Sunday, October 24, 2010

God Will Take Care of You By Himself - Bishop Wesley Dear

This week's service can be watched at
http://www.kbmlive.tv/


"Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come." 1 Corinthians 10:11

Elijah was a man like us subject to the passions we are.  It is worth noting that Elijah lived his life always putting confidence in God.  In many cases, the church of today has reduced its reliance on God and placed it more on things like technology and giftings.  The bible tells us 'The just shall live by faith.' Romans 1:17; and 'Without faith it is impossible to please Him...' Hebrews 11:6Elijah said 'The rain won't fall until I say so.' 1 Kings 17:1  It was the beginning of an economic downturn.  No rain meant no harvests.  In this season, it was also a time of supernatural miracles.  God sends Elijah to the brook and commands the ravens to feed him.  When God is getting ready to bless you, He never begs; He commands people to bless you! 

After a while, the brook dried up and Elijah left that place.  Because God had commanded the raven, it kept feeding.  But He hadn't commanded the brook, so eventually, it dried up.  It was because of the dried up brook that Elijah left.  Where Elijah went, God commanded a woman to feed him.  If a raven would feed Elijah by God's command, surely He would feed him by the woman.  The widow woman didn't believe there was enough to feed him, but Elijah encouraged her in God.  "Bake me a cake first..." 1 Kings 17:13  Instead of eating the only food she had left and was holding in her hand, she sowed sacrificially in response to the request of the man of God; she didn't eat her seed but rather sowed it.  Because of her sacrificial gift in a time of economic downturn, God provided for her and her family for many days, even during a recession.  Has the church today mistaken their seed for their harvest? 

God is working both on and through the faith of Elijah and the woman's faith.  Their faith is now greater than it was before.  They understood that man's faith in God will produce every time, not because we have faith but because God is faithful!  The enemy wants you to believe God is not faithful.  You need to recognize that your faith has enemies.  These are some enemies that will come against your faith:
  • Doubt
  • Grief
  • Fear
  • Intimidation
  • Disappointment
How are we to respond to these enemies?  In the midst of her faith growing, the widow woman's son gets ill and dies.  Her faith is being attacked.  She is compelled to question God's faithfulness.  Even in her questioning, Elijah prays for her dead boy and he comes back to life.  Elijah presents him to her alive.  Both of their faiths are now restored and increased.  The widow woman now comes to know Jehovah Jireh, her provider, as Jehovah Rapha, her healer.

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal and destroys them and their works.  Then in 1 Kings 19, Jezebel threatens Elijah and he begins getting fearful, stressed, discouraged and filled with doubt.  Now Jezebel is long dead, but her spirit still lives, even in the church.  The spirit of Jezebel (witchcraft) disrespects authority.  It manipulates.  And the problem is, it is difficult to deal with a spirit if you haven't identified it.  Now understand that the Jezebel spirit tries to threaten the life of the man of God.  Elijah felt like he was forgotten, forsaken and all alone.  The man of God felt like throwing in the towel.  It is at this point, you can lose the will to live.  He laid down, closed his eyes and prayed that he wake up dead.  Every now and again, regardless of the faith God has built up in you, there will come times where you feel like giving up, but there is a dimension of your faith that has the capacity to draw on and connect with the faithfulness of God when you would come to the end of yourself.  It will move God to do the absolutely incredible on your behalf to show you He is still God, still faithful.  God came to Elijah at that point, when there was no ravens or widow women to bless him, and personally baked Elijah a cake and gave him water.  God is saying that He doesn't need the raven or the woman to bless you.  He can bless you all by Himself.  David told us in Psalm 23:5 that God will prepare a table before you (provision) in the presence of your enemies!  When it looks like no one is there for you and no one cares, God will command a blessing in your life!  He will personally bless you because HE IS FAITHFUL!  God will take care of you - all by Himself! 

CHALLENGE
The God of Elijah is here for you today.  He is looking to raise up men and women of faith in the body of Christ.  Men and women that he can use as examples in this nation to show that He is still God, the God of the impossible.  Will you trust Him even when the enemies of your faith try to threaten your life?  Remember that when your faith is being attacked, that means you have come to a place where your faith will connect with God's faithfulness to work miracles on your behalf.  God will command people to bless you, but understand that He wants you to come to the dimension of faith where you recognize He wants to bless you... Himself!

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Sunday, October 17, 2010

At First... - Pastor Dave Tunikaitis

This week's service can be watched at
http://www.kbmlive.tv/


Today's Scripture: Revelation 2:1-5

"At First..."
  • To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Revelation 2:1-3
  • Because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope. Romans 5:3-4
  • The things that mark an apostle --- signs, wonders and miracles --- were done among you with great perseverance. 2 Corinthians 12:12
  • May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. 2 Thessalonians 3:5
  • Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1
  • The testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you will be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:3
  • As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. James 5:10
  • I will walk in my house with blameless heart. I will set before my eyes no vile thing.  The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me.  Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil. Psalm 101:2-4
  • But there will be false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.  They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them — bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Peter 2:1
  • For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 2 Corinthians 11:4
  • For such men are false apostles, deceitful workman, masquerading as apostles of Christ.  And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:13
  • Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all persecutions and trials you are enduring. 2 Thessalonians 1:4
  • Let us not grow weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
  • Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.  Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.  If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. Revelation 2:4-7
AT FIRST - When you were courting...
  • You Looked Different - You made sure you looked good for them;
  • You Sat Different - Your posture was such that you appeared interested;
  • You Dressed Different - You made sure your clothes matched;
  • You Acted Different - You treated them with fresh respect;
  • You Smelled Different - You made sure you cleaned all 2,000 body parts;
  • You Ate Different - You watched what you ate;
  • You Talked Different - Your words were always uplifting and polite;
  • You Listened Different - you were attentive when they spoke and paid closer attention.
The question is... what happened?
Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.
AT FIRST - When you first gave your heart to Jesus...
  • You Looked Different - People around you could tell something was different;
  • You Sat Different - Your posture towards life was better;
  • You Dressed Different - You learned how to put on the full armour;
  • You Acted Different - you wouldn't accept those forwarded emails or the out-of-taste jokes;
  • You Smelled Different - 'We are the aroma or fragrance of Christ' 2 Corinthians 2:15;
  • You Ate Different - You feasted on God's word daily;
  • You Talked Different - You didn't know Greek or Hebrew, but like the blind man Jesus healed, you simply said, 'Once I was blind, but now I see... Jesus!';
  • You Listened Different - You heard the voice of God and listened to what the Spirit was saying to the church.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. Revelation 2:4-5
Return to your first love.  Love Jesus again... for the very first time!

CHALLENGEListen to what the Spirit is saying to you today.  He is calling you... go back... to how you first responded to Jesus.  It will transform your relationship with Him; it will transform your life.  When you go back to courting Jesus, you will find the hunger you once had for Him.  Hunger to worship him, hunger to feed on His Word, hunger to serve Him and love Him, hunger like you once had when you first loved Him.  Jesus wants to be your Lord;  He still wants to take care of you today like he once did... at first.


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Sunday, October 10, 2010

Walking With The Greats - The Life of John

This week's service can be watched at
http://www.kbmlive.tv/


"Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come." 1 Corinthians 10:11
Have you ever felt like you have too many rough edges for God to use you?  Have you ever felt like you don't always seem to say or do the right thing?  Have you ever felt like you keep messing up?

Today we are going to look at the life of John.  Here is John's Resume:
  • John was the youngest of 12 disciples
  • John was the first cousin of Jesus
  • John wrote 5 books of the New Testament
  • John was only one at the cross as Jesus was dying
  • John was the last to see Jesus suffer
  • John was charged with looking after Jesus mother
  • John was the first to recognize Jesus at the resurrection
  • John was banished to exile on the island of Patmos, where he received the vision and recorded The Book of Revelation
  • John lived the longest of all the disciples
  • Paul called John a 'pillar of the church'
John's journey was a journey of change and development.  In Mark 3:14 Jesus appointed his twelve disciples.  John was one of the twelve and was called a 'Son of Thunder'.  This nickname was because he was like the proverbial "bull in a china shop".  In Mark 9:38-39, John told the person to stop driving out demons in Jesus' name and Jesus rebuked him saying, "If he's not against us, he's for us."  In Luke 9:54, John said they should call down fire from heaven.  Jesus rebukes him again.  John, James & Peter were considered Jesus 'inner circle'.  Judas, the one who was 'the money man', wasn't in the inner circle.  It isn't always those who have or handle the money that get close to Jesus.  It is the ones with the passion.  John was passionate for Jesus!


Life Lesson #1 -  Jesus Isn’t Looking for Perfection, But Passion

You may not always get everything right but if you have passion, God can work with you.  Jesus rebuked John, his own cousin, twice in a very short period of time.  John didn't respond by talking negative about Jesus or get offended.  He doesn't go and look for another leader to follow.  He doesn't go and join another church or start his own church.  John was teachable!  As Jesus disciples, we must be teachable.
Life Lesson #2 - Being Teachable in Every Situation Will Bring About Transformation
Jesus finds us in our imperfection - but He doesn't leave us that way.  He teaches us and as we become teachable, He transforms us.  In every situation, when you are teachable, your character will be transformed and you will move closer to your destiny, being refined into the person God has designed you to be.  He calls us with our bad tempers, pride, personal ambitions and selfish desires, old habits and hang-ups, to follow Him.  Jesus says, "Learn from me and what I teach you because I see your potential."
It doesn't matter who you are, but who you are becoming.
It's not where you've been, but where you are going.
When you go through a challenge, let it be a refining moment.  In Mark 10:35, just after coming down from the Mount of Transfiguration, James and John, the Sons of Thunder asked Jesus, "Do for us whatever we ask."  Jesus said "You don't know what you are asking."
Life Lesson #3 - Sometimes We Ask for Things and We Don’t Understand the Journey to Get There.
Have you ever noticed that if you ask for patience, you have to be patient in waiting for it to come?  There is a journey and you must be teachable in the journey.  Not everything you ask for will come the way you had in mind.  "You will have to be baptised with My baptism; you'll have to drink from My cup;"  James and John had no idea what Jesus was talking about.  They needed to understand that to receive what they asked for, they would have to go through some of the same things Jesus was about to go through.  Jesus wanted greatness for them and He also wants greatness for you!  But you need to understand what that greatness will require.  Greatness requires refining; it requires being misunderstood; there will be challenges.
Life Lesson #4 - It Is the Process of Present Challenges that Bring Eternal Changes
The challenges we are going through right know are bringing eternal changes.  In fitness, they say, 'No Pain - No Gain!'  How will you know if you have faith and trust God if everything always goes perfect?  It's the challenges that cause us to grow.  Refining brings lasting change.  John experienced some serious challenges:
  • He had to witness his Saviour being crucified
  • He saw his brother James be crucified for Christ
  • He was beaten for his faith
  • He was banished
  • He was lonely
But in the midst of this process, his character was being transformed.  He goes from being called a 'Son of Thunder' to being called 'John, the beloved of Jesus', or 'the one Jesus loved'.  Now, the one who was quick to cast judgement with a lot of noise was healing people, blessing people and working miracles, all without a lot of noise.  Now, John is a man of faith and vision.  He records that vision as The Book of Revelation.  John went from being a stumbling block to others to being a pillar of the church.
In this Year of ACCELERATION God is Bringing TRANSFORMATION 

CHALLENGEYou have faced obstacles and challenges?  Don't despise the process you are in.  Don't get upset that you are on a journey.  You asked God to make you great.  That's exactly what he is doing.  He is causing your faith to grow through the challenges you are facing.  Embrace these challenges.  Allow God to refine and change you, to transform you in this Year of Acceleration.  You don't want to stay the way you are.  As a child of God, you must be transformed.  You are being prepared for greatness.  Who are you... becoming?


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Monday, October 04, 2010

Walking With The Greats - The Life of Peter

This week's service can be watched at
http://www.kbmlive.tv/


"Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come." 1 Corinthians 10:11

Today's Scripture Text: Matthew 14:24-29

Have you ever made a decision before thinking about it?  Have you ever spoken before you thought?  Well, you are not alone.  Peter was the same way but yet he was greatly used by the Lord.

Here are some facts about Peter:
  • Peter is mentioned 146 times in the New Testament!
  • Peter is mentioned 57 times in the Book of Acts alone!
  • Peter seems to be a born leader.
  • Peter was quick to ask questions and give advice.
  • Peter was the first to reveal Jesus as 'The Christ'.
  • Peter was the only one in the Garden of Gethsemane who tried to protect Christ.
  • Paul said in Galatians that Peter was a pillar in the church.
  • In the Book of Acts, Peter's shadow healed people.
Do you want your life to count?  Peter did.  Make this confession: "I will be a faith-filled, miracle-working, overcoming believer."

When the storms were raging and the disciples were in fear, they saw a shadow and they weren't sure what it was.  Peter recognized it as Jesus and asked Jesus to call him to join Jesus on the water.  Jesus did call Peter and Peter jumped out of the boat, walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when Peter's focus shifted from the Lord to the storm, fear gripped him and he started sinking.  Peter thought everything would be ok when Jesus called him.  He didn't think he would get his feet wet; he didn't think he would run into set-backs; he didn't think he would face trials.  The call is not a guarantee of fair weather.

Life Lesson #1 - Jesus will show up in the middle of our storm, in the darkest hours of the night. Matthew 14:24
The disciples weren't sure if it was even the Lord.  Many times when God speaks to us, we say, "I'm not sure if this is even God or not."  Just because you are a believer, it doesn't mean you won't have a storm, but rather that Jesus will show up in the midst of that storm.  Some things the Lord asks you to do don't make sense.  Peter getting out of the boat didn't make sense.  If the Lord asked you to do something in the midst of a troubled time or that didn't make sense, would you do it?

Peter is accused of being someone who acted without thinking; but at least he acted.  Many of us are more guilty of thinking and not acting than acting and not thinking.  You need to understand that your faith grows when you act on it.
Life Lesson #2 - Faith grows in the middle of a storm. Matthew 14:28
When I have a storm, it actually causes my faith to grow!  The challenge is that in the midst of the storm we don't feel like acting, but that's when we need to trust Jesus!  While the other disciples were shaking in fear, Peter stepped out of his comfort zone, which increased his faith even more.  Step out of our comfort zone and watch your faith grow!  It's easy to be like the rest of the disciples and stay safe in the boat with your friends around you.  But that will do nothing for your faith.

When the storms are raging in your finances, you need to step out in faith and tithe... and watch your faith grow.  In any area where you are experiencing a storm, step out of your comfort zone and go to Jesus and watch your faith grow.  Can you trust him when it's easy as well as when it's difficult?

When you find yourself in a storm, you need to stay focussed on Jesus.  The miracle power was working and Peter still sunk... because his focus shifted.  We see God work, a storm comes and we tend to negate what God was doing.  Fear entered in and circumstances took over.  When you experience a miracle, a test will come.  Will you now sink?  You must be quick to call on the name of Jesus.
Life Lesson #3 - Focus on Jesus builds Faith, Focus on our problems brings fear. Matthew 14:30
Fear will destroy our faith and we will sink.  The moment Peter took his eyes off Christ, he began to sink.  When the storm comes, we start looking at our circumstances and confess in fear that we can't do it.  We must cry out to Jesus and say, "I'm not lettin' fear up in hear!"  Peter may have wavered for a moment but he remembered Jesus was with him and cried out to Jesus who quickly saved him.  When Peter realized he had messed up, he quickly confessed his sin and called on the Lord.  Don't wallow in it; don't wait in it; quickly call on the Lord.

Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and the pressure was great.  Just prior to this, Judas had betrayed Jesus and Peter had denied Jesus.  The difference was that when Peter recognized his sin, he repented, while Judas went and took the cowardly way out and killed himself.
Life Lesson #4 - When you fall, QUICKLY call on Jesus. Matthew 14:30
When you make a mistake, that's the time to call on Jesus!  Don't run or hide from God - call on Him! It's interesting that Jesus brought Peter safely back to the boat in the midst of the storm.  Only when they got back in the boat did the storm stop.  A Life Lesson for Peter would be, "Even when Jesus has
His hand on us, the storm can still rage!"
My friend, understand that the storm has nothing to do with you. Your faith is not whether or not there is a storm. Your faith is your response or action in the midst of the storm.  Jesus will keep you through the storm.  Focus on the Lord and not the storm.  Don't let your circumstance defeat you, but let the Lord release you.

CHALLENGEAre there storms raging in your life?  Do you find yourself in a comfort zone, with a false sense of safety - hanging with the crowd?  Do you wish you had greater faith to face the storms of life?  Then it is time for you to follow Peter's example and step out of your comfort zone; cry out to the Lord and ask him to bid you - 'Come!'  But you must be willing to forsake what has held you back thus far and step out... right out and trust Jesus to be there for you.  If He called you, surely He will keep you!  The storm will pass only when the miracles are done and Jesus has delivered you out of the storm!

Please log your comments on how this week's message has been a blessing to you!  Simply click on the comments link immediately below this week's blog. Any comments already submitted will appear and you can comment below them.
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