The Promise of the Father

In the Old Testament God gave a Promise to the Israelites, it is called Abraham’s Covenant and it is awesome to read and to recognize that in the beginning of Holy Scripture we are included in God’s Plan. It is found in Genesis 17:1-7 to be brief let me quote Vs7 “And I will establish My Covenant between Me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations for an Everlasting Covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.” Here we need to stop and ponder this powerful statement that includes all the generations to come.  It was an Everlasting Covenant!  As we move into the New Testament we hear about the Promise of God being revealed through Christ.  In Christ we are Promised Eternal Life, this life has been Gifted with the Power of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the Promise of the Father!  Yet today it is not preached much in our Churches and when it is, it is like a mere statement that happened long ago. But wait, it is still in effect today!  Has the Church of Jesus Christ lost its power? We are called by Jesus to be Witnesses of Him and to receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost!  In Acts 1:4-5 listed above, we note Jesus Commanded them they should wait for the Promise of the Father! Perhaps this Command is not taken seriously in our Christian society today. If fact when it happened the ‘receivers’ were mocked! And those who looked on asked “What meaneth this” But Peter lifted up his voice and reminded them of the Old Testament Scriptures of Joel the Prophet: Joel 2:28-29: “It shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh;” Note Peter’s Words of the New Testament as he quotes from the Old Testament … As the Day of Pentecost arrives the Holy Ghost descends with a great sound, a rushing of a mighty wind and cloven tongues -- flames of fire! To this Peter responds: “This is that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel!” How has some portion of the Christ’s Church missed this “Promise of the Father” to them? Acts 2:39 declares: “For the Promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.  He is calling today, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying!” Note what comes with the Promise: Acts 13:52 “And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.” Praying for the Holy Ghost to fall afresh & Loving You! Pastor                          

Steadfastly Minded

Imagine the heartache that Ruth and Naomi was going through, losing their husbands and now alone in the world and no one to provide for them. Naomi was in her homeland, but Ruth was not in the land of her birth, but in a strange country. Now we read, Ruth was “Steadfastly Minded” to remain with Naomi in this strange land no matter the circumstances. As we ponder this thought … we note there were others in Scripture who had a Steadfast Mind. Today we pursue that thought, knowing that we need a Steadfast Mind in our relationship with our God. Perhaps these Scriptures are not new to you, but as we walk through them, no doubt we will be strengthened Spiritually. It is the work of the enemy to mess with our mind and often the negative things that are set forth in our mind never come to pass. But they took hours of peace from us as we stewed over the negative things set before us by the evil one. We know we are commanded in Scripture that God gives us the victory but it is often difficult to place our trust in Him when we are in the midst difficulties – I hear the Word of God “Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord…!” May we get a vision of being “Steadfastly Minded.”  I believe we can have such a strong mind because once again God’s Word instills this Message in our heart. “Let this Mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”  In Jesus we see a Steadfast Mind. And He lives in us.  We are sometimes prone to “forget” and perhaps confess weakness of mind, but today we encourage ourselves in the Word of God as we see the power of “Steadfastly Minded” Patriarchs. Ruth was rewarded for her Steadfastness. Job was rewarded for his steadfast attitude and Daniel also saw the hand of God move for him.  We read of Esther who was strong minded and saved the Hebrew Nation. Consider the Mary’s in Scripture, they were not daunted by what they thought, they still believed. In this generation, may we be Steadfastly Minded, even as Stephen and stand strong in the face of difficulty!  For our God is a refuge from the works of darkness and we are His overcomers! Loving you, Pastor

Unfeigned Faith of a Mother

First let me welcome the Mothers today! Wishing all our Mothers to be exceedingly Blessed, not just today, but every day throughout all the years of their life! We rise up and call you Blessed, you are precious to us! You have given life to us! Parents have a grave responsibility before the Lord and we are challenged as children to Honour our parents. And then we are challenged by our own children to teach them the way of the Lord. “Unfeigned Faith,” what is this?  It is genuine Faith, Sincere Faith, and to understand Unfeigned, we have to look at the most powerful part of that statement which Faith. So much has been said about Faith in the Christian world that I am reluctant to speak about it. Yet Faith is the very existence of our Christian life, our Christian Testimony. It is a belief and trust in the loyalty of our God. Such a belief and trust spills over into our daily life. It is of the utmost importance that someone believes in us, is loyal to us, and we can trust them. In the natural most often this falls the challenge of our Mother. I have walked with many mothers throughout my life as a Pastor and 99.9 a Mother will stand with her child no matter the circumstance. God has given Mothers a strength that surpasses the crisis of our day. Thank God For Mothers. The Faith of a Mother is not easily quenched by the fires of our day. Timothy in the Bible was reminded that there was this “Unfeigned Faith” in his grandmother and in his mother and he was challenged to stir it up. Consider other Mothers in Scripture and you will be blessed!  The wonderful Mother of Jesus, she pondered all things in her heart and stood weeping at the Crucifixion, she was there!  Hannah vowed to God for a child and God answered.  Again Thank God for Mothers, Thank God for the life they have given unto us. Remember God’s Word tells us to “Honour thy Father and Mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.”  Loving You, Pastor

Chosen and Sanctified

The business of the day moves along and often time seems to elude passes and us too quickly. Today we have more machines then our parents before us, yet there seems to be less time.  I say this, because in the busyness of our day it is difficult to take a moment and give some thought to Spiritual matters. Why Spiritual Matters?  We know we have been chosen by our Lord & Saviour and time should be given to Him. Most Christians are aware of the Passage of Scripture that commands us as God’s people to: “Humble ourselves, and Pray, and seek His face!” The Scripture goes on to say “He will forgive our sin.”  Perhaps we don’t often think about sin as we hold to the fact that we are “Born Again.” But the temptations of the enemy of our soul come often and sometime unbearable. Thank God His Mercies and Compassions never fail us. They are new every morning because “Great is His Faithfulness.” -- “The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him.” What a powerful thought, “The Lord is our Portion!”  There is so much contained in that thought as we take it to heart. It’s probable that we don’t often think of ourselves as being “chosen” of God, yet He sent His Son that all His creation might have Eternal Life.  Jesus sits at the Right Hand of the Father in heaven and ever intercedes for us. We know this, but somehow it escapes us in the busyness of our day.  We are His witness in the earth. The gods of this world seem to parade before us, and sometimes seem bigger then life, but we are victorious in the Faithfulness of our Saviour. Hear the Word of the Lord from John 15:16 “Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:” And Vs 19 reminds us we are not of world, He chose us out of the world. We are the Lord’s House, He resides in us and I read: “For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually!” 2 Chr. 7:14-16  “He chooses us, He sanctifies us, watches over us and is perpetually interceding for us to the Father that we might be seen as sanctified when we come within the veil to worship our God!"  
Loving you, Pastor

Be Still and Know That I Am God

In an age of electronics it is possible that we rarely since the “Stillness” of God desiring to commune with us. It is in His Still Small Voice that He often speaks to us. Our World is in the midst of great trouble, anxiety on every side, we need to hear the Voice of the Lord! His Spirit is alive and well, moving in our heart and life, yet we are often not quiet enough to hear Him. I love that Passage of Scripture in Psalms that God seems to quiet our stress and He says to us: “Be Still and Know that I Am God!” On the sea of Galilee the disciples got caught in a raging storm, I’m sure you have read this Account in Scripture, but it never seems to quiet my heart when I read, “Be still and Know that I Am God!” If only we could still our life to such a point that the Still Small Voice of God would penetrate our Spirit in such a way that the calmness of His presence would take control of the issues that seem to beset us. To know that He is our God, He is in control of all the issues of Life and He desires to comfort us with the power of His Holy Spirit! The storm rages and often we feel alone, yet as the Account in Scripture reveals He is there beside us in the midst of the storm. The all-consuming Jesus never leaves our side, He rides out the storm with us and if we will hear His Voice, we will hear … “Peace be still!” Perhaps you have been harassed by the enemy in the night seasons, here is a Passage of Scripture that often comforts my heart:  Psalm 4:3-7 “Know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for Himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto Him. Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and “be still.” Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.” What are the sacrifices of righteousness?  It is to be in right standing with Jesus, to do the “right thing” trust Him, Worship Him: Be still and know that He is beside you and He will speak to your storm! It is interesting to note the Passage of Scripture that follows:  “There be many that say, Who will shew us any good?” As we see the corruption in our world today and the lack of respect for God, we might have been heard to say such a statement.  But know this, God is in the midst of the storm and His Word to us is “Peace Be Still!” Loving you, Pastor