DeanSweetman.com
By dean sweetman
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Podcast Description
Dean Sweetman is Sr Pastor of the C3 Church with a campus in Lawrenceville, Georgia. He also serves as Executive Regional Overseer for C3 Americas. The Sweetmans moved to the USA in 1996 for the sole purpose of planting the Lawrenceville church. C3 Church currently serves the Atlanta community in a unique way through itÃs technology and charity work. Last year, Dean and Jill planted the C3 Church in Studio City, California. As Sr Pastors of both churches, they split their time between Atlanta and Studio City and have homes in both cities. Dean is a sought-after speaker in both church and business settings and an emerging author. His passionate and uncompromising preaching will inspire the most on-fire believer as challenge those who lack the fervor required to serve God.
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CleanAll Things New – Ps Travis Ray Brown | -- | 5/27/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanWhen The Donkey Talks – Ps Matt Shackleford | -- | 5/27/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanSpiritual Growth-part 3 | -- | 5/20/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanParenting-Part 1 | -- | 5/13/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanParenting-Part 2 | -- | 5/13/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanSPIRITIAL GROWTH & UNITY-Part 2 | Matthew 13:44 records Jesus telling a simple parable to explain the Kingdom of Heaven. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field -- and to get the treasure, too! Picture this man working hard in a field â plowing along in the heat when â BAM! His plow collides with something that turns out to be a great treasure! Does he run to the bank and deposit it? No. Does he take it and sell it for the money? No. Does he call a TV crew to record the event? No. He does something that seems pretty strange â he puts it back in the ground, and then goes and sells everything he has to get enough money to buy the field. Why would he do that? Why didnât he just take the treasure and run? In this parable, Jesus wants us to see what can happen when our lives collide with the Kingdom of Heaven. First, we must understand that the Kingdom is not a faraway place. The Kingdom is here and now and it will be find by any and all who seek diligently for it. The Kingdom is like a great treasure that consists of many different things. And God keeps it buried. Why is it buried? Why isnât it easy to find? Wouldnât it be kinder of God to make finding the Kingdom easy for us? Well, anything you find easily is easily lost. And even though God offers us all He has in Christ, the mentality of the Kingdom is not one of entitlement. He who seeks will find, not he who sits. What was the manâs reason for giving up all he owned to buy the field? So that he could keep plowing to see what else he could plow out of the field. Keep plowing. Thatâs a lesson we all need to learn if we want to see the Kingdom reach into every area of our lives. Life with God is a never-ending discovery of things about God and who we are in Him. If we are willing to keep on plowing, we will find the full blessing of the Kingdom. But it takes work. There is a cost in bringing Godâs redemptive work into every area of our world. Verses 45 and 46 tell of another man and another treasure. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a pearl merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it! Pearls seem pretty commonplace to us today, but in Jesusâ time it was dangerous to get pearls. You had to be willing to take risks. Pearls are hidden in deep, dark places and are hard to find â but they come out perfect. They donât need to be cut like diamonds or refined like gold â they are perfectly made inside the oyster that holds them. God loves to hide pearls in obscurity. Think of David, in the farthest fields tending his fatherâs sheep, writing songs to the Lord. The least of his brethren, yet chosen by God to lead Israel because of his heart. The path to his destiny was long and not easy. God surrounded David the way an oyster surrounds a pearl, shaping him to become âa man after Godâs own heart.â Do you feel obscure and overlooked? No matter what men think, you are not. Allow the process to continue to shape you. The treasure of your best life can be found and your pearl will shine. Just keep plowing. | 5/6/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanSpiritial Growth & Unity | The book of Hebrews was written to introduce a new Jesus. Some chapters mention Jesus the man, Jesus Godâs Son, Jesus the Savior, and Jesus the Christ; but this book was about Jesus the High Priest. A figure all members of that society recognized: Romans, pagans, unbelieving Jews, and also believers who followed Christ. They all knew, but why was that important enough to write about it in Hebrews? It was important enough because the Christians who were reading this letter should have already known something in this book. They were re-learning Algebra 101, and they should have been able to teach it. The High Priest was responsible for many things, but it all boiled down to one main thing: he alone spoke to God for the people, and He alone heard from God for the people; now fast forward to 2012. Some Christians and churches still believe the pastor or priest talks to, and listens to God for them. Hebrews 5 says thatâs a problem, we should be doing our own hearing and speaking. Jesus came to be the final High Priest, but when Jesus left the earth, He appointed a new priest â me and you. When Jesus left the Holy Spirit came to help us hear Godâs voice so now we can go to God, one-on-one. We speak to Him in prayer, and He speaks to us through His Word, the Bible. That only works if we pray, and we read, but do we? Most of us now, and most of the Hebrews then understood that, so why is the message repeated for all of us to hear? The answer is, because we know it, but we run from it. We prayed, and trusted God for something â something big, or something small, it doesnât matter â we trusted Him, and it all fell through. We may never know why, but at that moment, the fear, and doubt, and hurt crept in; and we stopped speaking, and we stopped hearing, and we stopped growing â or worse, we started sliding backward. Do we know we can still pray, of course. Do we know God is still there, yes, but we stop trusting Him with our lives and our futures. Read Hebrews five; actually read chapters one through five, none of them are long so it will only take you a few minutes, but itâs a few minutes that can restore your hope, and trust, and confidence in Godâs Word for your life; not the preacher, or the priest, or the reverend â you. Godâs Word is ALIVE â it can give you life. His Word is ACTIVE â it works today, and every day. The Word is POWERFUL â it is stronger than your worst problem. Godâs Word is a SWORD â the sword cuts, and penetrates all the way to our heart. The Word is our JUDGE, and here it is critical to understand that John chapter one says, Jesus is the Word, which means He is the judge. But this Judge faced pain like we face, and has encountered sin like we do, but He won! So when we come before Jesus as Judge, we face a Judge Who has already been where we are â He was the priest, now we are the priest. So He offers mercy when weâve done wrong, and He gives grace when we need help doing right. Talk to Him again and donât be afraid; read the Word, and listen to the voice of the Holy Spiritâs voice. You are the priest. Lay your wrongs on the altar, then receive Godâs forgiveness and blessing at the altar, and let them begin a Hebrews 5 change in you. Verses Used: *Hebrew 5:5-14 | 4/29/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanJill Sweetman-Wanting to be a Somebody? | -- | 4/29/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanMature Christian | One of the hardest things to witness as a pastor is to see people come into relationship with Christ then slip away without finishing the commitment. Itâs fairly easy to commit to Christ; in fact, one can almost be talked into it. The hard part is in becoming mature Christians. There is the âstandard of Christâ (Eph. 4:13) for us to measure up to. We start off as children easily âtossed and blown about by every wind of new teachingâ. In fact, this was one of the common struggles throughout the first 100 years of the Church leading Paul to constantly write letters to correct and guide the early Christians. Christ gave the church âgiftsâ mentioned in Ephesians 4:11 including âthe apostles, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachersâ to equip Godâs people to build up the Church, the body of Christ. Apostles are culture changers; people involved in governmental oversight, overseeing new works and new territory. Prophets are given to the Church to provide insight. All of these gifts work together in subjection to order to cause growth in Godâs people. Pastors are the gateway into the Church. Pastors have a heart for Godâs people and are there to take you on your Christian journey. However, pastors canât do all the work to facilitate your growth. Growth is facilitated by commitment to the Bible and prayer. Merely coming to church is equivalent to barely making it in your Christian walk. What does maturity mean? The road to maturity begins with service. There is a point in your Christian walk where you should go from taking to giving; from consuming to creating. Be mature and start to serve in Godâs house. Donât let the little things that trip you up this year, trip you up next year. As in marriage, working through issues now prevents encountering the same problems later. When you are a baby, someone feeds you. Most Christians stay in the âfeed meâ stage and donât experience the growth and journey God wants to take them on. Growth is painful and difficult; it stresses our faith. When you ride on the coattails of someone elseâs faith you wonât have what you need on the inside of you when your storm comes. Our faith in what God says is the only thing that can get us through. Ephesians 4:16 says âHe makes the whole body fit together perfectly.â Not only are there functional body parts, there are joints and ligaments that are essential for perfect health. Joints supply movement; ligaments supply the connection between bones. Ligaments are the real-deal relationships that hold the body together. Our goal is to build a local body that will work; that can reach our community; that can make a difference. The power of the local body is that in oneâs weakness the other is strengthened. Many think âI donât know where I fitâ and use that as a reason to not commit or grow in the body of Christ. The appendix is a useless part of the body. It only gets infected and causes you pain. There is no such thing as an appendix in the body of Christ. Some folks live to be that pain by lashing out when hurting and God can remove that as one has an appendix removed. When an infected appendix is not removed, it infects the whole body ultimately causing death. You can decide to be a part of the functioning body of Christ. When you make that decision you move from immaturity to maturity. Verses Used: *Ephesians 4:11-16 *Colossians 2:19 | 4/22/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanTim Weeks – Why Would God Use Someone Like Me | -- | 4/15/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanKay Weeks – Make Sure You are Listening to the RIGHT Voice! | -- | 4/15/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanEaster 2012 | Today, as we are celebrating and reflecting on the resurrection; weâre going to go back 2,000 years before the resurrection. Genesis 22 tells us about Abrahamâs test of faith. At this time the world was Godless and broken. In all this, God found Abraham. God saw his heart and faith. God knew Abraham and knew he was a man of faith and put him to the ultimate test; the sacrifice of Abrahams only son Isaac. Abrahamâs supreme obedience brought the provision of God at the last minute. As he held the knife in his hand that would sacrifice his son an Angel of the Lord came to him. The Angel ordered him to put down the knife. God had seen that Abraham feared God so much he had not spared even his son. Because of this supreme act of obedience and faith God gave him a promise he gave no one else. âI will do something through you which I have not done with anyone else. Abraham became the âfather of many nations.â Godâs plan to redeem humanity was already in the works. I canât help but see many parallels between Jesusâs death and resurrection and Abrahamâs sacrifice of Isaac. Just as Jesus carried his own cross at his death; Isaac obediently carried the wood that was meant for his own death. Just as Jesus obeyed His father in the ultimate sacrifice to save humanity; Isaac obeyed his father even as the sword was over him. The place where Isaac was sacrificed, Mount Moriah, became the site of the Temple of Solomon. It is believed that the crucifixion was at the summit of Mount Moriah. Abrahamâs dream for years was a son. As his âdreamâ and heart were tested on Mount Moriah God proved faithful and provided true to his promise. Like Abraham, God puts dreams in our hearts. Our dreams can be tested. This testing can be painful at the time but through this testing comes endurance. Through endurance comes Godâs provision. God will always provide! All Abraham had was belief and a promise. His only response to God telling him to sacrifice Isaac was âwe will go to worship and we will return!â. Church, this should be our response when we go through our own trials and testing! We will worship and we will believe! This is all God requires. Today, Easter Sunday, represents a moment of remembrance of when God took the keys of Hell and rose to conquer death! All he requires for us to have access to this love is to âjust believeâ! | 4/8/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanMaking Disciples | Next to John 3:16, one of the most familiar verses to a believer is what we know as The Great Commission. In Mark 16, Jesus tells the disciples, âGo into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.â This moment is also recorded ... | 4/1/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanRise and Build, Next Generation, Part 4 | Luke 18 is a record of Jesus telling several short parables that center around the theme of faith. These short stories tell us many things that, if we pay attention, will change the way we look at faith. Jesus begins with the story of an extremely unjust judge whose hard heart cannot stand in the way of the persistent faith of a poor widow. The next story, of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, shows that repentant faith is more honorable before God than well-behaved self-righteousness. Jesus also speaks of a rich man who does not mind keeping laws, but cannot manage to trust God to provide for his daily needs. During His teaching, Jesus is approached by parents bringing their children to Him hoping He will bless them. Rather than being upset by the interruption, Jesus embraces the children and holds them up as examples of faith. The chapter ends with Jesus healing a blind beggar along the road, telling him, âYour faith has healed you.â What is this abstract thing we call faith? Quite simply put, faith is confidence. Confidence that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. It is confidence that God knows and sees more than we do and so knows what needs to happen in every situation if we will trust Him with it. In addition, it is confidence that God always has our best interest at heart and will never lead us where He cannot keep us. Hebrews 11, another great chapter about faith, defines it this way: âFaith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.â (NLT) Faith connects us with the power of God as we abandon confidence in ourselves and our own abilities and place our confidence completely in Him. In Luke 18:8, Jesus asks the question, âWhen I, the Son of Man, return, how many will I find who have faith?â Letâs begin anew today and commit to being one that He finds faithful. | 3/18/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanRise and Build, Next Generation, Part 3 | When we get our financial affairs in order in the natural, we position ourselves for breakthrough in the supernatural. Iâm encouraging you to think about how you can challenge yourself in the upcoming Rise and Build campaign. Many people doing their part, giving small and large, have built our church. Giving above and beyond the tithe takes faith. In 2 Kings 4, the widow is told by Elisha to go and get all the vessels she can, not just a few. When it came time for her to pour her small portion of oil into the large vessel that would merely soak up the last of her oil, it took faith to believe that the oil would continue to flow. Oil in the Bible is a metaphor for the Spirit in both the Old Testament and New Testament. Oil was used to burn for light, to cook, even for healing. Oil was always used in making their lives better, and just as oil was critical to their lives, the Holy Spirit is critical to our lives. Everyone is able to minister in the Spirit, and it is through the Holy Spirit that we find the miraculous. It is also through the Spirit that we can challenge ourselves in giving. There is story after story of people challenging themselves in the natural in giving with supernatural results. I want to take a moment to present an opportunity for ministry especially for Easter in relation to the story of the widowâs oil. In verse 4, Elisha tells her to gather empty vessels, go into the house, shut the door and start to pour the oil into the empty vessels. The Spirit can move anywhere (marketplace, street, hospital) but some miracles are meant for the house (the church). All around our lives are empty vessels needing to be filled. If someone is struggling in his or her marriage, they are empty; if someone is battling cancer, they are empty; if someone doesnât go to church, they are empty; if someone is facing financial hardship, they are empty. Think of empty vessels around you and determine how you can pour the oil of God into their world. Let their desperation embolden you in reaching out to them to bring them into the house. Lastly, make sure your oil isnât flowing in the wrong place. It is great to give to causes but donât put giving to something that can heal naturally before giving to something that can heal supernaturally. It is time to start believing the word spoken over your life. Set aside time to consider what you can do. Verses Used: *2 Kings 4:1-7 | 3/11/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanRISE AND BUILD, NEXT GENERATION, PART 3 Jill Sweetman | -- | 3/11/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBeautiful Design (night 3) Leanne Matthesius | -- | 3/11/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBeautiful Design (night 2) Leanne Matthesius | -- | 3/11/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBeautiful Design (night 1) Jill Sweetman | -- | 3/11/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanRise and Build, Next Generation, Part 2 | Christ is asking us to lay down our lives, and pick up a cross. We all know what the cross meant to Christ, but what does the cross mean to us? It means surrender. On the cross Jesus surrendered all His rights. He died and the temple curtain separating God from the people was torn in two. When that happened God didnât escape, mankind was allowed in. âIf anyone wants to follow Me, let him lay down his life, and pick up a cross.â For us, a cross is symbolic, the surrender isnât. How do we give up everything? God doesnât want our house, He wants the right to tell us to hold a D-Group there. He doesnâtâ want your Ford (Lexus maybe), He wants the right to say, âHaul a load of groceries to the Quinn House in it.â That willingness is the key; remember a key has one function: Locking or Unlocking â whatever is powerful, or valuable; like an engine or a vault. God has the powerful to give; you have the valuable to release. What power do you need? What of value are you willing to give? In 2 Kings 4 the Shunammite woman gave her food, and her home, God gave her a new life â a child, but then it all seemed lost when the child died. When it looked like everything good had been lost, God raised the child from the dead and gave her back what she needed most, a life. So what about our everything, are we willing to give? What does God have, is He willing to give? God gave His Son, He is all in. Are we? Verses Used: *2 Kings 4: 1-7 *Matthew 16:24 | 3/5/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanRise and Build, Next Generation | What is the difference between a Son of the House and a Servant of the House? That is an excellent question. The answer is spread throughout the Bible. One of the main answers is, in a sense, another question. Are you a Son? Well, how is your fruit? I.e: what do your actions say about you? 2 Kings 4:1-7 contains a story of a woman who was a Daughter of the House. Her husband (called a "son" of Elijah in the story) had just passed away, leaving her and her two sons in deep debt. This Daughter of the House ran straight to the answer: God. She sought out Elijah, her husband's spiritual father, for advice; she accepted his advice, and, what is more, she obeyed it. That is the first and most prominent fruit of a son or daughter; they obey the Father. And when they obey the Father, His blessing falls upon them. The house of God thrives on the obedience of the Sons and Daughters. Without Sons and Daughters, the House grows old and stagnant and stale. Nothing new happens; there is no fresh outpouring of the Spirit, for the House is old and set in its ways. Sons and Daughters bring fresh life and energy to the House; they bring faith in their obedience. And who is it they are obeying? The Fathers of the House. Paul writes in I Corinthians that there are plenty of teachers in the House but not enough Fathers. People flock from teacher to teacher; they listen as long as the teacher says things they like. If the teacher starts getting too deep or too personal they leave in search of a new teacher. People do not want to sit under a Father. Fathers bring correction. Fathers bring discipline. Fathers do not say what the people want to hear. But it is fathers that build the sons and daughters. Think about that for a moment. Who is speaking into your world? Are they the type of person you want to be in five, ten, even twenty years? Then they are your father or mother. Sit. Listen. And learn from them (and take the bumps and bruises of the ego that come with it). God is speaking through these people. He, first and foremost, speaks through His Word. Then, He speaks through His Spirit. And, finally and most often, He speaks through the people He has places around us. The longer we sit and listen, the more of their spirit we catch and the more of God we hear. So, as we gear up towards a new Rise and Build campaign, take a moment to think. What is God saying to you? Are you listening to the Fathers and Mothers in your world? Are you ready to obey what it is they are saying? If the answer is yes, then you are a Son and/or Daughter of the House. Verses Used: *II Kings 4:1-7 * I Corinthians 4:15-16 *II Corinthians 3:1-4 | 2/26/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanNew Generation – Matt Shackelford | -- | 2/19/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanNew Generation – Travis Brown | -- | 2/19/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Tithe (part 2) | The tithe is found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, and we see the Old Covenant bringing forth the New Covenant with relation to the tithe. In Genesis 14, Abram mobilized 318 trained men who had been born into his household to go to war. Victorious, Abram then goes into âthe Kingâs valleyâ to meet the king of Sodom. Melchizedek âking of Salem (Jerusalem) and priest of God Most Highâ meets Abram there and brings him bread and wine and blesses him. Out of this communion Abram is moved to give 1/10 of all his spoils to Melchizedek, in the time before Moses and the Law (5000-6000 years before Christ). I believe that Melchizedek is Jesus appearing to Abram in a theophany (a manifestation of God to man), and out of Abramâs encounter with Melchizedek his response was to give him 1/10 of his spoils. We again see Melchizedek in Psalm 110, still hundreds of years before Christ, and he is also referenced in the New Testament as Hebrews 6:20 refers to Jesus as âour eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedekâ. The link between Jesus and Melchizedek is made with special note to his lack of lineage (important in Biblical times) as he remains âa priest foreverâ in Hebrews 7. Under the Old Covenant, the priest was the mediator between the people and God. The old system was abolished through Jesusâ sacrifice. When we bring our tithe, we are we are not tithing to the power bill or the water bill - we are trusting Jesus Christ, our high priest. Tithing and giving is as much about discipleship as it is about anything, and this is a growth moment for us. In Matthew 16, Jesus says âI will build my churchâ and in Matthew 28, he tells us to âgo and make disciplesâ. Believers are born into the kingdom; disciples are made. Being a disciple includes: absorbing teaching, living that teaching, and living to see the fruits from obedience. Paul is called a âmaster builderâ not for building structures but for building people. We are called to disciple others - this isnât the Dean and Jill show - there are people for you to disciple! When we come into alignment with the Word of God, blessing flows. Abram was so self-assured about the abilities of his 318 men that he saw himself as a king, enabling him to be victorious and go to âthe Kingâs valleyâ. These men were âbornâ into his household similar to the way we are born into this house. Being born into this house doesnât only include people who got saved here; it is any of us, as we are all adopted into the family of God by which we can cry âAbba Fatherâ. Abram could do more with these men born into his house than he could with thousands of hirelings. When you are a hireling, you are not invested and secure - when the heat is turned up, you run and the first storm you see wipes you out. When you are on the periphery you are an easy target; wolves look to pick off the sheep from the herd by choosing the ones on the edges. This is why relationships are so important at C3. Relationships undergird the structure we have here and when you make this your house, you have connection, you have fellowship, and you have protection. The Word of God transforms your thinking. Itâs not hard to get blessed when you do what the Bible says - put God back in the center of your life. Tithe and see what God will do. Verses Used: *Genesis 14:14-20 *Psalm 110:1-4 *Hebrews 7:1-6 | 2/12/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Tithe (part 1) | The tithe is found in both the Old and New Testaments. We see Abraham paying Melchizedek the High Priest a tenth of what he took as spoils of war, along with the first communion. People in those times learned to give their tithes of crops abundantly into the storehouse, a literal building that could hold food and seed in case of famine. In modern times, we pay our tithes to the local church - not a TV ministry, not a parachurch organization, but to the (store) House of God. If we have not learned yet that tithing is not an option for us as Christians, how can the church be "chief upon the mountains" as the bible declares? Tithing brings honor to God, brings blessing into our lives, and causes God to throw open the Windows of Heaven - it is the only time we are allowed to test God! He is saying to us, "Try it! Put Me to the test, I want to blow you away with My generosity as you learn to be generous!" We are called to respect the altar of God - back in the days when priests offered sacrifices for the people, there was an increase of bribery as folks wanted to get rid of their lame, crippled and diseased cattle or sheep, and paid the priests to offer those on the altar, as if God were blind! Malachi was a prophet to the priests who had a lot to say about honoring and respecting the Lord of Heaven's Armies, as you can read in the verses noted above. God's principles don't change, He will always bless you if you put Him first. If we have all our bills in front of us and wait til they are paid up to pay our tithes, we will never manage the 10% because the bills always seem so insurmountable. But if we line them up and put the tithe at the head of the line, we will find that supernaturally, the money is there to pay the rest! The priests (pastors) are responsible to tell the people that God is righteous and deserves the firstfruits of our labor, as Malachi aptly points out. We will miss out on a huge life blessing if we allow that 10% of our paycheck, disability or unemployment check (whatever we are getting as income, as opposed to monetary gifts from others) to go unpaid to the local church, the storehouse of blessing. Tithing is probably the scariest thing we will ever do as Christians! It is easy to get saved, but it sure it hard to trust God with our money. Only 6% of the church in America tithes, according to Barna Research Group. This proved true several years ago, when Ps. Phil asked me what I had given in an offering. We discovered we'd given the same amount, and in a group of over 100 people, each of us had contributed 1/3 of the total offering taken that day. The 6% had prevailed, sadly. We are promised a return on our tithes and offerings, thirty, sixty or even a hundred times over what was given. No bank has ever given me that much of a return! What God can get through our hands and into others, He will get to us so we can do it again. If we are on food stamps, share some with others - there are always areas where we can give to people. We have to learn that God sees our heart, He knows how much we make, and He is asking us to repay Him for the blessing of being able to work, or being able to draw a check due to disability, unemployment, etc. We want everyone in this church to thrive, and tithing is foundational to making that happen. We must look at our hearts, decide to give the Lord the honor and respect He deserves, lay our tithes on the altar, and watch the miracles unfold! I can't wait to share more about this and tell you great stories of many who have tithed and received new jobs, raises, bonuses - all because we took a chance and risked loving God with our whole hearts. Verses Used: *Numbers 18:26 *Malachi 1:6-8 *Malachi 3:8-10 | 2/5/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPs Mark Kelsey 2nd | -- | 1/29/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPs Mark Kelsey 1st | -- | 1/29/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanFaith & Vision – Travis Brown | -- | 1/22/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanFaith & Vision – Kay Weeks | -- | 1/22/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanFaith & Vision | Our church will begin fasting and praying on February 1st for 21 days. This is an opportunity to go to the next level for real this year, to overcome challenges and bring about lasting change. If you fast AND pray, change WILL happen! We look to the New Testament church for examples of how to work together, how to mature in Christ, how to be a "marketplace apostle". One of the first men to rise up to a new level was Barnabas, a tradesman who, during a time of famine, sold a field he owned and gave all the proceeds to the apostles in Jerusalem to help other believers. Others followed his lead, and the whole church banded together, sharing and selling so that no one would go without. What they owned was not their own. The people made sacrifices for each other, and this was the first example of charity in any culture of that day. Let's be sure our things aren't getting in the way of where God wants to take us. After the famine in Acts 4, a very zealous Jew named Saul was at the stoning of the first Christian martyr, Stephen, a man killed for speaking the truth about the Resurrected Christ. The Christians went into hiding because of the persecution now upon the Church, and in Acts 9 Saul goes to Damascus to kill Christians there who are sharing the Gospel. He actually thinks he is doing God's will! On the way, the Lord blinds him and he comes to faith in Jesus himself, not eating or drinking for three days afterward. A Christian in the area named Ananias is asked by God to go to Saul, lay hands on him, and let God heal him - however, Ananias has heard Saul will arrest any Christians in the area! After arguing with God, he summons up his courage, lays hands on Saul, and goes so far as to call him "Brother" as he obeys the Big Ask that God had given him. Saul becomes Paul, the greatest apostle to ever live, the one who wrote most of the books of the New Testament, and from whose life we can learn so much about perservering and following the leading of the Holy Spirit! The thing is, he was not even accepted by the local church and the apostles who had been with Jesus until Barnabas, whose name means Son of Encouragement, befriended Paul and vouched for him to the church leaders in Jerusalem. You can't fulfill your destiny until someone believes in you. It took the courage of Ananias & Barnabas to bring the killer of Christians into the family of the church. People then and now are looking for someone to care for them. We need lots of people to reach out to new folks at C3 this year, and our leadership classes are going to help us get confident as we step out and mature even more. When God asks us to do something big, something scary, something well and truly out of our comfort zone like He asked of Ananias, we know that by prayer and fasting we can accomplish anything that God has laid before us! He is going to ask us this year to do what we have never done before, therefore it makes sense to prepare ourselves for this year of challenge. You don't have to be a pastor to bring love and care to people in your world. We have to come out of our immaturity and the mindset that says, "Oh, that's someone else's job" and begin to really grow in our faith. This means that the people around us who need help will have someone there to encourage, to mentor, to pray for them - you! When the religious Jews threw Peter in jail for healing a crippled man on the Sabbath in Acts 12, the church was praying for him fervently, but when an angel opened up the jail and got Peter to safety, no one praying at the house believed it was really him knocking on the door! These people had seen the house shake with the power of prayer, but had forgotten that God really does work miracles! Don't pass your miracle off as coincidence, believe that God meant for your prayers to be answered. We are all currently afraid of something God is asking us to do, some challenge we've come up against. | 1/15/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanGordon Moore | -- | 1/8/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanTim Weeks – The Walking Dead | -- | 1/1/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanChristmas Eve 2011 | -- | 12/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Many names of Jesus | We want to connect people to Christ and then connect them to their destiny. We want to connect people to what is next; we believe there is always another next. There is so much potential. Potential is useless unless you use it. If you donât listen to those placed in your life, if you are not coachable, then that potential will fail you and you will live life full of regret and misery. There is unlimited potential when you are obedient to Christ. The prophesy of the Messiah found in Isaiah 9 was made hundreds of years before Jesus was born. God: Father , Son, and Holy Spirit and angels were deciding what to do to get man back, how to redeem humanity. God longed for that fellowship with us. Who would have that that God would change the world with the birth of a baby? When God is getting ready to do things in our life, we have to remember that it will not always be in the way we expect. Isaiah says Jesus will be called four things. âWonderful Counselorâ speaks to us of the wisdom of Christ. You canât look to other sources for the answers we need in our human lives. All the answers come from Jesus. You will be baffled by things, and you may look everywhere else for answers instead of the words in red. There is only one source that will get you through 2012 better than 2011. You should not try to live your life by other any other direction, than by the wisdom of Christ. Get closer to Jesus in 2012. The closer you get to someone, the more you get from them, the better communication flows. The wisdom of Christ is going to come by the people He puts in your life sometimes, and is going to come by revelation through His Word. You will read the Bible, and Jesus and the Holy Spirit will take the words on that page and give you just what you need. Jesus is called âMighty God.â He is God in the flesh. Why? So when you read about Jesus, you can relate to Him. He came to earth to show His character. He came to help people. He was all God and all man. Jesus was the perfect visual image of God. People put their faith into things that are here today and gone tomorrow. We lose every time, unless we listen to Jesus. Jesus has the answers we need. Jesus is called âEternal Father.â He is the son, but he has father-like qualities. He comes into our life like a friend sometimes. But, He also brings security, provision, authority, vision and discipline like a father. Fathers are involved on the lives of their children. Fathers are concerned with how their children are going to turn out. A father can bring guidance and vision to their children. Jesus will bring vision into your lives this year. Jesus is called Prince of peace. He wants to be lord of your emotional life. Jesus is the One who will settle your soul. 2012 is going to be about dreams and visions in your life that you have asked God to help you with for years. Some of these things are going to come to pass in your life this year. Verses Used: *Isaiah 9:6-7 | 12/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe First Family – Tim Weeks | -- | 12/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe First Family | When we think of Bible heroes, names like Moses, David, Samson, and Daniel come to mind. Joseph of Nazareth â husband to Mary and earthly father of Jesus - is generally not on the list. But on closer inspection, this quiet man is due more notice and respect than he is given. His heart is very much like Godâs and provides a powerful role model for all of us today. Joseph and Mary were betrothed in the Hebrew tradition. This is rather difficult for us to understand for it was not just a joining of two people in marriage but a merging of families, fortunes, and futures. A betrothal period could last up to seven years. During that time the expectations of both families looked and worked toward the union in a way foreign to us today. In addition, the entire community knew of and anticipated the union. The Spirit and will of God interrupt this proceeding with the purpose of changing mankindâs destiny. From a heavenly perspective, it made perfect sense. From an earthly perspective, it made no sense. Fortunately, Joseph was not a man given to emotional reaction. Here we find his first quality of merit. Matthew 1: 19 tells us that Joseph âconsidered these things.â He didnât react in a reality TV/Jerry Springer kind of way. He thought carefully and took the issue before God. He opened the door of his heart to hear what God had to say about the matter before he made any decision. Though his personal reputation was on the line, his first consideration was finding out what was the right thing to do. A second quality to notice is that Joseph chose not to seek retribution, but to cover Mary and âbreak the engagement quietly.â (vs 18) If Maryâs pregnancy were to be discovered she would, at the least, be exiled or, at worst, stoned to death. Imagine Jesusâ life being ended before He had a chance to be born. But Joseph chose grace. He chose to cover her rather than expose her. In this day of âinvestigative reportingâ when no secret is safe, and when many delight in the downfall of others, we could learn a great deal from this type of grace. Joseph took Mary as his wife but did not sleep with her as his wife until Jesus was born. Pretty amazing, right? Imagine walking in that kind of obedience. Most importantly, Josephâs willingness to set his own feelings and opinions aside and be open to God brought the will of God to pass. God sent an angel to Joseph in a dream to confirm the truth of the story Mary had told him. Joseph protected them and provided for them as Jesus grew. Once the story of Jesusâ birth, the flight to Egypt, and the return to Nazareth is done, we donât hear any more about Joseph. He fades into the background. But without his obedience, the story would never have taken place. Imagine the multitude of lives that have been changed because Joseph chose to consider God in his actions. How many of us are living our best life because of his choice and how many others might find their best life if we choose to live by his example? Verses Used: *Matthew 1:18-24 | 12/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Vine – Final | As we conclude the series on the Vine, it is important to remember that Jesus was using this as His last opportunity to speak to his friends, the 11 disciples that came with Him in the midnight hour up to the Mount of Olives and the garden of Gethseman... | 12/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Vine – Ps Travis Brown | -- | 11/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Vine – Ps Tim Weeks | -- | 11/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanMarriage and Relationships – Part 2 | -- | 11/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanMarriage and Relationships – Part 1 | When God created marriage, He intended it to not only be a source of strength and safety for a man and woman, but also to reflect on earth the intimacy that He wants us to have with Him on a daily basis. Knowing this, is it any wonder that marriages are under attack from every side? Having a strong marriage speaks loudly for the God we worship. So how can we increase our chances of having a strong marriage? First, it is essential to understand that people come into a marriage with their own subconscious ideas of what it will be like. When these two worlds collide, major problems can occur, which is evident in the number of marriages that are ended over âirreconcilable differences.â We must decide that rather than âmy way,â we will commit to finding âour way.â Commonality of goal, the ability to communicate about everything openly, and understanding the need to compromise will help us craft a vision for where we are going as a coupleâ¦together. Secondly, if we want to have commonality of goal, we must shift our mindset away from what society and tradition have said marriage should be. The old mindset of the 50âs and 60âs that sees mom at home all day vacuuming in a dress and pearls is still around and itâs completely unreasonable. In fact, itâs not even Biblical. True marriage is not about roles, it about sharing dreams together. Itâs about submitting to each other in the knowledge of God. And itâs about putting the other first and making all decisions with the other in mind. Finally, we must make the decision to commit to the commitment of marriage. No husband or wife is perfect. We all have faults and will all make mistakes. We cannot hold unforgiveness toward our spouse or shut them out. If we refuse to hear the other, we cause our marriage to begin to disintegrate. All marriages go through shifting seasons when one spouseâs needs overshadow the other. We must be willing to make whatever adjustments are necessary for the best interest of the marriage and the family â not simply decide based on our own self-interest. As time goes on, life seems to be more and more hectic. We cannot forget that a marriage must be tended if it is to survive and grow. Resist taking the other for granted and be sure to make time for the wooing to go on. In marriage, we must offer affection and love that expects nothing more. Marriage is the most important relationship ever created. Children draw security from a strong marriage, and communities benefit from the foundation they provide. There is no condemnation in Christ. Perhaps you have gone through a divorce or are struggling in your marriage right now. The good news is, with Godâs help, any married couple can decide today, to commit, or re-commit, to taking the steps that lead them to their best life. | 11/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Vine – Part 1 | Jesus is speaking to His disciples after they have shared there last Passover together and are walking toward the Mt. of Olives, where unbeknownst to them, Jesus will be taken away to be crucified. It is close to midnight, and as they pass a vineyard,... | 11/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Four Rivers – The Euphrates | The Euphrates River--the final river in the Four Rivers series--is the river that means to "break forth into fruitfulness." It is the simplest of the rivers to grasp: God wants us to be fruitful. That is it! So simple! God loves simple things. Humans make things too complicated; God makes it simple. He wants you to be fruitful, and the way to fruitfulness is obedience. Obey God. See? Simple. Matthew 25 tells the tale of three servants entrusted with their master's money while he is away on a long journey. It is an accepted fact that the man on the journey is Jesus. He is leaving for a time, and He entrusts His servants with His property. Jesus came to earth to save us and to establish the Kingdom. He got the work started through His death and resurrection. Then, He said, "The rest is up to you." He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us in our charge to change the world. He trusted us with His resources (money,abilities, etc...) like the man in the parable entrusted his servants. What happens next is the real gem. The man gives to his servants according to their abilities. Wait a second. That's not very fair. Why don't all the servants get an equal share? That's because "fairness" is no Biblical. God wants us to have more then other people. He wants us to prosper and be fruitful. There is no ceiling or cap to that. It is ongoing. Those who cry over how unfair it is are the ones trapped in the small-mindedness of the world. Very simple. Two servants prospered because they used their resources; one did not. When the master returned, he rewarded those who increased and cursed the one who did not. So use what God has given you! Sow it! Invest it! And watch the blessing of increase come into your world. Verses Used: *Matthew 25: 14-30 *Psalms 1 | 10/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPs Jill Sweetman – Selective Hearing | -- | 10/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Four Rivers – The Tigris | The Tigris River is the 3rd branch of the water source found in the Garden of Eden. It's name means sharp, distinctive sound and rapid movement. God wants to take us on a journey and is usually gracious to us, mindful of our humanity, and slowly allo... | 10/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Four Rivers – The 3rd River, Travis Brown | -- | 10/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Four Rivers – The 3rd River, Tim Weeks | -- | 10/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Four Rivers – The River of Anointing part 2 | The concept of the Rivers and the Garden continues to unfold the further we go into this series. The garden of the heart is filled with seeds that grow and produce fruit, providing even more seed. But what do we do with this new seed? Do we store it in barns, afraid that we won't have enough seed in the future? Or do we give the seed to God and let Him scatter it? God can do more with the little seed that we have then we could ever hope to dream of if we keep it stored away. God has promised time and again that whatever we give to Him, He will give back to us. And He has also shown that whatever we hold in our hands, refusing to let go for fear of loss, will be lost through the decay of time and death. No man on his death bed is happy that he clung to all his riches. No, he wishes more than anything that he had done something with that which he had obtained. The River Gihon, as stated last week, is the River of the Anointing. It means "to burst forth." When something bursts up, it flows out. God began with the River Pishon (increase) and the moved on to Gihon (anointing or flow). You first receive increase and then you let it go somewhere. There is no use having seed if it is not going to go anywhere. You can have it all--fame, fortune, the praise and accord of others--but it means nothing without the anointing that flows out into the world. John 9 tells the tale of Jesus healing a blind man by placing mud on his eyes and telling him to âGo wash yourself in the pool of Siloam.â Siloam means "sent." Siloam is also the spring of the River Gihon. Jesus sent the blind man on a mission to receive his healing. The blind man had to grope about, asking for help to find the spring of the sent. And it was there that he was healed. Gihon and Siloam are the River of the sent: those who are sent out on missions; those who are a part of other people's miracles. Do you want to be a apart of someone's miracle? Then GO! You don't have to (and we strongly advise against this) put mud in people's eyes. But speak well of them. Tell those in authority that their employees are the best! Help with your words and actions! And through that, people will receive their miracle. Verses Used: *Genesis 2: 13 *John 9:6 & 7 *I Kings 1: 32-35 | 10/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Four Rivers – The River of Anointing | The second river is the River Gihon--the river of anointing. The River Gihon branches off the River Pshon - favor and blessing stay within God's anointing and presence. King David's son, Solomon, was anointed king at the river Gihon with oil, to symbolize the presence of God in his reign. Since Solomon did not ask for riches, but wisdom, God chose to bless Solomon - gifts come from blessing and His presence. Each of us has an anointing to be something or have something that God can use- the ministry gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher or the gifts of faith, prophecy, miracles, etc. God anoints us to do His work as we stay in His presence, which can be found as we seek God in our private times, and more importantly, in the House of God as we come together in corporate worship, connecting ourselves to God. The anointing carries us onward and we need the presence of God to do what He is calling us to do, to handle the pressure of that call at times, and to anoint the ideas He gives us so they come to pass. The C3 church is not just a cool place to come worship & learn about God, the presence and anointing of the Lord have to be here or it would all come tumbling down like a house of cards. We need the anointing to fulfill the visions we receive while in His presence! Isaiah 66 says the oil of joy replaces mourning,that praise relieves heaviness. Peace comes out of His presence, it changes our hearts and minds as the Holy Spirit goes to work, making us different. Joshua gave us the greatest example of how going into the Temple, into the presence of God, set him apart from the rest of Israel, who stood outside their tent doors and watched the one man brave enough and wise enough to get literally into the presence of God. Because of Christ's anointing to die on the Cross, we can now freely go into the House - the Presence - of the Lord, worship, serve and fulfill His call that is unique to each one of us. We don't naturally know how to get into God's presence, we have to choose like Joshua to get ourselves to church and connect in worship and the Word. In Revelation 22:1-5 the apostle John writes about what he saw there in Heaven. He speaks of an angel showing him a pure, clear river running thru the main street, which had trees growing on either side. These trees were for the healing of the nations, and bore a different fruit once a month every twelve months. There is so much here - the river begins at the Throne of God, runs where everyone has access to it, and the fruit of it's trees is not for us, it is for others, since God wants everyone to come into His Kingdom! He is a river without limit or end, He does not want us to segment off our lives into "Sunday I go to church, Monday through Saturday I live my life", He truly wants to give us unlimited blessings - a different one every month if we are ready for it! Jesus follows up that thought when he said, "He who believes in Me, out of your belly will flow rivers of living water." (John 7:38) Meaning that LIFE comes from knowing and believing in all the blessing, favor, anointing and presence that God is freely offering us. Why would we not want to follow Him to the ends of the earth - He has everything we need to LIVE! His blessings are unlimited, His presence pulls us in and brings change to our lives. We can come out of that dry, dusty riverbed we have been living in and experience the full-on wetness of journeying with the Lord in the Four Rivers. Changes are instant and imminent - are you ready to move forward? Verses Used: *Genesis 2:13 *Exodus 33 *Isaiah 66 *John 7:38 | 9/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Four Rivers – River of Increase | In Genesis 2, we get our first view of the garden God planted as the dwelling place for man. He called it âEden,â meaning âparadiseâ or âplace of delight.â Verse 10 tells us that the garden was watered by a river that flowed through and out of the garden, then dividing into four branches. Those four rivers were named Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. While we believe that Eden was a real place, it is also representative of the human heart. Each of us has the responsibility to tend the garden of our heart â the garden of who we are. The four rivers represent principles that God has given to help us cultivate good fruit in the garden of our lives. The first river, Pishon, represents increase and expansion, a principal that Jesus taught repeatedly. To experience increase in our own lives we must believe that God is our source of all things, learn how to get into Godâs flow, and avoid the things that cause us to get out of the flow. Today we live in a society filled with self-help gurus. As a result, we often think we can will ourselves to success if we just find the right book to read. But the river comes from God and we canât will or self-help ourselves into the life He brings. If we try to make it in our own strength, there will come a point when our human strength will fail us. When difficulties come, when we canât take one more step, we must look to the God of the River of Increase to be the source of whatever it is we need. Whether itâs strength, peace, joy, forgiveness, grace, patience, wisdomâ¦.whatever it is you think youâre out of, God has it and wants to give it to you. We only need to plant our lives by His river and let Him be our source. We all know that water is an incredibly powerful thing. Rowing against a strong current will quickly tire you out and make it virtually impossible to reach your destination. But, as humans, we often seem bent on rowing against Godâs flow â trying to get to our destiny under our own power. The Holy Spirit is Godâs river. He flows into our hearts and wants to branch out into every area of our lives and spill over onto others. But we have to get into the flow. You donât need to look hard to find examples of people who have fought their way to the top but have not found happiness. Rowing against the river of God will never get you to a place of contentment. We each must decide to turn our boat and stop fighting Godâs flow. The river may take us to places we donât understand, but we will find ourselves in a place of unending increase that will spill over and grow the Kingdom of God. So come on and jump in, the waterâs fine. | 9/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Four Rivers – The Garden | Every single piece of wisdom and truth in the Bible starts with a seed. Think about that for a second. A seed--everything important about the Kingdom begins with the seed. Jesus said in Matthew 13 that if you don't understand this parable, you will not understand the rest. The principle of the seed is the gateway to all the others! Over the next few weeks, we will be discussing the four rivers that flowed from the heart of the Garden of Eden. But before we can, we must understand the importance of the Garden. We need to go back to the beginning. Genesis tells the story-- "In the Beginning..." In the beginning, God planted a garden. He didn't make the garden magically appear; He planted! He put seed in the soil! Soil is a second part of this already mind altering concept! God created soil to be worked. Let that sink in. God purposefully designed soil to be worked so that it could produce. Growth requires work. Soil must be prepared; seed must be planted; work must be put into it; and then there is growth! God set everything up from the beginning. He planted the seeds to grow the Garden in rich, worked soil, producing Paradise. Eden is the image of what the earth was supposed to be and can be again. Referencing back to Matthew 13, the human heart is the soil where all seeds are planted. The human heart is designed to have things planted within. It craves seed. It does not care which seed is planted as long as something is planted and something grows. The heart is the battlefield; you are responsible for the outcome. You are responsible for the condition of the soil; you are responsible for what goes in; you are responsible for what grows. You and you alone are responsible for the garden of your heart. And whatever you let into your heart flows out of your life. Jeremiah 17 talks about what happens when a person allows the knowledge of the world to be planted in their hearts. They become a shrub. That is what it says: shrub. The very word is unpleasant. Have you ever met a person who is a shrub? I have. You can see it all over their lives. They are dry and barren and salty. They are a shrub barely scraping by in the desert of their life. However, in contrast, Jeremiah calls those who place their hope and trust in God and who willingly submit to His covering tree planted by the river. So choose now:]Will you allow your heart to get dry and shrub-like? Or will you work to till the soil of your heart, allowing God to work along side you in breaking up the hard ground of attitude and bitterness and pain to create a soft field that yields to the seed and produces good fruit? What will it be? Verses Used: Genesis 2:4-14 Jeremiah 17:5-10 Matthew 13: 11-17 | 9/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanMy Cup – The Cup of Covenant 1st | In Luke 22, Jesus & His disciples are eating the Passover meal together, and Jesus passes around the first cup of the night- the cup of fellowship. "Take this wine and share it among yourselves," He said as He gave thanks to God. Connectedness was what God was working out in that moment, the unique quality of the Church. God is trying to fit us together so we can help one another. Connection is greater than individuality - as Americans, we tend to be proud of our independence, which is the opposite trait to what God wants in His churches. He wants us joined, fit and connected together in a local body as part of the worldwide Body of Christ. This is a very New Testament concept! Drinking together from the same cup meant that those people doing so feel like family & didn't have any barriers. That's how the church needs to be, willing to come together in times of joy or suffering, pain or victory and act like family. Jesus then took bread, broke it, gave thanks and shared it with His friends. Fellowship and blessing were the prime focus at the meal. After dinner, however, the mood shifts. Jesus took another cup, symbolic of the new covenant they were about to enter into between God and man. "This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you...I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom comes to earth." Last week we learned the depth of what those words meant, now we know that 50 days later at Pentecost, the Kingdom of God came to earth in the form of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist had told his followers, "There is one coming after me...who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." In the upper room of Acts 2, 120 faithful followers were filled with the Spirit of Jesus and begin to proclaim in other tongues the glory of God's kingdom. Thus, the Kingdom is within us when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we are building His kingdom here on earth! It is now within our grasp, as we pray His will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. In Luke 5, we read these words of Christ: "You don't put wine in old wineskins; you get new wineskins for your fresh vintage wine. And no one who has ever tasted fine aged wine prefers unaged wine." A wineskin was the scraped-out hide of a sheep or goat. The reason new wine needed to go into new skins was that the fermentation process was so strong, the skins had to be able to expand to hold it all in. New skins were pliable, soft, like our hearts need to be. We can always stretch out some more when we are being filled anew every day with the Holy Spirit! The symbolism of the Cup of the Covenant is a fresh touch from Jesus on our lives and hearts, the fermenting of our dreams & visions swirling around and being made reality. "I have to go so my Spirit can come live in you", He said to those who begged Him to stay. We are the vessels that the wine is being poured into. It's so easy to get stuck in the "once upon a time" experience. Old wineskins could be made pliable again by being immersed in oil - God doesn't want the vessel (us) to burst or break from His new; wine of dreams & visions for our lives! Make it a priority to empty ourselves of what the Lord has given us so we can be filled with the next new thing He has for us. Be ready to live new experiences; God is going to challenge our mindsets and wants to change us to become bigger in all areas of our lives. Being filled with the Spirit means getting fresh vision, dreams that bring us joy, and not allowing our hearts to harden for any reason. When we keep our vessel full of the new wine of what the Spirit is calling us onward to do, we will find our dreams fulfilled, as Christ's were after he drank from the Cup of the Covenant and did what His Father had called Him to do for the coming of the Kingdom. Come unafraid to the altar for a fresh touch, fresh oil and new wine! Verses Used: *Luke 22:17-20 *Matthew 3:11 *Acts 2:1-41 *Luke 5:33-39 *John 14:16-17 | 9/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanMy Cup – The Cup of Covenant 2nd | In Luke 22, Jesus & His disciples are eating the Passover meal together, and Jesus passes around the first cup of the night- the cup of fellowship. "Take this wine and share it among yourselves," He said as He gave thanks to God. Connectedness was what God was working out in that moment, the unique quality of the Church. God is trying to fit us together so we can help one another. Connection is greater than individuality - as Americans, we tend to be proud of our independence, which is the opposite trait to what God wants in His churches. He wants us joined, fit and connected together in a local body as part of the worldwide Body of Christ. This is a very New Testament concept! Drinking together from the same cup meant that those people doing so feel like family & didn't have any barriers. That's how the church needs to be, willing to come together in times of joy or suffering, pain or victory and act like family. Jesus then took bread, broke it, gave thanks and shared it with His friends. Fellowship and blessing were the prime focus at the meal. After dinner, however, the mood shifts. Jesus took another cup, symbolic of the new covenant they were about to enter into between God and man. "This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you...I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom comes to earth." Last week we learned the depth of what those words meant, now we know that 50 days later at Pentecost, the Kingdom of God came to earth in the form of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist had told his followers, "There is one coming after me...who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." In the upper room of Acts 2, 120 faithful followers were filled with the Spirit of Jesus and begin to proclaim in other tongues the glory of God's kingdom. Thus, the Kingdom is within us when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we are building His kingdom here on earth! It is now within our grasp, as we pray His will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. In Luke 5, we read these words of Christ: "You don't put wine in old wineskins; you get new wineskins for your fresh vintage wine. And no one who has ever tasted fine aged wine prefers unaged wine." A wineskin was the scraped-out hide of a sheep or goat. The reason new wine needed to go into new skins was that the fermentation process was so strong, the skins had to be able to expand to hold it all in. New skins were pliable, soft, like our hearts need to be. We can always stretch out some more when we are being filled anew every day with the Holy Spirit! The symbolism of the Cup of the Covenant is a fresh touch from Jesus on our lives and hearts, the fermenting of our dreams & visions swirling around and being made reality. "I have to go so my Spirit can come live in you", He said to those who begged Him to stay. We are the vessels that the wine is being poured into. It's so easy to get stuck in the "once upon a time" experience. Old wineskins could be made pliable again by being immersed in oil - God doesn't want the vessel (us) to burst or break from His new; wine of dreams & visions for our lives! Make it a priority to empty ourselves of what the Lord has given us so we can be filled with the next new thing He has for us. Be ready to live new experiences; God is going to challenge our mindsets and wants to change us to become bigger in all areas of our lives. Being filled with the Spirit means getting fresh vision, dreams that bring us joy, and not allowing our hearts to harden for any reason. When we keep our vessel full of the new wine of what the Spirit is calling us onward to do, we will find our dreams fulfilled, as Christ's were after he drank from the Cup of the Covenant and did what His Father had called Him to do for the coming of the Kingdom. Come unafraid to the altar for a fresh touch, fresh oil and new wine! Verses Used: *Luke 22:17-20 *Matthew 3:11 *Acts 2:1-41 *Luke 5:33-39 *John 14:16-17 | 9/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanRob Carmen 1st | -- | 8/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanRob Carmen 2nd | -- | 8/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanMy Cup – The Cup of Sorrows 1st | James & John's mother comes to Jesus asking if her sons can sit at His right & left hand when He entered His kingdom. She was a prominent woman in their small town, and her husband & sons were well-known fishermen, so she felt she could ask this of Je... | 8/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanMy Cup – The Cup of Sorrows 2nd | James & John's mother comes to Jesus asking if her sons can sit at His right & left hand when He entered His kingdom. She was a prominent woman in their small town, and her husband & sons were well-known fishermen, so she felt she could ask this of Je... | 8/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanMy Cup – The Cup of Greed 2nd | Luke 11 introduces us to the next cup in the series: The Cup of Greed. This cup is introduced when Jesus is invited to dine with a Pharisee. The Pharisee gets edgy when Jesus does not wash his hands before the meal. You see, hand washing was one of the... | 8/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanMy Cup – The Cup of Greed 1st | Luke 11 introduces us to the next cup in the series: The Cup of Greed. This cup is introduced when Jesus is invited to dine with a Pharisee. The Pharisee gets edgy when Jesus does not wash his hands before the meal. You see, hand washing was one of the... | 8/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanMy Cup – The Water 1st | We are beginning a new series today on âThe Cup.â A cup is something that was built to carry something else. A cupâs purpose is always to be emptied so to be filled again. Jesus said in the New Testament that we cannot get that which He wants to give us until we lose what we have, or, for turn of phrase, we empty our cup. That means we get rid of all the lies and tricks and influences of this world on our lives. There are four instances in the Bible where âThe Cupâ is discussed: 1) The Cup of Water which represents Compassion 2) The Cup of Greed and Selfishness 3) The Cup of Sorrow and Suffering 4) The Cup of the Covenant Each will be discussed in turn throughout the course of this series. Today, we will be looking at the Cup of Water. The Cup of Water is the manifestation of our faith. All too often, people come to church to get the experience without ever moving forward into a deeper relationship with God. The concept of the Cup of Water is where the challenge arises. Will you go beyond yourself to offer the water to others? The Water is all that God has done in your life. You know what happens to water when it sits in a cup? It goes stale and grows mold and is undrinkable. Cups of Water are meant to be poured out. How do you pour out the water? You help others. Luke 10 paints a beautiful picture of how to give the Cup of Water. Luke 10 is the story of the Good Samaritan, and we all know the story. Poor man gets beaten up; twice he is passed by BY A PRIEST AND A PRIESTâS ASSISTENT!!! Yet, a man who is considered the enemy, stops and helps the beaten man. He sacrifices his time and resources to aid a man in need. That is giving the Cup of Water. Now, you may be thinking, âI donât have those kinds of resources!â You have something, right? You may not be living your best life, but you are living. And the life you are living is desperately needed by those who are dying around you. Reach out. Help out! Pour out. Give your Cup, great or small, and watch as Godâs water changes lives. Verses Used: Matthew 10 Luke 10 | 8/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanMy Cup – The Water 2nd | We are beginning a new series today on âThe Cup.â A cup is something that was built to carry something else. A cupâs purpose is always to be emptied so to be filled again. Jesus said in the New Testament that we cannot get that which He wants to give us until we lose what we have, or, for turn of phrase, we empty our cup. That means we get rid of all the lies and tricks and influences of this world on our lives. There are four instances in the Bible where âThe Cupâ is discussed: 1) The Cup of Water which represents Compassion 2) The Cup of Greed and Selfishness 3) The Cup of Sorrow and Suffering 4) The Cup of the Covenant Each will be discussed in turn throughout the course of this series. Today, we will be looking at the Cup of Water. The Cup of Water is the manifestation of our faith. All too often, people come to church to get the experience without ever moving forward into a deeper relationship with God. The concept of the Cup of Water is where the challenge arises. Will you go beyond yourself to offer the water to others? The Water is all that God has done in your life. You know what happens to water when it sits in a cup? It goes stale and grows mold and is undrinkable. Cups of Water are meant to be poured out. How do you pour out the water? You help others. Luke 10 paints a beautiful picture of how to give the Cup of Water. Luke 10 is the story of the Good Samaritan, and we all know the story. Poor man gets beaten up; twice he is passed by BY A PRIEST AND A PRIESTâS ASSISTENT!!! Yet, a man who is considered the enemy, stops and helps the beaten man. He sacrifices his time and resources to aid a man in need. That is giving the Cup of Water. Now, you may be thinking, âI donât have those kinds of resources!â You have something, right? You may not be living your best life, but you are living. And the life you are living is desperately needed by those who are dying around you. Reach out. Help out! Pour out. Give your Cup, great or small, and watch as Godâs water changes lives. Verses Used: Matthew 10 Luke 10 | 8/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPs Tim Weeks – Practical | -- | 8/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPs Kay Weeks – Watch Your Mouth | -- | 8/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPs Vicki Simpson – Everywoman 7/27 | -- | 7/31/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean“Dad Dad Dad Dad Dad” – Jeff Kane | -- | 7/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPs James Murray – Part 2 | -- | 7/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPs James Murray – Part 1 | -- | 7/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPs Jurgen Mattesius – Part 2 | -- | 7/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPs Jurgen Mattesius – Part 1 | -- | 7/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Nature of Faith | -- | 7/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Love of God – Travis Brown | -- | 5/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanWhat We Have In Christ | Ever imagine what is was like back in the beginning, when the church was still new, and the term "Christian" was not in use? Oh, the stories the believers of that day could tell! When we get to Heaven, we'll get to ask, "What was it like?" But then, they will ask us, "What about you? What was it like for you?" What will you say then? So the question must be asked...how do you live the gospel in 2011? It is almost easy to say, "Well, it was easier for the early church to live the gospel, they were starting it out!" But the sad truth is, too many Christians struggle with being Children of God because they have forgotten what Jesus died to give us. Jesus died to open a way--Christianity was first known as "The Way"--for us to reconnect with God! But what does that mean? What is it that Jesus gave us? Sit back, because it's time for a refresher: First off, Jesus saved us from sin and eternal death. I John 3:4-6 states that all who believe in Christ are saved; all who do not, are not. Acts 2--Peter's powerful message at Pentecost was a declaration: Salvation comes through the name of Jesus Christ! And Acts 4: Peter and John stand up to the Pharisees to declare the truth--Jesus is the only way. Jesus is the only way to be saved from sin and death! Secondly, Jesus saved us from a wretched, unfulfilled life! He brought peace into our chaos! His presence is with us always, filling us with His love and life. He brings His light into our darkness, driving away the chaos of the world, and brining His order. Jesus' name is Emmanuel, which means "God with us!" Jesus died to be with us! Thus, His very presence drives out the essence of the world that makes life so hallow. Jesus' death brought us assurance and stability! Which the world is running about in a panic--I don't have enough money; I'm going to loose my house; I need to have these clothes; I have to buy that car; I need; I need; I need!--we stand firm on the promise that God is our provider. He will take care of all our needs. Matthew 6:33 says, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." God's promises are eternal; everything God gives is eternal. The things of this world are temporary; the things of the Kingdom are eternal! We build our lives on God promises (the house on the stone); when the storms of life come, we stand strong. Safe. Stable. One of the best results of Jesus' death and resurrection is that He droves away all fear! The entire Bible--Old and New--is full of God's assurance that we have nothing to fear because He is with us! Jesus affirmed it. Matthew 6, again, He is urging us not to fear, for we are more precious to Him then all of creation. Do not be afraid! I'm here with you! It is going to be great! In Christ, we have the Kingdom in us! The Kingdom is not an invading force; it is not a conquering army of men; it is the Power that destroys all that the devil is forcing upon the world. Where he brings chaos, the Kingdom brings peace. Where there is hate, the Kingdom brings love. Where there is selfishness, the Kingdom brings selfless service (service that gains rewards in Heaven--another perk!) When the world stands divided, the Kingdom stands united! And with the Kingdom in us, we have the authority to speak God's will into existence! John 3:16 makes God's will very clear. It is His will that no one should perish. We have the power to make that happen. We speak God's will into existence through prayer and proclaiming His Word. And His will changes peoples' lives! When you know what Jesus died for, when it dawns on you, then everything clicks into place. And when everything clicks, you understand who you are! We are the Children of God! And when we bring the Kingdom into the world with humility and authority, lives change. | 5/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanChrist in YOU | Romans 5:1&2 - "Therefore, since we have been made right in Godâs sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing Godâs glory." Last week, when I asked you to pray for one another, I saw some of you get right up & pray, knowing that you were able to lay hands on those around you and expect healing to occur. I saw that it was hard for others, and some of you folded your arms & looked at me like, "I am not qualified to do that!" We need to realize who we are and what we have as believers, to focus on the power that each of us can tap into through Christ. The pastor of any church is not better, more spiritual, nor worse than any of his congregation. We are all ministers of God's power in our world. There are many days when Jill & I do not feel qualified to do all the things that God has us doing - Pastor Phil Pringle prays starting at 5:30 every morning. I can't do that! I need coffee to get going, and then I do what the Lord has asked me to do for that day. Each of us, according to the verse in Romans, have been made right in God's sight by faith; we have peace with God because of Jesus' death, as we talked about on Easter. Read the 2nd verse - we can confidently & joyfully share the power of God that has changed us with those in the marketplace. We are all righteous enough to lay hands on others, we are all filled with the same Holy Spirit. We transfer whatever is in us to others. Nothing imperfect can come into God's presence. That's why when we've been forgiven of our sins! We are all "made right in God's sight by faith" as it says in verse 1 above. Take the opportunities God gives when He gives them - it is easier than we think! God WANTS to use us, His people! Let the Holy Spirit stir you to enact your faith - don't freak out! Laying on of hands is a point of contact and a transfer happens when we decide we can allow God to use us as conduits of His power. There is often self-doubt when God is starting this process in us. We never feel good enough, we know our own sins & lack of spirituality - but it's not about US, it's about GOD in us! Don't disqualify yourselves or others for Christian/spiritual service. The Apostle Paul said, "My confidence isn't in me, it's in Christ & the anointing on my life." Read about Paul's early years before he got saved - he was not the best guy around! Lead out of anointing and faith in God, not out of gifts we've been given. God gets on our heart, not our natural gifts; He enhances & anoints anything we offer back to Him, confident that He will use it through us. When we are called upon to do something outside our natural ability, we have faith that God will come through. Build on the basics and we come into a "zone of favor" that we couldn't do on our own. God opens doors for us, no matter how bad we used to be, no matter what we have done. None of us is worse than anyone else because Jesus is the Great Equalizer, and in God's eyes, we are all cleaned up & ready for new life when we accept Christ into our hearts and begin to live with simple faith, simple confidence. Ephesians 2:6 - "For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus." When we allow faith to lead us and believe that God is in us, we have that confidence to simply obey when the moment arises for us to act when God prompts us to reach out to someone. We were dead until we met Jesus, now life & resurrection impregnate us! The next time you are called upon to lay hands on someone, remember who you are and what you have - you CAN pray for those in your world! God is working through all of us, what a change that will make in the marketplace! | 5/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanAtonement – Easter 2011 | Isaiah 53:1-10:Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this? The servant grew up before Godâa scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carriedâ our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed himâour sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed. We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him, on him. He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn't say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence. Justice miscarried, and he was led offâ and did anyone really know what was happening? He died without a thought for his own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people. They buried him with the wicked, threw him in a grave with a rich man, Even though he'd never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn't true. Still, it's what God had in mind all along, to crush him with pain. The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin so that he'd see life come from itâlife, life, and more life. While I have preached probably twenty or more Easter messages beforeâand while I view the day of Jesusâ resurrection as the most significant day in the history of mankindâI feel a drive to preach beyond the âstandardâ Easter fare this year. I wish instead to talk to you a bit about what happens beyond the tomb. I wish to talk about the atonement. When you read the Old Testament, you will learn much about the peculiar customs that went into the various kinds of sacrifices needed to atone for sin. In pretty much every major culture that has been discovered, in fact, it has been found that they, too, practiced some form of sacrifice. Itâs as if there is something programmed into the human spirit that teaches us that we needed to give up something in order make right our shortcomings. And, of course, Scripture will corroborate this. This week we celebrate the passion of our Savior and what was to become the ultimate sacrifice and therefore the completion of our atonement. Jesus, you see, wasnât alone in that tomb when Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus went to give him a proper Jewish burial; rather, every single human soul past, present, and future were in there with him, each partaking in the mysterious work of Jesusâ atonement. 400 years prior to this event, the prophet Isaiah wrote about this event, producing a prophesy not only amazing in its accuracy but also convicting in its description of the reception the world gave to its Savior. âHe took the punishment, and that made us whole.â Amazing. Who ever thought God would have done that? Though the Romans and the Pharisees looked upon Jesus hanging on the cross in utter contempt and disgust, little did they know that it was for their victory that he came. The Devil, too, likely shared in their mockery, thinking heâd finally put the finishing touches on the world heâd come to claim. Little did he know that Jesus went into the grave with all of humanity in tow. Isaiah writes that âthrough his bruises we get healed,â signaling one other thing that happened in that tomb. Therein the spiritual and the physical realms came together, mysteriously opening the door for our regular access to Godâs power. | 4/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPs Jeff Kane – Hearing and Understanding | -- | 4/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBrand New Day | -- | 4/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanGoing After Your Miracle | -- | 4/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPs Gordon Moore – Finding God in the House of God | -- | 4/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanPs Gordon Moore – 4 Rules for Relationship | -- | 4/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanHardwood or Veneer – Part 2 | Matthew 6; 7:1-2 Continuing on the idea of veneerâthat piecemeal pseudo-wood covered in a shiny thin layer of pristine hardwoodâand how it can symbolize the Christian life, we return to the book of Matthew to read another account of Jesusâ ch... | 3/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanHardwood or Veneer – Part 1 | Matthew 5 (NLT) Are you hardwood or veneer? They way that furniture is made is one of two ways. The best way is with hard wood, crafted together. The second way is veneer, which is made of particle board with three millimeters of hard wood over the top of it. Most businesses use veneer because it is fast and cheap. However, it does not last as long. When the particle board gets wet, it swells, and falls apart. Many Christians live with Christ as their three millimeter hard wood board over their particle board, hiding the cheap, brittle parts of their lives. On the outside, we look very well-put-together, but when the storms of life come, our lives fall apart, just as the particle boards do. One of the biggest things that this world is against is fake people. They have observed the worldâs Christians on television and around them, and they laugh. If there is anything that appears fake to them, they will disregard it. What we have become is a show, something that looks good on the outside, but cheap on the inside. In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus talks about the beatitudes, and what we should become. Sin is what gives us a veneer. Like a callous, a hard outer part that protects the soft inner part, sin becomes our veneer. In some cases, it gets so hard that God cannot get in. in this chapter of Matthew, Jesus talks about what it takes to be a Christian. Life gets harder as a Christian. The rules are complex. God does not want a callous on our souls. He wants a process of us getting better. In the Old Testament, Isaiah talks about our being clay in the Potterâs hands. We put our entire lives into his hands, and God molds the bad things out of our lives. He takes the worst of our lives, all of our sin, and makes us into something great. The first step in this process is pounding the clay, kneading it to make it soft, and to get some of the bad things out. The second step in creating is putting it on wheel, and making into a shape. Water is added, and the clay is spinning. They clay is then put on a shelf to dry out. After it is dried out, the sand paper is taken out, and some more bad things are shaven off. The pot is put into a glaze, and then into the fire. This is the process by which we become something usable. This process is a hard one, and at times, can feel hard to bear. Many Christians are not willing to go through the process of becoming something usable. We become veneers, so that it is easier. Are you hardwood or veneer? Are you going the cheap way or the right way? | 3/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBe Not Hiney-Whiney | -- | 3/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBe Elisha | -- | 3/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBorn to Live 2011 – Night 3 | -- | 3/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBorn to Live 2011 – Night 2 | -- | 3/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBorn to Live 2011 – Night 1 | -- | 3/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBill Wiese – 23 Minutes in Hell – First Service | -- | 3/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanJesus Heals the Heart | -- | 3/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanBill Weise – 23 Minutes in Hell – 2nd Service | -- | 2/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanFirst Fruits | Leviticus 23:9-11 (NLT): Then the Lord said to Moses, âGive the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you enter the land I am giving you and you harvest its first crops, bring the priest a bundle of grain from the first cutting of your grain harvest. On the day after the Sabbath, the priest will lift it up before the Lord so it may be accepted on your behalf. On that same day you must sacrifice a one-year-old male lamb with no defects as a burnt offering to the Lord. The First Fruits, though mentioned seven times in the New Testament, is an Old Testament concept. Before we move forward into this essential truth, we must understand that the Old Testament, the Old Covenant, or the Law is still important to us of the New Covenant. Why? Because, though the Law presents itself as a long list of rules, it is, in reality, God establishing truth. Yes, the Law without its fulfillment (JESUS!) is a curse (as Paul says) upon life, making things so very hard. But, after Jesus came and fulfilled the law with His death and resurrection, we became free to look at the Law as God's truths, and it is from this platform that we proceed into the First Fruits. The First Fruits came out of a festival where the Hebrews would bring their first cut of grain and a one year old male lamb to be sacrificed before God. The offerings were presented to the Priests (thank God we no long need a priest to mediate for us; we have Jesus, the High Priest) on the day after the Sabbath. The priests would prepare the sacrifices and place them on the burning alter. God would smell the smoke and accept the offerings. Very simple. So, how does that apply to us now? Seeing as this is Atlanta, there is an obvious lack of sheep. And, as stated before, we live in the New Covenant where Jesus fulfilled the Law, so...do we need lambs? No. But the principle is still the same. You see, the First Fruits is not about giving God a lamb-burger. It is about remembering what God has done for us. If you believe as I do, you know that Jesus died on a Friday; was in the grave through Saturday (the Sabbath); and rose again on Sunday (the day after Sabbath). Think that over for a minute. Jesus was presented as the perfect replacement on the day after Sabbath! Jesus is God's First Fruit. When Jesus was crucified before a blood thirsty crowd whose only goal was to silence Him forever, His blood became the First Fruit--the Fulfillment of the Law. God wanted Jesus' blood more than the crowds screaming "Crucify Him!" He wanted it so much because He knew that when the blood and water hit the ground that it was a seed being planted. And that when Jesus rose again on the third day, He became the fulfillment of First Fruits Law, and from that moment on, the Harvesting of the NATIONS would begin! You see, in this, the New Covenant, the First Fruits is about PEOPLE. All throughout His ministry, Jesus used the image of grain and wheat to represent people. (âThe harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.") The New Covenant First Fruit Sacrifice is all about People (wheat/grain), Jesus (the lamb), and the holy Spirit (the wine--wine was also part of the sacrifice). So, when you give in the First Fruits Offering, you are giving to the empowerment of the House to reap the harvest. You are giving to the changing of people's lives. It is always about the people. | 2/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanYou in the Picture – Ps Gordon Moore | -- | 2/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Tithe – Ps Tim Weeks | -- | 2/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanOffer from the Heart | 2 Samuel 24:18-25 (NLT):That day Gad came to David and said to him, âGo up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.â So David went up to do what the Lord had commanded him. 20 When Araunah saw the king and his men coming toward him, he came and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. 21 âWhy have you come, my lord the king?â Araunah asked. David replied, âI have come to buy your threshing floor and to build an altar to the Lord there, so that he will stop the plague.â âTake it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish,â Araunah said to David. âHere are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the threshing boards and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar. I will give it all to you, Your Majesty, and may the Lord your God accept your sacrifice.â But the king replied to Araunah, âNo, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.â So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen. David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped. This is a quintessential tale of the meaning of offering. An offering to God is different from the tithe. Tithe is a requirement. It is a reminder that if we put our lives in God's hands, we will prosper. Some people get angry when we discuss the tithe because they fear living on less than the full 100%. Some people can barely live off 100%, thus the idea of living on 90% is hard for them to grasp. However, if you are stronger when you live off 90% and give 10% to God then you would ever be living with the full 100% Offering is something different. As David displays, an offering cannot be made without sacrificing something. Araunah was giving David an easy way out by giving him all the materials needed for the offering for free. But David knew that no offering can be made without personal sacrifice. No spiritual growth can be made on someone else's revelation. No, your growth comes from your revelation, and that is what an offering is. An offering is born from a revelation or a conviction from God. So, prayerfully consider what it is God may be telling you in regards to offerings. And then, move in it! | 2/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanLove Never Fails | -- | 1/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanI’m Searching For A Word | Begin rebuilding for 2011 John 1:1-5 (NLT): In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. For 2011, get a word from God about your life. Not a lot of words, not a sentence, but one word. One word that stays in your life and canât be moved. Think about what word God has dropped in your spirit and meditate on it. Pray about it and let the word settle in your spirit. Let it marinate. When you get the word from God, you will know because everything will align. Focus on that word. When we get a word, it changes everything. We can think of âthisâ and make plans about âthat,â but when you get a word, it fits and things start to happen. The difference between an advanced life in 2011 and a stagnant one is a word from God. Excitement motivates us to think about plans and the future, but excitement only gets you excited. A word moves you into the miracle zone. A word bridges the gap between us, the natural, and God, the supernatural. Faith is finding the word God has already spoken over your life and believing it. It may challenge us and maybe even scare us, but we are safer in the unknown of the word than we are in the safety of the âknown.â Excitement wonât allow you to reach your goals for 2011, but a word from God will. It will bring life to your world. Pray about it and get your word from God for this year. Let it grow and keep it alive. It has power but you have to have faith and believe it. | 1/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean6 Verses In (or Ho Ho Ho) | Matthew 1:1-6 (NLT): This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar). Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah). The Book of Matthew was written by Matthew (also known as Levi) the ex-tax collector who became one of the twelve. He is constructing a case to prove that Jesus is the Messiah by using the Old Testament Prophecies. And he begins his case by writing Jesus' lineage. Now, in Jewish culture, your lineage was everything. It defined you. So, it is curious to see that Matthew does not mention Sarah, Rebekah, or Rachel, the three Matriarchs of Israel though it is clearly seen in the first six verses that Jesus does descend from them. No, Matthew mentions three other women of a far less reputable nature. The first is Tamar. Tamar was Judah's (son of Israel) daughter-in-law. She was married to two of his sons who both died before giving her a son. Judah then refused to let her marry his third son. Thus, Tamar did something quite scandalous. She veiled her face, posed as a prostitute, and when Judah came around seeking some adventure, she slept with him. (She asked for his staff and ring for assurance that he would later pay her for her services.) He got her pregnant. And when word went around that she was with child, she produced the staff and ring, and Judah realized what had been done. He took her into his family, and that was that. Next, Matthew gives mention to Rahab. Rahab isn't even a Jew! She was from Jericho. She was a harlot, and no matter how you look at it, research it, or squint your eyes and tilt your head in hopes of distorting it, a harlot is exactly what you think it is. Rahab lived in Jericho when the Israelites invaded. She hid the Hebrew spies from the authorities; in return, she asked that she and her family be spared when they invaded. The spies instructed her to lower a red cord from her window on the day of the attack. She was spared. She married into the Israelites and is now mentioned in the lineage of Jesus. Lastly is Bathsheba. She is referred to in the plainest of truths: the widow of Uriah. Not the wife of David, but the widow of the man David--KING David--had killed in order to cover up the fact that he and Bathsheba spent one night together. Bathsheba bore a child from that night, and that child died. Three women with scandalous pasts mentioned in the lineage of Jesus. Why? Why would Matthew do that? Why would God lead Matthew to do that? Why not paint the picture of a perfect Savior with a perfect lineage connecting him to the great Patriarchs and Matriarchs of Israel and to its greatest King? Why not fudge the nitty gritty details and illuminate the perfect? Simple. Because God wanted a Messiah His children could relate to. A perfect Jesus would not be one to whom we could approach. But a Jesus with a family line with its secrets and shames--that's real. That's human. And if God can use such a history to produce the Messiah, image what He can do with you. | 12/19/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanSpiritual Maturity Part 2 | We are the clay that makes the bricks that fit together to building strong foundations. --Ps. Dean Sweetman 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 (NLT): By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. Ephesians 4:16 (NLT): He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Youâve heard it said that we are clay in the potterâs hands. Well, we are also the bricks in the builderâs hands. Have you ever watched a brick-layer lay bricks? It is very interesting. The brick-lay will pick up one brick, and put it back down, just o pick up another brick, and put it in the wall where the next brick is needed. Why does he do this? Because he knows which brick goes where. To the average human eye, each brick looks the same, but the brick-layer can feel in his hand, if a brick fits perfectly or not. He knows if a brick goes in a certain spot or not. Each brick has a place, but not all bricks fit together. The brick-layer knows which one goes where⦠he just knows. God is the brick-layer and the brick-maker in our lives. We each have to go through the fire, and be laid out in the sun for us to be used. We get refined through the fire, and we get hardened, strengthened when we are laid out in the sun. We come to Jesus as wet, messy blobs. He shapes us into bricks, each one of us look the same on the outside, but no two are the same when shaped by his hands. As we allow God to form us, he then can use us. While every hand-made brick is different, they all fit together somehow. God forms us, then he puts us together, right where each of us belong. | 11/28/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanSpiritual Maturity | Ephesians 4:7-17 (NLT): However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say, âWhen he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.â Notice that it says âhe ascended.â This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself. Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip Godâs people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of Godâs Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We wonât be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. There comes a time in the growth of a church where it becomes less about getting new people into the House and more about GROWING the people you already have. People discover who they are and what they can do in the growth. The key to growing is willingness. God can do anything with a heart that is willing. God has a big pan for the earth. Ephesians four talks a lot about this plan. Verses seven and eight outline it quite nicely. God wants to fill the universe with Jesus. How can He do that? Through His people. However, His people need to be willing to grow or to become mature. Christian maturity is when we attain the stature of Christ. Back up. We can attain the stature of Christ on earth? Yep. But how? Paul tells us. Continuing through verses 9 to sixteen, Paul outlines what it means to be mature in Christ. The first step is developing ourselves to the place where we know the Spirit is in us and we flow with Him. This means we are no longer thrown in confusion by the "winds of the world." This means new philosophies that challenge our faith do nothing to us. We know who we are, we know what we believe, and we know where we are going. That knowledge, that place of pure faith and trust in God is the foundation for the stature of Christ. The second step is the ability to reign in the tongue. Paul calls it "speaking with love." We are able to halt what we want to say--things we know we will regret later but feel right in the moment of emotional turmoil--and speak the Words of the Spirit instead. An undisciplined tongue comes from an undisciplined minds and underdeveloped emotions. By submitting to the Spirit, we subject our minds to Him and allow Him to take us through the necessary GROWTH that leads to the ability to reign in the tongue. The third step is the commitment to growth. This is, perhaps, the hardest, for commitment equates submission. We set aside our pride 24/7 and listen to the correction of the Spirit. This means being willing to be corrected even when you think you know everything there is to know about a situation. Humbling yourself before God and being willing to listen to Him are key. He can do ANYTHING with a person who is in this state. God wants to take imperfect people and use them as a force--with Him at the Head--to fill the universe with Jesus. He is seeking the mature church. A church that knows who they are, has control of their words, and are willing and humble before Him. Then, and here is the kicker, Jesus makes His Body PERFECT! | 11/21/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanMicheal Franzese – Quitting the Mob | -- | 11/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanWhen Your Domino Stops | Luke 5: 1-11 (NLT): On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Gettin... | 11/7/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Buried Pearl | Matthew 13:44 -46: The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. The kingdom of God is like a merchant looking for that one, precious pearl. Pearls were priceless back then because they had to search for them without air tanks or goggles. They were hard to get, and that is why they were priceless. The Kingdom of God wants to invade the kingdom of the world. He wants to change how the world works. You have to seek the hidden kingdom of god, so that you can discover it, and when you look into the kingdom, its like looking into a mirror⦠you see everything about yourself. Why are people afraid of Halloween? Evil comes from living for yourself⦠it is personified in the world in this way. We should not be afraid of Halloween. Why call it a harvest festival or anything else? Call things for what they are, like the world does. HALLOWEEN. We have nothing to be afraid of, especially when it is giving out candy. Halloween is a great time of year for us to reach the world. We can meet them where they are, with a giving heart. The world is looking for answers in different places, such as haunted houses, because we are not delivering. They substitute with other things that help them feel better because we are not going to them, where they are at. If there is no answer for them to find, then they will find something else. Another message we can get out of this is that we are the pearls, and that God is the merchant who is looking for these precious pearls. He is looking for the treasure that has not been found yet. It is in us, and it is in the world. God gave us the world, and human lives are buried in the world; we have to find them and save them with his help. They are buried in our worlds, in our schools, our workplaces, and our neighborhoods. | 10/24/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanYour Story of Faith | Mark 8:11-15 (NLT): When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had arrived, they came and started to argue with him. Testing him, they demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. When he heard this, he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, âWhy do these people keep demanding a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, I will not give this generation any such sign.â So he got back into the boat and left them, and he crossed to the other side of the lake. But the disciples had forgotten to bring any food. They had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat. As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, âWatch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.â Romans 10:1-15 (NLT): Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they donât understand Godâs way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept Godâs way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God. For Moses writes that the lawâs way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. But faithâs way of getting right with God says, âDonât say in your heart, âWho will go up to heavenâ (to bring Christ down to earth). And donât say, âWho will go down to the place of the deadâ (to bring Christ back to life again).â In fact, it says, âThe message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.â And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, âAnyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.â Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For âEveryone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.â But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, âHow beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!â Why did Christianity reach the whole world when there were thousands of different religions vying for attention? Why did the message and truth of Jesus travel to the ends of the earth? One word: FAITH! Faith is believing without seeing. Faith is enough to transform your life and the lives of all of those around you! When you believe in your heart and confess with your words that Jesus is Lord and that He was raised from the dead, you are saved and you move from confessing faith to LIVING in faith. This transformation is something that the world and the religious despise. Jesus warned His disciples to "beware the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod." What He meant was "Beware the mindset of religion and of the world." The religious mindset casts doubt on faith and replaces grace with works. The world's mindset turns the focus from God to self and ridicule any who profess to believe in things unseen. Both attack the faithful; one from the outside, one from the inside. Yet Faith has the transforming power to change us, bringing us to a place where the mockings of the world or the doubts of the religious do not bother us. We simple do not care, for we have faith in God, who is greater than all things. This transforming power of faith is rouses the | 10/17/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanDr Phil Pringle – C3 Atlanta 08/08/2010 – Pt 2 | -- | 9/26/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanDr Phil Pringle – C3 Atlanta 08/08/2010 – Pt 1 | -- | 9/26/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 104 Episodes |
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