What an incredible service we had on Sunday morning! We were visited again by the Holy Spirit, and saw an amazing time of seeking God at the altars; people brought their faith along with their needs to the altars. By being obedient to God’s Word and utilizing their faith in their Creator, numerous individuals were given deliverance from their burdens. This was reiterated by the message God had prepared for that morning.
We continued our series, “Under Cover”, following the scriptures in I Samuel 15:22-23. If we decide that we would rather rebel against God and not obey His voice, He regards that behavior the same as witchcraft. In other words, it is detestable in His sight and noxious in His nostrils. Are you beginning to see how God classifies disobedience? Even Balaam, an old testament prophet who was hired by Balak to curse the Israelites, was obedient to God and only said that which the Lord told him to say (Numbers 24:12-13). Oddly enough, in the 25th chapter of Numbers, the children of Israel were disobedient to God. Fortunately for the nation of Israel, there were some who zealously valued and honored the name of God.
If we continually seek God’s will for our lives and follow His instructions, we will be protected by His hand. In Proverbs (chapter 26, verse 2), we learn that an undeserved curse will not come to rest upon our lives. That doesn’t mean hardship won’t show up, but we will be able to handle the adversity and come out better off than before. These hardships for the obedient create spiritual progress; however, they create a sore forehead for the disobedient (typical result of banging one’s head against a wall). God gently instructs us whenever we try to oppose Him, because He wants us to escape the trap of the devil, falling victim to his will. We can escape these traps and resist the devil by submitting to God—Satan has to flee, he has no choice (James 4:7). If you have never submitted to God’s will, or have tried to live life on your own abilities, now is an excellent time to give yourself over to God. On the right-hand side of this blog site is a simple prayer (“A Life Changing Prayer”). By believing not in the words, but in the meaning of the words, you will be saved! Congratulations, and keep seeking God daily! The reason why is down below.
On Sunday evening, we finished our study of the book of Revelation (chapter 22). What is personally fulfilling with the accumulation of the last several months is that in November of 2006, God revealed to me that I would be teaching this book in this church at an appointed time; a prayer journal holds the Godly insight from that moment. In this chapter we see the end of pain, strife, illness, etc.; God and Jesus are with Their people in the Holy City for the rest of eternity. Jesus stated that He is coming soon three times in this chapter; don’t turn a deaf ear to it. John welcomes Jesus to come back, as do we all. Finally, John closes the chapter in reference to the grace of Jesus Christ. This grace is what saves, heals, and frees us from the death of sin. God is calling out to you; He wants you there with Him in chapter 22. If you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, now is the time (see “A Life Changing Prayer”).
The Holy Spirit graciously visited us three times on Sunday in the manifestation of 2 messages in tongues and a prophecy. First, God spoke to us from the throne room, asking us to give God our lives. Secondly, through a prophecy at the end of the morning service, God told us to take the sermon delivered to us and carry it in our hearts for the course of the week—don’t leave it in the sanctuary, live it during the week. Lastly, Jesus stated through another message in tongues that He was coming soon….be ready! How much more Godly encouragement can we handle?! I can’t wait until the 19th!
Have a blessed week,
Pastor Claude
Eastpoint Now
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
From the Pastor's Heart
Do you remember being a small child, or a tweener, and knowingly doing something that didn’t quite live up to your parents’ expectations? Or, maybe you did something that you had been told to never do. Usually, the end result was that something was damaged in our hour of defiance. We thought we knew better, or could get away with our “fun”, and now…Dad and Mom know. We couldn’t look them in the eye; instead, we looked at the intricate pattern of latex on the tops of our Converse All-Stars and listened to the echoing, snapping tick of an ever slowing clock. If playing baseball in the house can have this kind of impression on a child, imagine disappointing an infinitely loving and holy God—with your punishment being physical separation from Him. This is the agony that Adam and Eve went through when they left the protective cover of God through their acts of disobedience.
As we grow physically, so does our knowledge base of acceptable and unacceptable behavior. If presented with the truth that we are engaging in unacceptable behavior, we tend to become angry and defensive of our actions. This is the arrogance that Cain elected to embrace in Genesis 4:3-9. In verse 7, we see that if we allow disobedient behavior to continue, sin will continue its oppressive action upon our countenance. Obedience to God lifts our countenance and helps us to master sin. Read what Paul writes concerning this “Cain Behavior” in Romans 8:12-13. What if Cain had been repentative and presented God an acceptable offering? There could have been an entire lineage of Adam and Eve’s offspring that theologians could quiz young minds with on a weekly basis. We need to be aware of our actions; don’t give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27). Additionally, understand that while we are under the protective cover of God, God will periodically “discipline” us as a means of keeping us from going astray from Him (Psalms 119:67, 75; I Corinthians 11:31-32). God loves us and wants to spend eternity with us; He doesn’t discipline us for the pleasure of it, He does it to ensure our future with Him.
After continuing our “Under Cover” series in the morning, we nearly finished our study of the book of Revelations—chapter 21. In this chapter, John sees the new heaven and the new earth that God has created for His children. In an amazing description of detail, John gives an account of what is to be expected in this “new creation”. During the entire revelation that John received from Jesus Christ, he was given an extraordinary gift—he saw the comprehensive ground work, laid out by God, for the ultimate elimination of sin and death in our near future. This segment of the vision has to be one of the most fascinating things John saw. He was allowed to see the floor plans of the new dwelling place of God. And through his Holy Spirit inspired description, we can share in the glory of God and of how He will be with us for the rest of eternity.
If you are unsure of where you will be at this time in history, now is the time to be certain of your eternal afterlife. Remember, God wants to spend the rest of eternity with us, and then some. On the right-hand side of this blog site is a simple prayer (“A Life Changing Prayer”). If you mean this prayer with all sincerity and faith, you will be saved! All of heaven is rejoicing as you make this commitment to Jesus Christ. In other words, everything and everyone in heaven stopped what they were doing to delight in your decision to follow Jesus Christ and be obedient to the voice of God. There was a celebration that took place as your name was added to the Lamb’s Book of Life. As long as you humbly seek God’s will in your life and are obedient to do what He has in store for you, you will see and experience first hand what John saw in the visual gift God gave to him. To help you in this journey, find a church body that follows the teachings of Jesus Christ; a list of church links is further down the right side of the blog site. We would love to have you worship and hear the heart of God every week at Eastpoint Family Church, but if you are unable to visit, be sure to find a church home that honors the Word of God and gives you Godly instruction from that Word.
Have a blessed week,
Pastor Claude
As we grow physically, so does our knowledge base of acceptable and unacceptable behavior. If presented with the truth that we are engaging in unacceptable behavior, we tend to become angry and defensive of our actions. This is the arrogance that Cain elected to embrace in Genesis 4:3-9. In verse 7, we see that if we allow disobedient behavior to continue, sin will continue its oppressive action upon our countenance. Obedience to God lifts our countenance and helps us to master sin. Read what Paul writes concerning this “Cain Behavior” in Romans 8:12-13. What if Cain had been repentative and presented God an acceptable offering? There could have been an entire lineage of Adam and Eve’s offspring that theologians could quiz young minds with on a weekly basis. We need to be aware of our actions; don’t give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27). Additionally, understand that while we are under the protective cover of God, God will periodically “discipline” us as a means of keeping us from going astray from Him (Psalms 119:67, 75; I Corinthians 11:31-32). God loves us and wants to spend eternity with us; He doesn’t discipline us for the pleasure of it, He does it to ensure our future with Him.
After continuing our “Under Cover” series in the morning, we nearly finished our study of the book of Revelations—chapter 21. In this chapter, John sees the new heaven and the new earth that God has created for His children. In an amazing description of detail, John gives an account of what is to be expected in this “new creation”. During the entire revelation that John received from Jesus Christ, he was given an extraordinary gift—he saw the comprehensive ground work, laid out by God, for the ultimate elimination of sin and death in our near future. This segment of the vision has to be one of the most fascinating things John saw. He was allowed to see the floor plans of the new dwelling place of God. And through his Holy Spirit inspired description, we can share in the glory of God and of how He will be with us for the rest of eternity.
If you are unsure of where you will be at this time in history, now is the time to be certain of your eternal afterlife. Remember, God wants to spend the rest of eternity with us, and then some. On the right-hand side of this blog site is a simple prayer (“A Life Changing Prayer”). If you mean this prayer with all sincerity and faith, you will be saved! All of heaven is rejoicing as you make this commitment to Jesus Christ. In other words, everything and everyone in heaven stopped what they were doing to delight in your decision to follow Jesus Christ and be obedient to the voice of God. There was a celebration that took place as your name was added to the Lamb’s Book of Life. As long as you humbly seek God’s will in your life and are obedient to do what He has in store for you, you will see and experience first hand what John saw in the visual gift God gave to him. To help you in this journey, find a church body that follows the teachings of Jesus Christ; a list of church links is further down the right side of the blog site. We would love to have you worship and hear the heart of God every week at Eastpoint Family Church, but if you are unable to visit, be sure to find a church home that honors the Word of God and gives you Godly instruction from that Word.
Have a blessed week,
Pastor Claude
Sunday, October 5, 2008
From the Pastor's Heart
Deception! Dead Ahead! Or maybe it should be “death ahead”. For that is what lies ahead in wait for us outside of the protection of God. As we continued our series, “Under Cover”, we saw how deception can lead us away from God and result in an eternal death. This was blatantly seen through the events that took place in the Garden of Eden. Because Satan deceived Adam and Eve, man was banished from the Garden of Eden and (more importantly) the presence of God, made to toil for his food, and now has to experience a physical death (Genesis, chapters 2 and 3).
Thankfully, deception has a cure—the Word of God. Just as Jesus repeated the Word of God back to Satan and defeated his temptations, so can we use the same Bible and scriptures to refute the temptations and deceptions of Satan (Matthew 4:1-11). In verse 11, we see the beautiful provision of God following the temptation; God sent His angels to minister to and attend Jesus. We must remember, God is our strength and our shield; only under His protective cover can we see the escapes to the temptations and deceptions of the devil. In this day and age where a local society is difficult to distinguish from the global society, we are seeing the words of Paul come to life (2 Timothy 3:1-4). We need to be prepared to battle these deceptions (James 1:22), and shine the light of Christ through our lives for all to see—their souls depend upon it.
On Sunday night, we covered over a thousand years of time in thirty minutes. As we studied the 20th chapter of the book of Revelation, we saw Jesus’ millennial reign (with Satan locked up) on the earth. After the thousand years had past, Satan was released for a short time and allowed to deceive some of the inhabitants of the earth. Quick question: if you have seen the face of Jesus; have heard the stories of the past; know of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and second coming; and are aware of Satan’s return and ultimate demise, why would you chose to follow the devil? I guess if he can deceive a third of the angels (holy beings) into rebelling against God, he can deceive millions and millions of people at this future time. After Satan has been defeated and sent to the lake of fire (finally, I’m tired of seeing his name come up), then those who aren’t in heaven are judged. If their name isn’t found in the Lamb’s Book of Life, they are sent to the lake of fire for all eternity.
Now is a good time to ask yourself, “Will I be found in the Lamb’s Book of Life?” If you know that you will not, or aren’t 100% sure of your salvation, I suggest reading the right-hand column of this blog site; particularly, the “life-changing prayer”. It’s a simple step of faith to believe in Jesus Christ, but a hard eternity to live without Him. I congratulate those of you who said those words with a sincere heart, and encourage you to find a church that believes in the teachings of Jesus Christ (we have several links available on the bottom left column to help you find that church body). Next time, we’ll study the new heaven and new earth God has created for His children—this is where the Bible has beautiful imagery and concepts interwoven to excite and encourage the Christian (especially “new” ones).
Have a blessed week,
Pastor Claude
Thankfully, deception has a cure—the Word of God. Just as Jesus repeated the Word of God back to Satan and defeated his temptations, so can we use the same Bible and scriptures to refute the temptations and deceptions of Satan (Matthew 4:1-11). In verse 11, we see the beautiful provision of God following the temptation; God sent His angels to minister to and attend Jesus. We must remember, God is our strength and our shield; only under His protective cover can we see the escapes to the temptations and deceptions of the devil. In this day and age where a local society is difficult to distinguish from the global society, we are seeing the words of Paul come to life (2 Timothy 3:1-4). We need to be prepared to battle these deceptions (James 1:22), and shine the light of Christ through our lives for all to see—their souls depend upon it.
On Sunday night, we covered over a thousand years of time in thirty minutes. As we studied the 20th chapter of the book of Revelation, we saw Jesus’ millennial reign (with Satan locked up) on the earth. After the thousand years had past, Satan was released for a short time and allowed to deceive some of the inhabitants of the earth. Quick question: if you have seen the face of Jesus; have heard the stories of the past; know of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and second coming; and are aware of Satan’s return and ultimate demise, why would you chose to follow the devil? I guess if he can deceive a third of the angels (holy beings) into rebelling against God, he can deceive millions and millions of people at this future time. After Satan has been defeated and sent to the lake of fire (finally, I’m tired of seeing his name come up), then those who aren’t in heaven are judged. If their name isn’t found in the Lamb’s Book of Life, they are sent to the lake of fire for all eternity.
Now is a good time to ask yourself, “Will I be found in the Lamb’s Book of Life?” If you know that you will not, or aren’t 100% sure of your salvation, I suggest reading the right-hand column of this blog site; particularly, the “life-changing prayer”. It’s a simple step of faith to believe in Jesus Christ, but a hard eternity to live without Him. I congratulate those of you who said those words with a sincere heart, and encourage you to find a church that believes in the teachings of Jesus Christ (we have several links available on the bottom left column to help you find that church body). Next time, we’ll study the new heaven and new earth God has created for His children—this is where the Bible has beautiful imagery and concepts interwoven to excite and encourage the Christian (especially “new” ones).
Have a blessed week,
Pastor Claude
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