Praying Youth

Below is a post of encouragement that I would like to share with our church.

Saints,

Just for you to know, last night in Team Kid the Jr High group took time to pray.  It turned out amazing, even awesome. Last week the group studied the Lord's Prayer.  We discussed each part and why it is important.  The goal was to give them a framework for prayer.

Last night, to accommodate the time we used the pattern of ACTS for prayer.  This is Adoration (Worshiping God for who He is), Confession (repentance and confession), Thanksgiving, and Supplication (Praying for needs).

Mind you these are Junior High students who are sometimes wound up like a spring driven toy.  But when it was time to pray they took it seriously.

For twenty five minutes we engaged in real prayer.  They seemed absolutely unaffected by the chatter of kids outside our door.  No one was required to pray, but everyone did.  Even when it came time to confess sin the students spoke up.  The depth of heart and thoughts were reflected in their words.  If you did not know their ages, you would have thought you were in the midst of a people broken for God.  Several of them have commented that this time of prayer was the best session we have had thus far in Team Kid.  They want to pray more.

Be encouraged.  There are those among the younger generations whom will stand for Christ.  Please always make time to reach out and give these people opportunities to know they are loved and appreciated in their church.

Pastor Wes

Help, I Want to Change.

Once again I want to make available to you all my rough notes for the Sunday sermon.  Again, these are not fully edited, nor are they a substitute for the actual sermon.  Quite often, the sermon will differ from the outline presented.

I am preaching this message today as many are wanting to start the new year with an ambition to do better.  Unfortunately, we are still sinners in the redemption process, and we fail.  This sermon is to help us all strive to glorify God and enjoy HIm forever.  It deals with our justification and sanctification.

If you need prayer, you can email me at perseveringpastor@gmail .com

If you need help you can find free biblical counseling in your local area through the trusted organizations of NANC and IABC.
http://www.nanc.org/Find-a-Counselor
http://www.iabc.net/pages.asp?pageid=105832

 

 

Dying for Change, Galatians 5:16-25/ Colossians 3:1-17

 

Salvation is not just going to Heaven when you die.  Salvation encompasses justification and sanctification.

Justification- I am saved (A legal declaration, as a gift of God, made possible by Christ upon the cross)

Sanctification- Being saved (Process of change by the working of the Holy Spirit)

Salvation liberates us from sin in order to be worshippers of God in spirit and in truth.

It is not a get out of Hell free card.

 

I pray for your conviction.  It is a great blessing to be grieved unto repentance.  Anything else winds up being a hardness of heart that removes us from His presence. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

 

True believers treat salvation accordingly.  It is precious and the central influence of their lives. They hold fast to Christ, not out of fear of losing salvation, but out of admiration.   We recently went over “How do I know I am saved” on Sunday nights.

 

Today, is the first Sunday of the new year.

I am challenging you to

·         Read the Bible in a year.

·         Memorize 50 verses

·         Attend Sunday School and worship

·         Pray daily

·         And get a spiritual pal to grow with, as iron sharpens iron.

Last week, we covered 2 Corinthians 5:17; that we are new creations.  Yet change is not easy.

 

We are commanded, as new creations to be

·         Separate from the world

·         To deny self, take up our cross, and follow, on a daily basis

·         To be transformed by the renewing of our mind.  (Romans 12:1-2)

·         Be holy as He is holy.

Many scriptures tell us to be radical in our fleeing of sin.

·         Cutting off hand and foot or eye, (Matt 5:30)

·         Put on/put off  (Colossians 3:1-17)

·         Walk in the Spirit and not the flesh, (Galatians 5:16-25)

The Bible is given that we flee sin and become abiding worshippers of God.

 

So here is a simplified list of some TO DO’s and how they work in our putting off and putting on

·         Confess your sin and repent.

·         Begin a habit of praying without ceasing.  Pray specifically about your sin and seek the Holy Spirit’s help in these matters.

·         Cut off temptation.  You may need internet filters, cancel your subscriptions, or new friends.

·         Put off the old sin (Have a list of verses that support this)

·         Put on a new behavior in replacement.  This is why we have homework.

·         Seek God in Homework 1, have reminders that keep you focused.

·         Seek God in Homework 2, Have a Bible study that prepares you to defeat sin with the word of God.  Ex: Thieves should stop stealing

·         Seek God in Homework 3, Have a Bible study that prepares you to replace the bad behavior with one that is a glory unto God.  Ex: Thieves should now work to give and pay back.

·         Seek God in Homework 4, Engage in activities beyond the other homework that assist in doing what is right.  Ex: Become someone who is content with what they have and actually give to the needy.

·         Worship God.  Be reminded of from whom your success comes from.  Daily worship is a must.  Worshipping with the saints is a command.

·         Make daily devotions an imperative.

·         Engage weekly, or more, with a prayer and accountability partner.

 

If you are having difficulty.

·         HSBC offers free counsel.

·         Counsel can help you better understand God, the scriptures, and how to grow.

·         Don’t give up.

·         Fix what steps you are missing. You need the whole recipe, not just ingredients.

 

Christ died to bring you salvation.  He is for your victory, but He must get the glory.  To continue to live in our old ways is to spurn His blood.  The New Testament is written that we might have life and have it abundantly, not being weighed down by the burdens of the world, but in Christ liberated, resurrected, and ambassadors for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Love, What it’s Worth

Here again for the purpose of your Monday morning Bible study, as a companion to Sunday's sermon, are my rough draft notes. As often happens, there are deviations in the message from the actual notes. It is my hope that like the Berean brethern of Acts, that your study intensify and clarify your understanding of the truths that are in the Bible. Questions and coments may be sent to perseveringpastor@gmail.com

Love, What it’s Worth

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we are told that in Christ we are new creations.  It therefore results in the fact that we are different than what we once were.  However, in our old environment, bodies, and habits we are tempted and tossed by trials.  Praise God therefore for the work sanctification and the truths of Romans 8.  Along those lines, I want to discuss the urgent need to rethink our lives and to consider God’s ways as we should be applying them. (This is the essence of Romans 12)

Additionally to our introduction, 1 John 2:15-17 warns us to not love the world nor the things in it.  We should keep this in mind, especially when it comes to values, decision making, and the joy of life.    Mathematically, we could say that when we love God it yields a love for people.  The entire book of first John supports this.  It also teaches that if we love people, love things of the world, and love the experiences of life more than God, it will yield a wavering love for God.

Love in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 gives us great understanding.

As I said a moment ago, because we are new creations, yet living in the old parameters of the sin nature, temptations, habits, and influences, we need sanctification.  We have many ingrained presuppositions to the way that we think.

Mathematically, verses 1-3 share that

·         Love is > (greater than) Abilities

·         Abilities-love=worthlessness

It is to our benefit to consider these things. As pride and motives are often the driving force, rather than love, in our decision making.  We are greatly renewed to reconsider our motives, actions, and goals in light of the value of love.  Think of this, we spend much of our lives striving, laboring, and preoccupied with achievements, and yet for what end?  What are we really living for?

Real love, in essence, is seeing the glorification of someone other than ourselves.  It is an active belief that it is just to honor something or someone above our own interests.

This is why all should love God.  All other targets of love are unjust, for God alone is holy.  For God to love Himself is not wrong, for He alone is worthy.  It is just that God display His glory for glorification of anything or anyone other than the One True Holy God is idolatry.  For God to be God He must both display His glory and not compromise it.  Jonathan Edwards discussed this whole premise in The End For Which God Created The World.

 

Lets look at these actions and achievements that the old self strives for without love

Spiritually        Speaking in heavenly tongues             yields   a clanging gong or crashing cymbal

Mentally          Understanding prophesy                     yields   nothing

                        Understanding mysteries

                        Faith to move mountains

Physically        Give away possessions                        yields   nothing

                        Sacrifice

                        Faith to stand in the fire        

 

The idea of the body being given to be burned is akin to Daniel’s friends in the fiery furnace.

In Christianity success and betterment is the equivalent of who you are. 

It is measured by your love for others.

Again, we MUST rethink, as new creations, the life we are to be about.

Consider now, John 3:16  "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

What kind of love are you living for Him?  How should you live accordingly?