A Great Warning

Redemption through Christ has bought back God’s original design. For His glory, our good, we sense the great call of God upon our lives. Adam and Eve and their children were to extend the blessings of Paradise throughout the entire world, but instead of this purpose, Adam sinned and brought a curse upon the ground for man’s sake. Satan, though defeated, still reigns in his kingdom, but not for long.

Salvation, therefore, restores man to his original calling and purpose, and thus guarantees man’s original mandate. Under the perpetual curse of sin there is no purpose for God to be glorify, though His glory cannot be diminished. But because of God’s amazing grace, when sin and the curse are taken completely away, people will be capable of exercising proper stewardship of the earth and the new earth to come. Heaven will rule and His kingdom will come. Though, at this time, we experience God’s kingdom in our hearts.

Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy our God forever. One day in the realm of glory this will take place uninterrupted, but in the mean time God has called us as resurrected beings to carry out his plan for developing a Christ-centered, resurrected culture in a dying, decaying world.

Christ’s mission is to both redeem what was lost in the Fall and to destroy all that competes against God’s dominion, authority, and power He wields. When all is placed and put under His feet, when God rules and mankind rules the earth as kings under Christ, the King of kings, at last all will be as God intends. This period of rebellion will be forever over, and the universe, and all who serve Christ, will participate in the Master’s joy!

“But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” (Matthew 9:11 NLT)

God desires compassion, mercy, and not mere religion. Who needs a doctor but those who are sick? God is after compassion, kindness, and not mere outward religious activity from His people. God is dwelling in us to invite outsiders to Himself, not to coddle the insiders of the church.

What is pure religion?

Pray for someone who you know is in need, whether it is physical or spiritual, but start your prayer by asking what you can do to help meet that need. Don’t just ask God for the solution–ask Him how you can become part of the solution.

Our church’s address is no mistake.  God has placed us here to reach out to those who surround us in our neighborhood.  We have this great privilege and responsibility before God.

The Lord has also given us the privilege to live where we do.  It is here on our streets that we become mission minded to those who are our neighbors.  We have the great joy of mastering the art of neighboring.  Our neighbors need Christ, and we have the tool to do just this.

What do we do as we gather in our church buildings?  We learn who we are, and that God has given us a special commission to reach others through prayer and discipleship.  It is our responsibility to share and God’s responsibility to save.

Let’s refocus our prayer ministry toward our neighbors.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Don

Did you know that 95 percent of all believers placed their faith in Jesus primarily because of someone in their OIKOS Group? The Greek word “OIKOS” is a noun, it means an extended household. What this means is that you and I have approximately 8 to 15 people that are in our world where you share life most closely. This is your sphere of greatest influence. If I were to ask in a room full of congregants of who came to Christ mainly because of someone who brought you to church, told you about Christ, invited you to hear and become a part of the community of believers, almost everyone (95%) in the church service would raise their hands and say “Yes, someone in my sphere of living invited me to church, to Christ, or was just there to be a sign for salvation.” Most people come to Christ because of someone who was interested in them. So the world-changer is the one who actively encourages people in their relational world (their oikos) to become Christ followers.You can become a World-Changer! It’s not hard, nor is it complex.You just select up to four names who are Pre-Christians who have not placed their faith in Jesus and then you begin to pray for them everyday. You also will pick out Prodigals who are believers but who are not actively pursuing their faith; write them down and pray for them daily. Then there are those who are Purposefuls, believers who are actively pursuing their faith. Take these names, write them down, pray for them. And finally there are the Potentials. These are those who keep showing up on your life’s front burner more often than in the past. You write those names down and pray for them.In all you will have eight to fifteen people that you will pray for everyday.You list their names, pray daily for your names, invest and watch for appropriate ways to be God’s instrument, and invite them to church thoughtfully and regularly, and prepare to become a better example of faith in Christ as well as a more effective witness of His grace. The Bible tells us Jesus said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (Mark 5:19). This is our oikos.This is how we follow Jesus and become fishers of men.

Very soon the church as a whole will begin to experience the life changing, daily washing of care and compassion for others, and we will begin to see the manifest presence of Christ as we trust and obey. I love you with the love of the Lord! Pray for your OIKOS! Those you go to school with, those who you work with, those who are your neighbors, those who are your relatives, those who are the others. Write them down-8 to 15 and pray and let God do the work through you.

-Pastor Don

Link to Oikos brochure

God’s Word says, “Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouths and lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant” (Psalm 78:36, 37). Do we desire God’s presence in our bodies, homes, churches, nation, and the world?

Many claim to want revival. Why do we plead for revival? Is it to save our face, when the first thing we need to do is to lose our face. The fallow ground must be broken up. There is the cost of humiliation and even embarrassment when it comes to revival. God cannot rain showers of blessings on fallow ground. That would just mean more spreading of briars and weeds.

If we are to prepare for rain we must prepare the soil of our hearts. We must be disturbed and broken up for what we see and what we are. But, like so many of us, we do not like to be stirred and agitated in our churches. We like our smooth exteriors while keeping our roots of bitterness and sins hidden.

Revival will come when we really desire it and meet the conditions. But God has not changed the price of revival. He has not placed any of His blessings on the bargain counter at reduced rates. Stubborn wills, hardness of hearts, and pretension in repentance will never meet the criteria for revival.