Our 2023 Mission’s Convention, can you believe it?...

 ...I would have thought Jesus would have returned by now but it appears He is giving us more time to reach the lost here and around the world. Isaiah 54:1-2(NKJV)
"Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman," says the LORD.
"Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.” I preached these verses for La Vida Church’s 10 Year Anniversary, and as I was preparing this, God spoke to me about preaching this for our convention. I have been the Lead Pastor here for a little over 32 years and I have challenged you every year to support the Mission of the Church which is the Great Commission. Mark 16:15 (NCV) “Jesus said to his followers, “Go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone.”  Go where? Everywhere! Tell who? Everyone! It does not get any simpler than that. It is not a suggestion but it is a command.                                                                                                                                    

1. Enlarge the Place of Your Tent. God is saying to you from His Word. Get ready for growth. For souls to be saved here and around the world. Just from one of 220 missionaries that we support…in 17 years – led 110,000 people to Christ. Jesus said He will build His Church. Who will build His Church? He will build His Church. He just wants us to work with Him and watch what He does. Life Church, La Vida Church, and Village Campus, enlarge the place of your tent and lengthen your cords. 

2. Do Not Spare. Isaiah 54:2 (NKJV) "Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare;” Isaiah 54:2 (NLT2) ^“spare no expense!” What do you believe this is saying to us? Do not spare…spare no expense? One of our Distinctives as a church is “Generosity.” Be givers! Be faithful in your tithing! Support the Mission’s Program of the church! Be givers every time an opportunity is presented. Do not spare. Spare no expense.

3. Strengthen Your Stakes. Isaiah 54:2 (NKJV) “And strengthen your stakes.” When you set up a tent, what holds the tent in place? The stakes. It is time to go deeper. Some want to shout louder and jump higher and that’s okay as long as you are going deeper. There are way too many shallow Christians in the church. The first wind, or storm, or test, they are blown away. Go deeper my brothers and sisters…strengthen your stakes. Get connected to Jesus like never before and be filled with Holy Spirit so you can be witnesses around the world. 

Enlarge the Place of Your Tent. Do Not Spare. Strengthen Your Stakes.

Today we continue the series on “Courage”...

 ...Last time we talked about unlearning our fears and today we will talk about re-thinking our prayers. 2 Samuel 23:20-23 (NLT2) “There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it. Once, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it.” 

1. An Honest Assessment of Our Prayers. We would probably be amazed to discover how many of our prayers are aimed at simply reducing our problems. We pray God will keep us out of a pit with a lion on a snowy day. We pray that God will help steer clear of Egyptian warriors with spears. Also, if we have to fight against the Moabites, please let the numbers be on our side. What if these problems are just opportunities in disguise? Our prayers are misdirected. At the end of our lives I believe we will thank God for the lions, bears, and giants in our lives. We will even thank God, like Benaiah, for the pits we end up in. Someday we will thank God for the bad things that have happened to us.

2. The law of Unintended Consequences. C.S. Lewis – If God had granted all the silly prayers I’ve made in my life, where would I be now? Lewis went on to say that there will come a day that we will be more grateful for the prayers God did not answer than the ones He did. Why? Many of our prayers are misguided. We pray for comfort instead of character. We pray for an easy way out instead of strength to make it through. We pray for no pain, when the result would be no gain. Batterson – “Maybe prayer is less about changing our circumstances than it is changing our perspective. Most of our problems are not the by-product of our circumstances but of our perspective on our circumstances. Maybe we need to quit praying safe prayers.” 

3. Worship is Our Way of Escape. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NCV) “But when you are tempted, he will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to stand it.” Think about Paul and Silas (Acts 16) being in stocks in a Philippian dungeon. Circumstances truly can’t get much worse and Paul and Silas’ reaction is remarkable. If it had been you or me the text would have read, “Around midnight Rick was complaining.” Not these guys. Acts 16:25 (NLT2) ^“Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.” Quote – “Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshiping what’s right with God.” It restores the joy of your salvation. 

During our week of prayer,...

 ...the night Pastor Dwaine was speaking, God took me to this passage of scripture. I said, Lord, if you want me to share this tonight have Pastor Dwaine ask me. He didn’t. The next morning Pastor Aaron came to my office and asked if I thought it would be good to have a time of worship today, January 22, 2023. He said you could share a quick devotion and we could worship. Immediately God spoke to me that this was the time to share this word. A man brought his demon possessed son to the disciples and they could not help him. Jesus said bring him to me and he cured him. His disciples asked why they couldn’t help him. Matthew 17:14-21 (NKJV) “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

1. Say to This Mountain. What is your mountain? Kids away from God, a sickness (you or someone you love), a job situation, or whatever your mountain is. Someone needs to talk to your mountain today. Jesus said, if you have just a little faith (as of a mustard seed) , you can speak to your mountain and your mountain will listen. Has anyone gotten angry enough to say something to the mountain you are facing? Be angry and do not sin!

2. Move from Here to There. It sounds like to me that Jesus was telling the disciples and He is telling us that it is time to pray with authority and to speak to our mountain, our prodigal, our sickness, our need. Pray or say what? Move from here to there! Move from here to there! Your prodigal may be here (away from God) but it is time for them to move there (right with God). Your body or your loved one may be here (overwhelmed with sickness) but it is time for them to move there (well and whole). Your finances may be here (struggling) but it is time for them to be there (blessed). It is time to say to our mountain, move from here to there, and Jesus said, it will move. 

3. This Move (Miracle) happens by Prayer and Fasting. What have we been doing for the last 21 days? Praying and fasting. Jesus said we can speak to this mountain. Jesus said we can tell it where to go (from here to there). Why? We have been praying and fasting. Do you have a little faith? Come and worship and speak to your mountain and it will move. Worship God and the mountain will move! Amen!

As we continue our 21 Days of fasting, and as we have...

...just finished our annual week of prayer, and as we again have our One Church/One Family Service, I want to exhort you to keep praying. Again, we welcome Pastor Neftali, Shelia, and La Vida Church with us today. Please put on your seatbelt and let’s see what God will do. 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 shared with you about going through that great and effective door and I truly believe that we are. 1 Corinthians 16:9 (NKJV) “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” The truth is that if we will go through that great door and even the double doors it will be accomplished by praying! Isaiah 45:1-3 (NKJV) "Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-- To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: 'I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel.” 

The early church devoted itself to prayer. Acts 2:42 (NKJV) “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”  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 go through that great and effective door and we all acknowledge that there are many adversaries. 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 you will get through God’s door! 

Today I am going back to the series called “Courage.”

 2 Samuel 23:20-21 (NLT2) “There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it. Once, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it.” Your defining moments will also double as your scariest decisions. But you have to face those fears (lions) and begin the process of unlearning them. God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear.

1. Unlearning is Hard. Just like a hard drive with a computer virus, our minds have infected files. Irrational fears keep us from operating the way God designed us to. Those fears must be uninstalled. As you study Jesus’ teaching you realize that learning was not His primary goal. His primary goal was unlearning. He was trying to reverse engineer religious minds which can be the toughest. Two phrases that you heard Jesus say in His Sermon on the Mount…You have heard that it was said…But I tell you. What was Jesus trying to accomplish? Uninstalling OT concepts and upgrading NT truths.

2. The Importance of Unlearning. The cripple man at the sheep gate is such a great example of unlearning. He had been crippled for thirty-eight years when Jesus asked him if he wanted to get well. This man believed there was only one way to be healed. His assumption of how he could be healed may have cost him 38 years of his life. I wonder about the assumptions we have when it comes to Jesus and healing and what that costs us. You need to see this…Jesus didn’t just set this man free physically, he set him free in his mind. Faith is unlearning senseless worries and beliefs that hold us captive. 

3. Unlearning by Downloading the Mind of Christ. We think we can win this battle by simply modifying our behavior. Few ever win this way. We win by downloading the Word of God and getting the mind of Christ. Romans 12:2 (NIV) “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” How do we unlearn false beliefs and how do we renew our minds? How do we get ourselves out of the pit with a lion that we got ourselves into? The way to upgrade our minds is to download scriptures. Philippians 2:5-9 (NKJV) “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Today let’s learn the Word of God and let’s unlearn all the junk we have received all of our lives. Praise the Lord!

Happy New Year’s Day!...

...In Zechariah 4:6‑10 (NKJV) So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts. 

'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. For who has despised the day of small things?” 2023...Can you believe it is here...are you ready for what God wants to do?

1. It is Time to Wake Up! Zechariah 4:1 (NKJV) “Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep.” You would think that churches would be full with the condition our world is in. Political Leadership tearing down traditional marriage, killing babies, hurting families, making us vulnerable to our enemies. Church, it is time to wake up from our sleep and hear the Word from the Lord.

2. It is Time to Stand Up! Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV) “So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts.” God wanted to use Zerubbabel to rebuild His temple and God wants to use us to rebuild His church. Zerubbabel you are going to build my temple, not thru your own effort but thru the power of Holy Spirit.

3. It is Time to Break Up! Zechariah 4:7 (NKJV) “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain!” What is in your way...a mountain? What is a mountain before the Lord God Almighty? 

It is time for your mountains to be broken before the Lord and for you to lay the capstone. No other foundation that has been laid other than Jesus Christ with shouts! 

4. It is Time to Rise Up! Zechariah 4:9 (NKJV) "The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it.” God was encouraging Zerubbabel to finish what He had started...God is speaking to you today saying this year is your year to complete what you started...time to rise up! 

5. It is Time to Think Up! Zechariah 4:10 (NKJV) “For who has despised the day of small things?” It is time to stop thinking small...it is time to think up. A small beginning is a beginning! Philippians 1:6 (MSG) “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.” Amen! 

Merry Christmas, Life Church, La Vida Church, and Life Church Villages...

...Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV) “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” I was so lost, but something happened, and I had an encounter with Jesus Christ, and I found His name to be Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. As I attempt to magnify Christ today I want to take these words from Isaiah and share what an incredibly awesome God we serve.  

1. Jesus is to be called Wonderful! How many of you with a shout will say that you believe Jesus is wonderful? The main reason I believe that Jesus is wonderful is this: Psalm 40:1‑ (NKJV) “I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock…” He is wonderful because He listened to my cry. He is wonderful because He brought me out of a horrible pit...shout to Him! 

2. Jesus is to be called Counselor! Isaiah 41:28 (NKJV) “For I looked, and there was no man; I looked among them, but there was no counselor, Who, when I asked of them, could answer a word.” Isaiah tells us

help is on the way!’ I will send Jerusalem a messenger with good news. Help is on the way. Unto us a Child is born...Immanuel...God with us! The Counselor is here! The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Jesus Christ and He is our Counselor.

3. Jesus is to be called Mighty God! Unto us a child is born...unto us a Son is born...and the government shall be upon His shoulder. Who else can handle the government being on His shoulder other than the mighty God...Jesus Christ! He is our Mighty God...shout and give Him praise!

4. Jesus is to be called Everlasting Father! Maybe some of you did not have a good example of a father or maybe you did not have a father at all. This God child has been born so that gap in your life can be filled.

This Everlasting Father is the great gap filler...He can pick up where man failed.

5. Jesus is to be called Prince of Peace! I have anything but peace today. I tell you run to the Prince of Peace!

Psalm 29:11 (NKJV) “The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.” Your peace has been made available at a great price...This God child came to give Himself for us so we can have peace. Isaiah 53:5‑6 (NKJV) “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”