"The Vision" Part I

Intro.   On Sunday Oct. 7th we will celebrate 66 years of ministry to this community. There has been a lot of changes over these 66 years...location...buildings... people... pastors and methods...BUT there is one thing I  pray has not changed and must always stay a constant at MWC...our desire to be a light to this community by drawing attention Christ and His cross.

In the message today I want to share with you The Vision of MWC.  To those of you who have been with us for a year or more you should already be familiar with our vision.  To those who are new among us I want you to know what we are endeavoring to accomplish as a church. 

Vision Defined:   Note with me first the definition of vision and the importance it has played in the past.  Vision is “an experience in the life of a person whereby a special revelation from God was received."

The revelation from God had two purposes.....

First, a vision was given for immediate direction, as with Abram, in Genesis 12:1-3 ; Lot, Genesis 19:15 ; Balaam, Numbers 22:22-40 ; and Peter, Acts 12:7 . 

Second, a vision was given to develop the kingdom of God by revealing the moral and spiritual deficiencies of the people of God in light of God’s requirements for maintaining a proper relationship with Him. The vision of prophets such as Isaiah , Amos , Hosea , Micah , Ezekiel , Daniel , and John are representative of this aspect of revelation .”  ( Holman Bible Dict.)

The Value of Vision:  

Pro. 29:18  Where there is no vision, the people perish:”  

Vision Con't: The ability to anticipate (to feel excited, hopeful, or eager about something that is going to happen)  possible future events and developments.  

To accomplish what God has called us to accomplish we must have the ability to look beyond what is, whether good or bad, and see the future according to His Word / promises. 

Hab. 2:2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.”  

Message Bible: “ And then God answered: “Write this.  Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run.  

Seed The Vision: Isa. 54:1-3 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. ²Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; ³For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

Message Bible:  Spread Out! Think Big!  ¹“Sing, barren woman, who has never had a baby. Fill the air with song, you who’ve never experienced childbirth! You’re ending up with far more children than all those childbearing women.” God says so! ²“Clear lots of ground for your tents! Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big! Use plenty of rope, drive the tent pegs deep ³You’re going to need lots of elbow room for your growing family. You’re going to take over whole nations; you’re going to resettle abandoned cities. ⁴Don’t be afraid—you’re not going to be embarrassed. Don’t hold back—you’re not going to come up short.”

The Vision: I envision Messenger Worship Centre daily striving to become a church that has purposed to promote Christ, not a religious concept:  promote relationships, not religion:  promote the power of God, not programs. (Note:  Each has their place but should be but tools to promote Christ.) 

In accomplishing these brief purposes I believe we will become a body that will make all that come through the doors of our church feel they are L-0-V-E-D.   This should be the aim of every child of God, to let people know God and loves them and so do we.  To purpose anything less is to fall short of God’s intent for His church.  

In truth LOVE should be the foundational stone of all visions (The basic content)!  It is God’s love that has brought us to where we are today in Him and it is God’s love, shared by you and I, that will  produce full altars.

L - Loving the Lord and others. - Matt. 22:37-39

O - Outreach to our community and world. - Mk. 16:15

V - Victorious living as mature disciples who reflect the true meaning of Christ.- I Jn.4:4

E - Equipping the saints/leaders. - Eph. 4:11-15 

D - Developing  youth/children. - Pr. 22:6 

"Living....Prepared For His Coming"

Intro.  There should be no doubt in the minds of any child of God here today that we are living on the threshold of the coming of the Lord.  Daily we are being bombarded with evidence that this world is on a collision course with it’s destiny of doom.  This week one of the major parties in our political system voted to remove two elements from their platform that clearly shows the level of decay our nation has fallen into.  One, they left out of their platform the fact that Jerusalem is the capitol of Israel; two,  they exchanged one G word with another g word.  They took God out and added gay marriage in.  Each of these decisions are blatant slaps to the face of God.  

Note: After realizing the negative effect it was producing they voted to rescind this action but the vote itself shows just how blatantly anti-God this nation is becoming. 

The speed that man is falling from the soaring heights of righteousness that once filled the halls of government and the lives of many within our shores is boggling to the mind.  What those who are making theses decisions are failing to remember is that there will come a day that every man will stand before God and at that time the knee that, in the past, has felt no need nor desire to humble themselves before God, will bow and acknowledge Who He is now and forever more. 

With all of this going on around us many that have a Christian view of life and are doing their best to live according to the dictates of His Word are passing through each day with almost a “shell shocked” look on their faces.  

Many are infected with fear...a fear that traps them in an attitude of defeat.  An attitude that says, “what is the use”.  But today I want you to know that God is not in the dark about this day.  He has seen it coming and He has given us the way to live through these turbulent times that precedes His coming.  Today I want to minister on “Living...Prepared For His Coming.”

In Heb. 10:19-25 we find five things that gives us instructions on how to live. v19“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, v20By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; v21And having an high priest over the house of God; v22Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. V23Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) v24And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: v25Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching”

1. Boldness To Enter His Presence, v.19-21: Doing so not because of our worth but because of our   

    right..a right He paid for with His blood.

2. Drawing Near, v. 22:

    a. In faith.  To do so meant overcoming the fear of the consequences of the law of  

        the past. A law that in truth made it close to impossible to earn a position in the   

        presence of God.  But now, through Jesus, we have the right to enter into His 

        presence without fear of condemnation.

    b. With purity v. 22: Entry into God's presence has always demanded purity and the 

        new did not negate this element of the old.  The lack of desire and demand for 

        purity is what has brought us to the precipice of self destruction many within the 

        church are standing on today.  "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord."  Heb. 12:14 

 Note: Sanctification/Holiness, is a process not an overnight accomplishment.  Salvation is not an automatic end to your self-life.    It takes times for people to grow to the place that brings us into maturity and perfection.  This is an error that has been a detriment to many in the church over the years.  In truth it has been a stumbling block to many outside of the church also because they have been made to feel it was impossible to live up to the rigidity imposed by the church.  There is not a person here today who isn’t in the process of becoming what God has purposed us to become.  I think there are times we need to be a little more transparent and let people see that we don’t always have it together. There are times we slip up but slipping up is not the end of the story...it is but a continuation of a pursuit for perfection in His eyes. 

3. Holding Fast To Hope....For God Is Faithful, v. 23:   Hope: to cherish a desire with anticipation: to desire with expectation of obtainment: to expect with confidence.

    Why? God is faithful...He keeps His Word.  Heb. 6:17-20, ? “Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: ¹⁸That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: ¹⁹Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul,  both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; ²⁰Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”

4. Consider One Another, v. 24: It was Christ considering our need above His own that enabled us 

    to become who we are....He was and is the reconciler...God has also given us the 

    ministry of reconciliation. II Cor. 5:18, “And all things are of God, who hath 

    reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of 

    reconciliation; We do so by "doing/considering others not simply by acknowledging 

    their needs”

5.  Not Forsaking Assembling Ourselves, v. 25:  Heb. 10:25, “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

Conc.  God never intended us to fight this fight alone...nor to have to fight it in fear.  He, in these words has given us some directives on how live until His return.  Living for Christ should not be difficult but one of the most rewarding lives lived on the planet.  I close with these words, Lk. 21:28, “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

John Rhodes Blog: Who Is In Your Boat?

John Rhodes Blog: Who Is In Your Boat?

"A Miracle Just Waiting To Happen"

Intro.  We often view our needs of healing, deliverance, provision in the wrong light.  We see them as elements of destruction…something that is going to cause us to lose.  In reality for the child of God it is “ A Miracle Just Waiting To Happen.”

Text: Heb. 13:5 KJV "......for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." 

Amp.  …He (God) Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support.  ( I will) not, (I will) not, (I will ) not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let (you) down (relax My hold on you)! (Assuredly not!)

God has promised us in Heb. 13:5 that…

• He will not anyway fail us.
• Give us up w/o support
• Leave us without support.
• In any degree leave us helpless.
• Nor forsake us.
• Nor let us down.

With promises such as these we must never, never, never give up.  We must take comfort and be encouraged and confidently and boldly say, “The Lord is my Helper, I will not be seized with alarm.  I will not fear or dread or be terrified.”  Why?  Because whatever I’m going through…whatever I’m faced with…is “A Miracle Just Waiting To Happen”. 

In Mark 2:1-12 we find a cripple man who, on his on couldn’t get to Christ the healer.  

Note with me…. 

The Road To His Miracle:  Jesus was in Peter’s house teaching the Word.  The crowd was so big, even standing around the door, until no one could get near Jesus.

Four men, pick up a paralyzed man and took him to Jesus for a miracle.  When they arrived they couldn’t get anywhere near Him.  The apparent thing to do…the easy thing to do…would have been #1 to come back another time….#2 give up, considering it useless.  But there was something about these four men that wasn’t normal…they were not  the type that gave up so easily.  

We need people that will not give up....Bartimaeus would not give up, he cried out the more....the woman with the issue of blood wouldn't give up, she pressed her way through the crowd...Peter wouldn't give up, he got out of the boat with stormy winds blowing and walked on the water.  You may say but he started sinking yes but he got back in the boat!!

The main directive to your miracle is…DON’T GIVE UP!

The Four Essentials To A Miracle:  These four men possessed four essentials that caused the miracle to happen; four essentials that I believe precede a miracle.

#1: Compassion : They had compassion.....They wouldn’t just leave this man lying there.  His miracle was only a few feet away and they wanted him healed more than they wanted their convenience.  They had compassion for this their friend.

       Compassion is “sympathy for the suffering of others, often including a desire to help.”  In our busy world compassion has become a lost commodity.  No one takes the time anymore to stop long enough to reach out and touch someone in need.   They had in their hands “A Miracle Just Waiting To Happen.” 

#2: Commitment:  They were committed....They were committed to a higher cause….something more important than their convenience. The cause was his miracle.  At this moment it was more important to them than anything else.  If you ever become truly committed to something you will not be so easily persuaded to give up until the task is complete.  

#3:  Determination:  They had determination.....Giving up was not an option.  A miracle isn’t always easy to come by.  They had to find a way to get around the obstacles that stood between them and their miracle…people.  They were determined!!  They found another way.

a. They climbed to a higher level.  This wasn’t an easy task to carry a full-grown man up a flight of stairs to the roof of a house but they were determined. 

b. They made a way by tearing up another man’s house to get the miracle.  Sometimes you have to tear up someone else’s stuff to get to where the miracle is!! 

c. They were men of strength (unified).  They lowered him down to Jesus.

#4: Faith:  They had faith.....Beyond the visibility of their compassion…their commitment…their determination was something that was the key motivator….they had faith…a faith that said, if we can only get him to Jesus, he’ll be healed.    

      Faith will cause you to push through every obstacle…every hindrance…. whatever stands in the way and reach for what others say and believe is the unreachable. 

      You’ don’t need great faith to see great things happen…you just need faith! “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”  Matt. 25:20

Conc.  I believe tonight that whatever is wrong in your life…your body…your mind is 

“A Miracle Just Waiting To Happen”!  

"Pentecost Revisited"

(Preached on Pentecost Sunday - 2012  If there has ever been a time in the history of the church that we need a fresh experience of Pentecost...this is the time.  We are daily seeing the erosion of the very foundation we are standing upon.  The heart's cry of every child of God should be a for a revisiting of Pentecost in this lukewarm church world we are in....to do anything less is to doom not only the present generation but the generations to come.  I pray this message will be a blessing and a challenge.  Any comments will be welcomed at jrhodes541@me.com.)

Text: II Tim. 4:3-4 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; ⁴And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

II Tim. 3:1-5, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. ²For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, ⁴Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; ⁵Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:

Intro.  “ Are you hungry for a greater move of God? Are your tired of the ritualistic offerings of religious society today? Is there growing within you a longing for a deeper experience with God? If the answer is yes to these questions, then I want to welcome you to a growing group of people within the confines of the church who feel the same as you do. 

There is an ever increasing number who are tired of the glitzy, glamour filled halls of religious antiquity we call the church today.  No longer are we satisfied with the religious robotics called worship that does little more than move carnal flesh.  The desire of many is for something that brings a true change to their lives.  A change that builds within them a faith that says life is worth living.  That it can truly be filled with joy, peace, freedom, purity, etc.   

I firmly believe there is an innate desire within many, in and out of the church, for a moral compass that will help define and give directions for what is right and what is wrong….what is good and what is bad.  For too long we’ve allowed outside influences legislate to us, to our children, to the church as a whole, what is acceptable and what is unacceptable.  In truth this is  nothing more than the blind leading the blind…the results?  They both end up in the ditch!!  I say enough is enough; it is time for the church to return to preaching / teaching a Bible based lifestyle.   Jesus didn’t come to give us big cars, big houses, steaks for every meal.   He didn’t come to reveal to a sin crusted humanity a “feel good gospel” that does nothing to prepare man for eternity. He came for one purpose; to give His life as a sacrifice…as a ransom…as a redeemer.  He came to seek and to save the lost!!  He wanted to give man a way out of hell and a way into heaven.

     

What do we need?  What is the answer?  I believe the church needs “Pentecost Revisited “.  A time revisited when men were changed from old to new; personalities changed; desires changed; goals changed; lives changed!  

     

Not only do I believe this is the answer; I believe it is a necessity if we are to accomplish what God has ordained for His church to accomplish in the degenerate society!!

The present condition of the Pentecost of today is a far cry from the Pentecost of the past.   What we call the Pentecostal experience of today, when compared to the past, is unrecognizable. 

I believe it is time to redig the wells of our forefathers and begin to drink from the fountain of righteousness….commitment….desire…. and power they drank from.  It is because of this power that we stand today, the sons of God, delivered from a past of sin and sorrow and destined to make our imprint upon the kingdom of Satan and this world before leaving for the prepared place. 

God Wants Us To Have It:  We can see from past moves of God that He wants us to experience His presence, of which always brings His power.  

Since the day of Pentecost the church has experienced various outpourings of the Spirit.  Special moves that would jar men loose from the moors of complacency, stagnation, and religiosity to a new found freedom and fountain flowing with His grace, mercy, and power.

Where are the results of those outpourings?    I’m afraid they have become nothing more than objects of religious antiquity placed along beside each other to be discussed and analyzed but with never a desire to recreate.   As much as I hate to admit it, the Pentecost of today has degenerated into nothing more than a caricature of its pass predecessors.  Our worship has become nothing more than a choreographed display of prideful flesh.  A spot lighting of individualistic talent. 

To the shame of those who spent endless hours in prayer and fasting for a deep move of His Spirit leaving with the forth-coming generations a secure foundation to stand upon.  We have lost their vision of a move of God that brings life to broken bodies; broken shattered marriages; a broken past; with the outcome being a broken future staring us in the face if a “Re-visitation of Pentecost” doesn’t come.

Today, if ever in the history of the church we need an Ezekiel that will stand viewing the bleached bones of this body, called the church, and speak the Word to the Wind (Ruah) of God, commanding it to blow and bring life to what was, this is that hour!!  WE MUST SEE “ PENTECOST REVISITED “!

Let us view the Day of Pentecost and learn from our forefathers.

I. Hunger, The Beginning: In Acts 1: 4-5, 8 we find Jesus giving instructions to those  

   present to tarry in Jerusalem until the promise comes.  With this admonishment came    

   a hunger for the promise.   

   In the 14th verse we find the results of that hunger.

a. Obedience:  They went to the upper room as instructed.  The hunger in their heart  

    for the promise cause them to obey what He commanded.

b. Unity:  When Jesus was taken and things didn’t go the way they thought they 

    would or should the disciples scattered.  A hunger for a definite move of God 

    caused them to reunite.

c. Prayer: They began a prayer meeting that would continue until the promise came.

II. The Power of Pentecost: To fully understand Pentecost we must note the 

    occurrence of that day.

a. Wind:  fill all the house, all that was in the house.  Big, little, large small, rich, poor.  

    No preferential treatment.

b. Fire = purity.

c. Control = tongues.

d. Drunk = surrender.

e. Authority.  Peter became a man with a purpose instead of a self styled program.

III. We Must Continue, Acts. 2:42.

Conc.  In my opinion the Church is at a crossroads.  We have before us the Power of Pentecost that produces a purpose driven church.  Or we can choose the directions that generations before us have gone....a road that leads to stagnancy, complacency and eventual spiritual suicide.  

            As for me, I choose to “Revisit Pentecost!!”

Jubilee, A Time of Liberty

This is a continuation of the previous message "Liberty". It is my opinion that all of God's people should walk in freedom but in many cases do not. It bothers me that so many Spirit filled people are daily encumbered with so much stuff that they have very little joy in their life. This isn't His will...I pray the following will help you see you rights.

Your comments are encouraged and requested.

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Jubilee, A Time of Lierty

a. In Lev. 25:8-12 we see that God ordained that Israel, His church, set aside a year , every fifty years, to celebrate Jubilee, a time of liberty. The word Jubilee comes from a Hebrew word signifying a cry of joy, joyful shout, and then transferred to the sound or clangor of trumpets. The opening celebration always began with the blowing of trumpets (noise).

b. The purpose of Jubilee was three-fold:

1. First liberty was proclaimed to all Israelites, the church, who were in bondage.

Jn. 8:36 ” If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. “

II Cor. 3:15-18 “ But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their
heart. Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. “ ( The church today. )

2. Second there was to be a return of possessions that had to be sold in the past because of poverty.

Joel 2:21-23 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength. Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

3. Third it was a year of rest. The people were to live simply. Living off what their fields had provided the previous year.

Matt. 11:28-30 “ Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. “

Jesus's Purpose: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised, To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18, 19. In these ever so popular verses we see established that the coming of Christ established permanently what was periodically in the Old Testament: our rights to restoration, liberty and peace. Stand on His Word and you can always walk free.

"Liberty"

I am seeing something in the lives of many Christians that is disturbing me. It has infected all levels of God's people. I am talking about the lack of liberty and freedom that is the inherent right of every child of God. It matters not who you are or where you came from or came what you've come through...you have a right to liberty. Let me make a statement that needs to be made. God has not willed His people, anyone for that matter, into bondage or destruction. He gets no pleasure seeing you or I under the control of any power except His own. One of the biggest deceptions is the picture of God that many people, even Christians, have perpetrated; One Who is always out for vengeance, out to take everything you've got away if you do not tow the line. This just isn't so!! It is the good pleasure of the Lord to bless you, not to destroy you. He has gone to the extreme to prove His love for all mankind.... " For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son ". In the New Testament we find only one book that deals with judgment. The rest is God's directions for us to live and walk in liberty. What Is Liberty? It depends on what an individual is bound by/with. To the hungry person..it is a day w/o hunger pains; to the homeless...it is a night out of the cold; to the battered wife....it is a place where pain is not the normal: to the abused child...it is a parent or anyone who will take them in their arms and love on them: to the alcoholic it is freedom from a destructive craving: to the addict...it is being able to feel normal once again. Your personal prison is anything that holds and controls you. It is liberation from that prison that opens up the way to a life of peace and provision. Our Rights To Liberty Established By The Word: Liberty= Dismiss/ loose from. John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed (You are free through and through.)Message Bible Gal. 5:1,13 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 13For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty. Message Bible: It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. Jn. 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. Message Bible: I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. Heb. 12:12-13 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Amp. So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied and tottering knees, And cut through and make firm and plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet [yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction], so that the lame and halting [limbs] may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured." 2 Corinthians 4:8, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; These are facts concerning every child of God and a promise to everyone who will choose to accept Christ as their Savior. It matters not a whit what you are going through or what you are faced with….nothing nor anyone can alter these facts. We, since our rebirth, have been liberated and we, until He comes back, will always be liberated!!! We must not allow anyone...any circumstances...past or present dictate to us who or what we have a right to.