Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do?
This verse is in response to Peter's message to the multitude on the Day of Pentecost. What shall we do? Peter responds with instruction and a promise: Repent and be baptized...for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children. (Acts 2:38-39). At salvation, we graduated from death to life, from being a sinner to being born again. Jesus promises us the gift of His Spirit to comfort, convict and compel us to greatness in ministry. When we are baptized in that Spirit we graduate from the natural to he supernatural. We no longer walk only in our own ability; we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit with God's anointing to do things we could never do before.
Pastor John
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Geneisis 22:18
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
God's covenant with Abraham here had a far-reaching effect on the world - an effect still felt today. We call Abraham "Father Abraham" not only because he is first among the patriarchs, but also because of the fatherly character he portrays in the Bible. From his life we see what God desires for every father, a desire to be a real man of God. Abraham is obedient and willing to sacrifice his most prized possession to prove his Love for God. God is first in his life. Abraham is God's example of what fathers are supposed to be. Like Abraham, if we place God as priority in our lives, and keep open lines of communication with Him through prayer, there is no limit to how much of a difference we can make in the world. As Abraham was, let us strive to be men after God's own heart. Pastor John
God's covenant with Abraham here had a far-reaching effect on the world - an effect still felt today. We call Abraham "Father Abraham" not only because he is first among the patriarchs, but also because of the fatherly character he portrays in the Bible. From his life we see what God desires for every father, a desire to be a real man of God. Abraham is obedient and willing to sacrifice his most prized possession to prove his Love for God. God is first in his life. Abraham is God's example of what fathers are supposed to be. Like Abraham, if we place God as priority in our lives, and keep open lines of communication with Him through prayer, there is no limit to how much of a difference we can make in the world. As Abraham was, let us strive to be men after God's own heart. Pastor John
Nehemiah 4:6b
...For the people had a mind to work.
Getting something productive accomplished requires a certain mind-set. The right mind-set means having determination to finish what you start out to do with the right mental attitude. Once Nehemiah had convinced the people in Jerusalem that the God of Israel and kin Artaxerxes had commissioned the work on the city's walls to be completed, they strengthened their hands for this good work. Today we have been commissioned by the King of kings to do His work. His is the best work. Let us strive to have that right mind-set like those in Nehemiah's day. let us have a mind to work.
Pastor John
Getting something productive accomplished requires a certain mind-set. The right mind-set means having determination to finish what you start out to do with the right mental attitude. Once Nehemiah had convinced the people in Jerusalem that the God of Israel and kin Artaxerxes had commissioned the work on the city's walls to be completed, they strengthened their hands for this good work. Today we have been commissioned by the King of kings to do His work. His is the best work. Let us strive to have that right mind-set like those in Nehemiah's day. let us have a mind to work.
Pastor John
1 peter 5:8
Be sober, Be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
The word sober here means watchful. In our walk with God we need to be alert and aware of Satan's tactics. You can't just ignore the enemy. We learn in Nehemiah 4 that Nehemiah set up watches for the enemy while the workers made progress on Jerusalem's walls. This infuriated his adversaries because the work went on, and all plans to foil the construction failed. We can see, therefore, that the words of 1 Peter 5:8 are wise advice. Be sober. Be watchful. Satan is ever lurking in the darkness, but God is with you in your work and no weapon formed against you will prosper. My prayer is that anyone here today who is facing adverse issues will leave here relieved of the rubble in his or her life.
Pastor John
The word sober here means watchful. In our walk with God we need to be alert and aware of Satan's tactics. You can't just ignore the enemy. We learn in Nehemiah 4 that Nehemiah set up watches for the enemy while the workers made progress on Jerusalem's walls. This infuriated his adversaries because the work went on, and all plans to foil the construction failed. We can see, therefore, that the words of 1 Peter 5:8 are wise advice. Be sober. Be watchful. Satan is ever lurking in the darkness, but God is with you in your work and no weapon formed against you will prosper. My prayer is that anyone here today who is facing adverse issues will leave here relieved of the rubble in his or her life.
Pastor John
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
1 John 2:1
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.
What greater advocacy could be portrayed than that which is made available to sinning believers through Jesus? As a result of His sacrifice, Jesus is able to communicate with His Father on our behalf and restore us into proper fellowship. Without our advocate Jesus in His place of intercession, our sins would separate us from the Father. Jesus, in His position of mediator, reveals the greatest picture of our need for forgiveness. In turn, we too, as we strive to be like Him, must forgive others who have inflicted wrongdoing and hurt on us. This truth is brought to greater light in Matthew 6:14-15: For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Unforgiveness can indeed be "rubble" that hinders our Christian progress. Pastor John
What greater advocacy could be portrayed than that which is made available to sinning believers through Jesus? As a result of His sacrifice, Jesus is able to communicate with His Father on our behalf and restore us into proper fellowship. Without our advocate Jesus in His place of intercession, our sins would separate us from the Father. Jesus, in His position of mediator, reveals the greatest picture of our need for forgiveness. In turn, we too, as we strive to be like Him, must forgive others who have inflicted wrongdoing and hurt on us. This truth is brought to greater light in Matthew 6:14-15: For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Unforgiveness can indeed be "rubble" that hinders our Christian progress. Pastor John
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Romans 12:3
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower once rebuked one of his generals for referring to a soldier as "just a private." He reminded him that the Army could function better without its generals than it could without its food soldiers. "If this war is won," he said, "it will be won by privates." In the same way, the common and ordinary Christians are the backbone of the Church. God's Church has great evangelists, super congregations led by dynamic ministers, and wealthy brethren who are able to finance great works, but if the work of the Lord is to be done - if the gospel is to be taken to the lost - it will be the "ordinary" Christian, made extraordinary by the Holy Spirit, who will do it.
Pastor John
General Dwight D. Eisenhower once rebuked one of his generals for referring to a soldier as "just a private." He reminded him that the Army could function better without its generals than it could without its food soldiers. "If this war is won," he said, "it will be won by privates." In the same way, the common and ordinary Christians are the backbone of the Church. God's Church has great evangelists, super congregations led by dynamic ministers, and wealthy brethren who are able to finance great works, but if the work of the Lord is to be done - if the gospel is to be taken to the lost - it will be the "ordinary" Christian, made extraordinary by the Holy Spirit, who will do it.
Pastor John
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Galatians 5:1a
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.
As we celebrate Independence Day this past week, I hope we thought about the personal freedoms that being Americans gives us. However, one of the myths circulating today is that Christianity stifles personal freedom. Even though scripture speaks of the liberty that Christ offers, some people resist Christianity as an obstacle to freedom. These people base their feelings on the problem of legalism in the church (a list of "dos and don'ts" rather than a relationship of love and grace) and their own desire for pure autonomy (the right to do whatever they want with no accountability). Both of these ideas are wrong. True Christian freedom is Christ-like freedom. Christ based His behavior on what His Father wanted Him to do (John 8:29). His freedom has no hint of legalism, but is centered around the absolute standards of God the Father. Let's enjoy our freedom as Americans and Christians, taking inspiration from the most liberated being who ever lived, Jesus Christ!
Sharon Armstrong
As we celebrate Independence Day this past week, I hope we thought about the personal freedoms that being Americans gives us. However, one of the myths circulating today is that Christianity stifles personal freedom. Even though scripture speaks of the liberty that Christ offers, some people resist Christianity as an obstacle to freedom. These people base their feelings on the problem of legalism in the church (a list of "dos and don'ts" rather than a relationship of love and grace) and their own desire for pure autonomy (the right to do whatever they want with no accountability). Both of these ideas are wrong. True Christian freedom is Christ-like freedom. Christ based His behavior on what His Father wanted Him to do (John 8:29). His freedom has no hint of legalism, but is centered around the absolute standards of God the Father. Let's enjoy our freedom as Americans and Christians, taking inspiration from the most liberated being who ever lived, Jesus Christ!
Sharon Armstrong
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