-Jordan

But lately, God has been cornering me and showing me that I know nothing of who He really is, and the glimpse I have seen, is nothing compared to the majesty of this beautiful God. One of the most amazing things when I first got saved was that God was such a mystery to me. He left me wondering all the time! There was so much to learn and discover. I was so astounded by the sun rising when I was walking to the bus stop or the flowers in peoples gardens; it was like a piece of Him that was all around me. Sometimes I think we grow and mature, which is inevitable and so necessary but in the midst of our growth in spiritual knowledge, trials, or “church and life things" we forget, we can't really figure God out and when we try, we miss out on this unexplainable holiness of God that keeps us running after Him.

Rachel and I were driving to work a few weeks ago and she played a song by Addison Road I had heard before but I know it was on purpose that I heard it that day. Some of the lyrics said "If you touched my face would I know you? …are you fire are you fury are you sacred are you beautiful? So what do I know of holy?"  Hearing those words was very humbling to me. It made me wonder if I fear God at all anymore and if that is why it has been so hard to find Him because I thought there was nothing new to find.

As the church, we have to be careful of making God too small, too normal, too understandable because if we are all honest with ourselves, not one of us is able to truly comprehend this God we serve. We are just people who have been touched by pieces of him. Our minds are so generic compared to the vastness of God. We can't begin to try and wrap our head around this God who would lay down his own life or the kind of love or devotion that would take, because it’s not really comprehendible. In fact, it is completely crazy and that is what makes the gospel so beautiful and life changing. If you take that away, why in the world are we doing this thing called ministry anyway? I had a different blog written but this is what is really on my heart. It’s not really complex but just remember, the Lord is a mystery so approach Him in that way. He wants to show you a new piece of His majesty everyday you wake up and do life. Being stumped and sometime baffled in your spiritual life is the process we walk through that will always make us stronger if we always return.  But to be flying through the bible every day, coming to church and writing down a million notes, crying in worship, but never really being caught and exposed to the true holiness of God, is a scary place to be. When you are exposed to His holiness, its life changing! It makes three words in the bible break your heart or just the sound of a guitar brings you to your knees, and a sermon becomes a way of life. 

If you are having a hard time finding God right now in your life, maybe you just need to take off the ideas of who you think God is and what you have learned and let Him blow your mind, and trust me, you will want Him and search for Him! Let Him repaint a picture of another side of Him every chance you get. I believe that if we keep this heart, our influence on this broken world and church will be limitless and truly impacting on people that are also waiting to partake or be re-inspired in the mystery of the Lord!

We can't fix the broken church without the majesty and mystery of our God!

Psalm 145:11-14 (Amplified Bible) "They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and talk of your power, to make known to the sons of men God's mighty deeds and the glorious majesty of His kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord upholds all those [of His own] who are falling and raises up all those who are bowed down."

-Wendy

Acts 1:8 is called the great commission. It’s the words of Jesus telling those of us who have the Holy Ghost to take His power and become witnesses of God’s saving grace; to spread the good news about Him to all parts of the world. However, even a brief look at the early church shows us those who heard these words did not go to Samaria much less to the uttermost parts of the earth. Where is Samaria and why didn’t they go?

Samaria, (also known as the Shomron in Hebrew) refers to the region between Galilee and Judea. For many reasons such as their worship of other gods and their intermingling with local peoples, the Jews in Jerusalem and Judea would have nothing to do with them; hence Jesus’ parable about the “good Samaritan”.

This great commission was not specific to time and place as some have said or a directive only to those who are called Apostles, (as the power of the Holy Spirit is readily available to all who have received Him), and is therefore equally applicable to us today regardless of our calling.

So are we then being told to hop on a plane and head over to Israel to finally reach the Samaritan people? No! I would suggest that, as Samaria today is another name for “comfort zone”. The first century church could have broken with their traditions and those things with which they felt comfortable, made the short journey north and before long had many churches built in that area. God’s power to bring in Gentiles would have immediately become evident as it did later on to Peter (Acts 10:15).  The same is true of us. If we would venture out of our comfort zone, the power of the Holy Spirit would be there for us.

Of the things I normally do for my mother, taking out her trash isn’t one of them. Those huge bins by the condo are filthy and the environment around them especially in the evening isn’t exactly appealing. Yet one day last week, despite having no real desire to do so. I took the trash and made the journey outside of my comfort zone. As I got closer, I saw a man there who was picking through the trash bins. As I neared he started talking, about what I don’t know pushing me even further out of my comfort zone. But then he said one word and it sparked the Spirit in me to turn the conversation around. I told him about Jesus, he listened, and I was able to pray for him! Now I don’t know what went on in his heart or if he’ll ever get the chance to hear words of salvation again, but when I travelled out of my comfort zone I met someone in need of Jesus. Because I was there, I believe I made a difference no matter how small, in that mans life.

So today I urge you to GO TO SAMARIA, it may be the uttermost parts of the earth and it may be right outside by the trash cans. But if you go, God’s power will be there with you and you will be a witness of Him.

-Pastor Jim

Washington (DC) Post-National - “Choose your own deficit”
CNN-US – “Storm may add to oil disaster”
Fox News- National - “Calif. father accused of trying to sell his baby for $25 at Walmart is beaten by jail inmates”

Recently, when I was at work, a few of my co-workers were looking up recent news online, of course, most of which was “bad” news.   This was not the first time that I found myself in the middle of a conversation where I had to hear of more and more unfortunate reports.  
So…It got me thinking…

I see a common trend in how believers and non-believers alike are conversing about these “tough times” that we are in.  Many come together and chatter over how the government is or isn’t doing this, how horrible it is that this criminal did this or that or how the economic situation doesn’t seem to be improving. 

We can all agree that all of these above scenarios can be true and can become worrisome if we choose to keep them as our focus. 

Being the problem-solver that I am, I started to then think: “I have listened to conversation after conversation of how times are getting tougher, and how it is getting harder and harder to live nowadays. God what is my part to play in all of this?” 

Have you ever found yourself thinking something similar? 

I started to go through the list of possibilities:
1.    I’m not a politician nor would I make a good one.  Okay, check…That idea won’t work.
2.    I really dislike being a person who talks about problems but does nothing about them. Okay, so where does this leave me?

The Bible says in 2 Chronicles 7:14-15  “If my people, who are called by my name, will 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. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.

Now more than ever, we need healing in our land.  

God spoke to King Solomon and told him this (2 Chronicles 7:14-15) when Solomon devoted himself and his “rule” to God.   Solomon prayed for wisdom and knowledge to rule God’s people with.  God honored his prayer because of his selflessness.  Solomon went on to build a temple for God.  This temple took years and years to build (see 2 Chronicles 8:1) and was made from the finest materials.  

I believe that there is a building going on now.  God is working and preparing His people for something great.  During this time of building, it is important to offer God our greatest and finest, just as King Solomon did in the building of the temple (I encourage you to read through 1st and 2nd Chronicles- The Bible descriptively explains what was used to build the temple).

Here’s what we can give God…  In 2 Chronicles, we are encouraged, now (I believe), just as the people were then: to humble ourselves- turn from our own way of thinking and doing things, to pray and seek God’s face- give of our time by truly offering up prayers of thanksgiving and prayers for our country (etc.), and to turn from our wicked ways- turn to God. 

This is our part to play in all of this.  Let’s really delve deeper into the things of God and remember what God says in 2 Chronicles, in order to bring healing to our land!


God Bless,
Melissa

*This is how good God is! Last night at Connections Church, unbeknownst to me, we sang a song called “Give Us Clean Hands.”  This song is taken from the scripture 2 Chronicles 7:14-15, and is the song that came to my remembrance as I was writing this blog.  What an encouragement and a confirmation!  It’s truly exciting to see that God is placing this word in the hearts of others as well. 

42And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Notice these 4 things the early church did daily according to Acts 2:42. They devoted themselves to…

   1. Teaching
   2. Fellowship
   3. Breaking of bread
   4. Prayer

By doing these 4 simple things, the early church became a powerful voice in their region. They had a powerful unity that could overcome anything. They even had favor with All People! (vs 47)

I believe the only way for the gospel to have survived the 1st decade is by this radical way of living! Everyday they were seeing one another, edifying and sharpening each other, and committing themselves to doing these 4 things together, and because they had such a conviction about the gospel message, God used them to turn their region upside down.

The church today is so far from this model because I believe we have no conviction of the gospel message anymore! We've lost that first love that we use to have and as a result we have lost our focus on what our real mission is on this earth... to save souls! But I believe as the end is coming closer, God is raising up people who have a heart for the gospel and the pure things of God. A group of people that are sick of man-made traditions and ways of thinking. As the days go on, we have to start thinking of becoming like the church in Acts. People who don’t care about the things of this world, but press on towards the heavenly call in God and follow Him.

In a lot of ways we are still too selfish when it comes to our lifestyles. We want to do what we want too much! We don't allow God to work on us and shape us into what He wants us to be. We see it even in the simple things like prayer. It should be a 2 way conversation, but too many times we come to God and ask Him to answer all these things that we are going through in our lives, and then when we are done we walk away and carry on with our lives instead of waiting to hear what God wants to say to us.  We must hear the voice of the Lord in our lives. If we are truly here for building the Kingdom of God, it means that we must die to our desires everyday. We are not here just to receive all the time, but we're here to give what we have to others.

The word "Fellowship" in Acts 2:42 means to: contribute something or distribute something. So when we come together during the week to fellowship, have something to give to someone else who might need something. Just make sure that what you are giving is coming from a pure vessel and isn't tainted by the world. When we die to ourselves it produces life in someone else. Lets look at the bigger picture of God’s plan for this area. We don’t know when the last day is for us. There is such an urgency for us to get right with God right now.

Today, lets search our hearts and see where we stand with God and make sure we are on the path that He wants us on and not on a path that is just living for ourselves. Lets repent of the areas that we missed it with God, and keep striving after the goal that has been set before us!

-Chris Duncan

"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. Matthew 23:2-3 (NIV)

They were dry, producing no fruit. I am making the decision to put action to the things I hear and the words I read from now on! When we stay connected to the vine, we produce much fruit. I am going to make it my goal, and encourage you to make it your goal as well! Take the main key of each sermon and commit to practicing what you've been taught for the next week.

I believe that if we make an effort to put the Word to action, God will meet us half way and many doors will be opened because of it!

“Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 4:17 (NIV).

-Amanda Veach

Pastor Bobbi

The Bible talks about wisdom with high regard and makes mention of them several times in both the Old and New Testament. “Wisdom is the principal thing.  Therefore, get wisdom, and with all thy getting, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7 This is a scripture that you could probably quote backwards by now, but, this scripture is very profound and holds more truth and revelation than we’ve maybe seen before.

Chokmah is the Hebrew word for wisdom.  It translates directly to “in good sense.”  I love that, because to me, that means the opposite is stupidity!  So, it breaks down very simply at this point, to not gain wisdom and understanding is literally, stupidity.  And I’m going to take a leap here and assume, just for the remainder of this blog, that no one actually wants to be, or even be perceived to be, stupid.  So then, where does one even find wisdom?  Well we have the Bible, of course.  You can read Proverbs over and over again and still not understand it all.  You can read about King Solomon, the wisest king on earth, which will also be beneficial.  But, the Lord has put in place a design of leadership and authority where wisdom is naturally gained.

At 22 years old (yes, I am 22 Pastor Jim haha) I would like to stop right here and just talk straight to the young people.  Wisdom is a precious gift and by default, most of us, at our age, don’t have it.  It would behoove all of us to listen to what the generation that has gone before us have to say.  Even if, and when, we think they may not be right, at the end of the day, they have seen more and lived longer than we have, and God made it that way on purpose.  In your own personal lives, you should make sure that you are making it a point to be around a person (or persons) who is full of God’s wisdom, so that hopefully, while you’re still in the gleaning period, you can dodge a few bullets and you won’t have to learn the hard way at every turn…and that really goes for everyone, no matter what stage of life you’re in.

This last weekend, I was fortunate enough to accompany my boss to Manhattan to a conference about ‘how to win.’  The speaker there said a very interesting thing.  He said something to the effect of, ‘in whatever you do, you should be successful by default alone, simply because there are less people doing it than aren’t.  However, our goal is not to be successful, it is to flourish.’  As soon as he said that, I thought immediately, wow, that definitely has a Biblical application and it’s so true.  We should be successful in whatever we do for God because the Lord has promised us things like grace and favor, however, to really flourish in life, you must have wisdom.  Wisdom is the key to not just living a successful life, but actually enjoying it to the fullest.

I hope we all can take ‘spiritual inventory’ in our lives right now and evaluate those things and even people around us who are not adding to our ‘wisdom bank.’  Let’s be proactive and seek out the Lord’s wisdom in all things, especially in the area of whom He has called us to glean from.  He guarantees that once you do, wisdom and understanding will flow out to you.


Jordan

So many times we are asking God for more! More provision, more wealth, more favor, more success, more revelation and the list goes on and on. We know that God loves us because He sent His son to die for us. We know He wants to bless us and give us the best because the Bible says so. We know that our words have power because Jesus said in His name we can speak to a mountain and move it. So, we take what we know, we line it up with God's will and we apply it and God is always faithful to meet our needs. But have you ever felt that you haven't received all of what God had for you? That while you are very thankful for what God has already done for you, maybe there was more and you only retained part of His desire?

This had happened to more than not, and everytime it did I would be left feeling like God what is it that I'm doing to only receive a portion? One day a few months ago I was listening to a preacher on my way to work I don't know what he was speaking about but one thing he said answered my question. He simply said, our lack of fulfilment is not a result of our actions toward God or God not being thorough, it is instead a direct result of our own capacity. What are we able to contain?

That moment a light went on in me. There is not some magical code of asking for the right things the right way God is much bigger than that. He is infact held back back by us and what we are able or not able to contain! We find this exact principle at work in 2nd Kings.

2 Kings 4
"So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”"

God's provision stoped when the widow ran out of containers! The principle is the same with us. God was willing to abundantly bless her but was forced to stop when she had reach her limit. Imagine the increase of oil if the widow would have found more containers? Think about your own life...when was the last time God blessed you? Even in the greatness of that blessing could it have been haulted by your lack of containment? Maybe God provided you with the funds to get out of debt, but could He have provided you with extra funds to invest with? Even though God provided her with enough oil to sell and be fed for the duration of the famine, God was willing to provide her with even more. We see this same principle in Luke.

Luke 5
"When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down[b] the nets for a catch."...When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink."

Jesus abundantly provided fish for the disciples to catch! They were diligent to gather the fish, but were limited by their lack of containers. They gathered until their containers broke! If they had made a way to get more nets and more boats they would have had more fish! But the blessing stopped with what they could contain.

Let's remember to be aware that God's blessing are endless! There is no limit to what he can do other than the limits we put on ourselves. Let's look for ways to multiply our capacity to contain His blessings and abundance! If you are asking for something and it lines up with His will He is faithful to come through for you BUT He can only fill you for what YOU CAN CONTAIN!

Rachel

Pastor Katie Ruiz