Sermon Blog 4 The Myth Of Balance

The Church Is Not Dying.....Really!

Lately I heard of an individual is saying that the church is not dying. One thing is for sure is that I understand how they reach their hypothesis through their observation. However I have to say this, and I know a lot of people are not going to agree with me and may even try to debate me on this. In the end, I'm not going to be convinced otherwise. So here goes.....Just because "The Church" is growing, it doesn't mean it is growing in disciples. Numbers is not growth. Quantity is not growth. To many people are counting the many that say the sinners prayer, but in the end how many are true disciples of Jesus. I believe that even the phrase "I'm a Christian" is water down and given a bad name. Are you a citizen of Heaven? You can tell a lot from a person by how they talk, walk, dress, carry themselves, mannerism, and the "culture" they reflect. You can say this from a geographical standpoint, but I want to hone in on the spiritual standpoint. You say "coffee" a certain way, and people just know if you are from NYC. I gotta say, but if we are in the world but not of it. What are communicating to the unchurch. That's why we are "ambassadors". We represent a Kingdom and it is not of this world. If you are saying the church is growing, but people are not being set free or still having issues with gossip. No, they are not reflecting the Kingdom. Now, of course it is not my place to say who is going and not going. Who is a Christian and is not. That is not at all what I'm saying. But however, I know when the Holy Spirit tells me, "your attitude stinks", "don't you say that", or "was that really necessary", I know that I need to adjust, realign, make it right, and change my ways. I do it because I love my G-d. With a passion! Does that make me better, NO. But it makes me a disciple. Noticed, that that term or word can transform to the word discipline. People don't have enough of it. People want Christianity without discipline. Peter once said, no don't wash my feet. We all knew what he meant. But yet Jesus responded from another entirely irrelevant angle and said, then you can't be my disciple. I think Jesus is trying to tell us today. If you can't take correction, then you are not a disciple. In John, he says, if you love me, you will obey my commandments. By the way, if you have the best anointing in the world and no character to match it up, then what is the point. We gotta grow up and get over this superstar, corporate church. It may have the principles of one, it may be ran like one, but CHURCH IS NOT A BUSINESS! It is the kingdom of G-d. By the way, if you want to get smart about this subject, here is something that hit me heavy one day. Jesus was NOT successful in the eyes of the world. He may have accomplished His mission. But it was not the picture of success. We serve a countercultural, backwards, upside-down, reversed, inside out Kingdom of G-d. evaluate what success really means and you will have your world shaken.

Sermon Blog 3: The Aftermath

Sermon Blog 2: What Lies Beneath (The Matters of the Heart)

Sermon Blog 1: Life VS Death - Our Speech

It Will Only Make You Stronger

Many times we tend to ask God for deliverance from circumstances and situations that occur in our lives. The fact is there is nothing wrong about doing this accept for the position that our heart and mind takes. There comes a time that you have to decide if you are going to get fleshy and emotional or say, "thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear evil". Let me tell you something that I recently learned. We can go through this test with faith and live by it or we can try to kick doors open and magnifying the mess and go about it kicking and screaming. We have a choice to make. What are we going to do about it? We have take a position that says God will deliver us in us in His timing. We can't have a victim mentality. "Oh poor me, pray for me, do something for me, can you open the windows for me....." The truth is we have to be like someone training or working out. You begin to see results to your body as it swells and tears and so on during that time. But the end result, a little stress to your body will also build you up. Like fire, it can build you or destroy you. Stress is just like that. It can get you worrying and wondering and pitying. IT WILL TAKE YOU OUT QUICKLY! I promise you that, or we can say if "if I perish, then I perish". Its the mentality that says I have nothing to lose. We have to arise. We have to let the season we are in build us. You prayed for this and you know you did. "God I want to..." Fill in the blank. We have to believe that His word never returns void nor will it not come to pass because it will. Trust the Lord and live like a victor. I hear people say, "God will not give you more then you can handle." Not true, He will allow things that will enlarge your capacity so you can take on more and bigger giants to slay. I'm not saying He trying to make your life miserable, but I will say that He is making you more than you think you are. You have to see yourself as God sees you, so that you can see things around you like God. Small! You can do all things through Christ!

Theme #4: The Need For Integrity and Character

How often do we hear of a minister of the gospel who fall? Too many is often what I hear. I know this, with Secularism on the rise and many other threats as well, we need to get real and get ready. Ministers need to stop have affairs with other individuals, temptations, and distractions. The times are here and now. I believe the reason that most of the ministers fall is because they never actually dealt with certain roots. It kept getting swept under the rug day after day, year after year. It's time to face your roots. People often say forget the past. I say that is a dangerous thing to say if you really analyze it. Forgetting past has good intentions but end in bad results. I say learn from them, don't relive it, and don't let determine your future. Furthermore, sometimes in order to live and have a future you have to do some digging. It's a personal emotional back to the future so to speak. Its changing the path and way of life through thoughts and feelings. Personally I have experience almost a dozen of these kind of encounters with God and the work is far from over. But 9 meetings ago, I think I might have either destroyed my life with words and actions or be close to doing so. People in ministry often don't realize that they're a walking time bomb. Eventually something is going to hit the fan. We have to go deep in the Lord and we have to be honest and real with him as well. We can keep going and have anointed ministries and do incredible things, but that does mean anything. I have seen anointed ministers do great healings or usher in a sweet presence of the Lord in worship, but in the end there is someone on the side. It has to end. History can no longer repeat itself. We have to be a people that can be trusted. We have to be a person of the people. We cannot think about ourselves. We know this, but we don't do it! It has to change and fast. My question to you is this, if you are called to specific assignment, are you dealing with your roots? Taking the longer process or are you cutting corners and taking the short process for the false sense of "success"?