The Church's Greatest Need (Part 1)

To put it very simply, the church's greatest need is a "continual move of God."  This move must begin with a "reviving" of the saints!  We often hear people talk about how that want a move of God, but it will not happen until individual lives become "spiritually revived."  To see what a move of God looks like all one needs to do is examine the Biblical account of the Day of Pentecost, specifically Acts 2:41-47.  The problem with defining a "move of God" is that people have different ideas of what it is.  What some equate as being a move of God is really nothing more than hype, feelings, and emotions.  This is why so many people get deceived.  Without the power of the Holy Spirit we will never be able to accomplish what God has called us to do.  The best way to build God's Kingdom and the body of Christ is through the power of the Holy Spirit and not through all the other ways recommended by the moderates.  I want to answer four critical questions as they relate to what a "move of God" is.

1.  Why Do We Need A Continual Move Of God?

The first reason, is that without it, we have a tendency to grow cold and unconcerned.  Secondly, without it our priorities change.  Everything else becomes more important when we don't see and feel God moving.  Thirdly, without a move of God, we become selfish.  Everything is centered around us.  Fourthly without this move of God there is a tendency to lose our focus on God.  And finally without God moving our desires change.  No longer do we desire the things of God, but rather the things of the flesh.  It is time we do some serious "self examination and evaluation" and honestly assess what is important to us spiritually.

2.   Why Some Reject A Move Of God?

I believe there are four primary reasons people reject God moving:

• They see what ignorance has produced in the past and are therefore afraid of it today.
• The are afraid of any kind of demonstration.
• They are not sure if miracles still happen today.  If we doubt miracles happen then most likely they will never happen.
• They don't want to change.  They are content with the way things are and they don't want the boat rocked!

3.  What Is The Purpose Of A Continual Move Of God?

There are three reasons it is vital for God to move:

• So the church can experience God's power.  God wants nothing more than to unleash His power through the church!  He desires to work through each individual member of the "body of Christ."  You and I are His channels.  What He does, He does through us.
• So the Body of Christ can be edified, comforted and exhorted.  As His body it is through the power of God's Spirit that we are encouraged and challenged to move ahead in His power and authority.
• So God can manifest to us who He is.  Many people don't believe in God, because they see no demonstration of Him.  As believers it is our responsibility to live our life so that people see Christ in us.  When they look at you or me they should Jesus.  Start living your life as if you were the ambassador for God!  How different would that look and how different would you live?

4.  What A Move Of God Will Do For You?

• It will change your life.  Just as the lives of the disciples were changed, so too is your life when you encounter the Holy One.  When the power of the Holy Spirit gets control of your life you will never be the same.  He wants to revolutionize your life.
• It will give you a new perspective for life and ministry. It's unfortunate, but most Christians aren't interested in ministry.  For the most part they aren't thinking about wining souls or laying hands on the sick and doing the work of the ministry. When the Holy Spirit gets a hold of your life and revival begins to burn in you, your perspective for ministry will change.
• It will give you a heart and desire for ministry.  If you have no interest in ministry, you should evaluate how active the Holy Spirit is in your life.  When the Holy Spirit is directing your life there will always be a heart and desire for ministry.  God didn't place us here on this earth to do nothing.  We all have a purpose and a plan for our life and it is not about self, but about doing the will of God.
• It will give you the confidence you need for ministry.  One of the biggest problems believers have, is a lack of confidence. When you allow the power of the Holy Spirit to operate in your life, you will have the confidence you need to be effective in ministry.

God will build His church.  The question is are you going to be a part of it?  The church's greatest need is to allow God to move as He sees and for each individual to be a vessel He can use to accomplish what He desires here on earth.

-- Pastor Temple

What We Think

Believe it or not, what we think about really does matter!  Our minds have the ability to process hundreds of thoughts every day and those thoughts govern our relationship with God, others, our success, our failures, and the direction of our life because what we think, has the power to mold us. Proverbs 23:7 "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..."  So if we want to live a successful life and a life that is in right relationship with God and others, then we must master what we think.  But we can only do this with God's help.

1.  Control Your Thinking

Thoughts lead to actions.  Good thoughts lead to good actions and bad thoughts lead to bad actions.

Unbelievers set their minds on what comes naturally to humans -- pursuing sensual, selfish or materialistic things.  Romans 8:5-7 "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."  We have to be careful that our minds aren't led away from the pure devotion to Christ.  "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:2-3).

2.  Think Right

It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to walk out the Christian life.  When we got saved we died to our old life, and were raised to walk in newness of life.  We are now to view ourselves as children of God and we now have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).  Which means that we agree with Christ about what's good and evil in this world.  Because we live in this world, but are not "of" this world, we have to guard our minds from the world's influence.  Make no mistake about it, what you listen to, read, watch on TV and movies, and the entertainment you attend all has an affect on your thinking.  You have control of what goes into your life.  Ungodly input creates an appetite or acceptance for the things of the world.  In computer lingo it's "garbage in, garbage out!" Ungodly input creates a lack of desire toward the things of God and we begin to "edit" God out of our life.  When you sow a thought your reap an action; when you so an action you reap a habit; when you sow a habit your reap a destiny!

3.  How Do You Learn To Think Right?

If you want to be happy, even in difficult times, you must learn to think correctly.  This begins by screening your thoughts.  Let the Word of God be your guide and reject thinking that isn't compatible with the Word.  Ask yourself these questions:

• What is the source of this thought?
• Where will it lead me?
• Is this scriptural?
• Is my thinking going to build me up or tear me down?
• Does my thinking make me feel guilty? (If so watch out!)
• Does this fit who I am as a follower of Jesus?

We must reject ungodly thinking and cultivate godly thinking.  Philippians 4:4-9 is a good guide to following when it comes to thinking right.

Who you will be in the future is a result of what you think in the present. So if your don't like where you are headed, then it is time to change your thinking.  Start today!

-- Pastor Temple

God's Thoughts On The New Year (Part 2)

There is one think we know for certain, and that is that God's ways and thoughts are not ours and His ways and thoughts are "higher" than ours!  The Lord declares that "as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."  For anyone who doubts this just look to the heavens and you will see just a glimpse of the vastness of God.  If we are to ever get our thinking straightened out then we are going to have to get our minds renewed with the Word of God!  How do we know the thoughts of God?  It's simple, He has given them to us in the Bible.  The Bible contains God's thoughts.  For this new year let's start learning to think like God thinks.


God's Thoughts Concerning The Israelites In The Wilderness

To the human mind and thoughts, the task of bringing 2-6 million people out of Egypt and across a desert wilderness seems impossible.  Most would say we can't do that without years of planning and infrastructure in place to accommodate that many people.  But God's ways and thoughts on how to do it are different than man's.  God led them out of Egypt and provided for them for 40 years in a "supernatural" manner!  You see God's ways are above our ways and God's thought are above our thoughts.

Four Things About The Word Of God

In Isaiah 55:10 and 11 there are four things that God says about His Word that we need to consider and grasp hold of.

1. "For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven..." (v. 10); "So shall my Word be..." (v. 11).
2. "...and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth..." (v. 10); "So shall my Word be..." (v.11).
3. "...and maketh it bring forth and bud..." (v. 10); "So shall my Word be..." (v. 11).
4. "...that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater." (v. 10); "So shall my Word be..." (v. 11).

The four truths about God's Word are that 1.) It comes down from heaven. 2.) It waters the earth. 3.) It makes it to bring forth and bud. 4.) It gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater.

What God is saying is that just as the rain and snow do these things, so shall my Word be that goes forth out of my mouth.  He goes on to say the "my words shall not return void, but shall accomplish those things in which I sent them."  We have got to get our carnal minds filled with the Word of God which are the thoughts of God.  The questions we need to begin to ask are: What does God think of this? What are God's thoughts? and What does the Bible say?

We are to learn to think like God thinks.  When you begin to think the thoughts of God, that's what is going to make this new year different for you.  Start today to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) and let God change your outlook on life.

-- Pastor Temple

God's Thoughts On The New Year

For most people the new year can signify many things.  For some it's a new start in school or job, others it could be new goals (personal or business), and for almost everyone it is a time for new year's resolutions! But for us to accomplish all that God wants us to accomplish in 2014 we have to do it His way and not ours.  In this post I want to share with you seven actions that will help you accomplish what God wants for your life and how they are best implemented.

Several years ago, God gave me seven steps I was to follow in regards to the physical and spiritual growth for our church.  As I prayed about them I realized that these steps are also applicable to each individual as they plan their goals and commitments for the new year.

1.  Simplicity -- As much as possible we have to keep our life "simple."  We can't allow the complexities of life to overwhelm us.  Take time to carefully examine your life and see if there are

areas where you could simplify it.

2.  Anointing -- Allow God to keep His spiritual anointing in your life.  God's anointing in your life is negatively affected by two things:  Grieving (Ephesians 4:30) and quenching (1 Thessalonians 5:19) the Holy Spirit.  We grieve the Holy Spirit when we sin, and we quench the Holy Spirit when we suppress His leading. If you want God's anointing in your life then you must "not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live..." (Ephesians 4:30 - NLT) and you must allow the Spirit to lead you.

3.  Excitement -- Excitement and enthusiasm are key components to you accomplishing what God wants you to accomplish.  Never allow others to damper your enthusiasm and excitement about following God.

4.  Inspirational -- What you do, and who you are, must inspire not just yourself, but others also!

5.  Informational -- Always be willing to share what you know.  Be informative.  Don't hold back your knowledge, especially when it will benefit others.

6.  Involving -- For you to grow spiritually, you must get involved and stay involved.

7.  Specialize -- Be specific about what God has called you to do and do it.  Don't try to do it all! Trying to do it all is a recipe for disappointment and failure.  Figure out what you do well and do it for God's glory!

How do you do this?  Here are four simple steps for completing these actions.

Change -- Don't be so set in your ways that you are unwilling to change.  Change has to begin with your "thinking" and God wants to change many of our ways of thinking.  He wants to see spiritual changes taking place in our life. So be willing and open to change.

Get Focused And Stay Focused -- There are too many things that have our attention and most of the time it isn't God.  Check your life and re-evaluate it to make sure you are focused on the important things.  This can't just be done once a year, but it has to be done continually, at least once a month and preferably every week.

Clean Up Your Life And Your Home -- I mean this in the literal and spiritual sense. Too many Christians are living too close to the world.  We have to get rid of the hindrances in our life and put God first.

See God's Destiny For Your Life -- God has a purpose and a destiny for you.  Don't ignore it.  It is time you acknowledge it and like the Nike ad campaign of many years ago, "Just Do It!"

Allow your thoughts to be God's thoughts in this new year.  Allow God's ways to be your ways in 2014.  When you do, you will have the best year of your life!

-- Pastor Temple