Sermon Outlines

Five Simple Steps to Discover God’s Plans for You

2013-02-17T23:34:00.002-08:00

The very title, “Five Simple Steps to Discover God’s Plans for You,” likely has some of you already objecting. “You’ve got to be kidding! Simple? Discovering God’s plans?” Others of you are already thinking about your own questions:

Who should I marry?
Should I go back to school?
Is this the place where God wants me to serve?
Should I start my own business?
Should I homeschool my kids?
When should I buy a home?
When should I retire?
Where is God calling me?
Is this job a dead-end?
What’s the next step in my life?
Which church should I attend?
Am I really on track with God’s will for my life?

Does “Five Steps” sound too simplistic? Maybe. Is it possible we sometimes complicate God’s will or God’s plans for our lives? How do we figure out those plans? Just what are those plans?

God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:11 gives us a clue: “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)

Two Things to Believe

From that verse we can believe two things:

God’s plans are always good (not harmful to us).
God’s plans are always designed to bring us good (hope and a future).

But how do we handle the big decisions in life? How do we know if we’re making the ones that will bring good for us?

The Five Simple Steps

Here are five simple steps that might help. They’re not exclusive, and may appear too simple for you. But I believe they work:

ASK. You want wisdom? James 1:5-6 says to ask God for it. But believe God will give it to you. Most of us have a tendency to figure things out on our own. God is saying, “Hello, I’m here. I made you. Trust me.”
BE FAITHFUL WHERE YOU ARE. God will not give you greater opportunities or responsibilities if you aren’t faithful with what He’s already entrusted you in the smaller areas of your life (See Matthew 25:21). Serve Him cheerfully, gratefully, faithfully, wherever you are, no matter what your lot in life may be right now.
LISTEN. Continue to study and pray (and even fast), watching for insights from God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. Other trusted believers can help balance your perspective. But in the end, God and His Word never change (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17). God will not “tell” you to do something that is against His righteous character or contrary to the principles in His Word. His Word is powerful, bringing instruction, correction, training, and equipping us thoroughly “for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Trying to make decisions without consulting God or His Word is like trying to find our way through a dark tunnel without a flashlight.
WAIT. Waiting is not always easy. Sometimes God gives you more than one good choice. That happened to us one year when two churches were interested in my husband coming to serve as a new staff member. Both churches seemed like possible fits. We considered both, but had no answers. So we waited and prayed. Before we had to make a decision, God had eliminated one and cleared the way for the other.

However, another time earlier in his life, Larry faced two good decisions. Both seemed great choices: attend college or serve in a missionary program for two years first. He ultimately decided God would have been pleased with either choice. So he ultimately chose one with confidence

Joel Osteen: 7 Keys to Successful Public Speaking

2013-02-12T18:00:00.002-08:00

Whether you are a religious person or not, there is no denying that Osteen is an influential speaker and that he has something to teach anyone who wants to improve his or her public speaking skills. Here are the 7 keys that make Osteen a popular communicator.

Introduce a theme. Osteen always introduces a theme at the beginning of his presentation. He will begin his remarks by saying, “I want to talk to you today about staying passionate about life,” or “I want to talk you to about having a big vision for your life.” Introducing a theme gives your audience a roadmap. Make sure your stories, anecdotes or examples tie back to your main theme.

Tell stories. Osteen fills his sermons with personal stories. Some are simple anecdotes about something that happened to him, his wife or his kids. Many are stories of friends, people he’s met, or churchgoers in the congregation. Our brains are not programmed for abstract thoughts. Tell personal stories to connect with your audience.

Use humor, sparingly. Osteen starts each sermon with a joke or a humorous observation. I never recommend starting a sales presentation with a joke because it will often land flat. Osteen has years of practice and his congregation expects him to start with a joke but I don’t recommend it for everyone. However, humor is important. It’s perfectly acceptable and even welcome to take yourself lightly during a presentation. Osteen’s sermons are delivered live and edited before broadcast. I once saw a live sermon and, as every speaker does, Osteen make mistakes. But he doesn’t let those mistakes derail the rest of his presentation. In fact he makes light of it. “As it says in Corinthians…” he once started a sentence before pausing. “Well, you know what it says in Corinithians,” he quipped when he forgot what he was going to say next. The audience laughed, Osteen smiled and just kept going. It’s okay to make mistakes. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Use parallel sentence structure. Writing or speaking in parallel sentences is a rhetorical device that you will hear in most great speeches or presentations. For example, Osteen recently said, “Once you know you’re a ‘no lack’ person, you won’t run from your enemies, you’ll run to your enemies. You won’t run away from college, thinking it’s too hard, you’ll run to it knowing that you’re well able. You won’t run away from that management position, thinking that you’re not qualified, you’ll run to it knowing that you’re well equipped.” Consider using parallel construction somewhere in your presentation. It’s a memorable way to get your message across.

Practice well ahead of time. I’ve heard Osteen say that he prepares for five days ahead of each sermon. That means he begins to prepare, write, and rehearse on a Wednesday for the following Sunday’s sermon. He’ll spend hours for each 30-minute presentation and he starts fresh every week. Whenever you see a leader who communicates so well it looks “effortless,” know that there’s a lot of practice that went into it.

Avoid notes. Osteen’s preparation shows because he rarely speaks from notes, although he does have notes. The notes are placed discreetly on his lectern. He always speaks in front of the lectern or next to it. As he moves to another part of the stage, Osteen glances at his notes, makes eye contact and continues talking. Don’t break eye contact with the audience by speaking from notes. Give yourself enough time to practice so you can deliver your message with confidence.

Inspire your audience. Osteen’s message is always positive and inspiring (to the dismay of some of his critics). I think whether you’re a religious person or not, inspiration is very important in presentations and communications. Many people are uninspired, demoralized, and discouraged. They are looking for someone to believe in. As a leader of a congregation or of a business, people are looking to you for inspiration. Leave them on a positive note.

Osteen didn’t start out as a confident speaker. In fact he didn’t want anything to do with preaching and was perfectly content behind the scenes at his father’s church. Once he decided to preach he was a nervous wreck, tellingOprah Winfrey that the week before his first sermon was the worst week of his life. He got through the first sermon and has worked on his skill every week since. Becoming a great communicator is no longer a skill that’s just nice to have. It’s essential for success in any field.

HAVING THE RIGHT ATTITUDE TOWARDS YOUR PASTOR/CHURCH LEADERS - Hebrews 13:17-13:18

2013-02-11T00:50:00.000-08:00

1. RESPECT / HOLD IN HIGHEST REGARD / LIVE IN PEACE

1 Thess 5:12.13 “Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other”.

Vs 12 - respect - To hold with favour/give due recognition.
- work hard among you - Paul implies that the work of a pastor / elder / church leader is hard work.
- over you in the lord – The work of church leaders include ruling, overseeing and watching over the flock (shepherding them).
- who admonish you – Leaders have to counsel the flock (admonish – to warn / caution / reprove gently)

Vs 13 - Hold them in the highest regard in love - Not for their high position but in
appreciation for their work [Note: An elder or pastor is also a brother (see Matt 23:8-12) but has to be held in the highest regard because of the awesome responsibility associated with the office to which God has called him]. Pastors, Elders and other leaders have to teach, preach, visit the sheep, administer, pray for the sick, encourage, restore, bring reconciliation, overseer, shepherd etc..

- live in peace with each other - Right relationships between leaders and those
who are under them are encouraged.

2. REMEMBER \ CONSIDER \ IMITATE.

Hebrews 13:7 “Remember your leaders who spoke the Word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

2.1) Remember your leaders who spoke the Word of God to you - recall the blessings
that have come to you under the ministry of the leaders. “Remember the hand that feeds you.” Don’t turn against the leaders when you disagree with them with regard to some plan or programme. Don’t criticize, ridicule or reject them. It is said that dogs are sometimes better than people at “remembering the hand that feeds you.” (oops !).

2.2) Consider the outcome of their way of life - Look back on the outcome of their way of life and the good that it has done for your own life.

2.3) imitate their faith - 1 Cor 4:15-17 (Paul’s example): “… I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

3 John 11 “Do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.”

(See 3 Jn 9-12: THE EVIL EXAMPLE OF DIOTREPHUS).

(What the leaders are, the people will also be).

3. OBEY / SUBMIT / PRAY

Hebrews 13:17,18 “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. 18 Pray for us.”

3.1) Obey your leaders

(i) The church is a THEOCRACY, which means that the government of God prevails i.e. the elders rule under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The church is not a democracy where everyone has a say in how the church is to be governed. The pastors (who are normally also ordained elders) and the other elders form the Governing Body at Cornerstone. This is the highest ruling body at Cornerstone, and is, we believe, in line with God’s Word. We must obey the leadership who has been ordained by God. If the leadership does not exercise the ministry to which God has called them, i.e. to rule (amongst other things), we will have “every man doing that which is right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6).

(ii) Congregation members must take heed to the counsel given by the leaders because “they keep watch over you as men who must give an account”. (3 John vs 4 “I have no greater joy than to hear my children are walking in the truth.” The greatest sorrow of any Christian leader must be to see those whom he leads growing further away from God.)

3.2) submit to their authority - SUBMISSION IS OBEDIENCE. Dictatorial leadership
(as in the case of Diotrephus above) is not condoned by this command but respect for authority, orderliness and discipline in the church are taught throughout the New Testament. (Don’t think yourself too wise to take counsel from the elders).

3.3) they keep watch over you as men who must give an account – Each believer has the responsibility to strengthen other believers. This is especially true of those who shepherd the flock.

3.4) a joy and not a burden - A joyful elder will be of benefit to God’s people. (cf vs.17 “..no advantage to you”)

3.5) “Pray for us” (i) “This is one part of the duty which people owe to their ministers. Ministers need the prayers of their people; and the more earnestly the people pray for their ministers, the more benefit they may expect to reap from their ministry.” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary).
.

4. ACCUSATIONS AGAINST ELDERS

4.1) Go to him as a brother (Matt 18:15-17) eg. Paul to Peter

4.2) An accusation against an elder can only be brought to the rest of the church leadership on the basis of two or three witnesses.
1 Tim 5:19: “Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses.”

5. FINANCIAL REWARD FOR LEADERS

5.1) 1 Tim 5:17-18: ‘The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. 18. For the scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the corn,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”’

5.2) Gal 6:6 (NIV): “Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.”
Gal 6:6 (Amplified Bible): “Let him who receives instruction in the word [of God] share all good things with his teacher [contributing to his support].”

(Compare Gal 6:6 to 1 Tim 5:17 above – the elders … worthy of double honour … especially … preaching and teaching).

N.B. The above scriptures would normally refer to “full-time” ministers who “should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Cor 9:14 – see 5.3 below)..

5.3) 1 Cor 9:7-14 Sowing and reaping by ministers of the gospel..

6. WARNING

6.1) 1 Samuel 26:9-11 (David concerning Saul) ‘But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless? 10 As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord Himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. 11 But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. …”’ (See also 1 Sam 24:6, 10). (Elders are anointed and appointed by the Holy Spirit [Acts 20:28]).

6.2) Numbers 12:1-15 Miriam and Aaron challenging the leadership of Moses.

(1 Sam 15:22) “Rebellion is like the sin of divination.”

THREE REASONS TO BE THANKFUL by Eddie Lawrence

2012-11-29T05:21:00.001-08:00

Introduction: A visiting preacher to a small country church delivered a sermon on "Gratitude." At the conclusion of the sermon, when an offering was to be taken up for him, he said, "And remember, however small the gift, always be grateful and thankful to the Lord."
Well, the offering was taken up, using the preacher's hat as a 'collection plate.' When the hat came back to him, the preacher looked inside: It was empty!

Seeing this, the congregation watched carefully to see if he would practice the words about "gratitude" which he'd just preached.
He thought for a moment, then prayed, "Dear Lord, I thank thee that I got my hat back!" (from esteeple website)
Transition: Being a thankful person is not always easy. As a matter of fact, it is contrary to our fallen nature and requires that we live out of the resources that Christ gives us.
TEXT: Colossians 3:14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Transition: In the passage we just read, I desire to call your attention to verse 15. Notice that it begins with the word "And" which connects it to what is already been said about putting on love. But it also indicates that what follows is seen as having it's own characteristic. Verse 15 has three components. It talks about the peace of God, it talks about being part of the body, and it talks about being thankful. I believe that all these truths are connected. So, as we go into this holiday week called "Thanksgiving", let me share with you three reasons from this text that we need to be thankful.

1. YOU CAN'T BE PEACEFUL IF YOU'RE NOT BEING THANKFUL
Peace and ingratitude cannot sleep in the same bed together, nor do they fellowship in the same soul. There is something about the nature of ingratitude that keeps a person from being filled with the peace of God.
We are told that peace is to rule in our hearts. The word "rule" in this verse means to serve as an umpire. The Holy Spirit cannot release peace to us when we are living out of bounds. And the land of ingratitude is definitely outside the boundaries of God's will for us. There are no benefits that come with ingratitude.
Do you enjoy hanging out with someone who is always demonstrating how ungrateful they are? They are always negative? Always pointing out what is wrong with everyone else but never see it in their own lives? I would venture to say that none of us here would deliberately choose such a person for our friend. Neither does the Holy Spirit.
If you think about it, when we are being ungrateful, it is a sure sign that we are not at peace with our place in the world. We are not at peace with how God is caring for us. We are not at peace with our "lot" in life.
2. YOU CAN'T BE IN UNITY IF YOU'RE NOT BEING THANKFUL
Paul writes that collectively we are called to a life of peace and to live in unity as a body. As I just mentioned, we find it difficult walking in unity with people who are ungrateful.
Think about it. If God can't please someone, then how can we? How can thankful people and unthankful people really walk in unity and agreement and serve the purposes of God together.

TWO CHOICES:

We will live with one of two orientations in our lives: We will be focusing on God's goodness, blessings, and all that He has done for us. OR, we will be constantly complaining about what has not yet happened, what He has not done yet, or what others are not doing, or what the government is not doing, and on and on it goes. And most people who live this way, seldom see their own irresponsibility or need to change.
In Romans 1:21, Paul writes about how the lost world has turned away from God and have gone into foolishness and darkness. One of the things he mentions that is part of their make up in denying God he states in three simple words, "nor were thankful."
Being unthankful leads us into foolishness and darkness.
Can we take some hard facts here? If we are not a thankful people, we are a foolish people. If we are not a thankful people, we are not choosing light but darkenss. Ingratitude indicates that some darkness has taken root in our hearts and leading us into foolish thinking and living.
How many church issues and problems may very well be solved if we just became more thankful for what we do have, for what God is doing?
ILLUS-This reminds me of one of Aesop's Fables about a Father and his sons.
A Father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed the bundle into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. They tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it.
He next opened the bundle, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons’ hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words: “My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this bundle, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks.”
Being thankful helps us to "stick" together and therefore accomplish more together than we could apart. God has called us together and one of the ways we stay together is to be thankful always!
3. YOU CAN'T BE WHO YOUR SUPPOSE TO BE IF YOU'RE NOT BEING THANKFUL.
Paul tags two little but powerful words to the end of verse 15. BE THANKFUL! It is not a suggestion he is making. It is a charge to live a thankful life.
Being thankful means that we are full of thanksgiving. There is always something to thank God for in every situation. Notice I said you can thank God regardless of the situation. I did not say you had to be thankful for the situation, but you can still thank God in the situation. May I remind you of what some unknown soul once said,
"Do not grumble because you do not get what you want; be thankful you do not get what you deserve!"
Ah, this is so true isn't it? What God has already done should suffice us to be grateful for eternity.
HERE IS A THANKSGIVING TEST?
If a recording angel has been following you around for the last month recording every word you have spoken, every thought you have thought, and interpreted every bodily response to every situation you have encountered, would such a record convince a jury that you truly a person who lives a life filled with thanksgiving? Or would you be convicted of being an ungrateful person?
An even harder question is: What is my first response when faced with difficulty? Am I thankful or unthankful? May God help us to get to the place where we quickly go vertical and thank God for what we do have instead of what we don't. How that would help us to see that God is still in charge and will take care of us.
ILLUS- A lawyer had successfully handled a difficult law case for a wealthy friend. Following the happy outcome of the case, the friend and client called on the lawyer, expressed his appreciation of his work and handed him a handsome Moroccan leather wallet.
The lawyer looked at the wallet in astonishment and handed it back with a sharp reminder that a wallet could not possibly compensate him for his services. "My fee for that work," acidly snapped the attorney, "is five hundred dollars."
The client opened the wallet, removed a one-thousand dollar bill, replaced it with a five-hundred dollar bill and handed it back to the lawyer with a smile.
Conclusion: How many blessings we forfeit because our hearts are not right…we are not thankful to God. Paul also wrote to the Thessalonians, "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." It is God's will for us to be thankful. It is one of the ways, that we can glorify God in our lives.

HOW GOD TESTS OUR FAITH by Rick Warren

2012-11-09T17:52:00.001-08:00

Pastor Tom and I want to talk to you about, How does God test our faith?

The Bible says in Matthew 9:29 "According to your faith it will be done unto you." That’s one of my favorite verses in the Bible. What are you expecting God to do in your life? This is the law that God has established. It’s called the Law of Expectation. The fact is, we tend to get what we expect out of life. We tend to see what we expect to see. We tend to hear what we expect to hear. We tend to feel the way we expect to feel. We inevitably accomplish what we expect what we’re going to accomplish. This is the law of faith. God says you get to choose. Because "According to your faith it will be done unto you."

Another important verse on faith in the Bible is Hebrews 11:6. "Without faith it is impossible to please God." How many of you are parents? How many of you are pleased when your children trust you? God is the same way. God is our heavenly Father and God is pleased when we trust Him. That’s why the Bible says without faith it’s impossible to please God.

You can obey God. You can do the right thing and still not be pleasing God because you’re not doing it in faith. So it’s important to learn how to live expectantly as you learn to live by faith.

"Whatever is not of faith," the Bible says in Romans 14, "is sin."

Because that’s true we need to talk tonight about how do we grow in our faith. In Luke 17:5 the apostle said to Jesus, "Lord increase our faith." How do you do that? I’d like to have more faith. I know you’d like to have more faith. If that’s what pleases God then I want to have more of it. The question is how? If faith is what makes my life rewarding and fulfilling and confident how does God build my faith?

Let me ask you this: do you take vitamins for it? No. Is there some kind of therapy you go through to have your faith built? No. Is there some seminar that’s going to build your faith? No, not really.

Here’s the secret. And it’s not really something you’re real excited about when you first hear it. But the truth is God builds your faith and my faith by testing it. He builds our faith by putting it to the test, by trying it. Faith is like a muscle and when it’s stretched and it’s pulled then it develops. When you test your muscles against weights then your muscles develop. And your faith develops as it is tested.

You don’t develop your faith just setting on your blessed assurance in church. James 1:3 says this "The testing of your faith [circle this] develops perseverance [circle "develops perseverance"] so that you may be mature and complete." He says the purpose of these tests is that our faith, our perseverance will grow and will be mature and complete.

Job says the same thing speaking from experience in Job 7:17-18 "What is man that You make so much of him and that You give him so much attention and that You examine him every morning and test him every moment." Circle "test him." Did you realize that God is testing you every moment of your life? In the Purpose Driven Life book I talk about how life is a test and it is temporary assignment and it’s a trust. These are the facts of life. Every moment of the day your faith is being

Sermon Series of Alan Carr

2012-10-10T18:20:00.003-07:00

Sermon Series

1. The Riches Of God's Grace

2. The Dawning Of A New Day

3. Loser, Laymen, And Leaders

4. Home Improvement

5. Biblical Worship: What it Is And Why It Matters

6. Joseph: God Meant It For Good

7. The Deacon

8. Jesus: The Suffering Servant

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9. Back To The Future

10.Great Invitations Of The Bible

11.The Prison Experience Of The Bible

12.David: A Man After God's Own Heart

13.The Bible: God's Perfect Word

14.Behold The Lamb

15.Lord, Teach Us To Pray

16.Moments With The Master

How to win over your problems - by Alan Carr

2012-10-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

How To Get Past Your Jordan
Joshua 3:1-6; 14-17

Intro: Because of their unbelief, Israel was sentenced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. Those years have now expired and the children of Israel are poised to enter into Canaan Land. They are ready to claim their inheritance in the land of promise. However, before they can enter Canaan, they must first get past one final, major obstacle: the Jordan River. Normally, this would not have presented much of a problem, since the Jordan was only 100 feet wide at Gilgal where they crossed. However, it seems that God always does things in such a way that no man can boast of having done them on their own. This crossing would be no exception. You see, God brought them to the Jordan River at the time of harvest, 4:15. Those who have been there during the harvest time tell us that the Jordan swells to an impassable width of over 1 mile! It was over 50 times wider than it normally would have been when Israel arrived. There was no way they could cross this river on their own! They needed supernatural help.

My friends, we each have Jordans that we face from time to time! When we look at the obstacles that stand between us and spiritual victory in our own Canaan, we may feel that we will never be able to enter our Canaan of victory and enjoy the abundant life that Jesus promised His followers. Well, it is true that I do not know what kind of obstacles that you face in your life, I do a God Who specializes in overcoming the overwhelming and in leading His children to victory.

This morning, I would like for us to look into this account of Israel as they got past their Jordan. As we do, I would like to offer you some hope as well. You see, the things that worked for them over 3000 years ago will still work for you and me today. Allow me to show you from chapters 3 and 4 of Joshua How To Get Past Your Jordan. There are 3 steps that we must take to guarantee that we will be able to get past that obstacle that blocks our way and enter our Canaan. Let me share these steps with you this morning.

I. 3:1-13 WE NEED TO EXAMINE A MESSAGE

A. V. 3-4 It Involved A Challenge - When it came time for the people to move forward to cross Jordan, God has a message that they needed to hear. In the words they heard, they were challenged to do three very important things. These things were designed to help them follow the Lord better. These are the same things that we need to hear this morning that will help up to follow the Lord better as well.

1. Watch God - Notice that the Ark of the Covenant is mentioned some 7 times in chapter 3. The Ark, you may remember, was that special piece of Tabernacle furniture that symbolized the presence and power of God. When the Ark was in the Holy of Holies, the glory of God rested upon it and it was the dwelling place of God. To Israel, it represented God's presence in the midst of His people. In other words, when God moved, they were to move. When God stopped they were to do the same.
(Ill. There is a valuable spiritual lesson in this passage for you and me. We would do well, when we face times of crisis, or when we need direction in life to learn to be sensitive to the movement of the Lord in and around us. It is a fact that God loves you and that He will show you what He is doing, John 5:19-20. If you will watch Him, He will teach you how to live day by day.)
2. Follow God - When they saw the Ark of the Covenant move, they were to "leave your place, and go after it" Not only were they to watch God, they were to move when He did. They were to pursue God!
(Ill. Again, the lesson for the believer is that it isn't enough to know what God is doing, there comes a time when you must "leave you place and go after Him." This may require us to leave our comfort zone! Israel was about to follow the Ark through a river that was over 1 mile wide! That couldn't have been easy, but it was still necessary and right! Folk, following God may not be the easiest thing you will ever do, but it will be the best thing you ever do. If you ever expect to get past your obstacles and enter your Canaan, you must learn to follow God.)
3. Honor God - Notice that the Israelites are told to stay at least 3000 feet behind the Ark. This was so that they could easily see what was happening ahead of them. Another reason is that the Lord wanted no one but the Levites near the Ark. To get too close would have meant death.
(Ill. Again, there is a lesson here for us as well. We must never be guilty of treating God like is one of our buddies. There must always be a holy reverence and a fear of the Lord in our hearts. God help us that we never allow a spirit of familiarity cheapen or walk with the Lord. Regardless of what we go through with holy, righteous God and we are still nothing but sinners saved by His marvelous grace.)
(Ill. Simply put, these three things are most easily accomplished by learning to walk in the Spirit. That is, learning to give control of your life to the Spirit of God and to follow God as He leads through His Word and through prayer. It may not always be easy, but I can promise you that if you will follow, He will certainly lead!)
B. V. 5 It Involved A Command - Next, the people were told to "sanctify yourselves." This referred to being sure they were as clean and holy s possible. They were to put away anything that was displeasing to the Lord. They were to examine themselves and get ready for the Lord to do something great for them.
(If you and I ever expect to get past the Jordan's that arise in our lives, we are going to have to learn that one of the first things we must do is examine our lives to make sure they are as clean as possible. May the Lord help us to realize that many of the things that happen in our lives that prevent us from walking in Christian victory are the results of our sin and the Lord's chastisement, Gal. 6:9; Heb. 12:6-11. Christian, is everything in your life just as the Lord would have it to be? Remember, there is forgiveness in confessing our sins to the Lord - I John 1:9)
C. V. 9-13 It Involved A Commitment - This message to the Israelites reminded them that getting across the Jordan did not rest on their shoulders, but on the Lord's. It was His plan to get them over and it was His problem. In these verses, He makes them a promise and tells them that He will bring them through in a powerful fashion. God, here, commits Himself to bringing his people across their Jordan! All that was required of Israel was that they trust God!
(Ill. May I remind you that things have not changed one bit? If God could be trusted in those days to keep His promises, then He can still be trusted today! Often, we are unable to get past the obstacles in our lives because we live a life that exhibits a deep lack of faith in the promises of God! How do I know? Because of the worry and doubt that marks the lives of the people of God.

1. We worry over tomorrow, yet the Lord has said - Matt. 6:34.
2. We worry over material things, yet the Lord has promised - Matt. 6:25-33; Phil. 4:19.
3. We worry about facing various things in life, yet the Lord has promised - Heb. 13:5
4. We worry over so many things, yet the Lord tells us that all of our worry is sin and that our duty is to trust Him - Phil. 4:6-7.
5. The bottom line is this: Jesus is all-powerful, He is all-knowing and He is all-present. He knows what you are going through. He knows everything there is to know about it. He even knows more about it than you do! Here is what He says to you: "The just shall life by faith", Rom. 1:17; "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin", Rom 14:23; "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith", Matt. 8:26.
(Ill. What He says to us is that He is the Lord and that He is greater than any problem we have ever or will ever face in life. His desire is that we simply learn to take Him at His Word and trust Him. We need to remember that what the Lord has promised to do, He will do, Rom, 4:21)
That is the message, let us take it to heart!

I. We Need To Examine A Message

II. 3:14-17 WE NEED TO EXPECT A MIRACLE

A. V. 15b There Was A Problem - As I mentioned in the introduction, the children of Israel were facing a big problem. The river was over 1 mile wide and there were 2 million people who had to cross, and yet the Lord wanted them to go over. They couldn't build a bridge, there wasn't enough time or materials. They couldn't transport everyone over in boats, there were no boats and they would have ben sitting ducks for their enemies. There was only one way around their problem and that was through it!
(Ill. Have you ever sized up your problem and thought about how big it was? Maybe you looked at it and concluded, "There is no way around, through, over or past this problem." I suppose we have all been like the 10 spies that returned from spying out the land of Canaan with Caleb and Joshua. We have sized up our problem and think that it is more than we can ever face, Num, 13:31-33. Our problem was the same one we always have when we face a difficult situation: we forget about God! Where we see only problems, God sees only solutions. Where we look at things and say, "There's no way!" God looks at the problem and says, "Follow me, I have a plan!"
B. V. 15 There Was A Plan - The plan was this, God said, "When the feet of the priests enter Jordan, I am going to part the waters and lead you through on the dry ground!" There was a catch in this plan and it was that the waters would not part until the priests who were carrying the Ark stepped into the water. In other words, it took a step of faith, whereby the people obediently followed the Lord for them to see the miracle come to pass.
(Ill. What a lesson for you and me. Too often, we want the Lord just to fix everything in our lives for us. We don't want to have to make any decisions nor do we want to have to exercise our faith in Him. We just want Him to do it and that will be the end of it. However, most of the time, God will require us to take steps of faith in order that we might see our Jordan parted. God had a plan, but for this plan to work, it required faith on the part of His people! The same is true for you and me! As long as we are trying to solve our own problems we are not walking in faith. It is when we turn loose of the reigns of the problem, step away from it and let the Lord have it that we will see it taken care of for His glory. It never is about what we can do, it is always about what the Lord is able to do, Eph. 3:20!)
C. V. 16-17 There Was A Performance - When the priests stepped into that raging river, it parted and God opened a path of dry ground through the waters for His people. By the way, verse 16 says that the waters backed up to the City of Adam. This is some 20 miles north of where the children of Israel were crossing. God made them a path through the water that was more than adequate for His people to get through.
(Ill. We need to remember that faith honors God and God honors faith! When He does it, it won't just be patched up and ready to fall apart again, it will be done right and it will be done forever. Folks, I want to encourage you this morning by reminding you that this God Who did this great thing for Israel is still the same God we are serving this morning! What He did them, He can do now. He was ABLE all the way through the Bible, and He is still ABLE today! Regardless of the circumstances, He is still God and He still can! Ill. The question that plagued the Jews, Psa. 78:19. God can! Just ask, Noah, Moses, Daniel, the 3 Hebrews, a widow down in Zarephath, the Disciples on a little ship, and Saul of Tarsus. Just look back over your own life. How many times has the Lord opened your Jordan already? He is all we need! He is still the same miracle working God that He always had been. Learn to expect miracles when you are dealing with God!)

I. We Need To Examine A Message

II. We Need To Expect A Miracle

III. 4:1-24 WE NEED TO ERECT A MEMORIAL

(Ill. When all the people had passed over Jordan, Joshua commanded one man from each of the 12 tribes to get a rock from the midst of Jordan and build a memorial on the Canaan side. That memorial is worth taking a look at this morning!)

A. V, 6-7; 21-24 The Purpose Of The Memorial - These verses tell us that the purpose of the memorial was to remind successive generations of the power and faithfulness of God on behalf of His people. That memorial would be an important landmark to those who would come after.
(Ill. By the same token, we need some memorials in our lives as well. However, we must use caution, we do no want to embalm the past and by doing so cripple the future. Many churches have done that and are suffering as a result. What we do want to do, however, is remember the things the Lord has done for us so that we can tell others about them and so that when we come that way again, we will remember that the Lord was faithful in that day and that He will be faithful in this day as well. Never forget what the Lord has done for you in your yesterdays. It is those yesterday experiences that will tide you over when the trials of today and tomorrow arise in your life!)
B. V. 9, 20 The Picture In The Memorial - Ill. It is interesting to notice that Joshua constructed 2 monuments. One on the bank and one in the river. These 2 memorials served 2 different purposes. Notice what they were.
1. V. 20 A Picture Of The Faithfulness Of God - The one on the bak of Jordan stood as a testimony to the faithfulness of God as I have just mentioned. It was there to remind others of what the Lord had done and of what He could do. Again, we need to remember the faithfulness of God in the past. It will help us cross the Jordan we face today.
2. V. 9 A Picture Of The Faith Of The People - Now, what about the rock pile in the river? No one could see it but God! It stood as a monument to the faith of the people! You see, when you face a time of trial, others are often guilty of misjudging your motives and actions, however, only God knows the truth about your heart. Even though Israel couldn't see it, they knew the monument was there! They remembered that they had believed God then and it had worked. This was a monument in their hearts.
(Ill. We need that same kind of monument as well. As I said, too often we are misjudged by others in our times of trial, but God alone knows you heart. When you have trusted Him and He has brought you through, never forget it! Build that monument in your heart, where only God can see it, and where you wil never forget it and when the tough time comes again, and it will, look at that monument of His faithfulness and of your faith and know that what worked before will work again. God will bring you through your Jordan!)

Conc: Some of you are facing troubled waters this morning. I want you to know you can cross over. I invite you to come before the Lord this morning. Tell Him about the Jordan you are facing and allow Him to get you past it today. There is a place of victory where you can shout in spite of your troubles. The first step in getting there is dealing with what is keeping you out: your Jordan. It may sin, it may be some person, it may be some trial, but whatever it is, God is greater than it is. Come and let Him take care of it for you.

Rick Warren: Every Pastor Needs A Mentor

2012-07-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

Every pastor needs a mentor. No matter what stage you are in your ministry, you need someone to coach you. All sorts of organizations use the mentoring process to make people better at what they do. In medicine, doctors mentor younger doctors. In music, musicians mentor other musicians. Why? It works. We learn best when we have people who can speak into our lives and ministry. Proverbs 19:20 says, “Get all the advice you can and be wise the rest of your life.”

I will always need a coach – no matter how old I get or how successful I become. Lebron James is one of the best basketball players on the planet. He still needs a coach. You will never get to a point in your life when you can say, “I’ve learned it all. I don’t need anybody else to help me.”

A mentor brings out the best in you in three areas: your roles, your goals, and your soul. Mentors give us perspective. They help us look at ourselves and our ministry from the outside. We don’t always see what we’re doing outside of our own perspective. We see from our own limited focus. We need somebody else in our life to say, “Have you thought about…? What about this? What about that?”

Saddleback would not be where it is today without men who’ve poured their lives into me – people who’ve made me look at my ministry in a different light. Proverbs 15:22 says, “Plans fail for lack of counsel but with many advisors they succeed.” What God has done through Saddleback over the past 30 years hasn’t happened because I’m smart. It’s because I’ve had great mentors and advisors. They are people I’ve bounced ideas off of and gotten feedback from.

What do you look for in a mentor? Let me suggest three qualities –

1. Someone who has the character and values you admire. You want to find a mentor who is the kind of person you want to be.

2. Someone with the skills and experience you want. Look for another pastor who has the particular ministry skills you want to improve upon. Maybe it’s preaching. Maybe it’s leadership. Maybe it’s a pastor who has successfully navigated through a building campaign. Find someone who is good at something you want to be good at.

3. Someone you trust. If you don’t trust your mentor, you’re not going to learn anything from him. Just because a mentor has a lot of knowledge doesn’t mean you’ll click with him. To make a good mentoring experience, in time you’ll need to be able to open up to the person you choose.

Ask good questions. Once you pick the right mentor, you’ll need to make the most of the time you have with that person. Neither you nor your mentor have unlimited time. What can you do to maximize your time with your mentor? Ask questions. Before you meet with your mentor, spend some time thinking about questions you want to ask. Think about what issues you’re dealing with in your ministry. Think about what areas of your mentor’s ministry you’d like to learn from. Be specific.

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One of my mentors was a guy named Billy, who had a mentor himself. Billy went to a large church in Texas and put himself under the pastor. At the end of six months, Billy went to him and said, “I’ve watched your teaching for six months and I’ve never heard you preach a dud. God speaks through everything you teach. Every time you teach there’s power, practical information, and good insight. I would like to know how you stay fresh. What’s your secret?”

The man told Billy, “About 35 to 40 years ago, I made a commitment to stay fresh, so I could feed other people. To do that, I read through the New Testament once a week.” Billy sat there dumbfounded, trying to think up an intelligent follow-up question to ask. “What translation do you read it in?” Billy asked. The Texas pastor said, “Usually in the original Greek.”

Billy later told me that he could have been with the guy for five or six years and never found out the secret to his freshness and spiritual depth if he hadn’t asked the question. Anyone – at any time – can be a mentor if you learn to ask questions. Everyone has a reservoir of knowledge, skills, and experience they can share. A wise person will learn to draw them out.

If I were to sit down with you, I’d learn some things that would make me a better pastor. I’m sure of it. You’ve had experiences that I haven’t had – and vice versa. Be prepared with standard questions to ask every time you get around someone you might learn from. Questions like –

How do you handle stress?
What have been the greatest successes in your life?
What were the causes of those successes?
What were the greatest failures in your life?
What would you do differently if you were starting over?
What kind of books do you read?
How do you manage your time?
How do you manage your money?
What have been the greatest lessons you’ve learned?
What have been the greatest surprises in your life?

Successful people give off clues. Look for those clues. Pull them out and learn from them

Joel osteen: Refuse to worry Video Sermon

2012-07-30T01:14:00.001-07:00

Video Sermon of Joel Osteen: Refuse To Worry

How To Encourage Yourself

2012-07-29T22:02:00.001-07:00

Do you want to be successful?

You’ve got to learn how to encourage yourself.

Because there are days when you won’t receive any encouragement from anyone else, you’ve got to do it yourself.

There’s this one passage in the Bible that I love so much. It says, David encouraged himself in the Lord. (1 Samuel 30:6)

Let me tell you the Bible story behind this verse.

David and his men—600 of them—went away to work and left their wives and children in their camp called Ziklag. Three days later, tragedy struck. The Amalekites, sworn enemies of Israel, attacked and burned the entire village to the ground—and taking all the women and children with them as slaves.

When David and his men arrived, the Bible says his men “wept until they could weep no more.” Can you imagine 600 men crying at the loss of their wives and children? Can you imagine 600 men weeping over a pile of burning rubble that was once their home?

You think that was bad? It got worse. The Bible says that these men—once upon a time fiercely loyal to David—wanted now to stone David to death.

I’ve noticed that when things go wrong, human beings want to look for someone to blame. We always want to look for a scapegoat to vent our rage.

Imagine you were David.

You just lost your family. Your kids were taken away from you. Your home is now but ashes under your feet. You now own nothing except the clothes that you’re wearing. And the friends that you thought were friends now want to kill you.

This is what you call an Impossible situation.

In other words, it’s a Ziklag…

Are You Going Through A Ziklag?

Are you going through an Impossible situation?

Then you’re going through Ziklag right now.

Perhaps you lost your job. Perhaps you lost your possessions. Perhaps you lost your friends. Perhaps you lost a loved one.

In Ziklag, you have a choice: You can do what the 600 soldiers of David did or you can do what David did.

The 600 men wept and found someone to blame. (Because hurt people hurt people.)

But I love what David did. In the midst of an impossible situation, he did the impossible. What was that? The Bible said, “David encouraged himself in the Lord.”

Let me explain what that meant…

Getting Encouragement From Within

Normally, we get encouragement from people around us.

And rightly so. Because we’re the Body of Christ.

When I feel burdened, the first person I go to is my best friend—who happens to be my wife Marowe. She’s not a preacher. If given a choice not to shop for a year—or to speak in public—she’d choose not to shop for a year. (Okay, maybe one week…) But she’s my encourager. She’s the builder of my faith. When I tell her my burdens, she doesn’t even say anything. She just listens—and I feel my burdens are lifted up from my shoulders.

And I’m spoiled. God gave me the most fantastic friends on planet earth. They’re my Super Friends, my Avengers Team. When I’m going through my struggles, I share it with them—and when I do—I don’t feel alone anymore.

But I believe there are times when we go through Ziklag. Ziklag is a place where even the family and friends that we depend on aren’t there. Perhaps because they’re busy. Or because they’re faraway. Or because they themselves are going through some struggle—and they’re not there for us.

And that’s where you have to learn how to go to God directly.

Ziklag is the place where your relationship with God goes to a whole new level.

Ziklag Is A Furnace…

Let me warn you…

Ziklag is a burial place and a birthplace. It’s where boys are buried and kings are born.

Ziklag is a furnace. If you are made of wood, you will be pulverized. If you are made of gold, you will be purified.

Ziklag is a rock. You can be crushed under the weight of the rock or you can stand on top of the height of the rock—and see the world in a whole new perspective.

Ziklag is a sword. It can kill or it can cut. It can kill your soul or it can cut the cancer in your soul.

In Ziklag, David had to learn a very important life skill, a life skill you need to win permanent victory: You need to learn how to encourage yourself in the Lord. Do not wait for others to encourage you. Do not wait for your spouse to encourage you. Do not wait for your friends to encourage you. Do not wait for your leaders to encourage you. You need to learn how to encourage yourself in the Lord.

How To Encourage Yourself

I don’t know what David did specifically. The Bible doesn’t say what he did.

But I have a guess.

Because I’ve been through Ziklag many times. And I know how I encouraged myself.

I believe David went back into his own history to remember those special times when he saw God intervene in his life. Like when God rescued him from the bear and the lion. Or when God rescued him from Goliath with a stone and a slingshot.

I have those special stories too. I dig deep and remember them….

Like the day God called me to preach when I was twelve…

Or the day God rescued me from my addictions…

I even remember the small miracles in my life.

Let me tell you one of them…

Recall God’s Interventions

Twenty-five years ago, I attended a graduation ceremony in PICC. Not as a preacher but as a photographer. My cousin was graduating and I volunteered to take his pictures. To do that, I borrowed a friend’s expensive camera, complete with a long lens that the paparazzi use. I went up in the balcony and took lots of photos.

It was a long graduation ceremony.

By the time it was over, it was evening.

After the ceremony, I congratulated my cousin and walked back to my borrowed car. (Borrowed camera, borrowed car… You get the picture how poor I was then?) But when I rode the car, I noticed that my bag was light. I looked inside it. To my horror, I saw that the long lens was gone!

I knew that long lens was expensive—more expensive than the camera itself. And I was a poor missionary. I stepped out of the car and looked back at gigantic PICC. Where will I look?

I remember praying, “Oh God, you’ve got to help me!” Immediately, I felt peace. I knew God was in charge.

I walked back to the building, taking a shortcut through the grass. Picture this: I was walking on grass in the dark. And that was when I felt an inner nudge to stop walking.

And I did. At that exact spot, I felt the same nudge to bend over and reach down. In that darkness, I stooped down and held something round. I lifted it up—it was the camera lens!

The grounds of PICC are massive and covered with darkness. It was literally like finding a pin in a haystack.

I remember that day and tell myself, “If God guides me for a something as small as a camera lens, I believe God will guide me for the bigger things in my life.”

God allows Mt. Tabor experiences in our lives to ready us for Mt. Calvary experiences. In Mt. Tabor, Jesus showed Himself with brilliant light beside Moses and Elijah to Peter, James, and John—because he knew that in a few days, they’ll experience the horrific sight of him hanging on a criminal’s cross. When they start doubting, “Did I follow the wrong guy?” they can look back that once upon a time, they saw a glorious Jesus.

Which reminds me of a very important point in the story of David and Ziklag…

God Will Return What Was Stolen From You

David wasn’t only seeking for Encouragement. He was also seeking for Enlightenment. He asked God, “Can I pursue the Amalekites? Can I overtake them?”

God told David, “Pursue the Amalekites. You shall be able to overtake them.” So David rallied his men and they chased after the Amalekites. They found them in the middle of a party, drunk and distracted. They attacked them, defeated them, and took back their wives and children. They also brought home the spoils of war—the wealth of their enemy.

When you experience loss, I believe that if you “encourage yourself in the Lord”, you’ll experience what David experienced: God returned to him what was stolen—plus interest!

What kind of interest? The Old Testament says that the thief, once caught, should return seven times what he has stolen. (Proverbs 6:30-31)

Have you lost anything?

Whenever I lose money in business, I ask God to return it to me sevenfold. It happens.

If you go to the courthouse of men, they may punish the thief and ask him to return what he has stolen. But if you go to the courthouse of God, claim in faith that God Himself will see to it that what was stolen from you shall be returned sevenfold.

Perhaps you’ve lost a loved one. Perhaps a parent just passed away. Perhaps you experienced a miscarriage. And there’s a deep wound in your heart. Believe me, God will not only return this person to you sevenfold, but eternal-fold. Be patient. In Heaven, you’ll be reunited with your loved one forever and ever and ever…

Video Sermon of Morris Cerullo in Puerto Rico

2012-07-18T17:40:00.002-07:00

Morris Cerulo

2012-07-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

Morris Cerullo (born October 2, 1931) is an American Pentecostal Televangelist.

Early life and ministry
Cerullo, whose evangelistic ministry is based in San Diego, California, was born in Passaic, New Jersey to a Russo Jewish/Italian family. His parents died in an automobile accident when he was only two years old. By virtue of being of half Jewish parentage, he was then raised in an Orthodox Jewish orphanage in nearby Clifton, New Jersey, in which he recalls being led out of by heavenly messengers. This experience then led him to a receiving Jesus Christ as his Savior at age fourteen. From this experience he then begin preaching the gospel at the age of sixteen after claiming to have seen a vision from God, in which he witnessed people suffering torments in Hell. He then later attended and graduated from divinity school in New York State in 1953, and began ministering with the help of his then soon-to-be bride Theresa.

Power of Prayer
There are many claims that people at his rallies were healed of serious medical conditions by the power of prayer. After the prayer many people came forward giving testimony of miracles that they feel have happened to them or to those they have brought with them to the meetings. His posters for a London appearance featured abandoned canes and wheelchairs.

Schools of Ministry
For many years Morris Cerullo conducted repeated “Schools of Ministry” in several countries like Mexico, Brazil, The Philippines, Korea, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Indonesia, Netherlands and many others. During these “SOMs” one of the days of the conferences he would preach in an open air crusade, or a large theater/arena, and lead people in a commitment to Jesus Christ and then would pray for healings to happen in the crowd. He would have the school of ministry students test the genuineness of the reports from the people’s testimonies. After the large mass meetings he would charge the “SOM” school of ministry students to reach out to their countryman with the same message being inspired by the results of the public rally. Cerullo often stated that not he, but Jesus Christ was the healer. He would encourage faith in, as he would say, “the written and the living word of God.”

Personal
Morris and Theresa Cerullo recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary and are the parents of three children, David (b.1952), Mark (b.1960) and Susan (b.1961). Cerullo still travels as a missionary in 2009. Cerullo and his son David, who serves as Inspiration Network’s CEO, were both featured in a May 23, 2009.

Heritage USA
In 1990, Cerullo purchased, from the United States Federal Bankruptcy Court in Columbia, South Carolina, the assets of Jim Bakker’s bankrupt ministry, PTL.[citation needed] These assets included the Heritage USA Christian theme park in Fort Mill, South Carolina which he purchased in partnership with Malayan United Industries (Berhad). After a dispute with his business partners over his issuance of discount cards to the theme park, the Malaysian entity bought out Cerullo’s interest in Heritage USA.

The Keys to Church Growth

2012-07-16T17:54:00.005-07:00

The key to church growth lies in our ability to motivate and activate the general membership to reach the lost in an avenue in which each feels comfortable. Very few churches have even come close to achieving this. We have a pastor system among our preachers and a passive symptom among our members. How can we activate the entire church to be evangelistic? Answer this question and you hold the key to church growth in your hand!

A. The process of church growth as a whole can be divided into four steps.

THE FOUR "E'S" OF GROWTH:

Evangelize the lost
Edify the new convert
Equip the willing
Entrust to the faithful

Every specific method of evangelism can be placed into one of three pigeon holes. Every Christian's conversion can be categorized into one of these holes:

children of members
mass media approach
personal approach.

The mass media approach employs newspaper advertising, radio and TV programs, mail drops, correspondence courses, Bible Call recorded messages, gospel meetings, etc. The personal approach employs a personal invitation to those with whom we have developed a relationship, such as neighbors and friends. It also includes the invitation of persons contacted during door-to-door canvassing, random telephoning, and in the parks and shopping malls.
I believe we must place most of our emphasis in the personal approach category. Placing the emphasis on mass media approach hampers our goal of activating all the members to reach the lost because the members are not required to do anything personally. They are content to just supply the money and rely upon the preacher. On the other hand, the personal approach is wholly dependent upon individual effort. Success will be limited unless the individual is doing his part.

Generating Contacts (Luke 14:23)

Luke 14:23 tells us to go into the highways and hedges and COMPEL the lost to come to the great feast. Most churches need to place more emphasis in this area of work. Many churches have a number of members capable of teaching the gospel. Unfortunately, the talents of capable teachers are often not utilized because of the lack of effort in contacting people and locating those who want to study (seekers). The shortage of seekers can cause capable soul winners to become idle. We must recognize our deficiency in this area and put much more emphasis on contacting and finding seekers.
It is my opinion that mass media methods such as mail dropping and newspaper and handbills on windshields should only point in one direction the correspondence course. I suggest, for example, that church services not be advertised at all. Replace these advertisements with an enrollment coupon for a correspondence course or a number for a Bible Call messages.
The personal invitation avenue of contacting seekers contains the most potential for new contacts. It is powerful but often neglected. Three basic categories of the personal invitation approach are: first, personally inviting those we know our friends, family, neighbors, and fellow-workers. The key here is conduct or letting your light shine. Second, personally inviting anyone we run into during the normal course of the day. The key here is alertness to opportunity. Third, aggressively inviting unknowns by phone, door-to-door contacts, contact in the parks, etc. The key here is boldness.
The focus of most personal invitations is best directed toward the Bible discussion groups in the home. (Also called cottage meetings or Luke/Acts readings. ) Begin by personally inviting those you know. However, before long this avenue will be exhausted and you will be forced to invite those you don't know. In order to have continued success, a change in lifestyle will be required so that you automatically and instinctively invite everyone you come in contact with. At this point you are only interested in the names and phone numbers of persons interested in Bible study.

Cultivation Studies (John 4:7-42)

Cultivation studies are an important intermediate stage between the point of contact and a one-on-one Bible study. This stage is often overlooked. Bible correspondence courses, Bible discussion groups, Jule Miller filmstrips (Nos. 1, 2, and 3 only), and the 2-minute Bible Call messages are all examples of cultivation studies.
Once we find a seeker, we need to cultivate their interest in the gospel. At this stage you are not trying to convert them but you do have two very important objectives. First, develop their thirst for more Bible study. Second, allow a cold contact to become a warm contact by letting them develop a personal relationship of trust toward you as a person and a Bible teacher. The account of Jesus and the woman at the well in John 4 is an excellent example of the principles behind a cultivation study. Jesus discussed spiritual things in such a way as to develop her interest and trust in him as a person and teacher.
All efforts to contact people should be directed toward only two Bible study programs: the correspondence course and the Bible discussion group. It simplifies things for a local church to have only one main program in each of the two areas of contacting people mass media/correspondence course and personal/Bible discussion groups.
It may be that a person is contacted through the Bible Call number advertised in the personal column of the newspaper. They then enroll in the correspondence course offered daily on Bible Call. After completing the course, they check on lesson four that they want to attend the Bible Discussion Groups. After they have attended a number of these small group studies, set up the Jule Miller filmstrip study and show lessons 1 through 3 only. Now you are ready for the next stage of development the conviction studies. Now, for the first time, your primary motive is for them to be converted to Christ.

Conviction Studies (Acts 24:25)

Cultivating their interest may require several months. You have developed a relationship with the seeker. They trust you as a teacher and respect you as a human being. Now, your purpose is to convict them to bring them to a point of decision about becoming a Christian be it positive or negative. A good example of this kind of study is when Paul tried to teach Felix about righteousness, self-control and judgement in Acts 24:25. Paul brought Felix to a point of decision. Felix replied, Go away for the present and when I find time I will summon you. Ever heard that before?
Although a number of conviction study sequences are available, such as Ivan Stewart's, Charles Goodall's Same Hour Of The Night, Bradford/Nerland question/answer series, and the McDonald system, there is very little available to choose from. Much more thought and energy needs to be put into this important area. I am amazed at how few evangelists have tried to develop their own study sequences. It is like a salesman who never develops his own sales pitch. The main thing to keep in mind with whatever you use is that the entire church is going to be taught how to use it. Some of the basic subjects addressed in most study sequences are: the Bible and authority, covenants, the New Testament church, denominationalism, the need and plan of salvation, and what it will cost to become a Christian. There is a need to have both a single and multilesson series prepared.

Grounding Studies (Matthew 28:18)

The fourth stage is most commonly called follow-up. We all know that we neglect follow-up, but when are we going to start doing something about it? We are losing souls every year. It is like someone who smokes. They say they should quit and know it harms their body, yet they keep smoking year after year. We know the virtues and importance of grounding studies yet we keep neglecting them. An example of this kind of study is found in Acts 14:21-23 when Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Derbe strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith. Another example is in Acts 15:36 where Paul said, Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word to see how they are. Matthew 28:18,19 says we are to make disciples (conviction studies), baptize them, and teach them to observe all I have commanded you (grounding studies).
The best way I have seen to follow-up a new Christian is by using a combination of two methods. First, have a rotating new converts class on Sunday morning. The one we had in Lethbridge, Alberta, had about 30 lessons. By rotating, I mean that if a babe in Christ enters the class at lesson 20 they will continue through the end of that series of classes (lesson 30) and up through lesson 19 in the next series. After completing the 30 lesson series they will join the regular adult class. The 30 lesson series is taught in a cycle over and over. Every cycle has one teacher and an apprentice. During the next cycle the apprentice becomes the teacher and a new apprentice is selected. Great experience for the men! Watch it spark life into the church.
The second follow-up method has the babe in Christ studying one-on-one with someone every week ideally, with the one who taught him the gospel. This develops a close friendship and provides an opportunity to give him the personal attention he needs at first. The revolving class and the one-on-one studies will provide for almost every need of a new convert. Generally, the revolving class has doctrinal lessons while the one-on-one lessons are exhortational. The kind of follow-up I have suggested here is a big project but one that is long overdue in every church.

Training Studies (2 Timothy 2:2)

This is the stage where you teach them to fly on their own, take the training wheels off, and where you produce producers. Most Christians are capable of teaching the gospel after receiving some training; therefore, everyone who is going to be involved in teaching the lost and grounding the new converts needs to go through some kind of training. Both men and women should be involved in the training studies. (Remember, most of the new converts are women. So train the women to convert and ground other women.) Some of the men who progress through the training studies are the evangelists of tomorrow! It is the church's job to train men for full-time service.

FOUR GENERATIONS OF 2 TIMOTHY 2:2

Paul: The things you learned from me
Timothy: "you"
Faithful men: Entrust to faithful men
Others: Who will in turn teach others

Training studies can be broken into two basic levels:

LEVEL 1:

Train Christians to teach the gospel to the lost; then train them to ground the new converts they have led to Christ. Prepare the outlines for the conviction study sequence and the grounding lessons. Make these outlines available at the building or some other central place that has 24-hour access.

LEVEL 2:

Every growing church will need to develop new leaders. Now you instruct mature Christians to TRAIN younger Christians to teach the lost and the new converts. This is exactly what 2 Timothy 2:2 says to do, The things you (Timothy) have learned from me (Paul) entrust to others, who will in turn be able to teach others also.

Summary

At the outset, we asked how we can motivate the general membership to reach the lost. As you can see, it is hard work and will require us to change the way we have been doing things. Church growth can be broken down into two parts:

Part 1. Three C's before baptism:

Contact them
Cultivate their interest
Convict them

Part 2. Three T's after baptism:

Teach them (grounding)
Train them to ground others
Train them to train

Benny Hinn: Preaching the miracle of money

2012-07-11T19:07:00.003-07:00

Evangelical faith healer Pastor Benny Hinn claims he can cure the sick, make the crippled walk and rid terminally ill patients of cancer.

But Hinn’s supposed spiritual powers were no match for Brisbane’s peak-hour traffic.

The multi-millionaire was 50 minutes late for his Australian “miracle crusade” after his limo became stuck in traffic on a notorious stretch of the Gateway Arterial Freeway.

When Hinn eventually arrived at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre at Boondall, in Brisbane’s north, he wore a white shot silk suit. Standing in front of a 350-piece choir, the televangelist, whose sermons are broadcast in 192 countries, strutted the stage, his brass buttons flashing and Madonna-style microphone headset firmly in place.

The 10,000-strong crowd reacted. Young children, teens, adults and the elderly rose to their feet. They wept, rocked and chanted, cried silent tears, spoke in tongues and smiled as the Californian preacher, who lives in an $8 million waterfront mansion in Orange County, performed a 20-minute rendition of the hymn I Love To Praise Him.

In a roped-off section of the entertainment centre, faithful in wheelchairs, unwell elderly and other infirm waited for a “miracle”.

Kelly Smith, a paraplegic, travelled from Ipswich. The 43-year-old recently suffered two strokes and a blood clot, and her husband Gavin has cataracts on his eyes.

“We’ve tried everything,” Ms Smith said. “Feng shui, wind chimes, crystals and positive thinking. We really wanted to give this a go.”

Nearby sat seven-year-old Bernie Hudson. The bright-eyed Cairns local, who was born with spina bifida and now suffers scoliosis, begged parents Ken and Karen to bring her along. She sat in her small wheelchair and waited, excited about the possibility of being able to walk.

“She gets up every morning at 5.30am to watch Benny’s show This Is Your Day!” Ms Hudson said.

“She watches the pastor healing other people, and thought maybe he could do something for her.”

But business comes before miracles when Pastor Hinn is in the building, it seems.

After an hour of songs, Hinn preached a recurring topic. Gold and silver. Silver and gold. The flamboyant non-denominational preacher, who receives an estimated $A110 million in donations per annum, used scripture to encourage crowd members to give. “Do you know how much gold the children of Israel gave Moses to build a tabernacle?” he asked. “Fifty thousand ounces of gold, 150,000 ounces of silver. In today’s prices that’s over 40 million US dollars in gold alone. I don’t know how much that is in Australian dollars, but that’s a lot of gold . . . and God blessed them.”

Hinn, who owns a $36 million private jet, continued in the same “rich” vein. For 90 minutes he talked dollars. The term “wealth transfer” was uttered 20 times in 10 minutes. “Gold” and “silver” was said 35 times in six minutes alone.

The man believed to be the world’s richest evangelist, who has repeatedly refused to join the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, continued his focus on the almighty dollar.

“If God tells you to give $5000, obey him,” Hinn said.

“If God speaks and says give $10,000, obey him. Do not argue with God.”

Yet, as he talked of God’s love, the pastor couldn’t hide his quick temper. The 56-year-old became angry when a crying child interrupted the sermon.

“People came to hear God’s word, not children crying,” he snapped, singling out a distressed mother. “Do something with that baby.”

Seconds later Hinn’s security guards, former gridiron players in pinstripe suits and dark glasses, distributed donation envelopes to the crowd.

What’s your view on Benny Hinn? Perth student Amy Andrews, 25, gave $1000 and pledged to donate more.

“Pastor Hinn says the more you give, the more wealth and love you receive,” she said.

Then came the healing – a surprisingly hands-off affair administered by Hinn’s Australian volunteers.

People were stripped of canes and Zimmer frames, those in wheelchairs helped to their feet. One man, in his late 50s, cried with what looked more like pain than relief.

For Ms Smith, the Friday night event was a disappointing affair.

“There was too much talk about money, about the more you gave the more God loved you,” she said.

“I feel drained, let down and let’s face it, I still can’t walk.”

Hinn held two more miracle crusades in Brisbane yesterday. He flew to Auckland for the New Zealand leg of his world tour last night.

The Osteens on the Power of Positive Believing (Part 1)

2012-07-10T17:51:00.002-07:00

CBN.com – How would you like to attend a church with 8,000 people? Pastor Joel Osteen has four services that large every week at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. Lisa Ryan recently visited Joel and his wife, Victoria, in Houston to find out what draws the crowds.
Pastor Joel Osteen makes you feel good. He’s positive. He is encouraging. That’s what draws some 30,000 people a week to Lakewood Church in Houston. It’s also why Osteen’s new book, Your Best Life Now, is on the New York Times bestseller list.
Osteen’s father, John, founded Lakewood in 1959. He pastored the church for 40 years until his sudden death in 1999. Joel never wanted to preach. He never went to seminary. He loved running Lakewood’s TV ministry – from behind the scenes. When his father died, Joel sensed an overwhelming call to the Lakewood pulpit.

LISA RYAN: It is amazing that your church has grown in the last six years from 8,000 to 30,000 people. How do you account for the growth that you’ve had? What draws the masses?
JOEL OSTEEN: I don’t know if it’s one thing, but I just think people respond to hope and encouragement and that atmosphere of victory in the celebration we have each week. There are so many things pulling us down during the week. They want to come and get something to lift them up.
LISA RYAN: I was amazed to see how much family has rallied around you in the last six years. It’s not just Joel Osteen. Your entire family has rallied around this.
JOEL OSTEEN: That’s right. My brother Paul, he came back. He left from being a surgeon for 17 years in Little Rock. He came back home and he shares up there. He and my sister Lisa, they alternate on Wednesday nights. And, of course, Victoria’s involved in all the services. You saw my mom up there. We just believe it’s not a one-man show. We’re all called to do this.
VICTORIA OSTEEN: I love the fact that we’re still just normal Joel and Victoria and our children and our dog, and we can still have fun. That is miraculous to me. God is wonderful. He has a good life for people, and I don’t think He wants us to be burdened down. I think our marriage is stronger than it’s ever been. I think we’re stronger than we’ve ever been. We’re just pushing forward.
LISA RYAN: With a church the size of yours, how do you meet the individual needs of people?
JOEL OSTEEN: The key, we believe, is to get more people involved. We have about 3,000 or 4,000 volunteers. We try to get everybody involved like that, and we have a lot of organization in terms of hospital ministries and care groups and cell groups.
LISA RYAN: Joel, before your father’s sudden passing, did you have a desire to preach or be in the pulpit or pastor?
JOEL OSTEEN: I never had. My daddy tried to get me up to speak for the 17 years that I worked behind the scenes, but I never had the desire. Naturally, I was nervous and kind of shy. I just didn’t want to do it. When my father died, it sounds kind of simple but I just had the desire to step up and pastor the church. It was what I was supposed to do. I just took that step of faith. Looking back now, I don’t even know how I preached back then. I didn’t know how to preach, necessarily, but God just gives you the grace to do what you need to do.
LISA RYAN: [to Victoria] Did you believe that this was something he could do? Did you encourage him?
VICTORIA OSTEEN: Yes, but I am Joel’s biggest fan, and I’ve always been Joel’s biggest fan because I, being his wife, know what’s inside of him. I could see more than he could see. We can’t always see what we can do, but someone who’s close to us can.
LISA RYAN: Did you have an inkling when he walked into your family’s jewelry store 17 years ago that this was the man for you?
VICTORIA OSTEEN: Not at first, but after awhile. It wasn’t that it wasn’t love at first sight, but I was just cautious. It didn’t take long to realize. What I did know about him was that he was everything that I wanted in a man. He came from a good family. He had great character. He was kind and he was considerate, yet he was strong. After 17 years, going on 18 years -- and that’s thrilling for a wife to say -- he still surprises me. He still excites me. My respect level -- and I’ve always said this -- goes up, up, up every year, and I love that.
LISA RYAN: [to Joel] Your book is doing extremely well. It’s been on the New York Times bestseller list. You’ve sold over 1.5 million copies, soon to be 2 million. Why did you decide to write a book?
JOEL OSTEEN: I just wanted to get the message that God had put into my heart into another form, because I knew the print media would reach a different group of people.
LISA RYAN: You talk about the power of thoughts and words. How do you stop the runaway thought life?
JOEL OSTEEN: I don’t think it’s enough just to get rid of those thoughts. You need to replace them with something else to dwell on. I like to replace them with what God says about me or with God’s Word. I think the first thing to do is to be aware that you can choose what you’re thinking about and that your life is going down the path that you’re thinking. So many people are looking at what’s wrong, and I try to encourage them to look at what’s right in their life. A lot of people have it a lot worse than you do. So, it’s just a matter of choice.
LISA RYAN: There are always critics whenever there is any success. Your critics say that you’re light on theology, that it’s a simplistic, merely motivational message. How do you respond to that?
JOEL OSTEEN: I made a decision when my father passed away that I was going to be who God made me to be and not try to preach like my father or somebody else. I feel like what’s come out of me is the gift God has given me just to encourage people, to help them know that there’s a better life. I don’t argue when people say that my message is simple, but I believe Jesus’ message was simple. Jesus didn’t go around condemning people. The Bible says it’s the goodness of God that leads people to repentance.
LISA RYAN: Some people would say that it’s just positive thinking. Is there a Biblical foundation for positive thinking?
JOEL OSTEEN: Well, I think there is. It’s more than positive thinking because it’s backed up well by the Bible. It’s faith-based, positive thinking, but there are principles -- I’ll be the first to admit -- that will work for anybody if you put them into practice. People sometimes say, 'Well, Joel, you’re so positive. You’re too positive.' But you know what? The Bible says, 'Rejoice in the Lord always.' Paul said, 'I’ve learned how to be content in every situation.' That tells me that even in the tough times, I can say God’s got better days ahead and I can be positive even in those times.
LISA RYAN: What’s in store for the next generation of Lakewood?
JOEL OSTEEN: That we would really be able to help change the culture and not just a Christian or a church group of people. Let’s start affecting our whole city, and maybe we can affect the whole nation, the whole world. I’d like to affect it with the fact that God is a good God and He’s on your side and He’s got a good plan for you and when you put your hand in His, great things can happen.

Joel Osteen: The Power of Positivity (part 2)

2012-07-10T17:43:00.001-07:00

CBN.com – It's not easy pastoring 30,000 people, but Joel Osteen does it with a smile on his face. In the second part to this special interview, Lisa Ryan caught up with the busy Texan to talk about his positive preaching style and Lakewood's new church home.

Joel Osteen (preaching): I want to challenge you today to get out of your comfort zone. You have so much incredible potential on the inside. God has put gifts and talents in you that you probably don’t know anything about.
Lisa Ryan (reporting): Joel Osteen is called “The Smiling Preacher” – and no one wonders why. His brand of preaching is upbeat, full of hope and victory. Does it work? The 30,000 people who attend Lakewood Church in Houston think so. As do the millions who tune in to catch Osteen on TV.
Osteen’s father, John, founded Lakewood in 1959. He pastored the church for 40 years until his sudden death in ’99. Joel never wanted to preach. Never went to seminary. He loved running Lakewood’s TV ministry – from behind the scenes. When his father died, Joel sensed an overwhelming call to the Lakewood pulpit.

Joel (preaching): There is a place that God has specifically designed for you where all your needs will be supplied, where you’ll be happy and fulfilled, and where you’ll be using your gifts and talents to the full.
Lisa (reporting): Osteen’s new book, Your Best Life Now, is on the New York Times Bestseller List and has sold nearly two million copies.
Lisa: You talk in your book about having a good self-image. Is it selfish to want to have a good self-image?
Joel: I don’t think so. We are made in the image of Almighty God. [Yet we] go around not feeling good about ourselves with that weak-worm-of-the-dust mentality. So many people even talk about themselves: “You know what? I’m unattractive, my mind’s so slow, and I can’t do this.” And you know what I tell them? “God didn’t make a mistake when He made you. You need to see yourself as God sees you.”
Lisa: You spend an entire section of the book talking about letting go of the past. Is anyone too broken or too wounded to be healed?
Joel: I don’t think so. In a big church like our’s, we deal with people that have lost their children or [went through] some kind of accident -- things like that. You gotta say, “I don’t know why that happened to me, but I’m going to trust You that You’re in control anyway.” That’s what I try to encourage people with. You can live your life angry, bitter, mad at somebody or even guilty, not letting go of your own mistakes, but you won’t receive the good things God has in store.
Lisa: You talk about the benefits of adversity. How does that work for our good?
Joel: The Bible talks about how God uses difficult situations to develop our character and get us stronger. The death of my father is probably the biggest thing that I ever faced. Daddy and I were best friends. I worked with him all the time, and I thought, “How am I ever going to make it with my father gone?” But out of that darkness, out of that disappointment in my life, that’s what God used to push me into another level of victory or another level of ministry that I never knew I had.
Lisa: You say in your book that happiness is a choice regardless of our circumstances.
Joel: I see so many people say, “Well, Joel, I just don’t have a good job, or my marriage is not where it’s supposed to be.” Really it’s excuse after excuse to not be happy. To me it’s a waste. I’m going to look at what’s right and not what’s wrong in my life. I’m alive, I’m healthy, and you know, a good thing to remember is somebody’s got it a lot worse than we do.
Lisa: Do you think God is more concerned with our happiness or our holiness?
Joel: I think He’s really more concerned with our holiness. I think we need to live a holy and a Godly life. But I think when you do that, I think it all works together. You may never get to that perfect world that you’re waiting for where everything’s going to be perfect and you got that much money and your house paid off.
Lisa: Like the Walgreen’s commercial.
Joel: I know, yeah. (laughs) And you’re waiting for it, then it never comes. What a disappointment to not enjoy every day while you’re in the process of God changing you.
Lisa (reporting): Eight thousand people in a service would be plenty for most folks. But when Lakewood moves into Houston’s Compaq Center – they’ll have room for a few more.
Lisa: Joel, how many seats can you fit in here?
Joel: There’s gonna be about 16,000.
Lisa: Oh my goodness, and you’ll have no problem filling that on a Sunday.
Joel: Well, I hope not, I really feel good about it.
Lisa: Well, you’re not only doing this here, but you’re taking Lakewood on the road to other venues like this around the country, aren’t you?
Joel: We are. We’re going to do 22 different nights this year, all across America. Finally we decided to lease the big ones and thought if no one shows up, we’ll turn the lights off on top, but God just does more than we could ask or think and the places have all been full, so we’re excited about it.
Lisa: Did you ever dream that Lakewood Church would be in a facility like this?
Joel: I never did. And I grew up here, coming here as a big Rockets basketball fan, I had seats over there, sec. 104, row 5, and I saw Akeem, Larry Bird, and all those guys play here... I don’t say it arrogantly, but I believe one day they’ll be 100,000 people coming between four to five different services, and not for our glory, but I just believe church can impact the whole city, can impact the culture, so we’re just gonna believe for big things.

PRACTICES OF A POWERFUL CHURCH

2012-07-08T22:21:00.001-07:00

Text: I Thessalonians 5:23-28

INTRODUCTION:
"Such and such church is a great church!" Have you ever heard someone say something like that?
1. What is a great church? Large or small does not necessarily determine whether a church is great or not.
2. Some people believe that a church must be large in order to be great. Others believe that a church must be small to be great. A great church can be small or large.
3. Every church that is in love with Jesus Christ and obedient to Him is a great or powerful church.
4. Every Christian who is right with God longs to be a part of a powerful church.
5. The four practices of a powerful church are:
(1) The members live godly lives,
(2) The members pray for their spiritual leaders,
(3) The members are friendly to one another,
(4) The members study their Bibles.

I. THE PEOPLE LIVE GODLY LIVES (I THESS. 5:23-24)
How often the testimony of a church has been compromised and destroyed because the members lived impure and ungodly lives. In order for a church to be powerful, them members must live godly lives. How do people live godly lives? The apostle Paul gives the answer to this question in these verses. Let us give heed to what he says and pray that God will perform these things in our lives. As we consider how people may live godly lives, let us note the possibility of godliness (5:23) and the power for godliness (5:24).
A. The Possibility of Godliness (5:23)
The good news is that it is possible for us to live godly lives and to honor the Lord and enhance the testimony of our church.
B. The Power For Godliness (5:24)
Godliness can be a reality because of the fact that God can perform it in our lives. He empowers us for godliness.
That God is "faithful" means that He can be trusted or relied upon concerning all that He has said.

II. THE PEOPLE PRAY FOR THEIR SPIRITUAL LEADERS
(I THESS. 5:25)
Praying members are essential to a powerful church. One particular area in which the members of a church are to pray is for their spiritual leaders, especially the pastor.
A. The Statement of His Request (5:25)
The affectionate address, "brethren," is placed first in the sentence for emphasis.
Paul requested that the praying for him be motivated by the ties of Christian brotherhood.
B. The Substance of His Request
In order to understand Paul’s request for the prayers of his Christian brethren, we will consider his request for prayer in some of the other epistles.
In Romans 15:30,31 he asked for the prayers of his readers: "Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; That I may be delivered from them that do no believe in Judea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints."

III. THE PEOPLE ARE FRIENDLY TOWARD ONE ANOTHER
(I THESS. 5:26)
The formation of cliques can be the death of a congregation. God’s people need to be friendly and open to one another. This takes some effort, but it is effort that will be rewarded.
A. The Imperative of Friendliness
The word "salute" means "to greet, to bid welcome." It conveys the thought of extending friendly greeting to others.
The greeting was to be extended by means of a "holy kiss."
A kiss upon the cheek was a common form of oriental greeting among friends. Our handshake serves the same purpose.
"Holy" denotes that it is be an expression of Christian love toward fellow Christians.
B. The Inclusiveness of Friendliness
"All the brethren" gives the extent of the greeting. All the members of the congregation are to be greeted in a friendly and loving manner.
C. The Impact of Friendliness
Growing churches are known for their warmth of fellowship and genuine concern for people.
Note the commandment of Jesus: "This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you" (Jn. 15:12).

IV. THE PEOPLE STUDY THEIR BIBLES (I THESS. 5:27)
No congregation can be what it should be apart from a diligent study of God’s Word. Each member must take it upon himself to learn as much of the Word of God as he can. The Word of God tells us how to live in a manner that is pleasing to God and profitable for us.
A. The Propriety of Bible Study
Paul put these Christians under a solemn duty to read his epistle to the entire congregation.
The word "charge" carries the idea of "to put under an oath." The seriousness of the charge to read the epistle may be seen in the use of the phrase "by the Lord." Paul charged them by the Lord or in the Lord’s name to read the epistle to the entire congregation.
Paul wanted his readers to understand the instructions of the Word of God.
They could not do so without reading and studying it.
B. The Priority of Bible Study
A growing church gives priority to the Word of God.

V. THE PEOPLE APPROPRIATE THE GRACE OF GOD FOR THEIR LIVES (I THESS. 5:28)
The grace of God is essential for salvation and the grace of God is essential for Christian living. Salvation comes by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). The grace of God enables us to continue in the Christian life.
A. A Specific Grace. It is the "grace of our Lord Jesus Christ." That is, this grace has its origin in the Lord Jesus Christ.
B. A Sustaining Grace. The Lord gives grace for every trial to those who humble themselves before Him. James 4:6, "But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble."
C. A Sufficient Grace. The grace of the Lord is sufficient for any need that we may have. II Corinthians 12:9a, "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

The ABC of Sermons

2012-07-08T22:14:00.001-07:00

In the process of wrestling with God over Mission, Vision and Direction, I "fell into" a new sermon outline that has proved to be extremely helpful to me. And I love its simplicity. It goes like this…

Story-Opened

Open with a story that has enough weight to carry the entire sermon. It can be the context of Scripture you are preaching, but doesn’t have to be. But the story must be "heavy" enough to thread through the entire sermon.

Head

This is what some are thinking now. The wrong frame of thinking in their heads that is producing the wrong beliefs and wrong actions.

Heart

This is that God says we should be thinking and believing. The real Truth that will bring transformation to those who receive it.

Hand

This is what we should do with this new revelation of Truth
Many times I will break this up
A challenge to those Outside
A challenge to this Inside the Kingdom

Story-Closed

I like to go back and tie a knot in the thread of the story that has been woven through out the sermon. And end it in a way that adds an urgency to the previous challenge.

I’ve been using this for several months now, and our other campus pastors and teachers have found it be very valuable to them. It really helps when studying, and delivering, it’s really easy to keep in your head, and helps to add content in the right places.
I pray it will be a tool that you can use to impart real Truth and challenge to those you lead and pour into.

That Glorious Union

2012-07-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

Introductory Message:

We will attempt, and may I place great emphasis on the word "attempt", to exposit this great Letter of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesian church. An attempt is the highest achievement that any mortal man can achieve when it comes to understanding or explaining the uncovered mysteries that are contained in the book.

Ephesians is a complete book, in that it contains all the mystery concerning Christ and His church. This book is also a convenient book, in that the mystery of the church, as revealed to the Apostle Paul, becomes very clear to the serious saint who will exposit it correctly. But most importantly, Ephesians is a Christ book, in that we see our Lord as our heavenly bridegroom. In this attempted exposition, we will enable ourselves to receive a more heavenly and spiritual understanding, if we look at this great masterpiece of scripture as:

1) A Unrivaled Symphony

The aim of a symphony concert is, by musical standards, a progression of sound and intensity, until a pinnacle is reach near or at the end. These progressions are called octaves. Each musical octave contains eight notes and each note of the octave is sounded in a higher pitched note, with the eighth note being the highest. As this progression of sound travels from octave to octave, each octave achieves a higher composition, and the ultimate goal is to reach what is called a crescendo, which is the culmination and combination of all the octaves at the end with an enormous increase and intensity of sound. Now, in comparison, Ephesians is a heavenly symphony and our conductor is Jesus Christ himself. There are sweet notes of salvation, sound notes of seperation, and safe notes of security. However, there is one striking difference in an orchestrated symphony and this heavenly symphony. That difference is, that instead of building throughout the musical presentation to an ultimate end, Ephesians begins with a crescendo of out bursted sound and never comes back down the scale. In essence, it begins with a crescendo and ends with a crescendo. There are no dead notes, no flat notes and no skipped notes. This book is a masterpiece from the Master Composer. Only a perfect God could compose and conduct a perfect symphony.

2) An Unveiled Shadow

In the canon of scripture, there are many shadows and types of Christ. The Old Testament contains many pre-incarnate appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through these types, we see glimpses of the shadow of our Bridegroom. Now a shadow is only a representation and a promise that there is a substance that is producing the shadow. For instance, the shadow of a dog cannot bite, but the substance of the dog can tear you up. This book of Ephesians has seized the shadow, and traces the shadow back to the real substance. In this book, we are looking at shadows of the Bridegroom any longer, we are beholding the substance. This letter unfolds and unveils the mystery that the shadow produced and presents the promise and provision that only the substance can provide. While the shadow only contains a promise that there is a real substance, Ephesians reveals the substance, which not only fulfills the promise, but also contains the presence.

3) An Unfolded Suitcase

Many times, when I was preparing for a trip, I would wisely pack all the necessary items that would be needed upon arrival at my destination. Contrary to the fact that sometimes I would forget to pack some necessary item, and suddenly and sadly discover this fact, Ephesians is a well planned, packed and performing of every essential item This book is a suitcase that has been packed with loving forethought and when opened and examined, contains all the faith, facts and fashion that we will need, not only for the journey, but also for the jubilee that we will be attending. In this wonderful and heavenly packed suitcase, there are no unwanted or unneeded items. The essentials that we need in order to be washed clean, and all the clothing that we will desire to wear. Another wonderful observation is that the items in this suitcase are not just thrown in randomly, but are neatly and timely placed and packed in the order that we will need them in order to function by faith. As we are brought together to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, through the exposition of the wonderful book, let us look on with excitement and expectation at the Unrivaled Symphony, the Unveiled Shadow, and the Unfolding Suitcase.

FOUR LESSONS GOD TEACHES US AS HE PREPARES OUR HEARTS FOR GREATNESS

2012-05-08T17:59:00.000-07:00

1. HE is worthy of praise.

In loss and suffering, we realize the greatness of God. That is, our own powerlessness reminds us of His awesome power.

2. HE is to be trusted.

Through loss, God keeps His promises. He continues and finishes the work He begins in us.

3. HE is to be feared.

David learned, during this very difficult period of his life, to fear God. And the more we fear God, the less we fear everything and everyone else.

4. We are to walk before HIM.

Just the right place to find a schadenfreude

How choose christmas gifts for people you do not like

2011-12-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

Though you may hate someone with a burning passion, you may find yourself being forced to get them a gift. Such as your in-laws or people at work. But, it's Christmas time so just be nice and You need to release forgiveness to them. Tips to do it...

1. Obviously, you're going to want to not overspend so get them something that doesn't include a lot of thought and time but doesn't leave them thinking how crappy your gift is. So make sure you set a budget.

·Get them something that is generic, where it's not personal so you would be able to give it to just about anybody and it would work.

2. Don't wrap it with yesterday's newspaper though. Yes, we know you hate them, but it's Christmas so find some nice, simple, inexpensive CHRISTMAS wrapping paper. Not Easter or Happy Birthday.

3. When giving the gift, be polite and simply hand it to them, don't make faces or act like doing this is a big chore. Remember: stay classy.

4. and lastly, if this is a grab bag type of thing at the office, you're off the hook with handing it to them!

America's Future

2011-11-22T00:26:00.000-08:00

America’s Future

Charles F. Stanley
Scripture: Galatians 6:7-9
I. Introduction: Is it possible to predict a nation's future? Can we anticipate trends, such as blessing and liberty or poverty and oppression? I believe that a simple yet powerful biblical principle indicates where our nation is headed: You will reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow. This principle has tremendous implications for America's future. Given the seeds of wickedness that many in our nation are sowing, we are heading toward disaster. It's not too late to change course, but Christians must act now to preserve our precious liberties.
II. The Principle Explained

A. Whatever you and I sow today, we will reap more of later. Galatians 6:7-8 says, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."

B. "Sowing to the flesh" refers to indulging the "self"—surrendering to our tendency to sin
(Gal. 5:19-21). Those who practice a life of sin will eventually experience corruption, suffering, and death.

C. "Sowing to the Spirit" means we surrender to the Holy Spirit and allow Christ to live His life through us (Gal. 5:22-23). If we sow to the Spirit, you and I will have supernatural peace in the midst of difficulty and earn eternal rewards.

D. A person who sows wickedness will not escape the harvest of his or her actions. Galatians 6:7 cautions us to avoid lying to ourselves that we will be the exception to the rule. If America really believed what the Bible says about consequences, our nation would not be heading in its current direction.

III. The Principle Applied

A. The United States was founded on the principles of Scripture. For generations, no one questioned praying or teaching the Bible in school. Court cases and sessions of Congress opened with prayer. During that time period, we sowed faith in God and reaped the blessings.

B. About 50 years ago, things started changing in our nation.

1. Prayer and Bible reading were banned from public education.
2. Anything that mentioned God was removed from government buildings. Example: the Ten Commandments
3. Crosses and other symbols of our faith came under attack, mostly through the court system.
4. We legalized killing unborn babies and have murdered 50 million so far.
5. Same-sex unions are recognized as marriages in some states, although God's Word forbids homosexual acts (Lev. 20:13).
6. More and more, the name of Jesus is a forbidden word. Scripture says the Father gave Him "the name that is above every name" (Phil. 2:9). Can God continue to bless this nation if we refuse to honor the One who gave His life so we might truly live?

C. Essentially, as a nation we have said, "We don't need You, God." In the fifth chapter of Isaiah, verses 20 and 24 warn, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil . . . Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble and dry grass collapses into the flame, so their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel." Man can pass laws legalizing ungodly behavior, but God's principles don't change.

D. What are our scriptural responsibilities?

1. We need to stand up and live out the godly life we profess. If more pastors and other leaders had consistently preached biblical truth, we would not be in the situation America faces today. As believers, we need to faithfully live out our convictions.
2. Speak up. Don't be ashamed of the name of our Savior. One day, "every knee will bow . . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Phil. 2:10-11).
3. Cry out to God to change the direction of our nation. He promises that He will respond to that prayer (2 Chron. 7:14). The spiritual core of our nation needs to change, and that change must begin in the house of God.

IV. Conclusion: We reap what we sow, more than we sow, and later than we sow. This fundamental biblical principle is true both in our personal lives and on a national level. We will reap the consequences for our disobedience. Make sure your life is contributing to the spiritual health of this nation, not detracting from it. If you and I want to live in a free country, we must be willing to take responsibility for maintaining our liberty.

A Financial Plan

2011-11-22T00:22:00.000-08:00

A Financial Plan

Malachi 3:3, 6-15
Dr. Charles Stanley
I. Introduction—During these difficult economic times, many people are thinking about their finances. The national debt, high gas prices, and a struggling housing market are causing people to re-evaluate their financial plans. But do their plans match those of the Lord (Mal. 3: 7-15)? God’s plans are the very best, and in His Word, He has given us the wisdom we need to avoid the bondage of debt and attain His blessings.
II. God’s financial plan of promise requires active participation from us. It requires us to step out in faith and actively participate by tithing.

What is tithing?
1. A tithe is ten percent of what we produce or earn.
2. In the simplest terms, it is a penny of every dime you have. The same policy is as true for a dollar or for a million dollars. God provides all that you enjoy, so you must be willing to give a portion of it back to honor Him for all He has blessed you with.
The command is clear.
1. It should come from our first fruits, not our leftovers (Prov. 3:9-10).
2. We are to bring it to the storehouse—the church—to accomplish the work God would have us to do (Mal. 3:10; 1 Cor. 16:2).
The purpose is clear. The Lord asks us to give to benefit both our own financial health and the community. Tithing allows for three important things:
1. To provide for the work of God. Our tithes provide for the ministry of the church in its day-to-day operations and to assist those in need both physically and with the Gospel (Acts 2:44-47).
2. To prove the faithfulness of God. When you and I tithe, the Lord promises to bless us for our faithfulness. He tells us “Test Me now in this. . . I will. . . pour out for you a blessing until it overflows” (Mal. 3:10).
3. To properly honor God. Tithing allows us to express reverence for the Lord, the source of all good things in our lives (James 1:17). We honor Him when we acknowledge His blessings in our lives, and He blesses that. Remember, our Father will never let us be in need when we are obedient.

III. God is saying two things . . .

Obey Me. Obeying God in all areas of your life, including your finances, is wise. Blessings will always follow when we are in the will of God.
Trust Me. God doesn’t tell us, “I might pour out blessings if you obey.” He tells us, “I will give you more than you feel like you can receive.” In fact, Jesus said, “Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over” (Luke 6:38). We simply cannot outgive God!

IV. Consider the promises. Those who have claimed the Lord’s promise have not been disappointed. He has transformed their lives. When you tithe, God promises:

“I will . . . open you the windows of heaven” (Mal. 3:10). In other words, you will experience the Lord’s provision firsthand.
“I will . . . pour out for you a blessing until it overflows” (v. 10). As you honor God, He increases the blessings in your life in wonderful ways you could never imagine.
“I will rebuke the devourer” (v. 11). The Father will protect you, your family, your job, and all your possessions.
“All the nations will call you blessed” (v. 12). The Lord will give you a powerful testimony among your friends and loved ones. Many will come to know Him through your obedience. Also, your children and grandchildren will learn from your example.

V. Consider the penalties. Refusing to tithe is the same as robbing God, and discipline is sure to follow (Mal 3:8).

Because of your rebellion, unbelief, and ingratitude . . .
1. You miss out on God’s awesome provision and blessing.
2. You experience the effects of disobedience in every area of your life.
3. You are outside the Father’s umbrella of protection.
4. You damage your testimony because of your unbelief.

VI. Conclusion—Do you believe the Word of God? Do you have faith that the Father will save you and provide for all your needs? Then trust Him with your tithe and watch as He provides for you. Surely, He will fulfill His promise to bless your obedience.

A Call To Godly Living - Charles F. Stanley

2011-11-22T00:16:00.000-08:00

A Call to Godly Living

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Introduction: God desires that every believer lead a righteous life. But our culture places a tremendous amount of pressure on Christians to "fit in." The doctrines of our faith are often mocked and ridiculed in the public arena. Individual believers sometimes make spiritual or moral compromises in an attempt to be accepted. How can we resist the secular influence of our time? In Romans 12:1-2, the apostle Paul reveals how to pursue holiness and resist compromise.
God calls us to godly living.
1. God's call to surrender our lives to Him as living sacrifices is reasonable because He redeemed us from spiritual darkness and adopted us as children.
  - In Romans 1-11, Paul explains salvation, victorious Christian living, and the Lord's ultimate plan for Israel. In Romans 12:1-2, he urges believers to give control of their lives to God in light of all He has done for us.
2. We must make the choice to give control to the Father.
  - As God's people, we no longer have the right to run our own lives, but He still allows us to choose whether or not to surrender. Your entire being—including your mind, will, and emotions—should be yielded to God.
3. We are called to be living sacrifices.
  - Becoming a "living sacrifice" means we allow the Holy Spirit to live through us. As we surrender to the Spirit's guidance and leadership, He empowers us to live a godly life.
4. The apostle also urges believers to be holy sacrifices.
  - In Greek, this word means "set apart" (as in "for a special purpose"). In one of the paradoxes of our faith, sanctification—or being made holy—happens immediately at salvation, but it is also a lifelong process.
5. Our lives should be acceptable to God.
  - As believers, we ought to be different from the world. Our goal should be to act as Jesus did: forgiving, loving, and helping others—yet knowing when to speak the truth in love or share our faith. When we sin, we should be quick to confess and repent.
    
    A godly lifestyle will attract some people to you, and it will drive others away. But sometimes the same people who resist the gospel will seek out a believer for help when life gets difficult.
Those who live in a godly manner will face conflict with the world.
1. Pressure from those in the world sometimes causes believers to compromise their convictions.
  - As individuals, Christians sometimes justify compromising the truth in this way: they claim they are "being a witness" by spending time with ungodly friends, even when that includes making unrighteous choices. Instead, we should make sure our best friends are believers who take their faith seriously
    (2 Cor. 6:14-15, 17; 1 Cor. 15:33). Our highest priority should be to please God rather than to fit in with the world.
2. Paul warns believers, "Do not be conformed to this
  world" (Rom. 12:2).
  - The media frequently portrays the idea that if we become rich, attractive, influential, or famous, we will be happy and content. But none of things guarantee joy. Don't let our culture shape your value system and determine your priorities.
3. To resist conforming to the world's image, you must "be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom. 12:2). But how?
  - Fill your mind with Scripture. It is through the Bible that we learn God's perspective.
  - Focus on positive, righteous, and holy things (Col. 3:3; Phil. 4:8). This should include choosing friends and entertainment wisely.
  - Apply biblical truth to your heart. As you go about your day, ask God to show you how to put into practice the principles of His Word.
  - Practice the presence of the Lord. God is always with you. Ask Him to make you more sensitive to His presence. As you allow the Holy Spirit to live through you, He will help you withstand temptation and become more Christlike.
Conclusion: The key to living a godly life is full surrender. That means we must let God have complete control over our lives. The Lord is looking for faithful men and women who will stand up for truth in a world that is increasingly opposed to the gospel. Rather than base your standards on popular opinion, allow Scripture to set your values. Answer the Lord's call to a godly life, and you will never be the same.

Jesus Heals the Woman with Blood Issue

2011-10-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

What can we know about this woman from these passages?

She was suffering from menstruating bleeding issue for 12 years.
She had spent all she had to get cured. (Luke 8: 43 (KJV) – “And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any.”)
She did not give up in spite of suffering from 12 years. In Jesus, she saw hope of being healed.
She was instantly healed. She felt and knew that she was healed.
She made a public confession of her healing and faith in Jesus Christ.

Why did she not go directly to Jesus for healing?

According to the Jewish law, man who touches a menstruating woman becomes ceremonially unclean. (Levi 15: 19-28) In that regard, she would have been ‘untouchable’ for 12 years.
She might have feared that Jesus would avoid healing her.
She did not doubt that Jesus had a power to heal her.
The nature of her disease may also be the reason. In an eastern culture, women issues are never spoken of in public.
Perhaps, past failures were in her mind. So, she decided to take more secretive way. If she did not get healed, no one would have known that she even tried.
She thought to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

Did Jesus know who touched him?

It is unclear whether Jesus knew who touched him or not. There are two opinions about it.
First one says that Jesus knew who touched him. But he wanted her to come forward and profess her faith and healing. Jesus being God must know who touched him.
The second opinion is that he really did not know who touched him. From his conversation with Peter, it seems likely that he knew that power had gone out from him, but not sure how. I believe that Jesus was not pretending there, He really did not know, and that does not affect him being God. There were other things, he did not know. (Mark 13:32 Jesus’ second coming).

Lost in the Crowd:

Even when she was healed, she did not come forward immediately. She thought that she could go unnoticed, get lost in the crowd.
But Jesus noticed, he felt that the power had gone out of him. And he was persistent to know who that person was.
We all have a tendency to act in a way that we can go unnoticed; we can slip in the crowd. We do not want to profess it publicly. Often we hear that our faith is personal. Yes, it is a personal decision, but we also need to acknowledge it to others.
In case of this woman, she came trembling at Jesus’ feet, but then she went on to tell everyone, ‘why’ she touched him and how she was instantly healed. (Notice that Jesus only asked ‘who’ touched him and not ‘why’!)

What was so significant about her action? What makes her faith so special?

Unshakable: She had a single focus that if she touches his cloak, she will be healed. She did not let the circumstances or doubts shake her faith.
Unbelievable: Her faith was truly unbelievable. She believed what was not there. But that is the very definition of faith. (Hebrew 11:1)
Unreasonable: In some ways, it was unreasonable. One cannot reason it in itself. Only in the light of the object of faith, it makes sense.
Faith at its core is a simple trust and belief in a person. It is a childlike faith that moves the mountain.
Jesus wanted to instill this kind of faith in his disciples (who often failed to exercise such faith). He often rebuked them for being “of little faith”.
Even after receiving the healing, she showed extraordinary courage to come forward and share everything in presence of all people.
Jesus praised her for her amazing faith and blessed her; it was a powerful testimony of God’s power and faith of a person at work.
Testimony of healing can have powerful impact on people, especially those who do not know Jesus.
“One miracle is equivalent to one thousand sermons.” – Angus Buchan (Faith like Potatoes).

Life Applications and Reflections:

Jesus knows us; he knows our personal struggles, weakness, sickness. We can hide it from others, but He notices us and seeks out for us.
We need to respond to him, we must be willing to acknowledge Him in the presence of others. We must be willing to share with others.
The extraordinary faith is a simple, unwavering, childlike faith in Him.
Without faith, it is impossible to please God.
Are you willing to put your trust in Him? You may be going through any physical, emotional, spiritual pain or sickness; He can heal you if you just believe in Him.
“Where is your faith?”

Sermon Outlines

Five Simple Steps to Discover God’s Plans for You

Joel Osteen: 7 Keys to Successful Public Speaking

HAVING THE RIGHT ATTITUDE TOWARDS YOUR PASTOR/CHURCH LEADERS - Hebrews 13:17-13:18

THREE REASONS TO BE THANKFUL by Eddie Lawrence

HOW GOD TESTS OUR FAITH by Rick Warren

Sermon Series of Alan Carr

How to win over your problems - by Alan Carr

Rick Warren: Every Pastor Needs A Mentor

Joel osteen: Refuse to worry Video Sermon

How To Encourage Yourself

Video Sermon of Morris Cerullo in Puerto Rico

Morris Cerulo

The Keys to Church Growth

A. The process of church growth as a whole can be divided into four steps.

THE FOUR "E'S" OF GROWTH:

Generating Contacts (Luke 14:23)

Cultivation Studies (John 4:7-42)

Conviction Studies (Acts 24:25)

Grounding Studies (Matthew 28:18)

Training Studies (2 Timothy 2:2)

FOUR GENERATIONS OF 2 TIMOTHY 2:2

Training studies can be broken into two basic levels:

LEVEL 1:

LEVEL 2:

Summary

Part 1. Three C's before baptism:

Part 2. Three T's after baptism:

Benny Hinn: Preaching the miracle of money

The Osteens on the Power of Positive Believing (Part 1)

Joel Osteen: The Power of Positivity (part 2)

CBN.com – It's not easy pastoring 30,000 people, but Joel Osteen does it with a smile on his face. In the second part to this special interview, Lisa Ryan caught up with the busy Texan to talk about his positive preaching style and Lakewood's new church home.

PRACTICES OF A POWERFUL CHURCH

The ABC of Sermons

That Glorious Union

FOUR LESSONS GOD TEACHES US AS HE PREPARES OUR HEARTS FOR GREATNESS

1. HE is worthy of praise.

2. HE is to be trusted.

3. HE is to be feared.

4. We are to walk before HIM.

How choose christmas gifts for people you do not like

America's Future

America’s Future

A Financial Plan

A Call To Godly Living - Charles F. Stanley

A Call to Godly Living

Jesus Heals the Woman with Blood Issue

What can we know about this woman from these passages?

Why did she not go directly to Jesus for healing?

Did Jesus know who touched him?

Lost in the Crowd:

What was so significant about her action? What makes her faith so special?

Life Applications and Reflections:

Why did she not go directly to Jesus for healing?