Wed, Aug 29th - 8:33PM

Wed, Aug 29th - 8:19PM

Thu, Aug 23rd - 9:12AM

Excerpt From: "Rethink Your Life" by Stan Toler

Tue, Aug 21st - 11:19PM

(Message delivered a few years ago at Call To Life Family Worship Center)

Things May Get Worse – But I Will Be With You

 Genesis 45:8 - “So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”

 After Joseph’s jealous brothers threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery because of his visions, he found himself in Potiphar’s house where he again faced mistreatment. Although he was only seventeen years old at the time, Joseph held on because somehow he received and believed the vision of God despite his circumstances and the many people who tried to stop him.

I. Whatever God Said About You Will Come To Pass: Whatever God spoke about you in eternity will happen in your life, no matter what people try to do to you financially, politically, physically, or spiritually. If God said it, you will get it!

God said in Jer. 1:5 that before you were formed in your mother’s womb, He knew you. Paul added in 2 Tim. 1:9 that not only did God call you, but He gave you a holy calling. No one can add to it or subtract from it. The devil cannot add or take anything away, no matter what he throws at you.

Regardless of whatever happens in the “in-between” time, the things God said will come to pass.

II. Hebrews 13:5-6 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” The first thing God told Joseph about his destiny was that the sun, the moon, and the stars would bow down to him. God would raise him up as a ruler and even his parents and brothers would bow before him.

Joseph received the vision directly from God, so he wanted to share his vision with his brothers. That introduced him to the “in-between” part of his call. God did not tell him that his brothers would throw him in a pit or sell him to the Midianites. The Lord did not mention the part about the attempts of Potiphar’s wife to seduce him or the prison sentence that would be extended an extra two years due to the forgetfulness of Pharoah’s butler. God never mentioned the mess “in between” the first line and the last line of the heavenly vision.

So you should understand why you are having problems with the “in-between” part of your call: IT IS NORMAL! I know God didn’t tell you about some of the stuff you are dealing with now.  He gave you a glorious picture of what will be, but He did not tell you about the fine print of what will come first. Maybe He didn’t tell you that someone would die, or that you would lose a child or a spouse, or go through a divorce. Maybe He didn’t mention the eviction, the drugs, or the pain. He did not tell you all of that. He didn’t tell me either! So what now? He expects you to go through the “in-between” time with faith in His Word. Best of all, He promises that He will never leave us and that He will walk through the valley of the shadow of death with us! 

Matthew 28:20 “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. “

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for divine purpose and the holy calling You have given us. Today I am reminded that it was You who sent me here and not other men or women. What you have said about me will come to pass as surely as the sun rises each day, and no one can add to or subtract from Your decrees. Lord, I know that you did not mention the “in-between” part of this calling to me because You knew I would have avoided it. I am in the middle of the middle right now, and I put all my trust in You. Only You can know the beginning from the end, and my future is rooted and grounded in Your faithfulness. Thank You for walking through this with me. I still remember the vision. In Jesus’ name I thank You, Father.

Tue, Aug 21st - 10:14PM

More Quotes/Words of Wisdom

"You can learn to function well in all facets of your life and enjoy a healthy spiritual life, healthy emotional life, healthy financial life, healthy relational life - the list goes on. But one key prerequisite to all these different types of health is having a healthy mind. If you're struggling with a particular area in your life, it's quite likely that your thinking about that area is not as healthy as it could be. You may need to 'be transformed by the renewing of your mind' (Rom. 12:2). It might be time for you to go on a mind renewal diet." - Stan Toler, from his book "RETHINK YOUR LIFE - A UNIQUE DIET TO RENEW YOUR MIND"

This is a great read!

Pastor Mike

Sat, Aug 18th - 11:19PM

More Quotes/Words of Wisdom

Fri, Aug 17th - 11:18PM

Called To Belong

CALLED TO BELONG 

Ephes. 2:19 - "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;"
1 Tim. 3:15 - "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
Hebrews 10:25 - "Not forsaking [or Let us not forsake] the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

 You are called to belong, not just believe! None of us can fulfill God's purposes by ourselves. The Bible knows nothing of solitary saints or spiritual hermits isolated from believers and deprived of fellowship. The Bible says we are: put together, joined together, built together, members together, heirs together, held together and will be caught up together! WHILE YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD IS PERSONAL, GOD NEVER INTENDED FOR IT TO BE PRIVATE! 

C. S. Lewis noted that the word membership is of Christian origin, but the world has emptied it of its original meaning. In churches, membership is often reduced to simply adding your name to a roll, with no requirements or expectations. We need to recover and practice the biblical meaning of membership. 

For the organs of your body to fulfill their purpose, they must be connected to your body. The same is true for you as a part of Christ's Body.

Romans 12:4-5 says, "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: [5] So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another."

If an organ is severed from its body, it will shrivel and die. It cannot exist on its own, and neither can you.

Ephes. 4:16  "From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

May I say this as lovingly as I know how?  The first symptom of spiritual decline is usually inconsistent attendance at worship services and other gatherings of believers. Whenever we become careless about fellowship, everything else begins to slide, too. Jesus said in  Matthew 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."  The Church is God's agenda for the world!

The person who says, "I don't need the Church," is either arrogant or ignorant. THE CHURCH IS SO SIGNIFICANT THAT JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS FOR IT!  

The Bible calls the Church, "the bride of Christ" and "the body of Christ". I can't imagine saying to Jesus, "I love You, but I dislike Your wife." Or "I accept You, but I reject Your body. But, we do this whenever we dismiss or demean or complain about the Church. The Bible says in 1 Peter 2:17 "... Love the brotherhood..." Sadly, many Christians use the Church, but don't love it.

Basically there are four areas I want to cover -

I. Your Local Fellowship - Almost every time the word church is used in the Bible it refers to a local, visible congregation.

The Word of God says a Christian without a Church home is like an organ without a body, a sheep without a flock, or a child without a family. It is an unnatural state. Today's culture of independent individualism has created many spiritual orphans - "bunny believers" who hop around from one church to another without any identity, accountability, or commitment.  Many believe one can be a "good Christian" without joining (or even attending) a local church, but GOD WOULD STRONGLY DISAGREE.

II. Why You Need A Church Family -

A.  A church family identifies you as a genuine believer. I can't claim to be following Christ if I'm not committed to any specific group of disciples. When we come together in love as a church family from different backgrounds, race, and social status, it is a powerful witness to the world!

You are not the Body of Christ on your own. Together, not separated, we are His Body.

B. A church family moves you out of self-centered isolation. 

1 Cor. 12:26 "And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it."  

Only in regular contact with ordinary, imperfect believers can we learn real fellowship and experience the New Testament truth of being connected and dependent on each other. BIBLICAL FELLOWSHIP IS BEING AS COMMITTED TO EACH OTHER AS WE ARE TO JESUS CHRIST! 

C. A church family helps you develop spiritual muscle. May I also say this very lovingly? YOU WILL NEVER GROW TO MATURITY JUST BY ATTENDING WORSHIP SERVICES AND BEING A PASSIVE SPECTATOR. Over 50 times in the N.T. the phrase "one another" or "each other" is used. We are commanded to: love each other, pray for each other, encourage each other, admonish each other, greet each other, serve each other, teach each other, accept each other, honor each other, bear each other's burdens, forgive each other, submit to each other, be devoted to each other, and many mutual tasks. This is biblical membership! These are your "family responsibilities" that God expects you to fulfill through a local fellowship. WHO ARE YOU DOING THESE WITH? Isolation breeds deceitfulness; it is easy to fool ourselves into thinking we are mature if there is no one to challenge us. Real maturity shows up in relationships.

D. The Body of Christ needs you. 1 Cor. 12:7 "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." Jesus has not promised to build your ministry; He has promised to build His Church.

E. A Church family will help keep you from backsliding. None of us are immune to temptation. God has assigned us as individuals the responsibility of keeping each other on track. If you know someone who is wavering spiritually right now, it is your responsibility to go after them and bring them back into the fellowship. A related benefit of a local church is that it provides the spiritual protection of godly leaders.  Satan loves detached believers, unplugged fro the life of the Body, isolated from God's family, and unaccountable to spiritual leaders, because he knows they are defenseless and powerless against his tactics. 

III. It's All In the Church - God's purposes for His Church are identical to His five purposes for you. Worship helps you focus on God; fellowship helps you face life's problems; discipleship helps fortify your faith; ministry helps find your talents; evangelism helps fulfill your mission. Hear me well: There is nothing else on earth like the Church!

IV. Your Choice - When you were born-again, you automatically became a part of God's universal family, but you also need to become a member of a local expression of God's family. The difference between being a church attender and a church member is commitment. Attenders are spectators from the sidelines; members are contributors. Attenders want the benefit of a church without sharing the responsibility. They are like couples who want to live together without committing to a marriage.

Conclusion:  Why is it important to join a local church famly? Because it proves you are committed to your spiritual brothers and sisters in reality, not just in theory. God wants you to love real people, not just ideal people.  You can spend a lifetime searching for the perfect church, but you will never find it. You are called to love imperfect people and sinners, just as God does. The Christian life is more than just commitment to Christ; it includes a commitment to other Christians. Joining the membership of a local church is the natural next step once you've become a child of God. You become a Christian by committing yourself to Christ, but you become a church member by committing yourself to a specific group of believers.

In closing, I leave you with this question to ask yourself: Does my level of involvement in my local church demonstrate that I love and am committed to God's family?

Pastor Michael Parnell