"WORSHIP HIM WHO LIVES FOREVER"

Welcome, it's good to see you as I wish to share something that the Lord has put on my heart for this week. Our Lord and our God wants your worship and your prayers. Worship can be done anywhere as believers we can communicate directly with God through prayer. Much of the worship recorded in the New Testament took place in established meeting places and the homes of the more dedicated believers, wherever believers may be gathered together.

(Rev. 4:10-11) " The Twenty-Four Elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying (11) " Worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for you created all things, and because of your will they existed, and were created." Readers, All creatures in heaven and earth will praise and honor our God because he is the maker and sustainer of everything. ( " E V E R Y T H I N G " )

Jesus went to the synagogue "as was His custom". Even though he was the perfect son of God, and his local synagogue undoubtedly left much to be desired, Jesus attended services every week. His example makes our excuses for not attending church sound weak and self-serving. Make regular worship a part of your life. Worship involves both celebration and confession. The God of the Bible encourages joy! He wants us to celebrate. Serious reflection and immediate confession of sin is essential, of course. But this should be balanced by celebrating who God is and what he has done for his people. Remember as Parents we must be mindful of the legacy that we leave our children. We can be frivolous and leave let's say "ice" or something that will last forever, the "Will to worship God".

The Hebrews placed great emphasis on Family Worship and so should you. Whether offering a sacrifice or attending a great feast, the family was often together. My prayer partners and I were blessed with the opportunity to pray with a young man "Nathan" this past week who traveled from Raleigh, NC to pray with us in Clayton, NC at 6 A M. This man truly understands who God is. The Hebrews gave their children a healthy attitude towards worship, and it put extra meaning into it for the adults. Watching a family member confess his or her sin was just as important as celebrating a great holiday together. Although there are appropriate times to separate people by ages, some of the most meaningful worship can be experienced only when shared by old and young.

It's wonderful to Celebrate and Worship Jesus. There is a convoy of benefits to be gained from worshiping with other believers. We should take time before we actually jump into worship. Setting aside the time allows us to adjust our attitudes before and reflect afterwards. In the days of old people sacrificed animals as burnt offerings to God. We show our commitment to God when we give something of value to him. The best gift, of course, is ourselves.

"God Is Spirit" meaning he is not a physical being limited to one place. He is present everywhere and can be worshipped anywhere, at any time. It is not where we worship that counts, but how we worship. Is your worship genuine and true? Do you have the Holy Spirit's help? How does the Holy Spirit help us worship? The Holy Spirit prays for us (Romans 8:26), teaches us the words of Christ (14:26), and tells us we are loved (Romans 5:5).

Our relationship with God begins with faith, which helps us realize that we are delivered from our past by Christ's death.

"WORSHIP HIM WHO LIVES FOREVER"

Until Next Time,
Jim

"THE MAN FROM KERIOTH"

Well here we are again Wednesday, before we know it the holidays will be upon us. Have you taken time to notice just how beautiful the foliage has become? I for one take a good look at my surroundings daily as I give thanks. I have so much to be thankful for: my salvation, my family, my land and house that my wife and I have made into a home and I have you to pray for daily. Springtime and the Autumn of the year have always been my favorite seasons. Now our message for the day...

God's treasured possession are those faithful to Him. This fulfills the promise He made in the covenant to His people (Ex.19:5). According to (1 Peter 2:9), believers are God's treasured possession. Have you committed your life to God for safe keeping? I'm thinking about Judas Iscariot today. It is unlikely that Judas was a Moabite, because that would mean that he was a Gentile, but he may well have come from Judah, and, if he did, he must have been the only non-Galilean in the apostolic band, a fact which have been extremely significant. If Iscariot means man of kerioth Judas was the only Non-Galilean.

Jesus entered human history when the land of Palestine was controlled by Rome and considered and insignificant outpost of the vast and mighty Roman Empire. The presence of Roman soldiers in Israel gave the Jews military peace, but at the price of oppression, slavery, injustice, and immorality. Into this kind of world came the promised Messiah. We must not forget while Judas betrayed Jesus, all the disciples abandoned Him. Like all the others, Judas shared a continued misunderstanding of Jesus' mission. They were all looking for an earthly King and Ruler. They all expected Jesus to make the right political moves. As Jesus continued to refer to death, they all felt varying degrees of anger, fear, and disappointment. They had to be thinking why was I chosen to back a loser? Why did Jesus not lead a rebellion against Rome and set-up a new political government? How often do you find yourself wanting your agenda know matter the cost? I don't believe that Judas was a bad guy, he was a man of action who truly didn't hear Jesus. The problem of the Jewish authorities was how to get Jesus into their hands without a riot, for Jesus was still popular with the common people. Satan entered into Judas and he went to the Jewish authorities and bargained for the price of thirty pieces of silver to lead them to a place where they could arrest Jesus without the crowds being there.

Whatever his plan, though, at some point Judas realized he didn't like the way things were turning out. He tried to undo the evil he had done by returning the money to the priests, but it was too late. Judas led the authorities to Jesus. At passover time it was a full moon, and night would be almost as the day. But there was always a chance of confusion at this time, so Judas had arranged a signal whereby he might identify Jesus to the soldiers and to the police.

The wheels of God' sovereign plan had been set into motion. How sad that Judas ended his life in despair without ever experiencing the gift of reconciliation God could give even to him through Jesus Christ.

Last points, while most of us have certain feelings about Judas, there are some facts to consider as well. He, by his own choice, betrayed God's Son into the hands of the soldiers. He was a thief, he was a covetous man, who used his position as treasurer of the apostolic band to pilfer from the common purse. Jesus knew that Judas' life of evil would not change. Jesus also knew that Judas would betray him, Judas made the choice. God knew what that choice would be and confirmed it. Judas didn't lose his relationship with Jesus; rather, he never found Jesus in the first place. He is called " The son of Perdition" because he was never saved. Don't be like Judas. We all make and have made mistakes. Jesus Christ loves us all and will forgive all. "Commit your life to God for safe keeping".

Until next time,
Jim

" TIME "

Another week has come and gone since we last got together and I want you to know that all is well. I'm just coming out of Praise,Worship and Prayer this morning and I'm feeling high on Jesus. This past week a prayer partner of mine took a fall, while he was working on stage at the church and and is presently hospitalized. Please pray that Paul gets well in all areas and heals up in all ways shortly.

Today's message involves the word " TIME ". When you think of a day, a period, or a season have you truly thought about time? More importantly have you ever contemplated what God thinks about time?

Scripture tells us that the Lord said " My spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years. (Genesis 6:3) God was allowing the people of Noah's day 120 years to change their sinful ways. God shows his love for us daily He is giving us opportunity to quit living our way and begin living his way, the way he shows us in his word. It's very important that we all wake up and realize that Jesus might return now. Christ's Second Coming will be swift and sudden. There will be no opportunity for last-minute repentance or bargaining. The choice we have already made will determine our eternal destiny.

Friends this world is changing at a rapid pace and it's heading away from the Lord. In times of persecution even strong believers will find it difficult to be loyal. To keep from being deceived by false messiahs, saints we must understand that Jesus' return will be unmistakable (Mark 13:26). No one will doubt that it is he. If you have to be told that the messiah has come, then he hasn't (24:27). Christ's coming will be obvious to everyone. God will act when he is ready. Children have difficulty grasping the concept of time."IT'S NOT TIME YET " is not a reason they easily understand because they only comprehend the present. As limited human beings, we can't understand God's perspective about time. We want everything now, unaware that God's timing is better. When God is ready, He will do what needs to be done, not what we would like Him to do. We may be as important as children, but we must not doubt the wisdom of God's timing. Wait for God to reveal His plan. Don't take matters into your own hands.

Until next week, you might want to think of time as a precious commodity.

Jim

" DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES OFTEN LEAD TO STRESS "

I have to tell you that my head is spinning. If it's not all these candidates taking shots at each other, it's our economy and every action is some how related. I truly feel for those who have taken their eyes off of Jesus. Are you really listening to what people are saying and what their immediate concerns are? When my children were much younger people would say "Chill" or they would say "Take a chill pill". All I hear in my spirit is "I've got this" friends Jesus is still on the throne, no matter what things look like on the surface...TRUST GOD.

It seems that every time we turn on the computer, talk with someone, read the newspaper or even watch television we get our daily dose of stress.

Those of us who are head of household must cover our wives and protect her from added stress. We must reassure our families that no matter what, we must Trust God. Jesus always says.... " I've got this ".

Is your trust in man or in the Lord ? Are you waiting each day to see what happened on Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange, what kind of shape are we truly in ? Where is your confidence... Is the 700 billion dollar bail out working or is it just going to take much more time. Is the domino effect about to happen - when no one buys things, then lay offs happen. OK we've been through recession, now will their be a depression, and if so one might say where is God in all this? All of you who are Small Business Owners, God Bless You. Some may have lost your line of credit at the bank, and it might be wise to keep retained earnings, pre-pay for supplies and re-evaluate your business plans.

I have to wonder if anyone is reading and studying the Word of God anymore. God's way to riches: " But Seek First His Kingdom"... Matt. 6:33
Man's way to riches: Overcome every obstacle by our own wits.

God is more than willing to pour out His heart and make known His thoughts to us. To inherit His advice, we must be willing to listen, refusing to let pride stand in our way. Pride is thinking highly of our own wisdom and desires more than of God's. If we think we know better than God or feel we have no need of God's direction, we have fallen into foolish and disastrous pride.
Back in 1977 I read a book I believe was called "Think And Grow Rich". I was in the direct sales field. The one thing that I got out of the whole book was "What the Mind Could Conceive and Believe the Mind could Achieve".

This concept is based on the false idea that a man can achieve financial independence and true happiness apart from God. It puts confidence in human ability rather than giving proper recognition to God's enablement. God has given special power to man, but it must be used in accordance with Godly principles.

Some of us have done well for ourselves and our families and their is nothing wrong with that. A person who has unlimited funds can sometimes find it more difficult to detect God's leading through finances, because of this, God gives special warnings to the rich. "Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God..."

Friends those with money must be generous, but they may not be arrogant just because they have a lot to give. They must be careful not to put their hope in money instead of in the living God for their security. Even if we don't have material wealth, we can be rich in good deeds. No matter how poor we are, we have something to share with someone.

Psalm 62:3-6 David expressed his feelings to God and then he reaffirmed his faith. Prayer can release our tensions in times of emotional stress. Trusting God to be our Rock, Salvation, and Stronghold (62:2) will change our entire outlook on life. No longer must we be held captive by resentment toward others when they hurt us. When we are resting in God's strength, nothing can shake us.

No matter what your bank statement or portfolio reads, Trust God... "After All, It's Only A Test".

Until Next Time,
Jim

" TO WALK IN POWER "

Good morning to you all. A few weeks back as prayer at my house was ending, I became engaged in conversation with one of the brothers, Chris. These men choose to start their day out prayed up, they could be sitting in a fast food restaurant, or in line somewhere waiting for coffee and a biscuit etc. Yes any of us can pray from home but there's nothing like getting out of your comfort zone in all sorts of weather to pray with your prayer partners.

In my conversation I mentioned how our brother David walked in power, and that got me to thinking about " Walking In Power ". Can you imagine if we stood up and truly believed in the legacy in Christ that we have as Born Again Christians?

As Christians we are expected to walk in power which is to say Authority and Strength. Power from the Holy Spirit is not limited to strength beyond the ordinary. This power also involves Courage, Confidence, Boldness, Ability and Insight. God's grace is unmerited but yet given in Love. Only His power can make us effective for him and will help us do work that has lasting value.

" For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of Power and Love and Discipline ". As Christians we are urged to be bold, when we allow people to intimidate us, we neutralize our effectiveness for God. The power of the Holy Spirit can help us overcome our fear of what some might say or do to us, so that we can continue to do God's work. We are all blessed and all we have to do is to walk in the gifts that we have been given. Friends if you believe in Jesus Christ, you can experience the power of our Holy Spirit in your life. God has very important work for us to do for Him, but we must do it by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I know some men as I who are waiting on God. We often like to get on with the job, even if it means we sometimes get ahead of God. I for one consider myself a multi-tasker, therefore I have been known to push ahead before God has given me the go ahead. But waiting is sometimes part of God's plan. Are you waiting and listening for God's complete instructions, or are you running ahead of His plan? We need God's timing and power to be truly effective. If we're honest, how often or how many times have we dove into a decision making process without checking with the Lord?

Until next time please check with the Lord before you make a move and "Walk in Power".

Jim