Cor 10:3-6
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
NIV
Eph 6:10-18
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
NIV

-This is why Jesus constantly taught the importance and necessity of prayer
Luke 18:1-8
18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'
4 "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'" 6 And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
NIV

III. God has linked His activity in our life & our world through our active
relationship with Him
-God chooses to use PRAYER
*Jesus prayed for Peter, Abraham intercede for Sodom, Paul requests the
prayers of others, disciples prayed for boldness
-As Christians the power/strength of our relationship with God is tied to PRAYER
James 5:13-18
13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
NIV

-There are things in our lives, in our families, in our community, in our world that
simply WILL NOT be accomplished with out prayer
Mark 9:17-29
17 A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."
19 "O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." 20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered. 22 "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." 23 "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." 24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." 26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. 28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" 29 He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer."
NIV
James 4:2
You do not have, because you do not ask God.
NIV
-Not because God is agnostic but because He interacts with us through Prayer
****Illus: Treasure Chest in Heaven

IV. How much of our life, our church would be REVOLUTIONIZED by first
praying?
-Taking time to connect the unseen with the seen
Phil 4:6-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
NIV

-Revolution of Death to Agnostic Christianity
*renewed faith in God’s concern, God power, God’s presence & our
responsibility to connect with Him through PRAYER!

(JOIN ME – Revolution Prayer & Reading Journal)

-This morning we are going to close in a time of prayer asking God to connect the
unseen with the seen
*If you have a prayer need…join us…let’s ask & believe God to intervene

Ps 20
20 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.
Selah
4 May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
5 We will shout for joy when you are victorious
and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the Lord grant all your requests.

6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
he answers him from his holy heaven
with the saving power of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.

9 O Lord, save the king!
Answer us when we call!
NIV

PRAY

Haiti Update

****Here is the updated report I have from Mission of Hope in Haiti concerning the earthquake that has devastated the capitol of Port au Prince. In addition to being able to donate online I plan to give opportunity this Sunday morning for those who would like to respond. Please be in prayer for all Haitians. If you have never been to Haiti it is impossible to imagine the difficulty of their living situation prior to this earthquake let alone now.

Darren


Updated Haiti report:

Thanks to all for your calls, texts, and emails. Many of you have already responded financially. I just want to share an update of the first full day (seems like a week) of the earthquake. I know many of you have been watching the news and I am not sure the news can do justice to the devastation. However, the news also, cannot destroy our HOPE!

Today, not a lot has changed at the mission. Our entire North American team is ok, and we have heard from a few of our staff in Port au Prince. Our medical team spent 33 straight hours working with injured that came to the clinic (some died). You can go to our web site www.mohhaiti.org and see some pictures of this activity. We are expecting more of the same in the days ahead.

We are beginning to give out food, and will do so as long as food is available. We actually have 1.5 million meals in our warehouse, but please know, even though that sounds like a lot, it will go fast. Our medical supplies are already running low, and of course water will be a major problem.

I know that many of you have asked about going to Haiti, and that may be something we request in the next few days, but the immediate need will be to replenish the food, water, and medical supplies. We have the contacts to get containers of these items, but we will need the funds to ship. A 40’ container will cost $8500 to ship. We also need funds for fuel.

The days ahead will be challenging, but we know this is a huge opportunity for a nation to be transformed from a cursed past to Godly future. Thank you for your prayers and support. If you would like to donate you can send checks to Mission of Hope, PO Box 325, Lee’s Summit, MO 64063, or you can give online by going to the site below.

Sincerely Yours
Otis Garrison

MOH DISASTER RELIEF: Please click t he link below
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=11132385

Grassroots Revolution

***Here is the outline for my message this Sunday. The notes are quite a bit lengther than normal for me. This message is heavy on my spirit. I truly believe there is a revolution stirring both within our local church family as well as the American church as a whole

FEEDBACK??? COMMENTS???

Text: John 6:26-27

Intro: -Because our Father loves us so much I believe that from time to time within the
heart of every believer and every church comes those moments, some fleeting
others lingering longer, where the God’s Spirit pulls back the veil from our eyes
to let us clearly see our spiritual condition
*It is in those moments or seasons of life that often a state of discomfort is
aroused…for some it feels like anger, for others frustration, for others fear
BUT yet there is also most often an undeniable, sometimes faint or times more defined, excitement of the possibility that there is an invitation to a place where one has not yet journeyed.
-I also believe it is at those moments that, like all forks in the road, we are forced
to choose the path in which we will travel
*The first is to ignore the dilemma within and simply settle or remain in a
state of spiritual apathy – allow ones senses to numb, close ones eye’s,
and deafen one’s ears until in the words of Jesus
Luke 7:31-32
31 "To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other :"'We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.'
NIV
-where the song of the redeemed looses its beautiful melody and the dance
seems silly and the tears of the broken hearted seems antiquated and the
words of the Psalmist are forgotten “My tears have been my food day &
night”
-it is to simply settle into a spiritual comatose contented with the loaves
only sufficient enough to feed ourselves

I.. Or, we can in the words of Robert Frost…
“I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference”
-we can embrace the awakening of our souls and allow it to move us towards a
Revolution
*the throwing off of the old and the creation of something new
-Gandhi said “be the change you want the world to be”
*trace backwards any revolution and you will find that it had its beginning
not in a group, nor a committee, but within ONE
*ONE person catching a vision, willingly separating themselves from the status quo and living out their new found passion
-the exponential possibility of one person’s revolution spreading
into the lives of others can literally be used by God to change the
direction of a family, a church, the body of Christ

Martin Luther-
*frustrated with corruption of the Roman Catholic church as well as the
inadequacy of his own works theology Martin Luther turned in desperation to the
Word of God…there in the book of Romans Martin Luther discovered a truth that changed his life…”the just shall live by Faith”
-from this experience rang a battle cry that could be heard around the
world “Sola Fida”
*On Oct. 31, 1517 Luther nailed his 95 Thesis on the door of Castle Church in
Whittenburg challenging the corrupt church to a debate on the truths of God’s
Word thus begin the Protestant Reformation in which we are still apart
*One Man

Agnes Ozman-
*a young female student attending a small Holiness Bible college named Bethel
Bible College in Kansas housed in an old Topeka mansion known as “Stone
Folly”
*Agnes, along with a handful of students, was challenged by their college
president, Charles Parham, to study diligently what the Bible said about the evidence of receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit
*on the first day of 1901, Agnes Ozman, became the first to receive the baptism at
Topeka…here is her story:
The presence of the Lord was with us in a marked way, stilling hearts to wait upon Him for greater things. The spirit of prayer was upon us in the evening. It was nearly elevn o’clock when it came into my heart to ask that hands might be laid upon me that I might receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. As hands were laid upon my hear, the Holy Spirit fell upon me, and I began to speak in tongues, glorifying God…It was as though rivers of living water were proceeding from my innermost being”
*Other students present jumped to their feet and began singing simultaneously
“The Comforter has come, the Comforter has come”
*revival swept through that student body and beyond and the begins of Pentecost
in American had begun
-by 1906 Pentecost has spread from one girl to estimated 13,000 and in
1914 300 Pentecostal workers and preachers gathered from 17 states in
Hot Springs, AR to form the General Council of the Assemblies of God with the distinct purpose of becoming the “total evangelization of the world”
*Today from 1 to 300 to nearly 60 million world wide…one soul every 10
seconds, one church every 20 minutes
*One Woman

Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu-
*for twenty years worked as a simple geography teacher in Calcutta, India each
morning making her way to St Mary’s High School to inspire young minds
*her route to work took her right by men and women who were homeless,
destitute, and incapacitated by disease. Gut wrenching poverty assaulted her
senses and wrecked her soul day in and day out. Every day something in her
spirit would cry out “That’s all I can stand, I just can’t stand this anymore.”
*One day Agnes decided to take action and the legacy of Mother Theresa began.
*Mother Theresa quit her job rallied some students around her to help and began
taking in the dying and those lying in the open sewers
*dubbed the “Saint of the Gutters” in 1950 Mother Theresa founded Missionaries
of Charity…today four thousand nuns strong who are all working diligently to ensure that refugees, alcoholics, drug addicts, prostitutes, the homeless, the blind, the disabled, the deaf, the poor and the destitute are being cared for
*One Woman

Martin Luther King, Jr.-
-a pastor by occupation
-a black man living in the racial oppression of the 1950s and 60s – the “White
Only” signs on drinking fountains and bathrooms and doors to restaurants; blacks
by law pushed to the back of the bus or forced to give up their seats to white
patrons
-Tired of the reality that his people were always found at the end of the receiving
line for educational, employment and housing opportunities
-King wanted the lynching of black people to stop and segregation banished so that his kids could grow up in a different world than the one he was living in!
-A day finally came when enough was enough and King began a civil rights movement – characterized by nonviolence, freedom and justice.
-Although gunned down outside his hotel one evening in April 1968 it was to late to stop the revolution that had already begun
-listen to the words of King spoken at the acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize
“I refuse to accept the idea that the “is-ness” of man’s present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal “ought-ness” that forever confronts him”
-One Man

II. Every revolution begins with ONE…why not you? Why not me?
-the power of ONE to change a family, change a church, change a community…
-someone who throws off mediocrity, rejects Sunday Christianity
*someone who will not hide beneath religion, refuse to be satisfied with
ritual and beg God to break them out of routine
-To embrace the cry of the Psalmist
Ps 42:1-2
42 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
NIV
-not as eloquent literature but a soul stirring challenge
Ps 42:4
4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.
NIV

-To hear the cry of Jesus that to be a sincere follower of Him means to:

Count the Cost-
Luke 14:26-33
27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
31 "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
NIV

Matt 13:23
23 But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
NIV

Take the Road Less Traveled-
Luke 6:46-49
46 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.
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2 Cor 12:7-10
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
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Volunteer to Be the Change God Desires-
Isa 6:1-8
6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." 6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
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John 6:65-69
65 He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
67 "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
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Dare to Sing to the Darkness-
Ezek 37:1-10
37 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"I said, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know." 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.'" 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'" 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet — a vast army.
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2 Kings 6:16-17
16 "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17 And Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he may see." Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
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III. Will you be ONE? Will you be part of a Grassroots Revolution?
-What God could do in us and through us if we dared to take Him seriously,
actually act upon what we know and truly believe in what we amen
-Scripture records the promise of Jesus
*He is returning with His reward
Rev 22:12-15
12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
14 "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.
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*As His follower I will have a place with Him
John 14:1-4
14 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
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-Where do you want to be when Christ returns?
John 4:34-37
34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.
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*I want to be on the far side of the field…sickle in hand…”one more
minute God, just a few more swings…”
*Where do you want to be?

PRAYER
Rev 3:14-22
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
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-Jesus stands at the door of the lukewarm American church and knocks
today…asking…will you join my revolution???
*one by one the door knob is turning…believers are being awakened and
inviting Christ in…the Grassroot Revolution is beginning…will you be
ONE?