The Power of Prayer

Here is a testimony of the love and grace of God. A group of workers where traveling home from a hard day working the sugar cane fields in Honduras. The road they drove on was a small, steep, winding road. Suddenly the truck lost control and rolled down an embankment, killing all on board save one man. This man was severely injured and became wheel chair bound. He lives in a small hut outside of a remote village with no indoor plumbing. This beliver must travel outside every time he needs to use the bathroom. Now, how in the world do I know about this man? Through the power of prayer. As he sits on top of a mountain in Honduras, he prays. In his flesh, he is thinking "has God heard my prayers?" How could he possibly know that a team of Christians are planning--right now--to travel to that very village, to that man's meager abode, and build him an indoor bathroom. There has been no television coverage of this unknown man's plight, just the power of an Almighty God who is everywhere at all times. By prayer, this disabled man was able to connect with his Creator, who in turn answered his prayer by using someone 5 countries away. Are you in a similar situation today? Have you offered up prayers that you think are only reaching the ceiling of your prayer closet? Have faith and do not lose heart, God answers all prayer. He too is at work in your life whether you live in a busy metropolitan area, a small farm in rural America, or on a cliff in the middle of Honduras.

From the Pastor's Heart

One of the most beautiful aspects of God is His ability to continually renew us with His Holy Spirit each and every day. We are beginning to see this renewal as the Holy Spirit moves in a more dynamic way through our church body. We’ll discuss this more a little later.

This new anointing of the Holy Spirit upon our church coincides well with our latest sermon—a continued examination of “Beginnings”. We looked at the story of Noah (Genesis 6:9) and how he had a “beginning” when he was obedient to God and built an ark. His obedience led to the saving of him and his family. With this story in mind, we then followed the life of Marcus Grable. Marcus was an unassuming man who worked as a janitor in a warehouse. God placed a desire in his heart for the development of Sunday Schools in churches located in his local community. This “beginning” led him to eventually become the director of the Sunday School Promotional Department of the Assemblies of God—a position that has taught thousands upon thousands of people about Jesus Christ; thereby, leading to their salvations.

God gives us further examples of wonderful beginnings initiated by simple obedience to Him. In the life of Abraham, we find that his obedience led him to the Promised Land and the beginning of a nation of people, “God’s people”. This, by way, includes all who believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and His resurrection. God took a stuttering shepherd with a murderous past and used him to lead 2 million-plus people across a desert to that previously mentioned Promised Land (Moses). God took a high-ranking Jewish official who signed numerous warrants for the arrest and death of many Christians and used him to evangelize most of the civilization of Europe and Asia (Paul).

If we give God our today, He’ll take our past and use it for His glory. What a beginning!! It sounds simple, and it is, if we are willing to let Him have control of our lives. How do we let God have our todays? We allow Him to have our todays, by making Him the center of our lives. Just as the Hebrew children did in the Old Testament when they placed God’s holy sanctuary in the center of their camp, so are we to place God in the center of all that we do. This begins with asking Jesus into your heart—another simple, but important task that God asks of us. Without “flowery” words or eloquent speech (both of which are not important right now) you can tell God you know you’re a sinner; that He gave His only son, Jesus, over to men; man crucified Him on a cross; but Jesus rose from the dead and gives us eternal life because of His resurrection. If you believe this in your heart and confess it with your mouth, you will be saved. What a great step of simple obedience!

Sunday night’s service was a continuation of our study of the book of Revelation—Chapter 12. In this chapter, our author (John) describes a great spiritual battle that has taken place with the losing army being thrown down to earth. The leader of the losing side is so angry, he is trying to destroy any, and all, he can find. The basics of this chapter describe when Satan is thrown out of heaven (no longer to accuse God’s children before His holy throne), and sent to earth with a third of the angels. Those in heaven are to rejoice for Satan is no longer present, but the earth is warned to be wary; for, “He is filled with fury, because he knows his time is short.” (Revelation 12:12). Not matter what takes place during this time, one thing is certain: God is in control. Even when Satan is sent to earth, God limits his time on the planet. God wants to have eternal fellowship with all of mankind. That is why He allows this to take place, so that some may come to know Him through the saving blood of Jesus Christ.

Throughout the evening service, the Holy Spirit visited the church body through the manifestation of tongues and interpretation three different times. God wanted us to know that He cares for us and loves us; that the realization of Revelation and Jesus’ return are coming soon; and that He wants us to come to Him and know Him more (He reiterated that He really loves us). Special prayer was offered to those who came forward, and the Holy Spirit continued to pour out on our church body as an individual received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, evidenced by the speaking in tongues. I have told the people of Eastpoint numerous times before, “the Holy Spirit can do more in a split second than any man or woman can do in an hour." God’s gracious Holy Spirit made that powerfully evident on Sunday night.

Before I close today, I want to give honor and thanks to God for the past few months. It has been a large part of my heart’s desire to see salvations and Holy Spirit Baptisms at Eastpoint Family Church. Through these two acts of obedience, God’s holy name is lifted up and glorified. And this simple man is overjoyed to see God blessed by people wanting to seek His face and know Him more. So I say, “Thank You God for giving me the honor of seeing Your people come to You and making You the center of their lives.”

Have a blessed and God-centered week,
Pastor Claude

Still In The Presence of God

What does it mean to be still in the presence of God? Some might think that praying quietly is being still, others may believe that hearing soft worship music in the background while thinking about the Lord is the answer. At Eastpoint Family Church, we experienced something totally unique; for we were extremely blessed by God’s Holy Spirit this past Sunday night.

Pastor Claude asked for those who were ready to be serious with God to come forward as a statement of intention. Only a few came, but to those few, God drew very close to them at His altar. As worship music was played ever so gently in the background, God’s Holy Spirit inundated the front of the church sanctuary. It wasn’t just quiet at the end of the prayer time, it was reverently still—not even children moved around in the sanctuary. As people quietly walked out, they didn’t talk to each other and made very little noise as they left the building; even the worship team quietly shut everything down without talking. God’s presence was there.

When people see someone famous, they stop moving, stare (with or without the dropped jaw), and cannot speak. This is exactly what being “still in the presence of God” means. You can be so incredibly awestruck by the greatness of God, the only recourse of action, sometimes, is to just breathe and know that God is near—and I mean incredibly near. Unfortunately, time passes too quickly and you don’t want the moment to end.

Being still in the presence of God is one activity not usually seen in some of the churches today, but it is always welcome. Furthermore, it is something you can do at home. Humbly seek God’s face and ask to know Him in a new way; I promise you He will draw near to you. He makes the same promise in His Word.

Whenever we stop and become still before God, it makes it easier for us to hear that still, small voice that Elijah heard while in the presence of God. (1 Kings 19:9-13)

Enjoy your time with God,
Eastpointer

From the Pastor's Heart

God is truly a loving and gracious Father. He blessed us again on Sunday by spending time with us in His house. As a testimony of His infinite glory, His Holy Spirit visited us in both the morning and evening services through messages in tongues and interpretations. It is so humbling to have God, who created anything before our eyes, ears, nose, or any other monitoring system (either man-made or God-made), to stop what is happening and directly communicate with us through His Holy Spirit. Words cannot describe the joy and gratitude within one’s heart; only the love for the Father can describe it. Through those messages, God wanted us to know that “His banner was over us” and “Jesus would be returning soon…be ready!”

Our praise and worship team led our congregation through a wonderful time of just adoring and worship the Lord. Hearing and singing poetic words and phrases that God has placed through a composer, continues to serve as another method of imaging the greatness of God. Our praise and worship team leader, Beth, is returning from a missions trip this next Sunday. We look forward to hearing the testimonies of her trip in the weeks to come.

During prayer time in the morning service, a number of people came forward for special prayer. This act of faith follows God’s Holy Word: “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14). Sometimes “sick” doesn’t always refer to the physical illnesses.

I began a new sermon series entitled, “Beginnings”. Everyone has had, or will have, a beginning in their life that literally changes the direction of their life. These occur from time to time according to God’s perfect will for each person’s life. So if you haven’t started going to Church on Sunday morning, now would be the perfect time to begin. And if you haven’t given your heart to Jesus, now is excellent time to begin. Just offer a simple prayer to God telling Him you know you’re a sinner; that He gave His only son, Jesus, over to men; man crucified Him on a cross; but Jesus rose from the dead and gives us eternal life because of His resurrection. If you believe this in your heart and confess it with your mouth, you will be saved. Now that is a beginning!!

Sunday evening we continued our study of the book of Revelation; chapter 11. In this chapter we learn of the 2 witnesses testifying of the mighty love of God. We see these men die only after an appointed time set by God; but then He raises them up after 3 days, in sight of the whole world. Then God and Jesus take over. In the business world, when you file chapter 11 you are reorganizing an organization in bankruptcy in an effort to restore order. In Revelation, chapter 11, we see a bankrupt world being reorganized with a new leadership that has the unlimited resources to place everything in perfect order. Interesting.

At the end of the service, God’s Holy Spirit visited the sanctuary, and many in the congregation just waited before the Lord and sat in His sweet audience. Not in loud and jubilant praise, but in still and quiet reverence of the Lord’s presence. There will be more of this description in a subsequent post.

Bonnie and I are so thankful for where God has placed us. He continues to draw closer to us and this body of believers each week. Seeing God’s majesty around us in the form of His creation, the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, or in the changed lives of others is wonderful to experience, but it pales in comparison to simply be sitting in His presence. He is truly a loving God.

Sincerely,
Pastor Claude

The Unforgiving Heart

On Sunday, July 13, Pastor Claude spoke about the final, and most destructive, landmine in the path of the believer—unforgiveness. “Why,” you may ask, “is this landmine so dangerous?” The answer lies in your question. This landmine can be easily missed, forgotten about, and quietly, yet quickly set-off. It’s easy to be forgiving of those brothers and sisters in Christ who may inadvertently wrong us in the day-to-day happenings of life, but do you dispense the same forgiveness to those who you don’t know on a personal level. To those nameless (and possibly “faceless”) individuals we walk by in the store (pardon my feet), drive next to on the highway (watch your toes!), or live next to in our neighborhoods (sorry, that one may have hurt a little). Is it not also important to be forgiving of those we do NOT know and who may offend us—unintentionally or intentionally?

Follow me on this adventure. If we do not forgive those we don’t know, we usually have angry thoughts concerning those individuals. Those thoughts lead to the habit of hardening your spiritual heart. Once this takes place, the habit develops into action—usually in the form of brawling, or “tough speech.” This continued action continues to develop into your behavior. Now a tough question: Is your behavior glorifying God? Look at an easy example—driving. Imagine if you are cut off on the freeway; if you do not forgive the individual in front of you, you may develop angry thoughts of running them off the road, physical violence, etc. With repeated offenses, you may start habitually thinking these same thoughts. Eventually, you begin to say things to your self, make a fist, or honk your horn. Your next progression may involve speeding up just so you may whip in front of them (“Excuse me, but I’m trying to get to church!”). Over time your spiritual heart is no longer sensitive to your behavior; which, incidentally, isn’t glorifying God—I sure hope they didn’t see your Jesus fish on the trunk.

We have to be keenly aware of forgiving our brothers and sisters in Christ, but we still have to be sensitive to a kind thought or word spoken to someone unknown to us. What if they aren’t saved by the Blood of Jesus and the Grace of God? We, then, are their ambassadors to the kingdom of Heaven. We have to let them know that God loves and cares for them. This concept is invalid if we can’t forgive them. By the way, this includes forgiving yourself. Last remark; if you do not forgive others, the unforgiving heart goes with you whereever you may go. Until you give it to the Son of God, you are stuck with it.

Have a blessed week,
--Eastpointer

From the Pastor's Heart

Wow! What a four day period at Eastpoint Family Church we just enjoyed. Our “historic” week started with a tremendous prayer meeting this past Thursday night, the 10th. That is so fitting because everything starts with prayer; we will be letting you know about our next prayer time. We had a great “cell group” bible study this past Friday evening that involved wonderful fellowship and food.

Saturday was our much anticipated “Block Party”. We couldn’t believe it was raining Saturday morning, but the Eastpointers weren’t discouraged because we knew this day was ordained of God before history began. We moved everything inside into our beautiful Fellowship Hall; which God enlarged to accomodate everyone and everything. By 11:15 or so the neighborhood began to come. We had a cake walk, duck pond, and a ring toss. The KCMO fire department came and explained their equipment, distributed fire prevention information, and handed out smoke detectors (Thanks a lot, guys!!). Over 18 different businesses donated various prizes & gift certificates for our many guests. Our clothing ministry was in full operation and those that needed clothing were allowed to “shop” for themselves and their family. Everyone had free hot dogs, chips, soda, and dessert. Practically everyone present went home with a free gift of one kind or another, including salvation. For the day culminated with the delivery of God’s Word, presented by Richie Hanes & his wife Linda, and an estimated 24 decisions to accept Jesus Christ as Savior were made that afternoon!

On Sunday morning, a number of 1st time visitors were in attendance at our morning service. We enjoyed being in God’s presence through praise and worship, followed by the preaching of God’s Word. At the conclusion of the message, 4 people came forward and accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord & Savior! Sunday night’s service was highlighted by the ministry of Southern Gospel singer Roger Mills and the further study of Revelation (Chapter 10), followed by a time of fellowship & food. It was a four day period that all Eastpointers will never forget.

Pastor Claude

God Is Present and Worthy of Glory

To God be the glory! What an amazing time we had on Thursday night. It was a time set aside for the simple act of seeking God’s face and drawing closing to Him. The evening began with encouragement from the book of Psalms, Chapter 8. “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!” Think about this verse. God’s name is present everywhere in and on this planet. And whenever you see, hear, or experience something on His planet, His name is not only glorified by His creation, it is also glorified by our recognition of His works.

As we entered God’s gates with thanksgiving in our hearts, we most definitely entered His courts with praise. For the next 45 minutes, the presence of the Holy Spirit was so thick in the sanctuary that many of those present simply cried out to God. God impressed upon us to verbally wail and cry out to Him. Our voices and words (both in earthly and heavenly tongues) were sent forth to the throne room where our Lord and Master would be certain to hear. I gotta tell ya’, when you are obedient to God and do what He asks of you, He is overjoyed and doesn’t send blessings, but unloads blessings down on His children. It is hard to describe, with the inadequacy of words, just how special you feel knowing that the One who fashioned everything we are minutely aware of is so in love with you and wants you to spend time in communication with Him. It’s mind-boggling!

Once the Spirit had prepared us, we gathered together for corporate prayer over needs within our church body, for ourselves, and for our community-wide Block Party on July 12th. As we started this time of focused prayer on specific needs, these scriptures were laid on Don’s heart for those present:

“Praise be to the Lord,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to Him in song.
The Lord is the strength of His people,
a fortress of salvation for His anointed one.
Save your people and bless your inheritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.” (Psalm 28:6-9)

So, since we were obedient to God in our praise and worship, and cried out to Him, He heard our cry for mercy. We took our needs to the Lord in prayer, knowing and believing that He heard us. Once we had finished with corporate prayer, the Holy Spirit was manifested in the speaking of tongues. This is where it gets good. In the interpretation, God promised us He would do things that we have not seen yet, and that His property (our church) would experience it. We thanked God for His grace, mercy, and gifts to us and decided we might try to leave at this time—it is hard to leave God’s presence, particularly at this heavy a level. Before we left, God laid it upon Bonnie’s heart for us to “cast our lines” into the sanctuary. God is using another simple act for His glory on Sunday.

This entire night revolved around God’s glory. From the music to the praise and prayers lifted up, God’s glory was highlighted by every word and action that evening. This marks the second prayer meeting we have had with plenty more of them to take place, if the Lord wills it. Keep watch for information on upcoming meetings mentioned in our bulletin and announcements on this blog. To God be the glory forever, for His name is worthy of all our praise (and then some).

From the Pastor's Heart

What an amazing week! Bonnie and I were able to spend a wonderful time of relaxation and fun with our daughter and two grandsons (unfortunately, our son-in-law was unable to make the trip). We are so excited to watch these two young boys grow into strong Godly young men each time we visit with them. It is good to know that even though we may take a vacation, the Lord never does. While we were with our grandsons this past week, we were able to witness to and invite several people to church. What a joy to know that God doesn’t take a day off, or even a time out from His work at hand—people.

Once our daughter and grandsons made it back home, we began to look forward to the many thrilling events taking place at Eastpoint Family Church. For starters, our 1st Youth Game Day (born out of the Senior’s Game Day) was a terrific time of fellowship and good-natured competition. Not only were the young in age there, so were the young at heart—apparently, there were re-matches to be had. Everyone had a great time as a result of the camaraderie and laughter that was present. We also were able to join Tasha in the celebration of her birthday. It truly pleases the heart of God to see His children of different generations come together and connect on more than a level of acquaintance.

Our week of firsts didn’t end there. On July 6th, we celebrated our 1st Annual Patriotic Sunday in observance of Independence Day. During this service, we remembered God’s hand upon our land through our praise and worship time, and we recognized those individuals who served in our nation’s military. These people are those who placed others before themselves in an effort to protect the freedom of America (see July 3rd blog entry). The message that followed involved the spiritual warfare that goes on everyday that many people fail to see, or refuse to see. In order to understand what is going on around us, we have to understand that God created us in the image of a warrior. In Genesis 2:15, we see that Adam not only tended to the Garden of Eden, he also took care of it, or “protected it”. In addition, Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace (keep an eye and an ear out for further study in the Book of Revelation concerning Jesus’ reign of peace on the earth), even tells us that if we are not with Him, we have to be against Him (Luke 11:14-23). In other words, you have to choose a side. Will it be the side of Jesus with eternal life in Heaven with God, the Father, or the side of the devil with only eternal death? Here’s something else to remember, it isn’t against each other we are to fight with, but with those allies of Satan that are trying to destroy God’s kingdom (Ephesians 6:12). The keyword here is “try”, for the battle has already been won—see Revelation chapters 20-22. As the service came to a close, we were able to seek God’s unmerited mercy, as needs were placed upon His altar.

We finished the morning with good friends and Gates Barbecue. The time of food and fellowship is more than an opportunity to eat; it is a chance to maintain and develop new bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood with our many “Family” members. God has blessed us with many diverse individuals, and we love being a part of each other’s lives.

Come join us for our Neighborhood Block Party on July 12th, 2008 starting at 11:00 a.m., and return for service at 10:30 a.m. on July 13th, 2008 as I conclude the sermon series on Landmines in the Path of the Believer.

Have a blessed week and remember, the spiritual warfare around us is alive; grab your sword (Bible) and prepare for battle.


Sincerely,

Pastor Claude

Happy Independence Day!!!

Happy Independence Day! Today is the day that we, as a nation, celebrate our birth with “get togethers”, grilling, fireworks, and a day off from work. But do we really understand the nature of the holiday? Do we really think back on those in history who gave of their time, their reputation, and, in some cases, their lives, in order for us to be able to have a lifestyle that is unencumbered by another individual? Do we? Check out our poll above and see what some people think.

There is another level of independence and freedom to reflect on during the next couple of days. Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ gave up His time, His reputation, and His life, so that we would be free from the levy of sin. His death and resurrection paid the price (or discharged our obligation) for our sins. Our independence from an eternal death has been granted, all we have to do is confess with our mouth that we are a sinner and Jesus Christ is Lord, believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, and we will be saved (Romans 10:9). By acting on this, we now have a previously unattainable gift—eternal life with God. Once you have sincerely done this, it is time to celebrate. Tell someone of your new life in Jesus, they will realize something new and exciting has happened in your life. The Bible states in Luke 15 that there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents—when thousands of people accept Jesus as their Savior every day, that is a lot of celebrating in heaven! In Zephaniah 3, we find that God, Himself, takes great delight in us and even rejoices over us with singing. God sings over you in joy!! God, who created the entire universe, sings over you! Are you excited, yet?

Now, we have our independence; next, we receive our freedom. This isn’t the freedom to do whatever we want to, though; this freedom is designed for us to do what we should. Peter instructs us in I Peter 2:16 to use our freedom (through Christ) in service to God. Paul gives us further instruction in Galatians 5: 13, 14 to use this freedom in service to others. With these directives from God (our knowledge), we can comprehend (our understanding) the phrase, “Freedom is a choice, not a right”. Jesus chose to serve God through His death and resurrection, and He chose to serve others through His life. We have to choose to follow Jesus’ example each day. Only then are we truly free. By the way, knowledge + understanding = wisdom.

If you haven’t experienced independence and freedom at this level before, now is a perfect time to do so. All you have to do is confess with your mouth that you are a sinner and Jesus is Lord, and then believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. Once this has taken place, make a daily effort to let Jesus be the Lord and Master of your life. A celebration is taking place in your honor in heaven right now (including the preparation for your eventual arrival and stay), so step out in your new found freedom—Happy Independence Day!

Have a safe and blessed Fourth of July,
--Eastpointer

July Events

July 4th: Happy Independence Day!! "The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens." Psalm 113:4
Pray today for our nation; our national, state, and local leaders; our public schools; our judicial system; our men and women overseas; societal influences; our pastors and local churches.

July 5: Eastpoint Youth Game Day from 11-1 in the Fellowship Hall

July 6: Prayer Ministry meeting at 9:45 in the Sanctuary

July 6: Pastor Claude will be delivering a special Patriot's Day message. Immediately following the morning service we will have a BBQ potluck. For $2 the church will provide meat, drinks, and desserts. You are asked to bring a side dish (Pastor Claude has requested potato salad!)

July 10: Prayer Meeting at 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary. We will corporately pray for our upcoming outreach, church needs, as well as individual prayer requests.

July 12: Neighborhood Block Party from 11-2pm in the church parking lot. Free hot dogs, giveaways, and a special visit from the KCMO fire department.