What if someone would give...

... you $10,080 dollars each week of your life. It would be up to you how you spent your money. You decided. What if you had to spend that money every week and what you didn’t spend would be lost. We all have 10,080 minutes.  What we don’t use we lose!  We all have the same. We need to give to Jesus TIME!

1. We need to give Jesus the gift of Time. Time to pray.  We may not all have the same amount of money but same time to pray…pray without ceasing. Time to be benevolent.  Go out of your way to bless someone else. Do random acts of kindness! Time to be thankful and remember His gift.  Jesus! Don’t rush this time…Time to worship. Time to understand God’s plan for us! Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NKJV) “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”

2. We need to give Jesus the gift of Intimacy.  Intimacy pertains to knowing the inmost character of a person…knowing them intimately. Philippians 3:10-11 (NIV) ^“ I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Intimacy can only be developed through spending time with God in prayer. Talking and listening.

3. We need to give Jesus the gift of Meditation.   Meditation is continued thought and deep reflection on the Lord and His goodness. Always have Him on your mind and in your heart. Meditation on Him and His Word will be a guardian and a gift. King David saw it protecting him. Psalms 19:14 (NKJV) “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.”  Psalms 64:1 (NKJV) “Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.”

  4. We need to give Jesus the gift of Evangelism.  Evangelism is a zealous effort to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Mark 16:15-20 (NKJV) And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Jesus last Words were to be filled with His Spirit, and then, go and preach. Go evangelize! Acts 1:8 (NKJV) "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." If we don’t have time for intimacy with Jesus, if we don’t meditate on Him, there is a good possibility we will not make time for evangelism. This Christmas…give Jesus the gift of TIME!

As we approach Christmas my prayer...

... is that all of us will keep the main thing the main thing.  We all know this but sometimes we need to be reminded that Christmas is about the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He left the splendor and glory of heaven to be born in a manger, live His life among us, go to the cross, and be raised from the dead that we might have the most awesome gift of eternal life with God.  It should never be hard for us to worship Him at Christmas time when you consider all He has done for us.  A few years ago I preached a message “Wake Up! The Gifts Are Under The Tree!”  That is what my parents used to say to us on Christmas morning.  My sermon said for us to wake up because our gifts are under the tree...the cross!

Many get caught up with the pressure of making sure everyone gets a gift and unfortunately many go into debt to do so.  Christian financial expert Dave Ramsey says that we should never go into debt for Christmas but that we keep the main thing the main thing.  He said we spend what we have on those we can and trust that everyone will understand.  He goes on and tells parents not to get all stressed out over this issue but to sit down with their children and explain to them the best they can their situation.  He also says it is a great opportunity to share with them that the most important things are our relationship with God and each other.

  Mary (the mother of Jesus) had to learn Christmas was gaining and losing...how so?  She gained by being chosen to have the Christ-child conceived in her.  She had to be willing to lose her reputation and almost her husband.  Luke 1:35 38 (NIV) “The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.  For nothing is impossible with God." "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.” As we choose this Christmas to be the Lord’s servants let us choose like Mary to keep the main thing the main thing!

Twenty-one days of fasting...

... to start January 1, 2018 and who can even believe that we are almost there.  How can we make our fasting more effective this year and what is it that God expects of us as we fast?  Isaiah 58:69 (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.

I am praying this year that men will step up and take their spiritual responsibility as the leader in their homes.  I am also praying that women will adorn themselves with the glory of God and cause their homes to be a place of blessings and refuge.  I am praying that 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!!

There are many “catch phrases” that circulate...

... through Christendom...sometimes they have great meaning and other times not so much.  One such phrase is, “It is not about me” but reality tells us that most of what we do is about us and it is for us.  Max Lucado in his book with the same title as the phrase It Is Not About Me is attempting to help us see that whatever we do should be done for the glory of God.  Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV) “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”  Whatever we do we should be doing for God’s glory but all too many times “me” gets in the way.

Lucado says, “Our society is not wired for this kind of thinking.  It’s a “me-centric” world out there, which destroys much of what should be good.  Marriages are ruined because one or both partners are focused on their own happiness.  Successful men and women are ruined by their own success, believing they don’t need anyone else’s input.  And for some, life’s troubles are magnified because they believe life is all about them.”  The Gospel of Jesus Christ seems to be completely backward to our self-centered lifestyle here in the United States of America.  We are taught and are even conditioned to believe that we have the right or entitlement to have what we want when we want it.

I have said for years that God is not so much interested in our happiness as He is our holiness.  He wants us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.  This seems so difficult when we are so comfortable taking care of number one.  Lucado says, “Our comfort is not God’s priority.  If it is, something has gone awry.  If we are the marquee event, how do we explain flat-earth challenges like death, disease, slumping economies, or rumbling earthquakes?  If God exists to please us, then shouldn’t we always be pleased?”  The truth is that God does not exist to make a big deal out of us but we should exist to make a big deal out of Him.  It is not about you and for a certainty it is not about me, it is all about Him.  Psalm 34:3 (NKJV) “Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together.” 

Joshua has always been one of...

... my favorite Bible characters, so much so that we named our second son by that name. I believe that Joshua (the one in the Bible) can be such an inspiration to us by the things that God commanded him and how he walked those things out in his life. Can you imagine trying to fill the shoes of Moses? Over and over in Joshua 1 God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous...I believe He is saying those things to us. As a review here are the points to the message God gave me to give to you comparing our lives to Joshua!

1. God wants us to put our past into perspective! Joshua 1:1-2(NIV)

2. God wants us to realize He has a place for us! Joshua 1:2-4(NIV)

3. God wants us to know that His power and presence will go with us to defeat our enemies! Joshua 1:5 (NIV)  

4. God wants us to know that He will keep His promise to us! Joshua 1:6 (NIV)

5. God wants us to have true prosperity! Joshua 1:7-8 (NIV) 

6. God wants us to take possession of what He has promised! Joshua 1:11 (NIV)

7. God wants us to be passionate about being obedient to Him! Joshua 1:16-17 (NIV)

A.W.Tozer said, “The true follower of Christ will not ask, "If I embrace this truth, what will it cost me?" Rather he will say, "This is truth. God help me to walk in it, let come what may!"  What I am saying is that this is God’s truth and with His help we can and will walk victoriously in it! Be strong and courageous!

Jim Cymbala says, “Prayer links us...

...to the promises and power of the Almighty.  Calling out to God threatens Satan’s kingdom because it brings the blessings of heaven to earth and grants salvation to the ungodly.” We have been speaking for some time of growing to one thousand and I truly believe that we are. The truth is that to grow in God’s way and grow biblically we must pray and invite Holy Spirit every day!

The early church devoted itself to prayer (Acts 2:42), it prayed the Apostle Peter out of prison the night before his scheduled execution (Acts 12), and they responded to persecution for the first time by prayer (Acts 4:42). God responded by granting them a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit and a boldness to witness for Christ. When Ananias was so fearful to go in obedience to Saul who became Paul God gave him this sign to let him know he had changed: Acts 9:11 (NKJV) “...behold, he is praying.”

We all in one accord say that we want to grow and we all agree in growing to one thousand plus but that will come thru Holy Spirit prayer. Listen to the exhortation of our Lord: Luke 18:1 (NIV) “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” If you have not arrived at your destination yet...do not give up and do not stop praying. The Scriptures we read about putting on God’s armor also tells us: Ephesians 6:18 (NKJV) “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” Brothers and Sisters, keep praying and fasting and we will grow like they did in the Book of Acts! God multiplied His Church!

Today I want to do something that I have wanted to do for a long time...

...I want to tell all of you where to go!  Matthew 28:18 19 (NLT) “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”  Jesus has told us to go and we must be obedient!  First, we must go after God with all of our hearts.  The truth is: we will never go after “them” until we go after Him! Tommy Tenny, “We must go after God until we catch Him or He catches us!”

Second, we must go after the lost. Ezekiel tells us there is a great and mighty army just waiting to come up out of their graves to be used for God. Ezek 37:13 (NKJV) "Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.” Third, we must go to the church and say it is time to wake up out of your sleep! Eph 5:14 (NKJV) “Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light." Fourth, we must go after revival!!! Revival is when you are tired of the status quo and you truly want Jesus to be Lord. It is when you are tired of altars not being filled with those who need salvation, when you want Holy Spirit to lead a service instead of a man, when dry bones come to life! It is when God’s Word is believed and acted upon with signs following, when children and adults alike are in the altars pouring out their hearts to God, and revival is a blast of the breath of God coming into a church and community changing everything in its path.

Fifth, we must go on to maturity. Hebrews 6:1 (NLT) “So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.” Finally, we must go to the gates of hell and rescue those who are about to fall off the edge. Life Church, Jesus said we must go, so we must go!!