The past two weeks have been some of the busiest I have ever experienced, including our Temple Christian Academy commencement last Friday evening.  I suppose the reason it seemed so taxing was because my own daughter, Alexis, was graduating.  It almost felt like she was getting married or something.  My emotions were all over the map, so I admit I just emmersed myself in the work I had to accomplish in an attempt to  suppress as much of the emotion as possible.  It seemed to be working pretty well until I had to bring the commencement message.  Oh, the pain of it!  How do you wrap 18 years into 30 minutes?  Some how, I got through it and God seemed to bolster me through it all.  In the end, I felt like the father in “Father And The Bride” when he was all alone after it was all done, just sitting in the chair trying to figure out what just happened.  Of course, he was sitting there and reflecting about his daughter’s life and how she grew up so fast and was now moving on with life.

Well, that’s where I find myself!  I still see this little “giggle box” running around with Shirley Temple curls, but in reality she is a young woman that reflects the Godly character and dignity of her mother.  It is hard to accept, I confess, but it has happened.  She received the Pastor’s Award this year at my hand, graduating on the Honor Roll and exemplifying the character of Christ as a student.  She was saved at the young age of four and has always had a servant’s heart for the Lord.  She grew up as a PK (Preacher’s Kid) and has never grown bitter toward ministry’s difficulties.  She answered the call to full time Christian service and is going to West Coast Baptist College in the fall. In her speech, she said, “My parents didn’t teach me religion, they taught me how to love God and serve Him.”  Somebody can say “Amen” right there!  I’m telling you, that does a heart good!

I couldn’t be more proud as a father.  The Apostle John said it best in  3Jn 1:4, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”  Also, Pro 10:1 says, “The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.“  It is only by God’s grace that He has allowed us to raise two Godly young women who desire to serve the Lord.  Not all children will choose the path to serve Christ.  Many will go out into the world and waste their lives on riotous living.  I am so thankful the Vicki and I held the line over the years and make the hard decisions rather than convenient ones.  I am glad that we can now rejoice and experience the gladness of knowing our children walk in the truth, rather than the heaviness of a wayward child.  God has been so good to my family!  Thank you Lord Jesus!

I hope that you will purpose to hold the line in your own family.  Stay faithful to God’s Word!  Sometimes your friends, family, and even your children won’t understand it, but choose to stay faithful to God and His Word!  In the end, it is so worth it!

You can view Alexis’s graduation video at http://animoto.com/play/ffjkXiz8Cz0ylY4kNV70gw

We just wrapped up a great weekend of ministry as we honored our veterans and active duty servicemen and servicewoman this past Sunday.  It was a very moving service as we watched some videos, heard “Taps”, and also heard some excerpts of President George W. Bush’s 2004 Memorial Day Proclamation.

Our theme for the day was “Remembering Our Heroes”.  We had the privilege of honoring several families with Certificates Of Appreciation and then provided these wonderful families with a complimentary meal after our morning service.  I preached a messaged from 2 Peter 1 about “Remembering”.  All in all, it was a great day in the Lord’s house.

The one thing I noted this year, was an overall genuine spirit of gratitude of thankfulness toward our military.  Usually each year, there seems to be at least some negativity that comes out each year at the same time, but not this year.  It seemed like the first time in a long time that our country was genuinely united in honoring our men and women without a bunch of politics or agendas.  It was refreshing to say the least.

Why do I think there was so much more unanimity this year?  I can’t put my finger on anything specific, but I do think there are some pretty good indicators.  First, I believe that Americans are worn out at being the world’s peace keepers and are realizing just what a price has been paid to preserve our nation’s freedom.  To date, 1.4 million soldiers have given their lives to preserve that liberty.  Second, I believe that Americans are tired of the politics that have ruled the day for the last several years, and are getting back to the heart of Americanism-hard work (also known as capitalism), national pride, family, and faith in God.  That’s why some movements like the Tea Party have become such a phenomenon that the liberals can’t figure out and which drives them crazy.  There is a simple, yet profound desire to get back to those principles which made America great in the first place.

My prayer is that once again, God will continue to arouse Americans from our deep slumber and drunken stuper of material gluttony and help us to realize what we have become over the last 50 years and repent of our sins and turn back to the LORD God and serve Him.  Oh yes, revival is still possible in America and people can still be saved!

2Ch 7:13  If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;
2Ch 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

As a veteran who served for eleven years, I am thankful for the optimism that I observed this year, but as Pastor, I am even more hopeful that God would allow us to reap a great harvest of souls in these last days.  May God grant it!

Never, in our lifetime, have we seen such devastation and the destruction of marriages and families, as we see today in our volatile culture.  It seems that every component of society today is the sworn enemy of traditional marriage and family.  From the redefining of the family by governments, to Hollywood’s mockery and portrayal of the broken family through shows like “Family Guy”, “Desperate Housewives”, and the like, Americans AND Christians have lost view of what a family or marriage should be anymore.  Statistics are staggering, yet ignored by most until they themselves become one of the statistics.  In the end, home after home is being ravaged by the storms of life and falling because they are not built to last.

The reality is, homes ARE being destroyed by Satan every single day!  I believe He is winning the battle for our homes!!!!

• 68% of 18 year olds have commited fornication
• 41.3 percent women give birth out of wedlock.
• 1996, 70 percent of inmates in state juvenile detention centers serving long-term sentences were raised by single mothers. Seventy-two percent of juvenile murderers and 60 percent of rapists come from single-mother homes. 70 percent of teenage births, dropouts, suicides, runaways, juvenile delinquents, and child murderers involve children raised by single mothers.
• 60% of marriages end in divorce, with primary factors including finances and/or adultery.
• Over 1.2 million abortions annually.  66 percent of all abortions are obtained by unmarried women.  More than one-third of all teenage pregnancies in the U.S. end in abortion.
• In the next twenty four hours, 15,006 Teens will use drugs for the first time, 1,439 Teens will attempt suicide, 3,506 Teens will run away.

These are but a few of the heartbreaking statistics that reveal the true condition of families in our broken culture today!  The problem is, TODAY’S FAMILIES  ARE NOT BUILT TO LAST!!  Families don’t know how to cope the fiery darts of Satan and when the storms and winds begin to blow, their marriages and families fail to endure, because they are not built upon the Rock and their house comes crashing down.

Jesus illustrates this truth so powerfully in Matthew 7 as He sets forth the parable of the wise man and foolish man.  The foolish man builds his house upon the sand, but the wise man builds his house upon the rock.  The Bible reminds us Psalm 127:1, “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain which build it.”  The point is, that if you desire your family and marriage to stand the test of time and weather the storms of life, you must be a doer of God’s Word.  Build on God’s Word!  Establish your home on Biblical principles, not the quicksand of the world’s philosophy!

Purpose to build your home upon the Rock, the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word.  Honor God in your life and home.  This is how your family and marriage will weather the storms. A home that is built to last is:

1. Built On The Savior-  1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  The only real foundation one can build on is Jesus Christ.  All other ground is sinking sand!  Building to last begins with accepting Christ as your Savior.  By trusting Jesus as your Savior, you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and given all things that pertain to life and godliness.  You must have God’s power to live the Christian life and produce a fruitful marriage and family.  It is a spiritual work.
2. Built On The Scripture-  In Matthew 7:24, Jesus declares, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:”  The Word of God does us no good until we begin to live it daily in our homes.  It does us no good until we begin to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  It does us no good until we live our wives as Christ loved the church.  Get the point?
3. Built To Stand-  Mat 7:25  “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.“  Christ unequivocally declares that a home built to last MUST be built on the TRUTH, God’s Word. It’s not being a hearer, but a DOER that counts.  Speaking of counting, Jesus said in Luk 14:28  “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?“  Let me say, there is a huge price to pay when your house comes crumbling down around you.  Just ask King David.

May God help us, to determine to build our families wisely.

Psa 12:1   Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.

As we approach our annual Men’s Advance this weekend, I am reminded yet again of the dearth of manhood.  It exists everywhere I look, both outside and within our churches.  Where are the godly men today?  Where are the faithful fathers and devoted husbands?  Why is it, that even in our churches, there is a gross lack of godly leadership in homes?  Many times, it is the mother who is bringing the children to church and acting as the spiritual head of the home.

No doubt, much of this problem is created by men accepting and capitulating to what our American culture defines as manhood.  You know-the “Family Guy”, “King Of The Hill” definition where the man is perceived as a weak-knee, gluttonous drunkard and womanizer who lays around on the couch with his scepter (TV remote) in his hand.  There are other definitions of manhood perpetuated by the media as well through commercials and sit-coms and all of them make a mockery of real manhood.  What is our response?  Men laugh themselves silly watching and buy into it without one thought or consideration of your Biblical role as a man and the God-ordained head of your home.

Honestly, I am appalled at the shallowness of  husbands and fathers today.  They are more concerned about their careers, sports and hobbies than the spiritual condition and direction of their families.  While their sons and daughters are becoming reckless profligates, and their poor wives are struggling to keep them under wrap, they continue on in their spiritually apathy and carnal irresponsibility, concerned only about things that have no eternal bearing.

WAKE UP MAN!  I’ve dealt with too many broken homes and marriages to give any quarter on this subject!  Men, you need to step up now before you loose your marriage and children.  You only get one chance to do it right and if you fail, you will live with that regret for the rest of your life.  Countless have I heard “I wish I would have ________”.  I challenge you today, man, put down the remote and grab your King James Bible.  Find a closet and don’t come out until God gets a hold of your calloused heart and revives you from your spiritual deadness and puts a fire in your heart for your marriage, your family, and your church.  RISE UP and be the man God made you to be!

1. Recommit yourself to following Christ with all your heart, soul, and mind.  Deu 6:5  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
2. Recommit yourself to being a godly husband who desires to lead your spouse in the path of righteousness. Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
3. Recommit yourself to reviving a love for God in the hearts of your children and leading them by example.  Psa 127:3  Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Psa 127:4  As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

RISE UP and be the man God made you to be!

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
2Pe 2:13  And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
2Pe 2:14  Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
2Pe 2:15  Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
2Pe 2:16  But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

J.I. Packer stated, “The relativism, materialism, narcissism, secularism, and hedonism of today’s western world help him(Satan) mightily toward his goal. His task is made yet simpler by the way in which the world’s moral weaknesses have been taken into the contemporary church.”   The sad reality today is that the vast majority of mainline churches have not only given up the battle against worldliness, but have welcomed it with open arms, loving and desiring the reward of unrighteousness over the rewards that come from God.  EVERY CAPITULATION COMES WITH A HIGH PRICE! Just ask Balaam.  In the end, Balaam died for his iniquity (Joshua 13:22) by the hand of God’s people, Israel whom he betrayed.

God is not mocked!  He always wins!  What is the high price?  Your conscience.  J.I. Packer went on to say, “An educated, sensitive conscience is God’s monitor. It alerts us to the moral quality of what we do or plan to do, forbids lawlessness and irresponsibility, and makes us feel guilt, shame and fear of the future retribution that it tells us we deserve, when we have allowed ourselves to defy its restraints.  Satan’s strategy is to corrupt, desensitize, and if possible kill our consciences.”

I am convinced that “preachers” today must rediscover the Biblical meaning of words like sin, shame, repentance, and guilt; to open men’s eyes to the awareness of their exceeding sinfulness and God’s opinion of it.  The preaching should trigger within the conscience of man grief, guilt, shame, regret, and fear before a holy God.  But in most churches today, they purpose to alleviate you of such emotions.  They avoid bringing conviction to your conscience at all cost by teaching you how to overcome those feelings of guilt with reinforced positive thinking giving you an environment that entertains you, literally causing people to laugh their way to hell.

The goal is to get you to silence God’s conviction in your heart.  The conscience is God’s auto-warning system to keep us from allowing sin to separate us from God’s presence and fellowship and to ignore or shun the warning of our conscience only brings us to place we are at today in the 21st century.

If you have a Bible preaching pastor that truly declares the whole counsel of God, BE THANKFUL!  If you had terminal cancer, you would not want a doctor to give you a placebo! You would want him to give you the truth about your situation and then give you the proper remedy for your healing.  In fact, if he did anything else, you would sue him!  If you are in a church that is more concerned with imitating the world than building your relationship with God, take my advice and Peter’s-RUN!!!

May God help us to be sensitive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  May we not silence His warnings, but correct our erring way to simple faith and obedience to God’s Word.  God’s way is the best way!

2Co 2:14  Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

What a wonderful week we had in our 2012 GO (Global Outreach) Missions Conference.  Although it was spring break week, the meeting was well attended and God’s people were attentive to the Word of God.  There were many highlights to the conference including the debut of our new GBT Adult Choir.  They did such a spectacular job under the leadership of Mr. Jesse Guajardo.  I am thankful to Jesse for using his talents to serve God and assisting in launching this new ministry in our church.

But, the greatest blessing of the conference this year was the genuine hunger and thirst for God’s will in the people’s hearts.  Even our guest missionaries commented on how excited and hungry our people were for God’s Word and His work.  They were responsive to the challenges from God’s Word and had a real desire to please God and to allow God to use THEM to make a difference.  A Pastor could not ask for more!  I was truly blessed this week.

Our guest missionaries were the real deal!  Both families have a deep burden for their fields of service and a true walk with God.  We are excited to partner with these men of God.  They are Zachary & Karin Foust, to Peru and Troy & Suzannah Lewis to Belize.  We thank God for the opportunity to fellowship with their families and make friendships.  That is truly one of the great joys of ministry.

As a church, may we push forward in strong faith and courage in our great Savior, knowing that He will supply our needs and help us to do more than we ever have as a church for world evangelism this year.  I am so thankful for our people catching the vision for missions and committing themselves to the task through Faith Promise Missions.

With our 2012 GO (Global Outreach) Missions Conference coming up in one week, I wanted to take a moment to share with you the scriptural purpose for having a Missions Conference, and what we desire to accomplish next week.  This will be the first Missions Conference that many have ever experienced.  God has blessed us with many wonderful new families and I am so thrilled to see what God is going to do in and through your lives, for the sake of the Gospel and His glory.  

2Co 8:3  For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;
2Co 8:4  Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
2Co 8:5  And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
2Co 8:6  Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also.
2Co 8:7  Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
2Co 8:8  I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.
2Co 8:9  For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
2Co 8:14  But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:

1. What is Faith Missions giving?

Faith Missions giving is Grace Baptist Temple’s way of giving to world evangelism. Rather than waiting to respond to individual appeals as they come along, believers make a financial commitment by asking the Lord how much they should give to missions over the next year.  This  makes missions giving strategic rather than sporadic.

2. Is there a scriptural basis for Faith Missions giving?

• Faith giving is obedience to the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20)
• Faith giving is sacrificial (II Corinthians 8:2-3, II Corinthians 9:6-15)
• Faith giving reflects our personal commitments (II Corinthians 8:5)
• Faith giving comes from a willing heart and demonstrates our love for Christ (Philippians 2:1-4; Luke 6:38, Romans 12:9-10)

3. Who should give to Faith Missions?

Everyone! Children and youth may have less money than adults, but it’s crucial to train them in systematic giving and faith living.  Everyone can have a part in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.  We may never go to the mission field, but we can help send others through our giving.

4. What’s the relationship between Faith Missions giving and paying a tithe?

Faith giving is over and above the tithe. Tithing is a clear scriptural principle, dating back to the earliest pages of Genesis. Tithing recognizes God’s ownership over me and all that I have.  In practical terms, tithe money runs the local church and its ministries. Faith giving is a way for us give specifically to reaching the unreached of the world. Faith Missions giving tangibly expresses my desire that the whole world know the Good News.

5. Why should I get personally involved in Faith Missions?

Jesus said, “Go YE therefore, teaching all nations….”.  You are YE!  As a child of God and part of this local church, we have the responsibility to take the Gospel to all nations.  Your Faith Missions involvement says that you believe world evangelism is vital to accomplishing the mission of the church, and the gospel can change lives.

6. How do I make a Faith Missions commitment?

• Study the scriptures and prayerfully consider what commitment you can make to Faith Missions giving.
• If you have participated in previous years prayerfully consider increasing your giving by a reasonable percentage.
• Determine to give weekly, bi-monthly or monthly, according to your individual pay schedule.
•  Fill out a Faith Missions Card, indicating your commitment to Faith Missions.

7. How do I give to Faith Missions?

Give regularly and consistently as you can. Missionaries depend upon consistent, regular support. Some giving, however, depends on annual, one-time income. These can be paid when those monies are received.

8. Is this a pledge and will I be notified of my progress?

This is a commitment to God, not a pledge to the church. Your commitment amount is between you and God. No one will notify you or keep track of your progress toward your commitment.

9. Who should give to Faith Missions?

Anyone who wants to trust God and who wants to be used of God to get the Good News to the unreached can give to Faith Missions (Luke 6:38, Proverbs 11:24-25). Youth and children are also encouraged to participate and learn these biblical principles.

10. How long does my Faith Missions commitment last?

Generally, Faith Missions commitments are made once a year during the GO Missions Conference. The weekly or monthly or annual commitments extend for one year from that time.  This helps us to budget properly and to determine how many more missionaries we can take on for support as a church.

11.What is the purpose of the Faith Missions Card?

By filling out a Faith Missions card, we can determine a missions budget, which will assist us in determining how many more missionaries we can take on for support.  Personally, as you complete the Faith Missions care your are simply saying to God: “This is me, Lord. Count on me.”

12. What is the advantage of Faith Missions giving?

One major advantage in giving to missions on a per week or per month basis is that you can give far more to missions that way than you can by giving one or two big sacrificial gifts per year. Faith Missions enables you to give to missions in methodical, consistent, and purposeful way. 

13. Is Faith Missions the only way I can participate in missions giving?

Not everyone chooses to give weekly or monthly through Faith Missions. Throughout the year, there are also other opportunities to give toward special missions needs as well.  Those participating in Faith Missions giving may also choose to give additional offerings at these times in response to the Lord’s direction.

14. What does giving to Faith Missions accomplish?

Faith Missions is one of the most important ways we fulfill our responsibility for world evangelism.  While we can be a witness here in our community, we still have an obligation to get the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth.  It’s about becoming God’s instrument to take the gospel to the unreached corners of the earth. Many will never be called to go to the foreign mission field or plant a church somewhere in the United States or overseas.  Yet there is a personal responsibility for each of us to be involved in spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

So, the question is: How do I carry out my personal responsibility to the Great Commission? Well, the answer is quite simple: Even if you cannot go to the mission field, we can ALL help send them by giving to missions.

Faith Missions is simply a way of personally fulfilling the Great Commission. Scripture tells us in a variety of ways that He wants us to be a giving people.  Our personal involvement in Faith Missions comes from a desire to help spread the Gospel to all nations, so that they too might know our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ.

Nevertheless, I am encouraged, as I read God’s Word and am reminded that we have not reached “the point of no return” as a nation.  Read this!

Deu 4:7  For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?
Deu 4:8  And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

This passage reminds us that it is GOD Who made us a great nation and has blessed and preserved us a nation.  It is GOD Who has exalted us and established us as a beacon of hope to the rest of the world.  For centuries now, the world has looked to us as a pattern for freedom.  Only willfully ignorant liberals like Justice Ruth Ginsburg would suggest otherwise, as she recently did on a visit to Tunisia.  Regardless of the revisionists of our day, our founding fathers also understood this truth quite clearly.  They knew that it would be impossible for our nation be rightly governed apart from God’s law.

The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.  John Adams, Second President of the  United States of America

The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity. John Quincy Adams, Sixth President of the United States of America

Let us enter on this important business under the idea that we are Christians on whom the eyes of the world are now turned… [L]et us earnestly call and beseech Him, for Christ’s sake, to preside in our councils. . . . We can only depend on the all powerful influence of the Spirit of God, Whose Divine aid and assistance it becomes us as a Christian people most devoutly to implore. Therefore I move that some minister of the Gospel be requested to attend this Congress every morning . . . in order to open the meeting with prayer.  Elias Boudinot, First Attorney admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court

There can be no doubt, but to the willfully ignorant, that we were and STILL ARE a Christian nation. But more powerful is the thought that a gracious and merciful God stands ready to forgive and pardon our iniquities as a nation.

Deu 4:29  But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
Deu 4:30  When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;
Deu 4:31  (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

America, it’s not too late.  God in His mercy stands ready to restore us and make us the righteous nation that we once was.  Christians, it begins with you!  Judgement begins at the house of God and we will never be a righteous nation again until we, as God’s people, are willing to turn back to God first.

Seek Him with your whole heart today.  Purpose to walk in obedience to the faith.  Be a witness by pointing people to our precious Savior.  That is how we will once again exalt righteousness as a nation.

We are busy preparing and getting geared up for Open House Sunday on March 4th.  This special day gives us a wonderful opportunity to reach our community in a unique way.  We are “opening” wide the doors of our church (they’re always opened actually) and inviting families to come and see what is so different about Grace.  Well, we KNOW what is so different and we want others to know as well.

1. Straight-forward Bible preaching that challenges our faith, not soothe the conscience.
2. Conservative, Christ-honoring music that stirs our hearts and not your hips.
3. A multi-cultural congregation of people from every walk of life (just like heaven is going to be).
4. Gospel-focused service that will provide an opportunity for the lost to receive Christ as their personal Savior.

While we are used to these great qualities in our church, I can assure you that these attributes are not common in most “churches” in our city.  Far too many are driven by entertainment these days and the death, burial, and resurrection is rarely mentioned.

We have a special opportunity to reach many people on March 4th.  Let’s do our best!  Many of you have already made commitments to fill so many chairs.  If you have not made your commitment yet, you will be given the opportunity over the next week.  Make that commitment and then work hard to fulfill it on March 4th.  May the Lord continue to use our church to reach many people with the life changing message of Christ.

One of the biggest parts of succeeding in ministry is learning how to bring all of the pieces of the ministry puzzle together in oneness and unity to accomplish the greater purpose of reaching the lost.

The Apostle Paul reveals, what I consider to be one of the most powerful principles found in Scripture as he is writing to the church at Ephesus.

Eph 4:2  With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Eph 4:3  Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Eph 4:4  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
Eph 4:5  One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Eph 4:7  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

While many times we focus on words in this passage like “endeavoring” and “unity”, may I bring two other words to mind.  They are “Spirit” and “grace”. I have learned a few things over the years.  Some of these principles have been gleaned from the pages of God’s Word, while others have been learned from the “school of hard knocks” (because I was hardheaded).

1. THE FLESH CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH-  I have learned that I can put some of the pieces together in my own power or strength, but KEEPING it together is impossible without the Holy Spirit and the grace of God. Whether it is a desire to “succeed” (by that I mean fulfilling God’s perfect will for your life, not worldly success) in ministry or the Christian life, our efforts will always fall short of the glory of God.  This will produce frustration, weariness, fear, and discouragement.  Can I get a witness?!
2. WE MUST RELY ON GOD’S SPIRIT AND GRACE- You see, God’s grace and the presence of His Spirit in your life is truly the “glue” that holds it all together.  I remember years ago, I got caught up into puzzles. It helped me to get my mind off of things.  I was so proud of those puzzles that I bought adhesive spray and created a piece of art out of them.  The adhesive spray held the puzzle together and created one portrait.  Sometimes putting the puzzle together could be quite frustrating, but once it was complete it would create a beautiful portrait to behold.  Nothing will be more frustrating than trying to carry out ministry apart from the grace of God.  Whether it is mentoring staff or pushing through the tough times, we MUST desperately cling to the Holy Spirit and rely on His power and grace to enable us and overcome our inadequacies.
3. GOD’S RESULTS ARE ALWAYS BETTER THAN MINE- I have always believed in goals and hard work, probably to a fault.  We ought to work hard, for there is no place in the ministry for laziness!  I want to arrive in Heaven with a pant!  That being said, I have also learned that hard work will NEVER be able to supplement God’s grace and presence in my life.  Trying to do that would be like trying to pick up a 1000 piece puzzle without it coming apart.  Get the picture?  IT’S IMPOSSIBLE!  Yet when I am fully depending on the Holy Spirit in my life and in every area, He fills me with His grace and all of the confusion, frustration, and fear of trying to put the puzzle of ministry together blends into a marvelous portrait of God’s grace.

Whether you are in ministry or a Christian trying to achieve victory in the Christian life, determine today to be filled with the Spirit of God each and every day of your life.  Get into God’s Word every morning and pray often.  If you will do that, you will begin to see the big picture of your life become a beautiful portrait as God puts each piece in place.