Pastor Rick, can you give us three reasons...

        ... why it is so important for us to be extraordinarily faithful to God in the day we are living? I am so glad you asked!

The first reason and, to me, the most obvious reason to be faithful to God in an extreme way is that Jesus Christ is getting ready to split that eastern sky and gather together those whose hearts are on Him.  Matthew 24:37‑42 (NKJV) says “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” The key is He is coming and we must be ready!

The second reason is connected to the first, and should be a wakeup call for all of us. When Jesus comes back we do not want to be lukewarm but we want to be fervently serving the Lord with all our hearts. Revelation 3:14‑16 (NKJV) says  "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” Jesus is coming back and He is coming back for an on fire Church! Is that you?

The third reason is tied to the other two: Since Jesus is coming back so soon and knowing that He will vomit us out of His mouth if we are not on fire for Him, we should make it our aim to share Christ with everyone. Mark 16:15 (NKJV) says “And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”  If we truly believe He is coming, if we are filled with His power, then, we should be leading others to Christ with great passion. Come on, Life Church, let’s reach as many as we can through missions and evangelism! Pray with us and ask what God will do through you for missions. Make a Faith Promise and watch how God comes through for you!  

Twenty-one days of fasting started...

            ... January 1, 2019 and who can even believe that we are already starting a new year?  How can we make our fasting more effective this year and what is it that God expects of us as we fast?  Isaiah 58:6‑9 (NIV) "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?  Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter‑‑ when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?  Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.  Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I...”

Please be aware that fasting is not intended to be a “quick-fix diet” for over eating during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year Holidays. It is a time of seeking God with all your hearts and it is a time of searching our hearts and repenting for ourselves and our nation.  According to Isaiah, it is a time of seeing people set free by the power of God, a time of being compassionate to those in need, and about taking care of our own families. It is a time for giving our all to God and holding nothing back.

I am praying this year will be an awesome year for us corporately and for many individually. Maybe your break-through will be with your family, your marriage, your finances, your job, your prodigal, or maybe with your walk with God. Maybe this will be your year to finally surrender everything to God and stop living way too close to the edge. I am praying that men, women, and our children will seek God passionately and for those who are prodigals to return to the Lord with all their hearts. Come on, Life Church Assembly of God, let us fast and pray as one in the Lord, let us see our light break forth in our community, and our healing to come quickly!