Be Suspicious…

When your response is not Christlike, then you have a need that is not being dealt with.

When your pulpit time exceeds your prep time.

When your play is more than your pray.

When your work time is interfering with your family time.

When your love for God’s bride exceeds your love for your bride.

When your worship turns upside down…that’s called an addiction

When you text your more than you talk.

When your lack of bible reading becomes evident by your short anger trigger.

When your idea of conflict resolution is de-friending that person on Facebook.

Be Suspicious!

Whether in business, ministry, family or relationships, there are always crucial moments.  What I mean by crucial moments is, those times that the nature of that endeavor can go one way or the other–it could go well, or it could go badly.  Many times we recognize that “fork in the road” in retrospect.

But let me ask you question:  What about when that crucial time or opportunity isn’t really bad in either direction–when its between good and good?  Both options, both situations seem to be okay.  This is tough, isn’t it?

How about considering it this way:  Even though they may both seem good, one way is God’s.  There is a good way, and then there is a God way.  A good decision and a God decision!  A good idea or a God idea! I believe this is where we begin to step into our potential.  I believe many people can achieve good things, but do you know there’s a God thing that takes us to a whole new level of life?  A whole new level of significance.  A whole new level of influence.

What does it take to get there?  Glad you asked.

Daniel 11:32 reads, “…But the people who know their God shall be strong and do great exploits.” The difference between good and God is “knowing” Him.

This fork requires a new press into knowing God.  Let me explain.  It is one thing to know of God; it’s a whole different thing to “know” God.  We can experience a certain level of success by having a second-hand knowledge of God, but to reach our God potential we must “know” him all ourselves.

Paul spent 3 years in Arabia getting to “know” God.  Moses spent many a sleepless and hungry night on the top of the mountain getting to “know” God.  Jesus spent many a morning before the sun rose, talking to the Father … getting to “know” His will.  It’s a price many aren’t willing to pay.

This weekend we continue a short 2 message series on Making a difference with our serve.  Here are a few ways people have counted in my life:

1. One little conversation as a guy got off a plane changed my course of ministry

2. A simple act of obedience from a pastors wife led to me getting healed from asthma

3. A friends time spent with me in my early days of Christianity started a pattern of prayer and bible study

4. A ride in a car and a little caring set up a relationship that has impacted my life for eternity

This weekend your life can begin to count on so many different levels.  Join us in on of three services at Freedom House Church.

“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify” (1 Corinthians 10:23).

Many times we don’t realize how powerful our actions are in everyday life.  People are watching our every move.  That’s a lot of pressure at work, at the gym, at the restaurant, and even at Thanksgiving dinner with Uncle Ralph.  When we tell others we’re born-again Christians, our lives go under an even more powerful microscope.  Often those who are not believers compare our actions with what they think a Christian should do.  This means they’re probably comparing you to a hypocrite who hurt them in the past.

In the Bible, there are the things I call the “thou shalt nots”–clear and specific answers to certain questions or behaviors.  But then there are things that aren’t so cut-and-dried.  So how do we make decisions about certain actions that aren’t necessarily spelled out in the Bible?

Paul gives us an answer that covers them all in the above scripture (and again in 1 Corinthians 6:12).  He says he has the freedom to do anything he wants.  Now we know that Paul loved God with all his heart and was living his life to give glory to God.  This is where he got the statement, “all things are lawful.”  He wasn’t saying he had license to sin; he was saying he wasn’t bound by law, but instead was living by love.  He went on to say that his way of making his decision was twofold.

Is it helpful? Does this action or decision help my growth as a believer, or the growth of someone else?  The root of this word literally means to “bring together.”  Try asking yourself this question:  “Do my actions bring Jesus and ______ [fill in the blank--it could be your name or someone else's] together?”  Another use of the word is “contribute.”  So you might ask yourself, “Does this action contribute to the relationship between Jesus and ______ [fill in the blank]?”

Does it edify? Here’s the last part of that scripture, with the definition of edify added:  “All things are lawful for me, but not all things build/construct.”  “Edify” is a construction term, and it means “to strengthen or erect.”  So you might ask yourself, “Does this action strengthen Jesus and _______?”  [You should know what to do by now!]

We can live our lives anyway we want, it’s our choice.  But I want my life to please God and point as many people to Jesus as possible.  How about you?

Darrell wrote many of the songs we have been singing for decades, Fields of Grace, I’m Trading my Sorrows and Your Love is Extravegant, just to name a few.  His music has been a part of my prayer life ever since I have been a Christian.  I am honored to have him at our church this weekend.  He will be ministering in all 3 services, 8:30am, 10am, and 11:30am.  Come early to make sure you get a seat.

I really believe that God is going to touch hearts and heal bodies.  I look forward to seeing you there.

What is your worldview perspective?  Whatever that is determines your current reality.  They have many different names, but there are really only two basic perspectives, two camps.  (No, it’s not republican and democrat.)

The first is “materialistic,” or what we would call “humanistic.”  This worldview puts a person in total control of his life, and he believes everything can be reasoned away.  As long as “I” am in the center of my world, everything is going to be alright. Any problems that come along can be explained away, or better yet “blamed” away, because of not having enough or because it’s someone else’s fault.

The second worldview is the way God desires us to live.  Simply put, it’s a “heavenly” or “spiritualist” perspective.  This means we understand the realm we see is governed by an invisible realm that’s much more real: the spirit realm.

Some people live by both worldviews to some degree, but the battle is to live a life totally controlled by the heavenly.  Paul shares this in the book of Ephesians.  Throughout it he mentions a place—a zone, if you will—where everything is made and where God lives.

• Check out Ephesians 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places …” Right off the bat he tells us that our blessing is in the “heavenly places.”  If your life is not blessed, that blessing awaits you in the “heavenly places.”  This doesn’t mean we have to die and go to heaven to blessed; we can be there right now.
• Ephesians 2:6 reads, “… and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”  When you made Jesus the Lord of your life, your eternal address changed immediately.  You’re no longer a resident of Earth; you’re just a visitor!
• And not only are we blessed in heavenly places, but that’s also where Jesus resides with the Father. Ephesians 1:20 reads, “… He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.”  That means the Father, Jesus—and we—live in the heavenly places!
• Ephesians 6:12 even tells us our war is in the heavenly places. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  Our battle and power comes from our position in the heavenly places.

If you want results in your life, begin to draw influence from the heavenly places.  Make a worldview change today.  Change zip codes!  Remind yourself that your power comes from the heavenly places.  Take a stand today.  You can do it!

This past weekend was just incredible.  The people of Freedom House Church are fantastic.  We celebrated church-wide Liberty and were obedient to God.  Freedom House you raised $86,000 in a one day offering…WOW!  I also know that many people were unable to attend this past weekend so we extended  the opportunity to give another 30 days.  There are also many people who want to do more fundraising and give more in the Liberty Offering.  As a result, we received another $20,700 in pledges.  That takes our total up to $106k.

One thing that impacted me was watching the children come in and worship God with us in all three services.  The decorated 2–liter bottles were such an inspiration.  I know in my family the conversation for 2 weeks was, “how can I fill my bottle up daddy?”.  Many kids came up to me in the hallway and said, “Pastor, I bet you can’t pick my bottle up…It’s full!”  God is so good.

If you were not here on Sunday, you still can go online and give.  Don’t wait another minute.  Go for it!

This was an encouragement from a great friend of mine at Champion Centre in Seattle, WA.  As we amp up for this great weekend of Liberty.  Be encouraged!

In the midst of all the negative financial news I sense Gods encouragement to be fearless and confident as we gear up for a time of giving. Its an opportunity this year to remind people that Isaac sowed in the time of Famine and reaped a hundredfold. Im expecting God to do miracles for people as they give this year and Im also anticipating more than normal passion to sacrifice…. as people feel that need to bust out of fear and containment…God never ask us to give what we dont have but he does sometimes ask us to give what we want to keep!…..May this year be marked with extravagant, joyful giving in all of our churches! Our team here is praying for all the churches involved this year. Theres property to buy, buildings to build, upgrades to make so that lives can be forever changed!!! PKevin Gerald