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.

While we believe in age appropriate ministry, we also believe that if we are not careful, the church can work against the family rather than for the family.  Too much specialized ministry can segregate families rather than strengthen families.  At Grace, we put the FAMILY FIRST. Yes, we have many ministries that focus on the specific life stage of an individual, but at the same time family is first and foremost in our scope of ministry.  It is our desire to strengthen the marriage relationship and the parental relationships of our families.

For this reason, many of our church activities are purposefully family oriented.  Families are fighting to succeed in today’s culture and at Grace we want to stand with our families to strengthen and solidify them.  Before there was a nation, before there was government, and yes, even before there was the church, THERE WAS A FAMILY.  The family was God’s first institution and it is still the foundational cornerstone of society.

Thank God for your family.  It may not be perfect, but then, neither are you. Warts and all, it’s God’s gift to us and brings us the greatest fulfillment this side of Heaven.  Focus on your family.  Keep your spouse and children first and above everything else.

Gentlemen, we are looking forward to a great time of fellowship this Saturday morning beginning at 800am.  There will be a serious amount of food, so bring your appetite as well as your Bible.  Please invite a friend who needs to hear the Gospel. Also, if you have a son, please bring them as well.  We want our invest into the lives of our young men as well by teaching them about manhood and fatherhood.

I also want to invite you to stay for our normal time of soulwinning at 930am if you are able.  I look forward to seeing you here.  We will meet in the Nance Hall.  See you soon.

Tomorrow is Stewardship Sunday!  I hope that you have learned much over the last month as we have focused our attention on stewardship.  It should be our desire to be wise managers of all that God has blessed us with.  While we have focused on TIME, TALENT, and TREASURE, have you considered just how many things God has truly placed in our stewardship.  Consider these areas:

1. Your spouse-  Has God blessed you with a husband or wife?  If so, you should thank God for your spouse.  What a treasure we have in marriage.  God brought Vicki into my life 22 years ago. She is my best friend in life and my Completer. All of my life’s best memories include her. Thank God for the mate that God brought into your life.  But more than that, make sure that you love and care for your spouse.  It is so sad these days to think of how many marriages end in divorce.  Do you realize that your wedding vows were an oath of stewardship to God?  That’s right! You pledged your love, devotion, and care in the good times AND the bad. A loving spouse is truly one of God’s greatest gifts.
2. Your children-  Wow!  My daughters are teenagers now, but I can remember when I first held my first daughter, Alexis in Omaha, Nebraska 18 years ago.  I didn’t think I could be any happier or thankful to God. I couldn’t imagine life without my children. God has blessed us with two wonderful young ladies and it makes me “proud” in the good sense to know that they have grown up to love the Lord and serve Him.  That doesn’t happen on accident.  That comes from good stewardship.  God has given you a treasure in your child.  Nurture them. Love them.  Raise them to know and trust the Savior.  A good child can bring you life’s greatest joy, but a foolish child will bring you great shame.  Be a wise steward with your family.
3. Your job-  Yes, that’s right.  If you have a job (especially in this economy) you should be very thankful AND you should be a faithful and wise steward with your job.  You employer deserves your faithfulness.  He doesn’t owe you anything, but you DO owe him an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.  I can promise you this- in this economy there is probably a line outside your employer’s office looking for YOUR job.  It would behoove you to be a wise steward with your position.  Be honest. Be diligent.  Don’t be slothful in your duties. Be on time.  If you will be a faithful steward on your job, God will reward you and give you increase for your faithfulness.

These are just a few additional areas that all of us should be wise and faithful as stewards.  May the Lord give you the resolve to purpose to be a faithful and wise steward in the days ahead.  Let it begin tomorrow by determining to be faithful to God’s house.  Begin by honoring God with your presence, worshipping Him with your time and your treasure and may the Lord give the increase.

Hag 1:1  In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,
Hag 1:2  Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’S house should be built.
Hag 1:3  Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
Hag 1:4  Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?
Hag 1:5  Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
Hag 1:6  Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
Hag 1:7  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
Hag 1:8  Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
Hag 1:9  Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
Hag 1:10  Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
Hag 1:11  And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.

WOW!  This is powerful truth!  Do you get it?  Do you understand what is going on with the children of Israel here?  They were failing to honor God with their giving and hoarding it all up for themselves, spending on themselves, and all the while the house of God was being totally neglected.  They were living in total disobedience because of their selfishness.  This sounds all to familiar in our culture today.  We have put God on the back burner of life and supposed that we can succeed in life apart from His provision.

God was not to be mocked.  We know that if God is for us who can be against us, but here we see that if God be against us, who can be for us.  We might want to consider some principles from this passage today.

1. Excuses don’t work with God-  v.2,  The children of Israel were procrastinating.  “Not now God.  I’ll get to it later. Now’s not a good time.”  Sound familiar?  We do the same thing today.  “God, I would start tithing, but now’s not a good time.  I’ve got too many bills to pay.”  Have you considered that the bills might be stacking up because you have failed to honor God?  Don’t make excuses with God. Trust God today and begin to honor Him with the firstfruits of your increase and He will bless your faith.
2. Material possessions are not the true measure of one’s life- v.3-4,  While they were building their fancy ceiled homes, (the American dream) the house of God lay in ruin.  Yet, the people had convinced themselves that everything would be fine.  Their material possessions gave them a false sense of security.  Remember, the rich fool in the Gospel of Luke?  He told himself, “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee:”  Notice God’s response to their disobedience.  He tells them that while they sow much they bring in little; while they earn money, they are putting it into a bag with holes.  Do you feel like that; like you have holes in your pockets; like your money goes out quicker than it is coming in?
3. Ultimately, God controls the heavenly spout of blessings-  v.10-11,  God told Israel, “I’m the one that has shut up the heavens from giving dew.  I’m the One Who has stayed the fruit of the earth. I’m the One that has sent the drought upon everything that you put your hands to.”  Understand this: you will never get ahead by dishonoring God in your finances.  I remember before Vicki and I started tithing, I was working two jobs and still couldn’t seem to get ahead.  Finally Vicki said to me, “Tommy, I think we need to start honoring the Lord first.”  Well, that didn’t set to well with me, because I had already done the math and knew it was impossible.  Yet I reluctantly agreed.  I am glad to report that it wasn’t too long before I quit my second job and we have been living by faith since that day and we have had the privilege of watching God meet our needs for the last 20 years.  Remember, God’s shovel is much bigger than yours and if you will honor Him, He will honor you.  AMEN!

Will you trust Him today?  Are you walking by faith and honoring God with your finances?  Certainly our Savior is worthy and He is a rewarder of them which diligently seek  Him and do His will.

In reading this passage, I’ve often said, if you want to give your preacher a heart attack, have an offering like this one Sunday.  Could you even imagine your Pastor standing up one Sunday and saying, “All right church, we have been receiving too much offering over the last few weeks, so please don’t bring any more.”  Right!  But the reality is, that this is exactly what happened on this day.

From this unique historical account, we can learn several principles to apply in our own giving to the Lord:

1. It is exciting to serve God through our giving-  The primary reason that the children of Israel gave so much because this was exciting times for them.  Remember, God had just delivered them from 400 years of slavery and bondage.  He delivered them with powerful miracles showing His might and power.  They had just crossed the Red Sea on dry land.  Also remember that this was an offering only to be given from a willing heart.  It was not demanded!  These people were excited about what God was doing in their lives.  They were excited to be free from the bondage of their sin.  Are you still excited about your salvation?  Does serving the Lord and reaching the lost still excite you?  It should, and it will produce a willing and thankful heart. It is exciting to know that when we are helping provide the means to spread the Gospel in our community and unto the ends of the earth.
2. We give or invest  into what’s important to us-  The children of Israel were set free from bondage and now the Lord God was establishing a dwelling place among them in the tabernacle.  This would become the center of their lives.  The visible glory of God would lead them in their journey to the promised land.  It was the focal point of their lives.  God should be the focal point of our lives as well.  We invest what money we have into those things that are important in our lives. For some it might be savings, stock markets, or bonds.  For some it might be education or property.  But Christ reminds us in Matthew 6:19-21, ” Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”  Stocks, bonds, and property investments can only yield temporary benefits, but investing into the work of God brings eternal rewards in Heaven.
3. The reality is that if everyone DID have a willing heart, we WOULD have more than enough-  Did you know that God never demands what God does not supply.  Did you also know that everything God would have us to do as a church, He has already provided within the church.  It’s not that the supply of God is lacking, it’s simply a lack of willing hearts.  The sad truth is that not everyone does get excited about honoring God with the firstfruits of their increase.  Not everyone will recognize that God is the source of their provision and blessings.  But don’t let it be you!  God HAS blessed you and provided for you.  If your convinced He hasn’t then I would encourage you to survey your life and see if it is possible that you have not been faithful with what God has ALREADY provided. Can God trust you as a wise and faithful steward?  Remember, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required:” Luke 12:48

How exciting it is to watch God at work in our church.  We have seen so many lives changed this year already and each time we give to the Lord, we are reaping the rewards together of those lives that are changed.  Remember that even though it must have been a sight to behold as God parted the Red Sea for the children of  Israel, the greatest miracle of all is when one sinner trusts Christ as their personal Savior, and their life is changed forever by the grace of God.  We get to see that on a weekly basis here at Grace!  Let’s get excited and stirred up about what God is doing through our church.  Purpose to honor God and invest into heavenly treasures through your giving.

Exo 35:1  And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them.
Exo 35:2  Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.
Exo 35:3  Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.
Exo 35:4  And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying,
Exo 35:5  Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,
Exo 35:6  And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,
Exo 35:7  And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood,
Exo 35:8  And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense,
Exo 35:9  And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate.
Exo 35:10  And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded;
Exo 35:11  The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets,
Exo 35:12  The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the vail of the covering,
Exo 35:13  The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the shewbread,
Exo 35:14  The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light,
Exo 35:15  And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle,
Exo 35:16  The altar of burnt offering, with his brasen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot,
Exo 35:17  The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court,
Exo 35:18  The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords,
Exo 35:19  The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office.
Exo 35:20  And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.
Exo 35:21  And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.

In this passage, we see many aspects of stewardship.  Notice a few of them:

1. Honoring God with the proper stewardship of our TIME- v.1-3,  In the opening verses of this chapter, Moses immediately instructs the children of Israel to honor God by consecrating part of their  time to the Lord by keeping the Sabbath; to set apart the seventh day of the week as a day unto the Lord.  It was not to be used for selfish gain or work, but a day of worship and thanksgiving unto the Lord.  In a fast paced society driven by greed, it is ever so important to make sure that we always honor God by being faithful to church on the Lord’s Day.  In the Old Testament, anyone who defiled the Sabbath was put to death.  In the New Testament, Jesus horse-whipped the money changers out of the temple for defiling the Sabbath by working for gain.  Obviously, we don’t put people to death these days, but I believe that honoring God by consecrating the Lord’s Day to worship Him is still just as important as it ever was.
2. When we give our tithe and offerings it is UNTO THE LORD- v.4,  Many people are under the impression that it is the church or the preacher that wants money, but that is a serious misunderstanding of why we give and to whom we are giving.  Our giving is “unto the Lord”.  The offering was used to build God a dwelling place to commune with His people.  It was also used to build the furniture as well as providing for the needs of the priests who would minister in the tabernacle.  But in the end, the offering was “unto the Lord”.  Remember that when we give we are honoring the Lord, not man.
3. Our giving must be done with a willing heart- v.5,21,  The Apostle Paul echoed this truth in his letter to the church at Corinth, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” 2 Cor. 9:7   The Lord wants us to be faithful in our giving.  He deserves for us to be faithful in our giving.  But He will never FORCE us to give.  We give because our hearts are stirred within us to do so.  Our hearts are stirred, or motivated, by our love for Christ, and our thankfulness for His provision in our lives.  The Apostle Paul told the church at Corinth, “I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. 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.” 2 Cor. 8:8,9   It should be our desire to “prove” or demonstrate the sincerity of our love to God through our giving.

This is why we give.  We give to honor God.  We give from a grateful heart that understands the tremendous cost of our redemption.  Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and the shedding of His precious blood for our sin, should be enough to stir the heart anyone who has received His forgiveness and eternal life to be willing hearted.  If your heart has grown cold or indifferent to church, your giving, or maybe to God Himself, let me encourage you today to go back to Calvary in the pages of God’s Word and read once again the wonderful message of the Gospel.  Rekindle the fire of your love and passion to serve Christ.  That will be all the motive you truly need to begin honoring the Lord once again.

2Co 8:1  Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;
2Co 8:2  How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
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.

Yesterday, in the morning message, I preached that God does not desire our material possessions, for He owns it all already.  Heaven is not going bankrupt.  No, what God is more concerned about is us giving our heart back to Him.  I called it the “Principle of Prior Consecration”.  The Apostle Paul told the church at Corinth to follow the example of the churches of Macedonia, who “first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God” 2 Cor.8:5.  The truth is that when God has captivated our hearts, everything else will be His as well.

There’s not a thing in this life that I would not do for my wife, Vicki. I love her and she has captivated my heart for over 20 years now. She is the pep in my step, the twinkle in my eye, the….well you get the point, right?  Because I love her unconditionally, everything that I have is hers.

That’s how your relationship with Christ should be.  Has Jesus captivated your heart, your life, your mind?  It is only when He has the preeminence, that you can truly rejoice in giving your time, your talent, your treasure to Him.  It is simply the manifestation, or “proof” of your love toward Him. That’s when we begin to truly give “cheerfully” to God.

Take time today to reconsecrate yourself to the Lord.  Acknowledge His sovereignty and His providence in your life.  Give thanksgiving to God for His blessings in your life and begin to live by faith and trust Him in every area of your life.

Mat 16:13  When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
Mat 16:14  And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
Mat 16:15  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Mat 16:16  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Mat 16:17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

As many of us are aware, understanding what the church IS and DOES has become quite confusing in the 21st century.  Just when you think  you’ve seen just about everything there is to see, you read an article about a “church” opening a tattoo parlor inside the buildings to reach the community.  Today we have the relevant church, the seeker-sensitive church, the emerging church, the progressive church, and the online church. There’s even a church called “The No Name Church” in our city that meets at different parks each week and the pastor preaches in a t-shirt and shorts.

With so many different man-made variations that exist today, can we even find a local, New Testament church, that has its foundation in the Scripture and Christ as its Head?  I mean a church that is operating according to the principles set forth by its founder, the Lord Jesus Christ and not by the vain imaginations of man.

Well, I am glad to report that there are still many wonderful local, New Testament churches that are doing God’s work, God’s way.  I am thankful to pastor such a church, Grace Baptist Temple, that was not only established on Biblical principles of preaching, baptizing, and discipling, but has continued in these principles over the years.

I remember several years back I saw an advertisement for a conference in Texas called the “Creative Conference”.  The whole conference was geared toward being creative in ministry and coming up with “new” ways to “reach” people.  I use quotations because they are really more interested in entertaining people.  This is crux of the issue!  JESUS NEVER GAVE US THE AUTHORITY TO RECREATE THE CHURCH, HE ONLY GAVE US THE AUTHORITY TO PROCREATE THE CHURCH! Jesus did not leave the church up to our interpretation or imagination.

1. JESUS GAVE THE CHURCH ITS PURPOSE- Matt 28:18-20 reveals the church’s purpose.  It is to preach the Gospel, baptize the believer, and disciple the believer into spiritual maturity.
2. JESUS GAVE THE CHURCH ITS PRINCIPLES- Again, Matt 28 and 1 Cor. 1 teaches us that God uses the preaching of His Word to save the lost, not music, not drama, not dancing, not changing the atmosphere or environment inside a building.  All of these things evoke the emotions and flesh and are man-centered, not God-centered.
3. JESUS GAVE THE CHURCH ITS POWER-  Acts 1:8 teaches us that the work of God can only be carried out in the power of His Holy Spirit.  I think that there’s a lot to be said about this simple truth.  I am convinced that most of the activity and creativity that we see in many “churches” today is simply an attempt to substitute the power of the Holy Spirit.

At Grace this year, our goal is not to recreate our church, but to reintroduce our people and our community to a church that is STILL CHURCH.  Too unashamedly proclaim to our city that there is still a local, New Testament church that exists for the purpose for which Christ found it and operates the way Christ intended for it.  I hope that if you a pastor reading this, you will commit yourself to these principles.  I am not saying there is no room for creativity in ministry.  I am saying there must be some parameters, otherwise you too might consider a tattoo parlor.  If you are a church member, I pray that you will encourage your pastor and pray for him to remain faithful to God’s Word and the ministry of the Gospel.

I will be leading our church through an exhaustive study this year entitled, “THE CHURCH That Jesus Built”.  We will be looking to God’s Word to recommit ourselves to being a local, New Testament church that will please and be used of God in the years to come.