WHAT IS REALLY LIVING?

1 Thess 3:8
8 for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord. NASU

Real life? What is real life? Seeing others stand firm in the Lord! Yes it's true. We can get all consumed in trying to better our lives but the real joy of life is when we give our life away to see others excel in their faith. What a break thru that we could have if everyone would just take the time to disciple one person a year and in return that one person would disciple one person. Real life? Is the increase of faith in other people. So don’t just get a life…. Get a real life and disciple.

Pastor Dave

TURKEY, TURKEY, TURKEY

Yep, we did it. Cooked more than we needed, ate more than we should have..... and I got up today and felt hungry! How does that work? I thought I ate enough yesterday that I could just cruise thru the weekend without bothering to eat anything.... yea, right! We are consumers of food.... like sharks, eat swim, eat swim and sometimes we stop long enough to take a nap. I hope you all ate well and remembered that the reason we exsist is because of HIM, Jesus Christ, and we should EVERYDAY thank Him for the opportunity to live yet another day for His pleasure.

Pastor Dave

JOB'S THE BOMB!

You know, I’ve been in ministry for over 31 years and anytime I hear a sermon or an illustration about sickness, disease or patience, Job’s name comes up. But when blessing and prosperity is talked about, you get names like Abraham, Issac and the list goes on. I must say with my teeth clinched…. “Job EARNED our respect and honor as a man of blessing and prosperity!” matter of fact, it was because of his blessing and prosperity that he was SELECTED to show the world that being faithful produces great rewards. He was abandoned, sick, diseased, criticized, ridiculed and etc….. but he was found to still be faithful which is more than I can say or read about others in the bible that are lifted up to be great people of God. I guess one reason I think that people always turn to Job when things aren’t going right is because misery loves company! However, Job wasn’t just looking for someone to feel sorry for him, he was looking and searching for answers that might tell him why he was going thru all that he was going thru and if he could get that answer, I know he would be one to quickly repent and set things right to return back to the blessings that came from obedience to God in the first place. He was however, willing to die for the cause of obedience and right living which is much more than I can say about most Christians today. We so much want to be justified and be in the right and we just can’t imagine that God would put us thru things that would make us question our lives and our obedience and integrity. There is hope…. Stop whining….. I say this to myself often because first of all, it’s not going to do me any good and second of all it sets a bad example for both the Christians around me and the world that I’m trying to win. “Trust In God” for He is faithful who promised. Find His promises and stand on them. Either His word is true or it’s not and we must either stop quoting it or die confirming it. Job was not moved in his belief and he was willing to die in faith believing God would come through for him…. And in the end run GOD WON not Job. God stayed true to His word and blessed Job beyond his greatest imagination.
Job 42:10-17 10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.
12 The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.
16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so he died, old and full of years. NIV

AMEN!

Pastor Dave

WHO YOU HANGIN WITH?

1 Cor 5:9-11
9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler — not even to eat with such a one. NASU
So, yea, this is to the point and Paul doesn't beat around the bush... Who you hangin with? He pretty much says, "if it is with the world for the purpose of winning their souls or you may just work with the people of the world and that's ok, but you have a CHOICE of who you can hang around with in the church. Make a list and don't hang with those types of "so called brothers or sisters" and always remember that many people have been sent to prison and jail and have even died because they were guilty by association!"

Pastor Dave

THAT LUMP IS STILL THERE

Today it’s still there…. That sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I truly ache for the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, And I ache for Pastor Ted and his family. I’ve heard so many comments about pastor Ted and what could have been and what should have been and this and that and why, why, why…… I DON’T KNOW! But I do know that when a brother or sister has fallen we should feel grief for the hurting and the sinner. As I mull over my feelings, I can’t help from remembering the story of David how after he had looked over on the roof top and saw Bathsheba and immediately started the plot to get her for himself. DAVID WAS KING! It doesn’t get any higher on the Evangelical ladder than that AND he met with God regularly! And as if that wasn’t enough, after having sexual relations with her he then proceeds to cover up his sin by planning the out right murder of Bathseba’s husband. Yet we read psalms and take it word for word as words of God and yet they were written by and adulterous, fornicating, deceiving murderer. I’m also reminded of the woman that was caught in the very act of adultery and yet Jesus’ very words were, “he that is without sin cast the first stone.” Now I hope you don’t get me wrong. I know sin is sin and every sin must be punished. But we must not throw stones at someone who has decided to make it right and get the proper help that is needed to be restored. And remember, we may be the very next person that is standing before the crowd with stones in their hands. My prayer? Healing for all involved and an advancement of New Life Church like they’ve never seen before. For I know that the scriptures are true when it says… “when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Pastor Dave

SUNDAY SERVICES

Well, we started our new series today "Just Say Yes". Everything was great and many people were touched by God's mercy and grace. This evening we went to a sister church and was a part of a nation wide telecast with the Foursquare Denomination where thousands of people in over 350 different locations across the country prayed together at the same time thru the telecast. It was led by our president pastor Jack Hayford. I felt such power that we as a Foursquare momement was praying for our country and I believe we really made a difference. It was so moving that our division has decided to do a quarterly prayer gathering and start meeting at different churches throughout our cities. Thanks God for using our denomination to touch thousands around the world!

Pastor Dave

BE ON THE ALERT

Mark 13:35-37
"Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning, in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say to all, Be on the alert."

The call of Jesus? "BE ON THE ALERT!" What does it mean to be on the alert? I would suppose that it would mean keep your focus on the task at hand and keep your focus off of those things that will distract you from doing God's will.
There are so many distractions in the world today. I'm amazed and overwhelmed at so much stuff to keep our eyes off of the prize Jesus Christ. I mean each day should be God's day not mine and yet as soon as my alarm goes off It's like a race to see if I can survive before I go back to bed. Each one of us grabs on to whatever we can to make life exciting and find that by the end of the day we're faced with heart aches, head aches, body aches and some with the opportunity to have a hangover the next day. But is this what life is all about? I mean I love to have fun and I love life..... but who knows me more that God in heaven? Nobody. He created me to have the fun and all the things that go along with an excellent life so I would suppose as long as I hang out with Him (God) He will show me how to have the best fun with the least pain..... (I hate pain)He only tells us to be on the alert because He wants us to live a great life without harm. and if He says be on the alert then He knows that there are those out there that want to destroy our live by tempting us to have fun out of His covering.... Be on the alert.... God loves you and has great plans for you... watch for His signal and then Go for it!

Pastor Dave

ACQUITTED BY READON OF MERCY

Job 23:1-7 1 Then Job spoke again:

2 "My complaint today is still a bitter one, and I try hard not to groan aloud. 3 If only I knew where to find God, I would go to his throne and talk with him there. 4 I would lay out my case and present my arguments. 5 Then I would listen to his reply and understand what he says to me. 6 Would he merely argue with me in his greatness? No, he would give me a fair hearing. 7 Fair and honest people can reason with him, so I would be acquitted by my Judge. NLT

I like the way NLT puts this verse. Job is feeling pretty bad by now and he begins to view his condition. His final report is "I am fair and honest and that means I can reason with Him and I know that I will be acquitted by Him."

Are you fair and honest? I mean really? check out your life and see what fruit you produce. You see it's only by His mercy that you can come before Him and find Him. He is willing to aquit you, He's just waiting for you to find Him and plead your case before Him. Notice Job says "God is a fair God" and Job knows that he would get a fair hearing before God. The catch here for you and me is that God judges us according to His word, the bible. I mean, it's like getting the text book and we need to read it because throughout our lives we will have little tests that come along and it's important that we have been reading the text book (bible) because that is what we are tested on. Will you pass the test? KEEP READING.....

Pastor Dave

100 FOLD BLESSING?

Mark 10:29-30
29 Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, 30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. NASU

I've seen this verse before, but have never used it to proclaim victory over my finances. If you have given up things for the sake of the gospel, you can claim victory in your finances.
Children:(to my kids) Each of you have given up things for the gospel and can speak blessings of 100 fold because of your sacrifices. Claim it and be debt free. As for any of you reading this blog. What have you given up for the gospel of Jesus Christ? I know many people who do not get paid by the church and that spend multiples of hours of their time helping preach the gospel. verse 30 says "you will receive a hundered times as much NOW in the present age." and he goes on to list both relationship blessings and material blessings. Stand your ground and claim the 100 fold blessing and remember that Jesus said in Matt 6:33 "Seek first the kingdom of God and then all these things (food, clothing etc.) will be added unto you."

Pastor Dave