creative.writings

Church at the Orchard was launched today. I got up around 6:00a.m., took a shower, prayed, prayed some more, spoke to my wife, then we headed to the where we planted the church. We are inside of an AMC theatre inside what is called, "The Orchard Town Center Mall." I was excited, but there were a lot of emotions that were going on inside of me. Happy, sad, amazement, awe, upset, joy, and so many more. I wanted to be open to God's voice this morning and finding out that I'm going to have to be in tune more often. I don't take being a pastor lightly. It is a BIG job! Those who do take it lightly need to be out of the pulpit. I'm touchy on that subject, because too many pastors (and no, I don't think I'm perfect) have let the "fear of God" go in their lives.

God brought me to lead the church into the book of Deuteronomy. To teach what a covenant means. A covenant is not meant to be broken. Think about if God failed at everything He has said in your life; it would leave you infuriated! Deuteronomy is a covenant made by God to the people of Israel. Although Jesus has came and a new covenant has birthed...He didn't come to ABOLISH the law but to fulfill it. So I am teaching about the lives of the Israelites and their leaders, and how we can learn from them through the journey we take the moment we step out of bed. This is the time for, "new beginnings."

Read Deuteronomy 1:1-29

Look at the path they chose, the distrust they had in God, the fear they had in a people and a battle that God had already taken care of. But one thing is for sure; that in Deut. 32:10 God found them in a desert land, in an empty, howling wasteland, He surrounded them and watched over them; He gaurded them as His most precious possession.

Can I tell you that YOU are God's most precious posession! He loves you like crazy! He will take care of you, if you will just LET GO of what SLOWS YOU DOWN in your walk with Him. He doesn't care what you've done in the past, He is ready to forgive you, ready to love on you, ready to see you prosper!

TRUST GOD!

Let us keep our eyes on Jesus and never sway too far to the left or to the right, but let us run the race on a narrow path that God has prepared for us! (Hebrews 12:1, 2)

As we go on in our life in the United States, it is becoming more and more obvious. All of the different belief systems. I say systems because that is just what they are. They are systems created by fallen man to justify why they live the way they do. We have different sects and movements in this country. This used to be a taboo subject and nothing was said. Meaning you couldn't tell who was a New Age or other. Yet as we become more and more "politcally correct" and "diverse", people are embracing the next new thing! Even people who claim the "name of Jesus" end up in these trappings of the world. There is one way that is constant and that is; there is only one God of heaven and earth and He has one son in Jesus Christ. The Scriptures say there is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus. All these other "so-called" religions and movements are nothing more than remakes of old systems from ancient days. The Lord said, "There is nothing new under the sun." Everything in life gets recycled and reused. Especially false religions! What makes them false? They deny the diety of the Lord Jesus Christ. They deny that He is the Son of God. They deny in some cases His very existence! As for those of us who know the truth and worship the TRUTH, we need to be ready to speak out to those who deny the Lord. We should be ready "in season and out" to give the word on why we believe the way we do. The United States is slowly falling down into a non-stop spiral toward the bottom. We have become a "socialist-secular-embrace-anything" nation. We no longer live in a "Christian" nation. Jesus never came to take over an earthly kingdom. If that were so we wouldn't be having a problem getting the word out and seeing people saved. Our life as Christians is going to get harder. We weren't promised prosperity, good health, and long life WITHOUT trouble. Those are lies from the pit of hell! Jesus said, we would HAVE tribulation. He said the world would hate us. Our families would kill and turn us over to authorities. What are we to be doing then? Praying, preaching, serving, and discipling. How are you doing on any of these? Have you been praying for the saints and the lost? Are you out preaching the word to your city? What about serving? When is the last time you helped another in need? Who are you discipling? Anyone? If we truly believe there is only one God and one Lord Jesus Christ, shouldn't we be out in full force telling people the truth? It is time to get out from behind our hiding places and go forth proclaiming the truth. Go and make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, baptizing them in the name of Jesus. Go!!! Stop bickering and fighting among yourselves about what teaching or doctrine you follow. Don't put labels on yourselves just so you can be distinguished from one another. If you are a baptized believer and a born-again believer then the only name we need to be known as is saints. Preach Jesus and no one else!

I decided today to take an excerpt out of Oswald Chamber's diary. Oswald Chamber's (even in his death) has been a mentor to me in my walk with Jesus. I can imagine is Scottish voice inside his books and it's almost like he's preaching and teaching to me. I encourage you to read his material. He's not for everyone. Perhaps you'll probably throw his books down, because he really believes you have to die to yourself so that Jesus can live inside you. Enjoy!

A missionary is someone in whom the Holy Spirit has brought about this realization: "You are not your own" ( 1 Corinthians 6:19 ).

To say, "I am not my own," is to have reached a high point in my spiritual stature. The true nature of that life in actual everyday confusion is evidenced by the deliberate giving up of myself to another Person through a sovereign decision, and that Person is Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit interprets and explains the nature of Jesus to me to make me one with my Lord, not that I might simply become a trophy for His showcase. Our Lord never sent any of His disciples out on the basis of what He had done for them. It was not until after the resurrection, when the disciples had perceived through the power of the Holy Spirit who Jesus really was, that He said, "Go" (Matthew 28:19; also see Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8 ).

"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple" ( Luke 14:26 ).

He was not saying that this person cannot be good and upright, but that he cannot be someone over whom Jesus can write the word Mine. Any one of the relationships our Lord mentions in this verse can compete with our relationship with Him. I may prefer to belong to my mother, or to my wife, or to myself, but if that is the case, then, Jesus said, "[You] cannot be My disciple." This does not mean that I will not be saved, but it does mean that I cannot be entirely His.
Our Lord makes His disciple His very own possession, becoming responsible for him. ". . . you shall be witnesses to Me . . ." ( Acts 1:8 ).

The desire that comes into a disciple is not one of doing anything for Jesus, but of being a perfect delight to Him. The missionary’s secret is truly being able to say, "I am His, and He is accomplishing His work and His purposes through me."

Be entirely His!