Saturday, June 26, 2010

GREAT FRIENDS

“Prayer is the practice of being in the presence of God.” That being said, THINK about what it means to you --- to be considered a great friend? What JOY is found in a GREAT relationship? What does it mean to PRACTICE being in my friend’s presence? What do we do together? We confide in each other. We congratulate and encourage each other. We thank each other for things done on our behalf. We ask for advice. We admit when we are wrong and ask to be forgiven. We hang out and simply enjoy TIME together. Saturday June 26th I hung out with GREAT singles from Crossroads in bumber boats and we PRACTICED on the course, just BEING in His presence with JOY! BEING WHOLE IN ONE! If the God in me recognizes and values the God in you, then it is my desire to practice being in the presence of God with my friends. When we are with God, in prayer, we are confiding in Him. We tell God our deepest hurts, highest dreams, and greatest longings. (Jeremiah 33:3) We glorify God when we admire and ENJOY all of His creation while singing, dancing and golfing!. (Pslm 71:8, Pslm 72:18, Pslm 92:1, Isaiah 63:7, Matt 15:31; Zeph 3:17). We give thanks to God for all things, in all ways, gladly each day!.(1 Thess 5:18 and Matthew 25:34-40) We seek His personal advice when we read scripture and then list the FACTS – the LESSONS + ASK ourselves a QUESTION about the LESSON. Because GOD knows our heart, He does not ASK for our advice. He does, however, long to give us personal answers. (Pslm 18:6, Pslm 28:7, Pslm 33:20, Hebrews 4:16, James 1:5) When we spend time in His Word, in His presence, we should ENJOY being together with JESUS. (Ps 16:11, Matt 28:20, 1 Jn 3:19)"After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him." John 13:5 During His last supper, a holy final time to be in the presence of Jesus --- (read the scripture before and after) List the facts and the lessons, then with introspection we connect with the Holy Spirit. Ah, the last supper and my last sitting with my Bible open, was indeed a time to be exceedingly treasured. However, the close friends of Jesus were asking for favors, they asked for a prominent position in the Kingdom they believed Jesus was to establish. "So Jesus got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing..." What was He teaching them? What lesson does the Holy Spirit reveal in this scripture about spending TIME slowly savoring the Word of God? Jesus called us His friends. Do we spend more time with our friends than we do with Jesus? Do we sit with our Bibles open, UNAWARE of the presence of the exalted King of Kings, JESUS, the One Who has all the power, glory and authority in the world??? Do we consider our position, our time, our agenda to be greater, more important, more of a priority than spending time with Jesus? Halleluiah! I truly LOVE the edifying, inner convicting - Holy Spirit's TIMELESS friendship and perfect counsel in just TWO scriptures a day! My prayer, my practice of being in the presence of Jesus leads me to ASK the Holy Spirit to impress upon all hearts to serve humbly as we encourage one another. Lord because You first loved us, we have been given the Holy Spirit and we ask that our passion for Jesus increase. AMEN

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

PRAISE JESUS because?

Jesus Christ is Royalty Who cares
Jesus Christ is lavish in His love
Jesus Christ is faithful to protect us
Jesus Christ is supremely holy and good
Jesus Christ is the only genuine good news
Jesus Christ is the racial King of the Jews
Jesus Christ is the eternal King of the ages
Jesus Christ is the Peace that surpasses pain
Jesus Christ is the moral King of righteousness
Jesus Christ is the celestial King of the cosmos
Jesus Christ is Who raised us from spiritual death
Jesus Christ is unsurpassed in giving mercy and grace
Jesus Christ is Who forgave our sins and removed guilt
Jesus Christ is Who answered our prayers in a living Word
Jesus Christ is all powerful, all knowing, in ALL His ways
Jesus Christ is inescapable, indestructible, incomprehensible
Jesus Christ is all wise and the reason we can stand before God
His ways are matchless, His goodness is limitless, His Word endures

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

HIS PURPOSE + HARVEST

WOW what a fantastic Harvest of SOULS! We gather in the name of Jesus for the purpose of developing our relationship
with each other --- as we draw ever closer to our blessed Savior. Trusting Jesus for all our needs, the Holy Spirit flowed throughout the night! Thanks to Dawn, Helen, and Elaine for their willingness to HOST a table. The TABLE HOST stays at same table and the remaining saints will rotate to sit at a different table each week. IMAGINE the RICH blessings to come as WE all individually share the personal insights/messages from the Holy Spirit! WOW! The squeaky SUNSHINE and FLIPFLOP will add another FUN dimension to our small groups as we rotate tables from week to week. WE share joy, laughter and perhaps a few tears as a growing family in Christ Jesus! 1st Week Home study for Wed June 16. Read JOHN 10:1-10. In a notebook, write LESSONS and personal application QUESTIONS to share next week. PURSUING MORE OF JESUS BOOK homework is on page 240.

TABLE HOST OPENS in brief prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, just give us more of Your voice in our ears. Open to homework for the week and ask someone to share the FACTS found in the scripture. Remember parables were like veils intended to make the understanding of truth more difficult. This effectively hid the truth from those who were not earnestly seeking Jesus. Anne teaches about the difference between a false and a true shepherd. Share questions formultated from reading JOHN 10:1
EXAMPLE:

Do I only listen for the voice of Jesus as I read?
Do I ask the Holy Spirit to give me understanding or my friends?

On Wed June 16th the Holy Spirit led us to MOVE tables together to snuggle up around His word and take the first assignment as a group. By the end of 12 weeks - we will come to love each soul a bit deeper. WOW - COME HUNGRY for more of JESUS and leave fully SATISFIED! Removing any SET AGENDA as the Spirit will move us, change us and flex us to OPEN up in the SAFE atmosphere we are creating together. Our Lord Jesus is the supplier of ALL GOOD THINGS - and as Pastor Ed says, the saints like to gather around GOOD food. The food for our souls is the Word of God, and each week there will be a basket of FISH; RAISINS; CHOCOLATE and water. So please eat your NUTRITION before you come.

WEEK #10 is our LAST TIME TOGETHER in the CLUBHOUSE. CONSIDER for week #10 if after our small group time, IF anyone wants to STAY for a longer chat around the pool? Changing rooms are available in the clubhouse. We could ORDER a PIZZA delivered? WEEK# 11 will be our time to unite at ISADORES for COMMUNION and SUPPER. OUR last devoted WEEK# 12 GG meets at Crossroads upstairs in the LOFT to finish our OUTREACH project."Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:25 --- A grand lesson in chapter one is that our Good Shepherd has called out to all sheep. "Come and drink, come and eat, come follow Me and enter into a personal relationship with God Almighty!" Our Shepherd's voice is filled with authority and mercy. We learned from John 10 that a personal relationship with God is only accessible through one Door, Who is Jesus Himself. As we fish with the glowing bait of the Holy Spirit, our very lives will be the lure that catches the lost. As a bobber floats and survives the waves, we know we will not drown because He holds us, He protects us, with the Spirit of truth. OUR GROUP OUTREACH PROJECT will be finished on Aug 25th at the LOFT - Our group to decide which MISSIONARY FAMILY to adopt and pray for. THE PLAN: On our final day together we will BRING collected GOODIES to send to our selected MISSION family. Herein a listing of names of those followers of Jesus, those Fishers of Men, those SAINTS who gathered in the summer of 2010 to CELEBRATE our relationship with Jesus and to love and encourage one another.

1) Chris Sanchez 271-5377 (Elaine) YES
2) TABLE HOST: Dawn Everson 823-4748 (Tim)
3) Danielle Krenz 456-4858 (Russell)
4) TABLE HOST: Elaine Sanchez
5) TABLE HOST: Helen Bennett 408-710-4504 (Kate)
6) Ingrid 612-5761 MAYBE
7) Janie Davis 239-8043 PRAY FOR THE BABY
8) Jason Cary 482-7297 (Casey)YES
9) "Casey" Cooper (Jason) 823-9540 YES
10) Kate Benett + Helen YES
11) Kelly Neelman 858-8198 YES
12) Russell Krenz 456-4858 (Danielle)
13) Sandra Leask 985-8445 MAYBE
14) Tim Everson + Dawn YES
15) Sonja Sassi 603-0537 YES(Patricio)
16) Patricio Sassi (Sonja)YES
17) TABLE HOST: Barbara Alley 471-8349 Jesus is the Vine, and we are His branches! Like noble Bereans, who listened to Paul preach, then studied the scriptures to verify if what Paul said was truth --- we LISTEN for our Shepherds voice with our EYES on the pages of our own bibles. We ask the Holy Spirit to give us understanding, and we study with our EARS OPEN to hear our Shepherd's call to us. With fearless EYES we examine the scriptures to KNOW what the Spirit of Truth is saying to us. We trust in God's Amazing Plan, His Gospel of Grace! Therefore, we shall NEVER be robbed of our salvation, our close personal relationship with Jesus, the promise of eternal life, peace, joy, or our total forgiveness --- BECAUSE God's living and active Word says that IF we confessed with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and BELIEVED in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead --- God's Word says the truth, we were purchased and sealed forever with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever --- the Spirit of truth."
John 14:16

"I tell you the truth, a time is coming (2010) and has now come when the (spiritually) dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live." John 5:24! We do not need to wear ourselves out with Bible study to know His love, to hear His personal Word to us. God created the world and everything in it for His pleasure and ours. He created human beings in His likeness so He could have fellowship with us. Trees, seas, flowers and bees do not confide in Him. Our Creator longs for us to seek Him, to sincerely speak what is in our hearts. He knows when we grieve, and when we are peeved so we might as well say it outloud. Pursuing more of Jesus verse by verse is EASY. God hid treasures in the Word for each soul to "personally" uncover.

Do you want to hear God's voice? Then ASK the Holy Spirit to reveal personal meaning as you read just "3" verses a day. Begin in the book of John. Use this proven method to hear from God as you PRAY and then apply these steps:
1) Read the Scripture. The slowly re-read the same 3 verses.
2) List the FACTS verse by verse. DO NOT PARAPHRASE.
Using words of scripture: Who, What, Where, Did what?
3) List the personal LESSONS contained in the FACTS.
4) Formulate a QUESTION out of the LESSONS.
Dear Holy Spirit reveal to me any EXAMPLE to follow?
What is being done that I should or should NOT do?
Show me the PROMISE to claim. Convict me of a WARNING to heed.
Lord Jesus speak a COMMAND for me to obey. AMEN

We NEED to have scriptures explained by the Holy Spirit. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all in One, the blessed Trinity. It is very good that Jesus left the earth and sent us the Holy Spirit to dwell within each soul that claims Jesus is Lord. That is a PROMISE KEPT and all believers can speak to the Holy Spirit within! The AUTHENTIC voice of the Shepherd is recognized by the sheep. We learned to test the TRUTH of what we hear at church, on the radio and tv. The voice we can always trust is when we test that it is:
1) Biblical - straight from God's Word
2) Personal - in a language we know
3) Powerful - souls will be changed and saved