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I have a plea. Take a stand for Christ. So often Christians seem to take the passive approach to Christianity. We don't want to offend anyone, we don't want to upset anyone. We're too worried about what "man" thinks. In Matthew 10:22 Jesus tells us " And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved". Can you endure? Jesus was beaten beyond recognition, hung on a cross and died for you and me and we're worried about what "man" thinks? Imagine if the disciples had felt the way a lot of us feel. They didn't care about how "man" would treat them. All they cared about was there love for Jesus Christ and spreading his word. That's the way we need to be as well. Isaiah 58:1 tells us " Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell my people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins." It's time we stopped taking a backseat to everyone else and start taking a stand for our Lord Jesus Christ. If "man" has a problem with the message, then they need to take it up with God and they need to realize we share the love of Christ with them because we love them, not because we want to point fingers or are judgemental but because of the love we have for Christ. In Luke 11:28 Jesus says "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" We need to spread his word, for some, that's the only way they're going to hear it and see it. Shine your light for everyone to see and share the news of Jesus Christ! Take a stand and rejoice in our Savior. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.... I think that's the least that we can do. |
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I think John summed up our relationship with Christ perfectly. In John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease." Notice the emphasis on the second "must". I didn't put it there, that's how it is in the Bible. There's a difference between just believing in Jesus and being totally committed to living our life FOR Jesus. satan believes in Jesus and knows he exists. Everything we think and do should be for the Glory of God. Our wants and desires should become what Jesus wants and desires. We should strive to hate the things God hates and love the things God loves. Can we do that? As our faith grows, I think it becomes easier. As we start to totally submit our lives to Jesus we truly start to see the ways of this world for what they are. We start to realize that what this world has to offer is nothing compared to the love and grace of Jesus. What we want doesn't matter, only the Will of God matters. To do his will, that's all that matters while we're on this Earth. "He must increase, but I must decrease". |
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Thank you Jesus for Faith Community Church, a place to freely worship you without barriers and limitations. Thank you Jesus for the worship leaders of Faith Community Church, your obedient servants who's sole purpose is to further your Kingdom and show your Love and Grace on a daily basis. Leaders who teach the Word of God without hesitation and with boldness. Thank you Jesus for the youth of Faith Community Church who have the drive and desire to live for you. Youth who aren't afraid to tell there friends they love Jesus. Thank you Jesus for a church that doesn't just save and forget, but teaches and shows us how to grow in our Faith and teaches us how to share our Faith in you and what you have done in our lives with other people. Most of all Jesus, thank you for paying the ultimate price. We are not worthy and we fall short of the Glory of God, but by your Grace and Mercy we can have Eternal life. All we have to do is have Faith in you and accept it. I invite you to join us at Faith Community Church. Please visit our website at http://www.faith-net.net. If your visiting the beautiful mountains of NC please come worship with us and if you live in the area, please visit with us and worship freely. We're in the High Tech Center in Waynesville. |
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That's an important question. I asked myself that recently. There was something standing between me and God and it was driving me crazy. So I asked him to show me what was the thing standing in the way. God kept showing me the sinfulness of my past life. I would dream about it at night, the horrible things that I did. I asked God that if I was saved, why was my old life getting in the way. Then in a conversation I had with one of our pastors, who had no idea what I was going through, he asked me about when I got saved. It was like a bolt of lightning shot through me and it hit me. That was the problem. I was never truly saved! I can hear you now, "but Russ you said a prayer". Yes, I said a prayer but it wasn't from my heart way back when I was 12 years old. It was because my friends did it and my parents wanted me to. Getting saved isn't a ritual thing, it's a heart thing between you and God. When you are saved you are given new desires and thoughts. You live your life totally and solely for Jesus Christ. Your old ways are gone and you have no desire to do them anymore. Needless to say the first thing I did was hit my knees, truly repented my sins from my old life, and committed my life to Jesus. I now know I'm saved and can serve my Lord however he sees fit to use me. How he uses me is his call, I have no say in it, I just know that whatever he wants me to do I'm his. I posted this in hopes that maybe someone else might read it who did the same thing I did. Just said a prayer when you were younger. If you have doubts about your salvation, take it to God. I can honestly say, once you are truly saved all doubts are gone. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to the river to get baptised.....really. Praise God! |
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How often in todays world do we as Christians show the Love and Grace of Jesus Christ who lives in us? Do we show it or are we the first to condemn those that need to hear about the love of Jesus more than anything in their life. Do we look at a homeless person and offer to help or do we just say to ourselves "they need to get a job". Do we look at an alcoholic or drug addict and help them or do we say "there doing it to themselves who cares". Let me ask you this, if a hooker came in off the street into your Church would you know that she's there needing and seeking Jesus our would you just look at her and condemn what she's wearing. I'm just sick and tired of seeing some "christians" condemning instead of helping and showing the Love and Grace of Jesus. Imagine if Jesus had been that way? The woman caught in adultery would have been stoned, 5000 wouldn't have been fed, and the list goes on and on about how Jesus HELPED people. Have we become so hardened in our sin and so self righteous that we just don't care anymore? As Christians let's show the Love and Grace of Christ to every single person that we meet, especially to those that we know need it now more than ever. We should be so full of excitement over what Jesus has done to our lives that we should be wanting to share it and shout it from the mountaintops! |
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I have three great kids. Christina, Mary and Jake. Who's responsibility is it too teach them about Jesus Christ? It's mine. Nobody elses responsibility but mine. In Deuteronomy 6:5-7 it states "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, will all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up". As a parent it is MY responsibility to constantly teach my children about Christ. Not our Pastors, not the youth pastor, not the Sunday school teacher, but mine. If we as parents don't teach our children how are they going to learn about Christ and the sacrifice he made for us? How are they going to learn about his love and grace? And how are they gonna learn about satans traps in this world. The things he uses to keep us away from Jesus. God tells us to teach our children about him and his commandments. It's our responsibility. As stated in Joshua "Me and my house will serve the Lord". |
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I want to thank and praise God for the direction he's taken my life. I have a burden in my heart for the lost and wounded. Not just a feeling of caring but a true hurt in my heart for them and a drive beyond all belief to bring everyone that I can to our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said in Romans 9:1-2 "I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit. That I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart." I pray that God gives this same burden to you. As Christians we should have this drive and desire to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ not because we have to, but because we love and care for the lost and wounded. We want to bring them out of the pit of hell and into the joy of eternal life. The great preacher Reverend Charles Spurgeon said it best.... " Lord give us but this priceless boon of faithful servants, fit for thee to reap the harvest of the soul; look down and view how great the harvest, yet the laborers few. Oh haste to help ere we are lost! Send forth evangelist, in spirit strong. Arm'd with thy Word, a dauntless host, bold to attack the bold of ancient wrong and let them all the earth for thee reclaim, to be thy kingdom, and to know thy name." Amen! |
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I went to The Call this past weekend and man was it great! Over 100,000 people doing nothing but praising our Lord! But, that's not what this post is about. I wanna talk honestly and openly about something that alot of people don't like to talk about. Your local church and money. Oh no! He said the "M" word! Our local churches have got to get out and reach the local community about Jesus instead of waiting for people to come to us. My friends this takes money. If your saying "I'm not giving my money to the church, I don't know what they're going to do with it". Change churches. If you can't trust the leaders of your church with money, you'd better not trust them with your soul. God doesn't need our money, but his servants need it to spread his word. Programs cost money and those programs help bring people to Jesus. Pastors need to be paid, they have families to support just like everyone else and if your pastors aren't getting paid they should be, light bills need to be paid, and the list goes on and on. As a congregation it is our responsibility to give financially to the church. Whatever we make on our jobs is by the Grace of God and we have got to do our part by giving our 10 percent. If you can give more than 10 percent, then do. If you can't give 10 percent then give what you can. As a community, we have got to support our local churches. That is the only way that they are going to grow and truly spread the word of Jesus. We've got to quit taking a "let someone else deal with it" attitude and do our part. If your giving financially to your church God bless you! If you're not, please start. |
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This weekend is just gonna be awesome! Me and some friends are headed to Nashville, TN for The Call. 12 hours of fasting and prayer for our nation. Why would we drive to Nashville to fast and pray in Titan Stadium with hundreds of thousands of people? Because our country needs it. Our country needs a move of God. Our society has become lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Does that not describe our nation as a whole? So yes, we'll join everyone and pray for our nation. I ask you to also pray tomorrow for our nation at the same time. It's from 10am to 10pm Est. So please, sometime tomorrow during that time, please say a prayer for our nation, repent from our sins and turn back to God. By the way, the list I mentioned about our nations behavior is from 2nd Timothy 3:1-4 as Paul describes how the world will be when it's in it's last days........ |
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