Commend Ourselves

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6: 3-4 "We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way..." Notice what Paul is saying in these scriptures, especially as you go on and read through verse 10. Paul said "we commend ourselves." The word commend is derived from the Latin word commendare: com- (intensive) + mandare, to entrust. So, to commend means to represent as worthy, qualified, or desirable; to speak highly of (praise); to put in the care of another (entrust). Paul is saying that as servants of God, and we that are saved by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ are servants of God, are to trust God in every aspect of their lives. Paul said in every way and he list some of the ways: "in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger..." we are to commend ourselves because, by Him, we are qualified and should desire Him, praise Him and trust Him, be servants of God. We have been given all authority over the circumstances that are in our life through the Saving grace of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Ghost!

It's our opportunity to give God praise and trust as being servants of God. We are called to a purpose and that purpose is spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to live sanctified lives by the drawing and convicting power of the Holy Ghost. Are you leading a spirit-filled life? Some churches have it in their "doctrine" that they believe in practicing and having a spirit-filled life but for some reason you don't see any "fruit" from the "gifts" that come with a spirit-filled life! In order to go through and come out on the other side of what Paul was referring to, and we all go through the things that are listed in these scriptures, we have to practice living sanctified and spirit-filled lives, putting all praise and trust in God as His servants!

Commend yourself today and be the best servant of God that you can be!

Spiritual Batteries

Last night my family, along with Mark, Lisa and Haley Gibbs attended revival services at Lakeside Church in Westmoreland where they are hosting Evangelist Michael Willingham. It was great to get there a few minutes early and fellowship with Pastor Leon Graves and Bro. Willingham and all other family and friends that attend that church. It was as a homecoming for me as to Lakeside being the church that I cut my teeth on the pews and ran the halls as a child and even did some "valet parking" a few times (inside story)! Nevertheless, the Presence of God is always felt within the walls and within the people that attend that church.

Worship was GREAT last night as the praise team started out with "oldies" but "goodies"! The Lord's name was repeated in each song reminding us "who" we serve and "who" died for us and "who" is the name above all names! It was a great presence of the Holy Spirit in the sanctuary last night as we began to just "get lost" in worship. Thomas Spears was lead of the Lord last night as well. He was scheduled to sing "a special" and when time came for him to sing he couldn't help himself but to follow the presence of the Lord and sing about the name of Jesus! It's awesome to follow the move of God when he wants to LOVE on us and in return causes us to LOVE on Him!

Brother Willingham was an open vessel as he brought forth a great message to the congregation that was there last night. He spoke about "oppression" and gave a word definition of the subject and really brought out some points that we as Christians need to heed to! We've been "crushed" too long, we've been "crouched down" in hidding for too long! It's time that we walk in what we believe and in what we know is real and allow the "power" within us to move us to another level in following Him! I plan on going again tonight to continue to get my "batteries charged" and I hunger and thirst for a mighty move of God in my own life!!

May God richly bless you today is my prayer!

Compelling love of Jesus

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:14 "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all..." The word compel in the original language carries a sense of being driven on a course from which you cannot deviate. No other options exist. There's no other course possible. Paul's attitude toward following Jesus was right on course because we see that Paul followed Jesus not because of Paul's love for Jesus, but for the love Jesus has for Paul. This is why we should follow Christ, because His love compels us!

Christianity is a course that should not be deviated no matter what the cost or circumstance. Notice what else Paul says in this scripture, "because we are convinced." Conviction! The love of Christ compels us with nothing less than conviction. I believe that conviction is not only for the time that God is calling us unto Salvation, as Christian people we are being convicted everyday so as to live a life full of blessings! Don't turn a deaf ear to the convicting Spirit of God because he just wants us to draw close and grow in him!

This compelling love from Jesus should radiate in our lives so that we live a transformed life in Christ. Our transformation through the love of Christ should cause an unbelieving world to see the glory of God in our actions, talk, business dealings, friendships, etc... Let's follow Jesus fully today and let His compelling love run through our hearts! God Bless!

All County First Team

Bailey's picture was in the paper this week and being the proud dad that I am, I have to put it on my blog (even though she doesn't like this picture). Congratulations on being voted All County First Team 2010. It's hard to believe that her Jr High career is over and that she will be playing high school ball next year!

Undivided Hearts

Last night to begin our Wednesday night services I opened the Bible to Psalm 86: 11-13 which says, "Teach me your ways, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me..." Unless we are taught the ways of Christ we won't know how to walk in truth. Jesus said to "abide in Him" and that's what it takes to have an undivided heart.

If I have a divided heart I am separated into parts or pieces, disunited by disagreement, pulled by conflicting interests or activities, separated by distance (Webster's II dictionary), sadly to say it, but that sounds like the description of some Christian people today. If I allow things of this world to separate me from God I have a divided heart. So many times we find ourselves with divided hearts by engaging in interests other than what God has planned. This sounds only too familiar to me! We must engage in Christ and His truth and that truth is that He gave His life so that we can have life and have it abundantly! We must seek for an undivided heart! We can't let the ways of the world and the schemes of the devil trip us up and trick us into being unfruitful. Let's praise God today with all our hearts and glorify God's name so that we will be united in His love and mercy!

Overcoming schemes

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." (Ephesians 6:10,11)

So many times we look at this passage of scripture, or I do, and we visualize a devil in a red suit with horns protruding from his head and holding a pitch fork. I don't think that Paul visualized the devil in this form when he urged the church at Ephesus to "be strong in the Lord". The battle that we are fighting is NOT against a red suited devil with a forked tongue. Our battle is against "those that allow themselves" to be part of the "rulers and authorities and dark world" that Paul continues to talk about in the scripture. Paul talked about unity in the Body of Christ and that there were some that could not be part of that unity because of the "futility of their thinking that they are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts." (vs17,18)

I'm mad at the devil because he has launched a warfare on me as to being a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the power of the Holy Ghost and I have shaken up some ground that he thought he had firmly settled in on! I have authority through JESUS and the HOLY GHOST to plow up every ground that the enemy has tried to make UNFRUITFUL! It is my job as CALLED from GOD to be so close to him in the Spirit, through prayer and fasting and more prayer and fasting and more prayer and fasting, that he causes me to be as Ezekiel and see the valley of dry bones and prophesy the Word of the Lord!

Paul wrote to the Corinthians and he said this, "I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval." (I Corinthians 11:18,19) Let me give the devil a big black eye here, I'm not so dumb that I don't know you have people settled in the church buildings that you use to playout your schemes. It's not rocket science! That's why I stand firm and I stand strong in the mighty power of God and I put on His armor and I fight against the wiles of the enemy and against the rulers and authorities and powers of the dark world. I am going to JUST UP as a Christian and fight the fight!!!!!

Kempville Chapel Gift

Bishop McKinley has delivered the relief check that God has so graciously allowed the congregation of Kempville Chapel to give. His comments from his daily blog are below:

Today, I was privileged to deliver a check for $2,100 to Bishop David Bryan from the Kempville Chapel Old Time Methodist Church. This love gift is for relief to the people of Haiti


Bishop Bryan, the Director of Global Outreach just returned from Haiti, where he delivered aid.

Monday Morning Reflections

This weekend was full of fun, fellowship, and the presence of God Almighty! Saturday night was our "sweetheart" dinner where several couples gathered for food (GREAT FOOD BY THE WAY; STEVE WALKER IS THE STEAK KING) fellowship and fun. We had beautiful decorations that got us in the "mood" for Valentine's and we enjoyed some soft music playing as we gathered around the tables and enjoyed the meal that was prepared and had many convesations throughout the night. We were blessed and honored to have with us Greg & Tonya Dunigan as our guests speakers for the event. Greg & Tonya are very good friends of ours whom we attended church with for several years before coming here to pastor. Greg spoke to us about putting God first in every aspect of our lives and just like Matthew 6:33 tells us "all things will be added unto you". If you want blessings in life, abundant blessings in life, just put God first and seek his will for your life and he will add abundant blessings to you. Greg & Tonya, Kelly & myself are just two examples that God can restore marriages that the enemy tries to break apart. When you put God first in your individual life and let REAL LOVE come from God everything else will be put in order.

We had an awesome service yesterday morning! During worship service it was just like the Holy Ghost settled down amongst us and we were lost in worship. The Lord spoke to us through a message and interpretation and let us know that he is coming back for a church without spot or wrinkle! It's time to get ready and get things in order! It was just amazing because on Valentine's day God gave us our very own Valentine card in the mist of our worship to him! God is an awesome God! Last night we shared in communion in rememberance of Jesus and what he did to be our Valentine!

Be blessed today and as you go throughout this week tell somebody about Jesus!

Church of God of Prophecy Haiti Relief

This morning I was privileged to travel to the Tennessee State Offices of the Church of God of Prophecy in Hendersonville, Tn. to hand deliver a monetary gift from the congregation of Kempville Chapel Old Time Methodist Church where I pastor. Our congregation, as a whole, felt very strongly about giving to the Haiti Relief efforts after the devastation of that Nation from the tragic earthquake. I had compiled a list of different organizations that were already affiliated and established for, not only the Haiti relief, but in Haiti prior to the earthquake. Among that list, that I presented to the leadership of Kempville Chapel, was the Global Outreach Ministries of the Church of God of Prophecy which operate an orphanage in Haiti that was directly affected in the earthquake with loss of personnel, children, and property. Our leadership decided to have Global Outreach Ministries to be the recepients of the gift.

I am very familar with this organization (COGOP) as to having a great friendship with Bishop E.C. McKinley, State Overseer of Tennessee, and also many other people of the Church of God of Prophecy. When I was a child, my fine parents brought us up in the Church of God of Prophecy and I have many, many friendships within that church all across the State of Tennessee. I thank God for all the many contacts and dear friendships that he has allowed me to have over the years and I believe that there will be many more to come.

Bishop McKinley has a blog that I follow daily that I enjoy reading and receiving from the Lord through this man of God, and within just a few minutes after I had left his office he had already posted the information about my visit on his blog. You will find a link to his blog here: http://www.tncogop.blogspot.com/

Weekend Reflections

Where did this weeekend go? It seems like in just a snap of a finger the weekend is gone. Our weekend started out with bball tournaments for the county championship which the Lady Braves (my daughter's team) ended up 2nd place after falling to the Gordonsville Tigers. I have issues with the game but I am learning to let it go, enough said about that!

Yesterday morning @ 5:30am found me with a cup of coffee (actually serveral), bible reading, sermon adjustments and prayer time for the day's services. I am beginning to cherish times like these when I can just relax in the presence of God. I think there may be a message in that statement. We need to learn how to RELAX in God! I'll get back with that one later. 9am prayer time with those few faithful that have committed to join me was also met with the presence of God. I was just lost in prayer beside the organ as people began to come in for Sunday School. On Sunday mornings a few individuals have been meeting in the 9am hour in prayer for the classes and services for that day for over a year now and I believe that the Lord is moving in our S.S. classes and services and also in the lives of those that commit to coming early for prayer. I believe in "intercessory prayer"!!!!

Our 11 am service was awesome! I was lost in the presence of God, yet again, during our worship time! One of the songs was "Glorify Thy Name" and as we were singing I found myself realizing that we are to do what we sing, as well as, do what we say. If we say we are a Christian, we ought to do what Christians do, live right! If we sing about glorifying the name of God in all the earth we should do so! How do we glorify God in all the earth, we submit to him and turn every aspect of our lives over to him and acknowledge that he is Lord of Lord's and King of King's. He is the Almighty God!

The Lord allowed me to speak about the crossing of the Jordan river (Joshua 3). The Lord let us know that we have modern day Jordans to cross in our own individual lives and that we cannot cross them on our own. Sometimes I think we try to wade out in the Jordan's of our lives and find ourselves in a state of drowning and find we are in over our heads because we try to tread on our own without God and then tuck tail and run backwards. Ever been there? We have to realize, as did the Israelites, that we can't cross over into the promises of God, without the presence of God leading and directing our steps! We have to take action and follow the Holy Spirit as he directs us in crossing our Jordan. God has a "promise land" for all his children, it just may be on the other side of our Jordan and we need to listen to the voice of God and follow the directions he gives us through the Word (Bible) and the preaching of the Word (preachers, evangelists, etc...) and then take action and follow by faith. Let's learn how to let God lead us and cross into his blessings he has stored up for us today!

Goose Chase

I'm excited about this coming Sunday morning! My Sunday School class is starting a new series called CHASE THE GOOSE. Mark Batterson, lead pastor of Washington, D.C.'s National Community Church, is the author of a book intitled Wild Goose Chase from which we get the series from. Here's a little info:

Is your Christian experience boring? It's not supposed to be. Unfortunately, many Christians have been domesticated. Like caged animals in a zoo, we mindlessly and heartlessly trudge through our day-to-day lives. No thrills. No excitement. No adventure. But what if we could break out of the cage and reclaim a sense of spiritual adventure? The Celtic Christians seemed to capture a life like that well with their name for the Holy Spirit - An Geadh-Glas, or the Wild Goose. Life in step with the Holy Spirit is a little like a Wild Goose chase - mysterious, unpredictable, and adventuresome. Chase the Goose is a Bible study inviting you to break out of the cages of responsibility, routine, assumptions, guilt, failure, and fear, and to start reclaiming the spiritual adventure God has planned for all Christians. God only knows where this Wild Goose chase will take you.

Sounds like fun, don't it! I would recommend purchasing this book from LifeWay Christian Bookstore if you want to have an adventuresome experience.

Listen, Lead, Leave

"Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before..." (Joshua 3:4)

Moses was now dead. Joshua was now the servant of the Lord that would lead the Israelites across the Jordan. The Lord told Joshua to be strong and courageous because he would lead the people to inherit the land he promised to their forefathers to give them. As I was reading this passage of scripture this morning I couldn't help but realize that in order for the Israelites to inherit the land, "the promises of God", three things had to happen. There had to be a listening, a leading, and a leaving.

Joshua, first, had to listen to the voice of God. In order for the Israelites to receive the blessings of God and the promises of God, Joshua had to have an open ear and an open spirit to what God was telling him. I believe that in our individual lives we have to do the same thing. Are we preoccupied with other things in our lives that drown out the voice of God? Are we wrapped up in listening to other people, wrapped up in technology, internet, etc... and are not really giving "ear" to God? In order for us as Christians to go where God has promised us to go, we have to first listen to what he is telling us.

Secondly, Joshua had to lead the Israelites into the promise and plan that God had for them. Joshua couldn't do this on his own, so he had to gather some people around him to be put into leadership positions to help facilitate the process. The Priests, which were Levites, were in some part in a leadership position (carrying the ark of God before the Israelites) and they had to submit to the leadership of Joshua and trust that he was hearing from God and in turn they had to follow his lead. I like to believe that the Priests, in submitting to the leadership set before them, was finding themselves to be leaders. Isn't that what Christianity is all about? Submitting to God's authority and  letting Him teach us how to lead someone else to the Kingdom.

Thirdly, the Israelites had to leave the stationary position they were in and to travel some unfamilar territory. I wonder what it must have felt like to cross that Jordan River? In order to receive the promise of God they had to trust in the leadership of Almighty God! We sometimes want to hold back and see what's going to happen and then if everything turns out ok then we are eager to join in. What if the Priests had done that very thing? I don't think the Israelites would have received the promise. What if the Israelites had held back to watch? Think they would be out of luck also! What if Joshua wouldn't have listened to who was leading him? Could have been a mess!

To sum up what I believe God is telling me, we have to be able to listen, lead, and leave when it comes to doing the will of God. Whatever end of the spectrum we find ourselves (leader or follower) we have to learn to trust in what God has promised and set before us.

Community of Believers

"And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." Acts 2:42

Yesterday I was on the road for most of the day traveling from hospital to hospital, as I am about to head out to do again this morning, but as I was having coffee & devotion time before I began my day I was reading in the book of Acts on the account of the "first church". Peter had just finished his "pentecostal sermon" and the Bible says that those that were with Peter were "pricked in their heart", in other words, what Peter had just spoken to them about pierced their heart, soul and mind. Peter told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins. He concluded that statement with this, "and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (v38) I think a lot of people are missing this ingredient when it comes to holy living before God.

In order for the children of God, the church, to be a community of believers that are steadfast in prayer we have to realize that our hearts, souls, and minds may need to be pricked daily through the Holy Spirit's leading and guiding. I want to be open to the ways of the Lord and I can't help but believe that what Peter was preaching referred to me also. Let's be a community of believers and turn our hearts, souls, and minds back to the basics of Christianity! Let's be Christ-like today and live a holy life before the Lord.

WOW

One of my tweet people had this link on twitter this morning. Read it and you'll be convicted of feeling sorry for yourself when you get a headache. Just click on the link below.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35086396/ns/health-cancer//