Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:8 (NIV)...

... “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.”  All of us know that we should pray and that we should pray every day...without ceasing.  We all know we should pray fervently and that we should be constantly making intercession to the Lord for a multitude of reasons...prodigals, sickness, our nation, etc. We read books on prayer, hear sermons about prayer, go to seminars about prayer, and we even commit ourselves to pray more (New Year’s). Why is it so hard for us to pray consistently and to worship God continually?

Let’s look at some reasons why it is so hard to pray and to worship.

1. We have trouble praying because prayer and worship seem to be unnatural acts for us.  Stay with me...we were originally created to desire communion with God...Adam and Eve walked with God daily in the garden.  Something separated them from this close communion...what was it? Sin. Sin also puts a wall between God and ourselves.

2. We have trouble praying because prayer and worship seem to be admissions of weakness. Get this...the act of prayer and worship by their nature are admissions of weakness. We are crying out for God’s help! As we pray, our inner man acknowledges our utter dependence upon the One we are praying to. Paul says when we are weak then we are strong.

3. We have trouble praying and worshiping because we do not see the actual results of prayer the way we expect.  Don’t misunderstand me, I believe God absolutely answers prayer.  Most of us have lived long enough to realize that God’s answers do not always come in the way or on the time frame that we would have chosen. Was He even listening?  Key: We must see that prayer and worship are for the business of aligning ourselves with God’s purposes instead of asking Him and expecting Him to align with ours. Amen!

In 2010 I felt God...

... had given me a dream of seeing Life Church grow to 1000...the initial goal not the end. What I called the dream was 1000 by 10. Obviously the dream did not come to pass and I was crushed and embarrassed...I admit that I was not focused on God’s will as much as I should have been. Recently as I have sought God and preached on Miracles...by speaking about Lazarus being resurrected, God has shown me that it was His dream and He has even corrected me for being distracted. I repented.

As I prayed about the re-birth of the vision the Lord led me to Habakkuk 2:13 (NKJV) “I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected. Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.”  You can’t imagine the tears and the joy I had in my heart that God will fulfill what He had placed in my heart...it will surely come!

Why do I believe that God wants us to grow initially to one thousand? The first reason is the most obvious...souls being won into the Kingdom of God. The second is tied to the first, in that we would be able to expand our missions outreach even more and see people coming to Christ all over the world. Please pray that Jesus will give us “God ideas” not good ideas. I am convinced that it is the will of God for His Church to grow numerically because people are being won to Jesus. I also believe, because it is the last days and all hell is breaking loose that believers will want to be part of a church that is making a stand. Life Church, with God’s help, will be that Church!  Please pray, please fast, please stay filled with Holy Spirit, and I compel you to bring the lost in!

If you have attended...

... Life Church for any amount of time you know that we always welcome Holy Spirit to all of our services…you may not know why. I will try to explain that:

1. We should welcome Holy Spirit because when He comes we will realize it is not by our own power that we will accomplish anything. Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV) "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts.’ 

2. We should welcome Holy Spirit because when He comes He will be our helper and be with us forever. John 14:15 (NKJV) "If you love Me, keep My commandments.  16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever

3. We should welcome Holy Spirit because when He comes He will teach us all things and bring back to our memory His Word. John 14:26 (NKJV)  26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 

4. We should welcome Holy Spirit because when He comes He will testify (tell us about) Jesus. John 15:26 (NKJV)  26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 

5. We should welcome Holy Spirit because when He comes He will fill the void left when Jesus ascended to the Father. John 16:7 (NKJV) “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” 

6. We should welcome Holy Spirit because sinners will get saved and believers will get right with God. John 16:8 (NKJV) ^“And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment”

Today I want to speak to you about vision...

... but in the context of missions. In Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)   “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” The same verse in the NLT says: Proverbs 29:18 (NLT)   “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild…” Of course, my purpose of writing this article is to motivate you to catch God’s vision for the lost and also the vision of Life Church...obviously it is my vision.  Let us please get past the idea of whether missions is God’s will or not because it definitely is.  

To have the heart and the willingness to be “all-in” for missions will require you to understand, especially when it has to do with the lost:  No vision...no life. No life...no hope! God says that He is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance. Guess what? He has placed on us the responsibility to catch the vision to reach the lost, and then, to be cheerfully obedient to pray, to give, and to go!  We must answer these two questions: What is your vision?  How will you get vision?

1. You must see God as He really is in His glory and majesty...you must have an encounter with Him and His resurrection power.  Once this happens you will cry with Isaiah, “Here I am, Lord, send me!”  This encounter with the living God has carried me through the last 41 years of my life with a passion to do all I can personally and as a pastor to see missionaries supported and the lost reached.

2. You must see yourself and your limitations without God!  Die to yourself!  The reality is that when you see God as He really is...you will see yourself as you really are! You will say with your pastor...without God I can do nothing!

3. You must see what might be...see your potential in Christ!  It is when we catch God’s vision and we step out in cheerful obedience (take that leap of faith) to give sacrificially to make sure everyone hears this gospel.  

All of us, if we are honest with ourselves...

...., have weaknesses and even sins that easily harass us.  As I am writing this I am watching a hawk try to dry it wings while sitting on a fence. A pesky mockingbird does not think the hawk should be resting or drying out so he feels it necessary to fly at him over and over. What is that thing in your life where the enemy is attacking you and constantly harassing you so you cannot rest in the Lord? 

Maybe you have trouble loving someone...been there, done that and have the t-shirt.  Has life sucked out your joy and you are having trouble coping with one day at a time?  Peace is far from you because of trouble in the family or the events coming on our world. You have no self-control when it comes to saying “no” to the temptation of the enemy or “yes” in your obedience to Jesus. What are we to do?

In Galatians 5:22-23NKJV the Apostle Paul says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” As we seek God and are filled with the Holy Spirit, He will provide everything we need for life and godliness!  Again Paul says “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”  Be filled with the Spirit and walk in the Spirit and you will Live in Freedom Every day!  Galatians 5:16 NKJV 

I have always challenged our staff...

... our Board of Deacons, and our department heads to make a commitment to Jesus to be “All in!”  This is borrowed from Mark Batterson’s book of the same name. I believe in light of what is happening in our world and with the soon coming of Christ, that it is time for all of us to give our all to Jesus.  Matthew 16:24 26 (NLT) Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.’ The disciples found out how serious Jesus was about laying their lives down for Him.  All of them died a martyr’s death except John.

Though the gospel may not cost us anything...it demands everything!  We are saved by grace but we are called to follow Jesus giving all that we are and hope to be to Him. God has pretty good promises for those who follow Him with all their hearts...here is one.  Psalm 84:11 (NKJV) “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.”

 Sounds like selling out to God is a good deal for us...it is the best deal by far. Sometimes we think we are sacrificing so much but is it really sacrifice if we get more than we give?

I am challenging all of us to be “All In” for the One (Jesus) Who has given His all.

1. I am asking you to pray and seek God like never before!

2. I am asking you to love like never before those you minister to!

3. I am asking you to prepare...to study with all diligence like never before!

4. I am asking you to give like never before...your tithe and missions!

5. I am asking you to be faithful to God’s House and to be an example to others!

6. I am asking you to love God with all your heart and soul!

7. I am asking you to be “All in” for the One Who gave it all for you!

Missions 2018!

Mission’s Faith Promises! Missionaries speaking in so many services! Challenges to give to Missions…challenges to give more every year! Challenges to pray for our missionaries and to support the General Missions of Life Church! Pastor Rick, all we hear is Missions Missions Missions! Why? Why is this such an emphasis at our church and why does there seem to be an obsession with Missions at Life Church? What a great question and I could give you all the reasons I believe Missions should be a priority but let me defer to the One Who has greater authority and wisdom about reaching the world with the Gospel…Jesus!

Jesus said in John 3:16-17 (NKJV) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” The reason Jesus wants to reach the world and we should want to reach the them is because God so loved the world that He gave Jesus!

Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.” How much more do we need to be motivated to emphasize Missions than what Jesus has said here? He said “Go!” We can’t all go. True. In Romans 10:14-15 (NKJV) “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!" We can’t all go but we can send missionaries all over the world!

Finally, Jesus said in Luke 19:10 (NKJV) “…for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." If that was what Jesus was doing, shouldn’t that be what we are doing? Enough said!