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We Serve Him

Jesus came and served. Yes, He went about teaching and healing the sick. But He also washed the feet of disciples. John 13:14, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” He came to serve. He came to put the work of the ministry and the well-being of others first. 1 John 2:6 tells us, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” Are you walking like Jesus?

Let’s read Philippians 2:3-7, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.”

We are called to be like Jesus. Let the mind of Jesus be the mind we keep. Jesus wasn’t selfish. He came to serve others. He came to serve the commission and the purpose of the kingdom of God. I love this passage in these scriptures, (Jesus) made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant. That word bondservant means that He was devoted to others, regardless of His own interests. Jesus gave up self, in order to advance the cause of God. This is the mind we are called to keep.

Sadly, it seems many Christians want what God has to offer but don’t want to give Him what they have to offer. Look at John 12:25-26, “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” This scripture is referring to those who choose their own personal wants and desires above the greater plan of God. Those who choose to live like the rest of the world, those who don’t serve the Lord, will not see the promise of eternal life. Is it all about you and yours? If so, it’s time to take the higher path.

Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Then just a few verses later we see, Romans 12:11, “not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” It is a sacrifice on our flesh to go to work all week, then come serve on the cleaning team. It’s a sacrifice sometimes on the mind to bring our tithes when it seems like we’re not even making ends meet. It’s a sacrifice on our flesh sometimes to miss the BBQ, delay the family outing, and get up early to be in church, but this is our reasonable service. Jesus gave up His life, we can give up a little of our recreation time.

Galatians 6:4 tells us each one ought to examine his own work. If you never tell others about Jesus, invite them to church, or share your testimony, is the mind of Christ in you? If you’re not tithing and sowing offerings into your local church and the people of God, is the mind of Christ in you? If you’re only in church a few times a year or once a month because you have other (better) plans, is the mind of Christ in you? If you have no interest in serving others and your local church through the ministry of helps, is the mind of Christ in you? If you go to church, but then live without prayer, without reading your Bible the rest of the week, is the mind of Christ in you? What mind are you keeping? Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Renée

Living For A Living God

James 4:8
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

There”s no church for the next month. How would it feel? To a lot of Christians it would be no different unless something happened. Unless someone was sick, or died, or they lost their job, or any number of things that can happen in life. Yes, most people wait until something happens until they search for God, but a true relationship with Him isn’t a one way street.
How would you feel if the one you desired to be with most, the one you loved so greatly said, “I just don’t have time for you.” I remember when I was a young adult just starting life, I stayed behind as many of my friends moved away. Life for me continued and I started working, started a family, and doing the things you do in life. I can remember the expectation they would have whenever these friends would come home. Often I would get a call, “So and so is home so we have to hang out.” I would say, “Listen, I have things to do! Just because I stayed behind doesn’t mean I can drop everything now that you are here, and entertain you!”
So many people don’t even consider God unless there is a reason to. I have seen Christians plan their lives, live their lives, do just about anything before they would do a thing for God or His Kingdom. I have literally heard people say, I wanted to come to church but was busy. To so many, it’s enough for them to consider themselves a believer without giving a second thought to what that even means. God is an afterthought, if a thought at all. That is until something happens. Then they come seeking God, “Where were you God? Why did You let this happen?” The truth is, they jumped on the train of life and left God at the station. He wasn’t there because they never brought Him with!

I love what 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those WHOSE HEART IS LOYAL to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.” God is with those who desire Him. In Haggai 2:7, Jesus was called the Desire of nations. I love that because in one word we get direction of God, He is to be desired!

For whatever reason people think that God is so very different than we are. I know that there are some differences but we have to remember one of the first things we learn in scripture; we are made in His image and likeness. How rejection feels to you is how it feels to Him. He has placed certain desires within us: the breath of life, the spirit to seek and yearn for Him. He has written His law upon our hearts so that there would be something that always made us look for Him, and then promised we would find Him. God wants us to want Him as greatly as He wants us. How great is this desire? It is so much that He gave us everything in the form of His Son to ensure it would happen.

In Exodus 34:14 we read, “for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” That says it all. Whatever we put before Him becomes our God. Whatever we put above Him is our desire. We cannot expect to have the fullness of God, which is His blessing, while we refuse Him. Don’t seek His hand and what He can do, seek His face or Who He is. Put God first and watch how your life will change. Living for Him isn’t boring, it’s truly living. Living for God is the fullness of life and exactly what He made you to be.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff

Free Stuff

I love free stuff. I don’t know why really, but I know I’m not the only one. Marketing through giveaways is a very popular and very effective tool. The funny thing about it is that, by and large, the free stuff we get in society has two major characteristics: It’s generally never free and it’s generally never of very great value.

There is a gift that’s truly free, that is Jesus. The only requirement is that you take it. No strings attached, the doorway to God and all He offers requires nothing other than you accepting it. Notice I said, doorway. There are a few big misunderstandings about this Gift. Firstly, Jesus is the open door to God. He is the bridge. He is the way. That does not mean that acceptance of the gift is the end all, be all. This leads to the second misunderstanding. There is much more to the gift than receiving it one time. There is the using of the gift.

Along with free stuff, I also love coffee. Imagine someone gave me a magical coffee maker that made the best tasting and freshest cup of coffee imaginable and that I could take it anywhere and use it as much as I wanted. They would have truly given me a wonderful gift! Now, let’s say I just put it in the cupboard and forgot about it or used only on occasion. Though I had the access and the ability for the best cup of coffee, if I didn’t utilize it, I wouldn’t benefit from it. If I don’t take it out, plug it in and operate it the way it was intended but instead go to the local convenience store and buy old burnt nasty coffee, how could I ever rightfully complain? Would I be right to email the Heaven Sent Perfect Coffee Maker maker stating that though I have their perfect coffee maker, I’m still drinking terrible coffee? Ridiculous, right? Yet this is exactly what people do with God’s most perfect gift.

See the first thing a believer needs to realize is that what Jesus did was so much more than what people think. In John 10:10 Jesus tells us, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” One of the number one ways the thief (that’s the devil) steals is that he convinces people of the opposite of the Truth. Because he operates in the realm of thoughts, people automatically assume that what they’ve thought is good. Instead of lining it up with the Word of God, they swallow the lie hook, line, and sinker! The devil has stolen the Word before it ever produces life!
Actually, in reality, most times he never has to steal because people hand it over willingly. It will never make sense to me how people will receive a lie from the devil, yet having God’s Word written and before them, they’ll willfully reject it. This is why God’s people go without. It’s not because He doesn’t want them to have it, but because they refuse it.

God wants His people blessed. You cannot read the Word in context and ever come to any other conclusion. You also cannot separate our role in bringing His will to pass. We were never exempt in the operation of the blessing but rather, overwhelmingly required to participate. From Genesis to Revelation, humans always have had their part to play. First we receive, then we do. It’s the way our Maker made us.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff

How Long Does Faith Wait?

Hebrews 6:12 writes, “that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Faith is an interesting thing. We know according to the Word that we are to live by faith, that we all have a measure of faith, and that we should grow our faith and do that by hearing the Word of God. I think, however, that the true concept of what faith is gets lost on people.

Hebrews 11:1 gives us the exact definition of what God says faith is, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Before we get too far into this, we must do a little prep work. The words “hoped for” do not mean what we commonly assume they mean based on our modern day usage of them. When the Bible mentions hope, it is referring to an expectation; not that you hope it happens but you rest in the hope or knowledge that it will. Looking at it from this perspective drastically changes the meaning of this verse. Now faith is the substance of things that you expect will happen. Expectation is a sure thing. Expectation does not change. If I expect someone will do something, then I know with every fiber of my being that it will be done. Expectation of God for so many is subjective. The Word is eternal, it is truth, and therefore cannot ever be subjective. Neither, I might add, is the Lord. For He and His Word are the same thing.
I expect God because I believe His Word. This is what faith is. We would all do well to wake up daily saying this. We need to believe God for and because of what He has said and that’s it. Faith has no expiration. It continues because that is the very essence of true faith. This is what is meant by the idea of the just living by it. They live it, as long as they live faith as the truth. What faith says is what we are to be. Faith says yes, faith says it will happen, faith says I can, faith always works, and faith leaves NO WAY out! Glory to God!!!! Faith is our truth and the day we stop living by faith is the day we stop living.

I have a certain expectation of God that is formed by and only by His Word. It isn’t something that people who are influenced and controlled by the world understand. It isn’t even something I always understand, but who says you have to understand the truth to make it truth? Truth will always be truth because that’s what truth is. Truth that changes was never truth. Why do you think God said in Malachi 3:6, “For I am the Lord, I do not change…”? He is the same yesterday, today, and forever so that we can have something solid to rest our, you guessed it, faith on!

What a mighty and wonderful God we have. Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-25, that building on Him means that we will not be shaken but will stand through every storm. “Will stand” means won’t fail. This my friends is the attitude we must have. Do you have room in your prayer for God not coming through? Do you leave provision for some hope you are standing on to fail? If you do, you are not in faith. We must remain in faith no matter the wind, the trial, the storm because that is how and only how we stand. Faith bets it all. Faith has no other option. How can I say all this? Because faith works through God’s love and 1 Corinthians 13:8 tells me love never fails. If my faith is rooted in His love, it can’t fail.

Let me tell you this. You can have this faith but not on your own. God has commanded us to come together in unison of faith to stir this faith up in us. He wants us to have it in abundance but we can’t without our local church and without the ministry gifts. Why do you think He said where two or more are gathered I am there in the midst? (Matthew 18:20)

So how long does faith wait? Faith never asks, “how long?” because faith doesn’t just know it will happen, faith is convinced of its PRESENT reality! Faith waits continually because that’s what faith is. Now faith is the expectation and knowledge of the reality of that which already exists, the unwavering and very proof of things which you cannot see yet.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff

Immovable Mountains

Psalms 37:3-5, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.”

The Word works if you work it. The promises of God are for those who believe them. If salvation ONLY comes through believing or trusting in His Son, why would we think that anything of lesser importance would require a different measure of our belief. After all, God’s greatest gift IS salvation. But don’t take my word for it. Romans 8:32 tells us, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” All things are just as free as the gift of salvation, but they all must be received, and received through faith.

I hate when the devil convinces good people of his lies. One that is particularly on my heart is about what God won’t do and specifically as it pertains to mountains. Yes I know, we have songs that sing about how tough it can be and how defeated we feel and how if the mountain doesn’t move it’s just God’s will, but in reality, these are lies from the pit of hell. Before you get mad at me, consider some logic and then consider the Word of God.

First off, have you ever had an issue with focusing on the trial you face? Have you ever had a hard time thinking and talking about how big the mountain is, how great the pain feels, or how lost you are? The truth is, most people steep in their misery like spiritually devoid teabags in boiling hot water and soak it all up. When was the last time during trial that you put your focus on God’s greatness, ability, or promise to deliver you? When was the last time you talked about how big God is instead of how big the devil is? By constantly focusing on the issue and all it entails, you fall victim to the devil’s plan, you glorify him.

I know the pain of tribulation well. I am no stranger to fear, addiction, depression, self-hate, loss, or the like. I will say this, no matter how much I talked about the trial, things never ever changed but only grew worse. It wasn’t until someone taught me the Truth that my life began to change…and oh man did it! Fear gave way to strength and inability to ability. Yes friends, God is real and His Word works! My life is a living testament to this.

Now, I want you to read the following scriptures very carefully, considering the words that are used. Mark 11:22-24 tells us, “So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, WHOEVER SAYS to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and DOES NOT DOUBT in his heart, BUT BELIEVES that those things HE SAYS will be done, HE WILL HAVE WHATEVER HE SAYS. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, BELIEVE that you receive them, and YOU WILL HAVE them.””

I know what your thinking, “But I believed for this and that and asked for this and that and it never happened.” I say, you didn’t believe long enough. The Word clearly says in Hebrews 6:12, “that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those WHO THROUGH FAITH AND PATIENCE inherit the promises.” I know patience isn’t fun and isn’t popular but it is the “how”. Faith and patience are water and fertilizer to the harvest you’re believing for. It took Abraham, Joseph, Caleb, David and many others years sometimes, but as they waited on God in faith, it happened. I SAID IT HAPPENED! In the meantime, we are to do just what His Word says, worry and fret. NO!!! We are to rest, KNOWING it will come to pass. Don’t try and change God because you don’t fully understand. We have things that our forefathers of the faith didn’t, the complete Word of God that tells us exactly Who He is and what He will do.

You also must remember this; you can’t believe God for His blessing and knowingly disobey His Word. His Word says to be in church and be connected to the brethren. Being disconnected will put you in a position of losing your harvest. So many Christians reject what the Lord has told them to do, and then blame Him for their lives falling apart. These things ought not be so. I implore you, wait on the Lord. Trust Him and stop glorifying the devil. God will come through for you if you trust in Him. I promise. Psalms 25:3 says, “Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed;
Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.”

Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff

Would You Do Service For Jesus Your King?

We often sing the song, “There’s Power in the Blood.” I love anointed and scriptural worship songs. Worship of the Lord should always include the truth and the praise for His goodness. The truth is that Our Heavenly Father sent His only begotten son to the earth in the form of a man to take the sins and the sickness of the entire human race upon His shoulders. Well, actually, Jesus took all our sin, all our disease, not only upon His shoulders, but upon His entire body. He shed His blood for us. And we are only redeemed and saved by that blood.

Another line of this song goes like this, “Would you do service for Jesus your King?” Well, would you? Would you commit your ways to His service? “Would you live daily His praises to sing?” Would you live in a way that brings glory to His name?

See, in our minds we may want the answers to those questions to be a resounding YES! But, the truth is, most Christians mentally agree to this, but never line their living up with this. 1 John 1:6-9 says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

There’s a principle found in the Word of God that tells us those who have been forgiven of much will also love much. (Luke 7:47) Well, when you’ve lived a life apart from God and even spoke out with words that said He wasn’t real, claiming to be an atheist, like I did, and then He accepts you as His very own precious child, trust me, you’ll love much. God is so incredible, so beyond human thinking and human words. His love is so amazing. He created us. He breathed life into us. (Genesis 2:7) He set us up with everything we’d ever need physically, mentally, materially, and spiritually. He gave us the Word of life, our instruction manual for everything we would ever need to know. And though His people, His human beings, those He made in the image and likeness of Himself (Genesis 1:27), walked away from Him, disobeyed Him, sinned against Him, and betrayed Him, He still sent His son to redeem all mankind. We’ve been forgiven much. Do we love much?

In John 14:15 Jesus says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Our love for our Lord and our thankfulness for the price He paid for us is seen in the way we live. Do we do service for the Lord? Do we serve in His local church, in our communities, in our families, in our daily lives? Do we live daily His praises to sing? Our we being the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13), the light of this world (Matthew 5:14), and the ambassadors of Christ Jesus Himself (2 Corinthians 5:20), like He calls us to be?

2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.” How does an exam work? It’s question and answer. I’ll ask some questions, you determine your answer. Do those in your circle know you’re a Christian? Do you treat people with kindness, forgiveness, and respect? Do you faithfully attend and serve in your local church? Is your life any different than that of your atheist neighbor, your agnostic colleagues, or those who don’t carry the name of Christ? When you speak, are your words filled with doubt and defeat or faith and victory? Do you give towards the work of the kingdom? Is your heart to see the world living for Jesus? Do you serve and work towards that heart?

This isn’t meant to make you feel guilty, but to take you higher. We’ve got a work to do brothers and sisters. And He has made us well able to do it! I leave you with this, 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

Be Blessed,
Pastor Renée