Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone
on May 12th, 2021
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) Something incredible happens when followers of Jesus step out of their comfort zone and step into the messy reality of this world we live in. Sure, it might be easier to stay within the walls of the church where we feel comf... Read More
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Bias In The Church
on May 11th, 2021
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40) Bias and prejudice aren’t words that are explicitly used in Scripture, but Scripture directly addresses th... Read More
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Results Are A Reflection
on May 10th, 2021
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under... Read More
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Spreading The Good News
on May 9th, 2021
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” ... Read More
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Takeaways
on May 8th, 2021
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20) I’ve been thinking recently about this question: What are the lessons God wants us to learn after this pandemic is over? What tips, what takeaways, and what keys to advancing God’s will and mission are we to derive from this season in which we’ve had to completely a... Read More
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The Underdog
on May 7th, 2021
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5) I learned a lot about sports from my father. He was my baseball coach when I was younger. It afforded me an opportunity to be tutored and trained in the game by the man who was my first role model and teacher in life. My father was not just my coach in baseball; he was, and is, an avid sports fan. He... Read More
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Prayer Is Our Cornerstone
on May 6th, 2021
Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you. (Psalm 50:15) If we are to truly know success in our day-to-day ministry, and if ever we should experience God’s greatness as servants of the Lord, then we have to make prayer the cornerstone of our lives and of our ministry. The old saints were right. Prayer changes things, but it also changes people. In prayer, God will do for you what... Read More
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Praying Fervently
on May 5th, 2021
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. (Acts 12:5) As we have been discussing in Acts 12, Peter was connected to a praying church and when he was in jail, the church prayed for him (verse 5). Now that’s a beautiful picture if I ever saw one. Here is the pastor—the leader and under-shepherd of the local church—in trouble; and the church decides to pray for... Read More
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Your Life Is Bigger Than You
on May 4th, 2021
The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. (Acts 12:6) As we’ve discussed over the last couple of days, I believe Peter was able to sleep while on death row because he realized the importance of prayer; but I also think he was able to sleep because he had given up ownership of his probl... Read More
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Becoming A Person Of Prayer
on May 3rd, 2021
When he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray. (Matthew 14:23) Yesterday we talked about how even though Peter was in prison and on death row, he was able to be at peace enough to sleep. The question emerges then, how could a man under these circumstances go to sleep? How could he rest when he had a death sentence over his head and guards chained to his arms? Wel... Read More
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Time To Sleep
on May 2nd, 2021
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. (Acts 12:5-6) While it’s true that the power of the church comes through prayer, that power starts with Peter being a praying individual. In Acts chapter 12, star... Read More
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Praying Every Day
on May 1st, 2021
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:6) Fifty-six years ago on February 1, 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led more than 250 activists to the Dallas County Courthouse to register to vote. Despite their peaceful protesting, their collective demonstration of democracy was abrup... Read More
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Don’t Forsake Community
on April 30th, 2021
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)For nearly the past year, the church has been forced to radically alter how we do business in light of this global health crisis. The pandemic has forced us to leave our facilities, remain in our homes, and worship God in our living rooms, rather than in the sanctuary, while we wait for things to get better. It has prevented us f... Read More
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Threats To The Church
on April 29th, 2021
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. (Isaiah 40:8)The Word is true, “the grass withers and the flower fades but the word of our God will stand forever.” Jesus tells Peter in Matthew chapter 16 that He’s going to build His church on a secure foundation, and there’s no force, no weapon, and no threat that will be able to stop it. A powerful church is given... Read More
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A Persevering Church
on April 28th, 2021
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free. (Luke 4:18)To conclude our discussion on the characteristics of a powerful church, we must understand that in addition to a powerful church being rooted in truth and built on a firm founda... Read More
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A Firm Foundation
on April 27th, 2021
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Matthew 16:18)We’ve talked the past few days about how a powerful church is built on truth. Additionally, we must understand that a powerful church is built on a firm foundation. What strikes me about this verse is the one given credit for building the church and the one to who... Read More
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Hope For The Imperfect
on April 26th, 2021
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Matthew 16:17-18)What stands out to me about today’s key passage is that because Peter knew who Jesus was, Jesus revealed something to Peter. Je... Read More
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Before Heaven
on April 25th, 2021
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be lo... Read More
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