The Forgotten Weapon...There must be intercessory prayer by this generation!

1 Timothy 2:1-6, 8 

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; "

For the past 29 years I have been an Evangelist, missionary, teacher and pastor.   During that entire time I have been praying for and preaching about revival in America.   I am constantly challenging my church to reach the, "unwanted harvest"!  I have watched the cycle of growth and demise take place over and over again. I have ministered in the same community for 18 years!  I have remained here for one reason and for one reason alone... THE PROMISE OF REVIVAL!  

It has only been in the last few days that I'd begun to see why we plateau and then we make a nose dive.   The generation of ministers that I am a part of, are some of the most well-trained and well equipped and knowledgeable of the Word to ever stand and proclaim the gospel of Jesus!  However, it is my conviction that we have failed in one important area of ministry that our forefathers in the faith possessed.   That is willingness to pray and intercede for our generation. We have failed to teach people what it means when we say intercessory prayer!  

True revival has always come when people begin to call on God. When people cry out to God with all of their heart, it is then and only then heaven will respond!   The endless cycles in our churches of growth and demise, up and down must stop!  Most churches have a weak pulse and if something doesn't change they will fade and die!

2 Chronicles 7:13-15 

"When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place."

I believe that churches are too concerned with the symptoms in our Nation and world, but not willing to treating the disease! The disease in our nation is sin!  SIN OF EVERY KIND!   

The real problem is the church will not address the sin or sins within its on walls! The key to revival is not the world getting saved!  It's the church loosing it's pride and confessing before God our Sins!  "if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,". 

This is a call to the church, not the world.   The amazing thing is that when the church repents and begins to cry out in intercession to God, a true unstoppable REVIVAL comes! Not just a few "good", services, but an AWAKENING of the HOLY SPIRIT within our nation and our world.   Ask God to give you the heart of an intercessor. This ministry is not just for little gray-haired lady it is for every child of God! 

Just a few thoughts for this day.

Pastor P.

HWC

Don't waste your life.

In the United States the average age of a man's life is 76 and the average age a woman lives is 81. 

So with that in mind how old are you? 

What have you done with your life?

More importantly, what are you doing with your life? 

James 14:4 says it this way, "“yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

We are going to die! No way around it no way to avoid it. We can prolong our lives, but in the end death will call us. It's time for us to quit living our lives for ourselves. Time is so short, I'm 47 years old and if I manage to live to 81; I'm more than halfway there. There's nothing I can do about the things in my past. 

In he past I've shared last with our church, "the purpose of the rearview mirror is not to show you what's ahead but what you're leaving behind."

Let us not live our lives for ourselves and our own purpose. Don't let us live our lives bound to our past failures, or our past successes!  Instead, take up the cause of Jesus Christ!  Let us live our lives to be a blessing to our God.  One day soon we will stand before him, and give account for the short little puff of smoke that is called our life. May our lives count for something. Stop wasting your talent! So many people are so gifted, and I watch them as they waste their life trying to obtain happiness here in this life that will only last for a moment. Spend your life... spend it till there's nothing left to further the kingdom of God; and in the end you will gain real life.  For when we close our eyes for the last time and breathe our final breath here on this earth, we will open our eyes in real life and breathe in God's breath in a brand-new existence. Hope you have a great week! 

Much love and prayers.

Pastor P.

Are you listening?

Let me just say a few things! I know that my God is greater than whatever the devil brings my way! I know that my God is greater than anything the devil brings my familie's way! I know that Jesus died on the cross and gave me victory!   According to the Word of God I have been made more than a conqueror through our Savior Jesus Christ! I refuse to Cave-in . I refuse to give up. I am determined to dig deeper and hold my ground!  However, when I see an opening, a break in the lines, I will advance and take the ground!  I know according to the Word of God the Bible says that He is working everything for my good!   God is at work on my behalf! 

There is a victory and a key to revival in Chattooga County I will not stop until I find it.  I will not stop until it's used to unlock the chains that hold people's hearts captive. I will not stop until I see the 81% of our population who do not attend church not only attending church but redeemed, revived, restored, renewed and doing something great in this world for Jesus Christ! I will not give up, I will not!  So in your face devil!  In your face with a cross and in your face with the blood of Jesus!  You may stand against me but you cannot withstand the one that is in me in Jesus name!  

This has been a rant from one ticked off Follower of Christ!

(Explanation of a Follower's rant!)

Please do not get me wrong!   I just think it is time for those who really serve Jesus to take a stand.    I believe their is a Great work to do and we have not been doing it.    John 4:35 "You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe[a] for harvest."  

Less than 2 out of every 10 in our county attend church and out of that 2 how many are true followers of Jesus or are they just a member of a religious social club?  The scripture says it best...."14 Therefore He says,

“Awake, you who sleep,

Arise from the dead,

And Christ will give you light.”

Walk in Wisdom

15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

Ephesians 5

I love this county, state, and our country but long to see a true MOVE of the Holy Spirit here.  We must cast down the spirit of religion and pray...Luke 10:2 (NKJV)

"2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

It's time to WAKE UP AND REDEEM THE TIME AND HARVEST!

What Are Your Motives?

As we begin this week, here are a few things to think about... Many times when we set space aside in our life to fast, pray, study the Word, and meditate on the Lord we do it based on selfish motives.  I believe it is good to have a plan of action for your time with God; however, we also need to realize that if we are doing these things only to receive what we want that is a selfish motive.   In Mark Chapter 3 we find that the crowds followed Jesus many times just to receive something from him.  

Mark 3:7-10  “7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 

8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 

9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 

10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him.”

There were a lot of people crowding Jesus that day, but they were not really interested in getting to know Him. They were only interested in what they could get from Him. They only wanted to be healed of their diseases. Jesus, as the healer and miracle worker, was very popular, but Jesus wasn’t interested in popularity.  He wanted people to hear the message behind the miracle.  The Bible does say that Jesus healed many of them.  He blesses us at times even when we are seeking the blessing and not the blesser.

That brings me to my challenge for this week:  Whatever your motives might be can we not lay aside the list of things we are praying about and seek His face!  Could we not make the purpose of this time of consecration to know Jesus and draw closer to him in a deeper way?  Could we not make it our desire to know the one in whom all blessing flow.  Take time today to refocus yourself on the ways of the Lord, for when we seek him first and his kingdom all other things are taken care of. 

Pastor P.

21 DAYS OF CONSECRATION

21 DAYS OF CONSECRATION

21 days of Consecration begins this Sunday January 8-21, 2012.   I want to challenge you to take part in this corporate fast for a mighty move of God’s Spirit in our personal lives, our families, church, community and nation!  The next few weeks God is calling us to a deeper walk and revelation of Jesus.   The church needs to encourage, and build up one another in this fast.  Here are some pointers of how our fast might reach its full potential in our lives:

·        Stay focused on the things of God. (Listen, watch and do things to keep your mind on Christ)

·        If at all possible, don’t miss church.  (You will need the extra boost in your life.)

·        Stay focused on the things you want God to do in your life, as a result of this fast.

·        Feed your mind with the Word, prayer, meditation, and Worship.  Avoid the things of the world during your fast,(i.e. limit TV, internet, and other amusements).  Instead, feed your mind with Christian music, books, messages, prayer, meditation, and worship.

·        Keep a journal.  It helps to write down your thoughts, and feelings during the fast!

·        Remember; above all else, this is your time to really hear from God!

To help in the fast we will be doing some things differently during the next three weeks.  Wednesday Nights we will be having revival type services in the sanctuary.  Let us keep our eyes on Jesus and our prayers focused!  This is a time you can, and will hear from God, if you will just put your whole heart into seeking His face.

Pastor, P.

Kingdom Ministry, Proclamation and Demonstration!

Kingdom Ministry, Proclamation and Demonstration!

First, Jesus preached repentance and the good news of the kingdom of God. Then He cast out demons, healed the sick, raised the dead... all of which proved that He was the real deal.  I've tried to look at ministry the way Jesus approached it. What was the message Jesus preached? 

We have been commanded to carry on the ministry of Jesus until He returns! If that’s the case, then, I think it would be good to actually know what type of message and ministry Jesus had when here on earth. 

The good news Jesus proclaimed was the gospel of the kingdom of God. You could summarize the message of Jesus in  Mark 1:14-15:

"14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 

15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." " (ESV)

The heart of the Christ’s message was both the proclamation of God's action...

"the kingdom is near"... and the demands for a response...”repent and believe." This salvation was presented with the idea that the "kingdom of God" is close... I are you ready for the Kingdom? For the rest of His public ministry, Jesus demonstrated that the kingdom of God was nearby, by healing the sick, casting out demons, and raising the dead. Every miraculous act had a purpose... to confront people with the message that the kingdom had come and that they had to decide to accept or reject it. This was the twofold pattern of Christ's ministry which was repeated wherever He went. Jesus presented His message with, first proclamation and then demonstration.

The people of God are very good at the first part (Proclamation) of this approach to ministry; however, we really need God to demonstrate His kingdom power through us! This can only happen through a true Encounter with the Holy Spirit!

A Call to Fight! We Must Awaken!

It is time for the church to wake up! There are more lost souls than ever walking around us!!!  I’m not asking for God to send Revival,  I'm asking for God to begin an Awakening of the church (True Believers)! We have allowed our passion for reaching a lost and dying world to be replaced by being comfortable in the pew!

a•wak•en•ing/əˈwāk(ə)niNG/

Noun: An act or moment of becoming suddenly aware of something.

Adjective: Coming into existence or awareness.

Today I will AWAKEN! This day I make a choice to fight and not slumber, to step into God's purpose and anointing! I choose to equip and cover myself with the Whole ARMOR OF GOD! I will not be dressed up with no place to go. The Captain of my soul commands us to move in His name! To engage the spirit's of addiction, anger, bondage, strife, bitterness, and fear!  But most of all bind the Spirit of religion! 

I cannot sit by with the knowledge that souls will be lost this day while I bask in the Grace and peace of God! I must move.... Move FORWARD! (Ephesians 6)

There is a cost to this and I must be aware of that fact!   To free those who are captive is to invite the enemy to attack my life!!!!  

No, I'm not asking God to send revival... I'm asking God to make me the REVIVAL!  To make us the REVIVAL!!!!