The River of Life

Last week, while we were in Phoenix, AZ, we visited the church called Community Church of Joy in Glendale, AZ. This is good sized church that we visited over Memorial Day Weekend. We found this church, because our local assembly was going to be doing a small group study called "A Passionate Life." I looked up the authors of the book, Michael Breen and Walt Kalstead, and found out that Mr. Kalstead is the Senior Pastor of the Community Church of Joy in Arizona! I thought that we should check into their church while we were visiting Marty's family.

Our first visit over Memorial Day weekend was a beautiful trip. This church is big. They have a large campus (the size of a high school). Although it was a holiday weekend they had about 500 people attending service. Mike Breen was the teacher that Sunday. He is from England and he does the video segments on "A Passionate Life" studies.

This past visit, over Labor Day weekend, Mike Breen was again the teacher at church. He taught on Revelation 22:1-2, The River of Life. I guess, that since Memorial Day weekend till Labor Day weekend, they have been studying the book of Revelation. Pastor Breen brought up some insightful comments about the 22nd chapter of Revelation, talking about the River of Life.

"Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

Pastor Breen then cross-referenced this passage with Ezekiel 47:1-12:

"Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar. He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate by way of the gate that faces east. And behold, water was trickling from the south side. When the man went out toward the east with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water reaching the ankles. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the knees. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the loins. Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded. He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?" Then he brought me back to the bank of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, on the bank of the river there were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then he said to me, "These waters go out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah; then they go toward the sea, being made to flow into the sea, and the waters of the sea become fresh. It will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there and the others become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. And it will come about that fishermen will stand beside it; from Engedi to Eneglaim there will be a place for the spreading of nets. Their fish will be according to their kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea, very many. But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing."

These are some of the points Pastor Breen brought out that were very enlightening to me:

The River of Life

• It brings forth Regeneration:
  
  As you read these passages the first thing that strikes you is that the river produces new life -- 12 crops of fruit on the trees. The leaves of the trees will not wither or fail, and always will bear fruit every month, because the water from the river is fresh and new and comes from the Temple or Throne of God. Any salt water that is found will be made pure, and become fresh. There will also be fish in the river, every living creature will abound around the river and there will be new life.
  
• The river brings Refreshment:
  
  When you think of fresh water, you think of life-giving, thirst-quenching refreshment. This river of God, refreshes our souls. In Psalms it reads, As the deer pants for water, so my soul longs after God. We long and desire for the refreshment of God in our lives. This river flows continually, giving refreshment continually, and forever.
  
• The river brings Restoration:
  
  As we read in the Ezekiel passage, as well in Revelation, that out of the deadness of the land around it, up springs for restored vegetation -- trees that bear fruit all year long. The dead bring forth life, in the fish, in the creatures, and even insects swarming out of the dead. That is the way we are before we come to the river to experience new life. The river represents the life that JESUS gives us all in the newness of life. The trees bore fruit for nuritionment and the leaves of the fruit trees are used for healing.
  
  When you see a river in the lands, and you see the path it makes, it washes over rocks and trees, and the wilderness. If we look at river rocks, the rocks are smooth and rounded, not jagged and rough, as they are on dry land. The river makes our jagged lives smooth and rounded out. It smooths out the sharp edges in our lives that come from bitterness and pain, and hurts from the past. The river restores us to peace. Think of those old hymns, "I've got peace like a river," ... "When peace like a river attends my soul," .... "I've got a river of life flowing out of me." The river, who is Jesus, gives us peace, and life, and joy.
  
• The River Brings Righteousness:
  
  Revelation 22:14 says, "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city." When we are at the River, our robes are washed. Our robes represent our righteousness. Isaiah 61:10 "10 I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."
  
  We have washed our robes of righteousness in the river, and we are now made clean. Our robe represents our character, our personalities, our life. Our robes are woven with fabric of our experiences. During our lifetime, our robes can be covered with the stains of the past. The River of Life, washes away those stains. Though we are sinners, God has richly poured out His love on us through the shedding of his blood on the Cross. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. God's grace has given us new life, through the blood of Jesus, and he pours out on us the new, healing manifestation of the river of life. This river washes and cleanses us from all unrighteousness ... like bleach, takes away every spot on white clothes, so does the blood of Jesus blots out every stain of sin in our life, and gives us new clothes... washed clean by the river of righteousness.
  
• So we come to Receive:
  
  We come to the waters when we are thirsty, when we are covered by sin, when we are dead in our souls, to receive regeneration = new life; to receive refreshment = water for our thirsty lives; to receive restoration = a new beginning; and to receive righteousness = forgiveness. And when we have received all this we are on our way to the Throne of God, closer in our walk with Jesus, and even though when we started our journey, the river was just a trickle of water, but as time goes by, and the farther we walk toward God, the river gets deeper, so much so, that we need to swim in the water, as it is too deep to cross or to stand in. This river of life totally engulfs our lives, it is the river of healing and refreshment, of renewal and of regeneration.

I was reminded of a secular song by Billy Joel, as I was listening to this sermon. It is called

The River of Dreams
In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith, To the river so deep
I must be looking for something, Something sacred I lost
But the river is wide, And its too hard to cross

And even though I know the river is wide
I walk down every evening and stand on the shore
I try to cross to the opposite side
So I can finally find what Ive been looking for

In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear, To a river so deep
I'm a searcher for something, Taken out of my soul
Something I'd never lose, Something somebody stole

I don't know why I go walking at night
But now I'm tired and I don't wanna walk anymore
Hope it doesn't take the rest of my life
Until I find what it is I've been looking for

In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep
Through the jungle of doubt, To the river so deep
I know I'm searching for something, Something so undefined
That it can only be seen, By the eyes of the blind,
In the middle of the night,

I'm not sure about a life after this
God knows I've never been a spiritual man
Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river
That is running to the promised land

In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep
Though the desert of truth, To the river so deep
We all end in the ocean, We all start in the streams
Were all carried along, By the river of dreams, In the middle of the night

Video of the Song:

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Conclusion:

Now, I know what I was looking for, and I found it in the River of Life -- Jesus Christ. Billy Joel may be on to something, and not even know it. Let's pray that Mr. Joel will find Jesus Christ in his River of Dreams, as we know this River is the RIVER the GIVER of LIFE.

God Wants our Availability to Serve

God Wants our Availability

I saw a sign out front of a church near my work which reads, "God wants your availability more than just your abilities." The more I thought about this, I thought I'd put some of these thoughts in writing and share them here.

Did you know that God has a plan for each and every one of us? Most times it is a plan for each day ... sometimes it may be a long-term plan. God cares about each of our events in our day, along with the struggles we face to balance out family, church, work, school, leisure time, and so forth! One of the best things we can do is to spend time in prayer on a daily basis with Jesus Christ, and ask Him to allow the Holy Spirit to lead you during every activity of your day.

In the Bible, 1 Timothy 1:12 - it reads, "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service."

Jesus Christ, God, provides you with what you need for every situation and will strengthen you for what He has designed for you to do. As one pastor has said, "God does not always call the equipped, but He always equips the called."

Sometimes our churches can be filled with persons who are willing to serve in certain areas, and we may look at them and ask if they are the "right person" for the job. We may try to put rules and regulations on their service, being that they attend the church for a certain amount of time, commit to serving for a specific time frame, have their family life in order, or even go to Bible College first! What ever happened to allowing the Holy Spirit to move in a persons life to serve with the equipping to do the work, with or without Bible College? Sometimes these types of rules, regulations, and limitations may scare off, or put off some people from even volunteering altogether. This can cause churches to fail and their numbers dwindle, instead of growing and maturing believers in the faith.

Did you know that many of Jesus’s own followers never went to Bible College? They were all ordinary people, living ordinary lives until Jesus came to them and invited them to follow Him, and to learn from his teachings, and to teach what they had learned. This is what is called a "Disciple". Someone who follows Jesus, learns from his teachings, and to teach others what they have learned. In those days, the disciples could do nothing of their own power. They were sent out to preach with the authority and power of Christ in Mark 3 and Mark 6. After Christ was crucified, died, resurrected and ascended into Heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit to give them the same power, but on a continual filling basis, so that they would have God’s authority and power to do the same things as Jesus did while he was doing is earthly ministry.

The disciples became mighty witnesses for Jesus after Acts chapter 2. Peter, who was a fisherman by trade, and after the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit of God, taught with authority at Pentecost, healed those who were lame and sick and gave the gospel to anyone who would listen, so that they could experience this same power and eternal life through salvation. The disciples could not have done this if Christ had not given them the power to do so first. It was not his own act of power that Peter did these things – No, it was the power of God living in Peter.

Christ said in John 15: 4-5 that without Him we can do nothing. It is also quite clear from the scriptures that man cannot save another human. Only God can. Yes, we are His messengers, but God is the one that saves those who are lost.

Did you know that winning souls has nothing to do with your ability to preach, because if it were, then you have reason to be prideful or glorify yourself and not give the glory to God. We can not take credit for what God does, because without Him, we never could have done anything within our own strength or ability.
I read a story about a man when he went on his first mission field, he had only one year of language school behind him and he was asked to take over a small work that had no shepherd. This man stumbled through his first sermon cutting it short and not really sure he got the points across correctly. That morning a man accepted Christ as his Savior. The man had only been there to visit (he was actually drawn there by God) and after his conversion, he returned to his home up in the mountains. He only had a third grade education, but he took a Bible with him bound to read it and spread the good news. The missionary didn't hear much from him, but years later this man invited the missionary up to the mountains to preach at his church. To his amazement, this man with just enough education to be able to read had started two churches in two villages. Each church had between fifty and sixty believers. They were hungry for the word and couldn't get enough from dad's week long preaching. Show me a highly, qualified, preacher or speaker that can do that. This was truly all of the Lord.

Are you refusing to be used of God because of your " inabilities?" If God wants you to have abilities He will give you some. But more importantly, God wants your availability to serve Him in any capacity that He so chooses. So, have you brushed someone off, thinking they may not be suitable for some type of service or leadership in your church, because you don't think that they have enough abilities to serve the Lord. We may have to rethink our logic and look at God can use us all as Ephesians 3:20-21 says, "Now to him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."

Jesus is the Shepherd

Jesus is the Shepherd & He knows us by our Name and we know His Voice
A Scripture teaching from John 10:1-30

From verses 2-5
Jesus taught, "But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers."

This shows the care the shepherd takes and the provision he makes for his sheep. The sheep hear his voice, when he speaks intimately to them, as we do with our own "pets" -- dogs, cats, horses, etc. The Shepherd calls his own sheep by name, so exactly, how He takes notice of them, the account he keeps of them; and he leads them out from the fold to the green pastures; and (v. 4, 5) when he turns them out to graze, he does not drive them, but he goes before them, to prevent any mischief or danger that might meet them, and they, being used to it, follow him, and are safe.

The sheep know his voice, so as to hear it and recognize it and know it's the shepherd to follow, but also will distinguish a voice from a stranger, and the sheep will flee from the stranger, not knowing his voice, as IT IS NOT the voice of their own shepherd.

So, what or whose voice do we listen for?

If we are listening to the world's voices .. then we are listening to the voice of the strangers -- to the thief -- of this world. As we know, the thief only comes to steal, kill and destroy -- Steal away our joy, to kill our testimony, and to destroy our life.

Some of the voices we may listen to:

• The media -- movies, TV shows, music, news, etc.
  
• Our friends -- bad opinions, their own opinions (not God's Word), comments
  
• Our parents and family -- who persecute us for our beliefs?
  
• Our own self-talk -- negative comments that kill our self-worth?
  
• The enemy -- who plants seeds of questioning, of doubt, of disbelief, etc.
  

The voice that we should direct our hearing to is to Jesus, our Good Shepherd, through prayer and through the study of His Word, the Bible.

Scripture: VS 7-10
So Jesus said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am The door of the sheep. "All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

Jesus, the voice we should listen to, came to this world for His own, for us to follow Him so that we may not only have life -- but to have ABUNDANT LIFE. -- Which is eternal life -- joy in our experiences, testimony of health and of provision, also a testimony of protection in the fold.

Scripture: VS 11-14
"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. "He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. "He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me."

These verses speak of our shepherd, who watches out for dangers ... Things that may harm the flock, He has tools for protection, sheepdogs, a rod, a staff, a fence, all to keep dangers away from us, to chase away the wolves ... who want to devour the sheep. Jesus, who is the good shepherd knows His own, and we know Him.

What are the dangers that lurk outside our sheep gate? It is not always a visible danger -- but more spiritual danger? Are we keeping ourselves in the Shepherd's care? We should, because he cared so much for us, that He was willing to lay HIS own life down for the protection of the sheep.

I want to re-iterate the personal relationship Jesus has with His own -- His sheep. In verse 3 & 4, the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 "When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice".

He knows each of us by name, he calls us by name ... because we are His own. Do we know that? That is how special we are to the Father -- to Jesus, that He knows each of us by name. It is not a vague name either -- not just the "children of God" or "the Church", but by our own individual names.

In the OT, I found a few examples of God calling his servants by name:

Exodus 33:17
The Lord answered Moses, "I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name."

Exodus 35:30
Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, "See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah."

Isaiah 43:1
But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!

Isaiah 45:1-4
1 Thus says the LORD to Cyrus His anointed,.... The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. 4 "For the sake of Jacob My servant, And Israel My chosen {one,} I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor Though you have not known Me. "

AND since God is the same yesterday, today and forever, He never changes ... If The word of God says that the Lord called people by name then ... in the past ... then He still does today (as we are in the 'forever' part).

In the tenth chapter of John, Jesus alludes to us being His sheep and hearing his voice more than THREE times ... I think that should have us take notice!

In verses 27-30
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. "I and the Father are one."

Jesus reassures us more than three times that the sheep hear His voice and recognize His voice and follow His leading. Jesus also reassures the flock TWO times that He will always protect us, He will always Keep us in His flock, and will never let ANY ONE (even ourselves) TO STEAL US AWAY (i.e. lose our salvation) from His flock. Jesus states that His Father is greater than ALL ... even greater than myself, to keep me safe. No one is able to snatch them out of God's hand ... as Jesus and the Father are one ... God.

So, in Application:

When we are called into the Kingdom of God, and we receive the free gift of eternal life in Christ, Jesus called you by name.

Does the world know you by your Name? The world only looks at the outward appearance -- by your outward actions, by your manner of dress, by what you say, how we act when we are tested, how we treat ourselves and others, and by how we make a living.

But since God knows us from the very moment we were created to this point in time, in our life, He knows us intimately. He knows our nature ... sinful ... yet He still loves us. He speaks our name, and we follow Him. He calls us to the flock where He can take care of us and keep us from harm.

He shows us His divine nature and also will call us by a new name:

Revelation 2:17
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.'

Revelation 3:12
All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write my God's name on them, and they will be citizens in the city of my God -- the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And they will have my new name inscribed upon them.

Below is a list from the book "Torrey's Topical Textbook", of titles and names the Bible gives to saints (believers). Take time and look them up for yourself.

Torrey's Topical Textbook -- Titles and names of saints

Believers -- Acts 5:14; 1 Timothy 4:12
Beloved of God -- Romans 1:7
Beloved brethren -- 1 Corinthians 15:58; James 2:5
Blessed of the Lord -- Genesis 24:31; 26:29
Blessed of the Father -- Matthew 25:34
Brethren -- Matthew 23:8; Acts 12:17
Brethren of Christ -- Luke 8:21; John 20:17
Called of Jesus Christ -- Romans 1:6
Children of the Lord -- Deuteronomy 14:1
Children of God -- John 11:52; 1 John 3:10
Children of the Living God -- Romans 9:26
Children of the Father -- Matthew 5:45
Children of the Highest -- Luke 6:35
Children of Abraham -- Galatians 3:7
Children of Jacob -- Psalms 105:6
Children of promise -- Romans 9:8; Galatians 4:28
Children of the free-woman -- Galatians 4:31
Children of the kingdom -- Matthew 13:38
Children of Zion -- Psalms 149:2; Joel 2:23
Children of the bride -- Matthew 9:15
Children of light -- Luke 16:8; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5
Children of the day -- 1 Thessalonians 5:5
Children of the resurrection -- Luke 20:36
Chosen generation -- 1 Peter 2:9
Chosen ones -- 1 Chronicles 16:13
Chosen vessels -- Acts 9:15
Christians -- Acts 11:26; 26:28
Dear children -- Ephesians 5:1
Disciples of Christ -- John 8:31; 15:8
Elect of God -- Colossians 3:12; Titus 1:1
Epistles of Christ -- 2 Corinthians 3:3
Excellent, The -- Psalms 16:3
Faithful brethren in Christ -- Colossians 1:2
Faithful, The -- Psalms 12:1
Faithful of the land -- Psalms 101:6
Fellow-citizens with the saints -- Ephesians 2:19
Fellow-heirs -- Ephesians 3:6
Fellow-servants -- Revelation 6:11
Friends of God -- 2 Chronicles 20:7; James 2:23
Friends of Christ -- John 15:15
Godly, The -- Psalms 4:3; 2 Peter 2:9
Heirs of God -- Romans 8:17; Galatians 4:7
Heirs of the grace of life -- 1 Peter 3:7
Heirs of the kingdom -- James 2:5
Heirs of promise -- Hebrews 6:17; Galatians 3:29
Heirs of salvation -- Hebrews 1:14
Holy brethren -- 1 Thessalonians 5:27; Hebrews 3:1
Holy nation -- Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9
Holy people -- Deuteronomy 26:19; Isaiah 62:12
Holy priesthood -- 1 Peter 2:5
Joint-heirs with Christ -- Romans 8:17
Just, The -- Habakkuk 2:4
Kings and priests to God -- Revelation 1:6
Kingdom of priests -- Exodus 19:6
Lambs -- Isaiah 40:11; John 21:15
Lights of the world -- Matthew 5:14
Little children -- John 13:33; 1 John 2:1
Lively stones -- 1 Peter 2:5
Members of Christ -- 1 Corinthians 6:15; Ephesians 5:30
Men of God -- Deuteronomy 33:1; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 3:17
Obedient children -- 1 Peter 1:14
Peculiar people -- Deuteronomy 14:2; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9
Peculiar treasure -- Exodus 19:5; Psalms 135:4
People of God -- Hebrews 4:9; 1 Peter 2:10
People near to God -- Psalms 148:14
People saved by the Lord -- Deuteronomy 33:29
Pillars in the temple of God -- Revelation 3:12
Ransomed of the Lord -- Isaiah 35:10
Redeemed of the Lord -- Isaiah 51:11
Royal priesthood -- 1 Peter 2:9
Salt of the earth -- Matthew 5:13
Servants of Christ -- 1 Corinthians 7:22; Ephesians 6:6
Servants of righteousness -- Romans 6:18
Sheep of Christ -- John 10:1-16; 21:16
Sojourners with God -- Leviticus 25:23; Psalms 39:12
Sons of God -- John 1:12; Philippians 2:15; 1 John 3:1,2
The Lord's freemen -- 1 Corinthians 7:22
Trees of righteousness -- Isaiah 61:3
Vessels of honor -- 2 Timothy 2:21
Vessels of mercy -- Romans 9:23
Witnesses for God -- Isaiah 44:8

Character of saints

Attentive to Christ's voice -- John 10:3,4
Blameless and harmless -- Philippians 2:15
Bold -- Proverbs 28:1; Romans 13:3
Contrite -- Isaiah 57:15; 66:2
Devout -- Acts 8:2; 22:12
Faithful -- Revelation 17:14
Fearing God -- Matthew 3:16; Acts 10:2
Following Christ -- John 10:4,27
Godly -- Psalms 4:3; 2 Peter 2:9
Guileless -- John 1:47
Holy -- Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2; Colossians 3:12
Humble -- Psalms 34:2; 1 Peter 5:5
Hungering after righteousness -- Matthew 5:6
Just -- Genesis 6:9; Habakkuk 2:4; Luke 2:25
Led by the Spirit -- Romans 8:14
Liberal -- Isaiah 32:8; 2 Corinthians 9:13
Loving -- Colossians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:9
Lowly -- Proverbs 16:19
Meek -- Isaiah 29:19; Matthew 5:5
Merciful -- Psalms 37:26; Matthew 5:7
New Creatures -- 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10
Obedient -- Romans 16:19; 1 Peter 1:14
Poor in spirit -- Psalms 51:17; Matthew 5:3
Prudent -- Proverbs 16:21
Pure in heart -- Matthew 5:8; 1 John 3:3
Righteous -- Isaiah 60:21; Luke 1:6
Sincere -- 2 Corinthians 1:12; 2:17
Steadfast -- Acts 2:42; Colossians 2:5
Taught of God -- Isaiah 54:13; 1 John 2:27
True -- 2 Corinthians 6:8
Undefiled -- Psalms 119:1
Upright -- 1 Kings 3:6; Psalms 15:2
Watchful -- Luke 12:37
Zealous of good works -- Titus 2:14; 3:8

These scriptures are good resources to build up your faith and relationship with Jesus Christ, the God of Heaven and Earth. Each one has a purpose, and that is to encourage you and to give you hope in your position with Christ. We can look at our experiences (and have a really bad attitude), but if we look and live in our position with Christ, we can truly have an abundant, rich, spiritual life in Christ! (John 10:10 - The Son came to give us life, and to have it more abundantly!)

Live an abundant life! Peace be with you. Listen for the Shepherd's voice, and when you recognize it, follow the voice. Follow the Shepherd's voice, and you too will find rest, provisions, and peace.

God Bless

Sunday Message

Hello on this beautiful first day of the week!

When I was woke up on the morning of August 7, 2005, I had in my mind, the phrase "Put on the Garment of Praise". I had been praying for our church and thanking God, that how through many trials, we are still teaching and preaching the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ -- Grace, mercy, restoration and reconciliation to hurting people.

So, I looked up the phrase "Garment of Praise" in the Word, and found this scripture:

Isaiah 61:3 -- To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

I was truly touched by how awesome God is ... our church body had been through many trials in the last few years.

But as I heard God speaking to us, that although we may be mourning, or we may be filled with heaviness, that we are to come out of the ashes of our mourning with the oil of joy ... to put off the garments of heaviness, for the garments of praise, so that we can be called "Trees of Righteousness", the planting of the Lord .... so HE CAN be glorified. We need to embrace praising the Lord.

Another scripture I found, also in Isaiah 61 is verse 10 --

Isaiah 61:10 -- I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

So we are to put off heaviness, put off mourning, put off sorrow ... and the Lord tells us to PUT ON Garments of Praise, and He will clothe us with Garments of Salvation .. He Has covers me with the ROBE of Righteousness... we the Bride of Christ adorns ourselves with Jewels... My soul shall be joyful in OUR God..

Hear our singing fill the air... Praising the Lord is a joyous thing. The prince of the air doesn't want us to express our love for Jesus, our Praise for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Word of God is complete with the Praises of God -- Singing unto the Lord.

Don't be ashamed to lift your voice to sing unto God. Not only in church, from the mountains to the valleys; Have God hear our praises vocally rise to HIM! God is awesome. I love to praise Him, and lift up His holy name. Sing alleluia! Put on praise music in your car, in your home. Fill the air around us with the praise music, surround yourself with the praises of the people! Our garments of praise, garments of righteousness exalt the name of Jesus.

A marvelous thing will start to happen. We will be continually thinking about and praising God for all the experiences in our life.

A song I used to hear all the time -- "I want to praise you Lord much more than I do, Learn to seek your face, and the knowledge of your Grace." -- We need to learn to praise God with all of our being, our mind, and our soul. Worship Him.

Use the time to draw near to the Lord. When we come to church for worship ... do it.. Worship. Sing and praise Him. Listen to the Word, learn to seek His Face. We will put on the garments of praise to lift off (or put off) the spirit of heaviness.

Below, is an article I found by Darlene Zschech. She is one of the worship leaders in many of the songs from Hillsongs Music Australia, ("Shout to the Lord", "Jesus, Lover of my Soul", "Power of Your Love", etc.) I hope this blesses you as well as it did for me.

God bless you and I bless the name of the Lord,

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Worship the Lord with Singing
Worship Notes with Darlene Zschech

How sweet it is .. to have the honour and privilege of leading people into God's presence through singing and music, confessing with our lips, singing loud and strong the promises of His Word. Singing is not the only way to worship our Lord, but I'm so glad it is a part of it!!

The first place we find singing in the Bible is in Exodus 15:2-3, when Moses and the Israelities sang an incredible hymn of praise, thanking God for His spectacular win over Pharaoh and his army. The sound must have been so victorious as they sang "The Lord is my strength and my song, He has become my salvation, He is my God and I will praise Him, ... my Father God, and I will exalt Him!"

Coming before the Lord in praise and worship with thankful, grateful hearts is a powerful principle; always remembering how far Christ has brought you and the price He paid for your salvation.

We hear the comment so often from new people coming into our church, "You guys look so happy! You're singing like you really mean what you're singing about!" Genuine.

Psalm 5:11 says "Let all who take refuge in you be glad, let them EVER SING FOR JOY!!" There is great joy when we worship with singing in Spirit and in truth. The unsaved will walk in and say "I want what these people have!" Singing was the immediate response of the children of Israel to God's incredible deliverance. Notice they never sang to each other, but they responded to the Lord with a song of praise to Him.

Sometimes you may not FEEL like singing praise to God, but in Psalm 27:5-6, David says he will offer sacrifices of joy, sing and make music to the Lord. In Isaiah 61:3, the word says to "put on" the garments of praise instead of the spirit of despair.

God created this beautiful gift of worship for His pleasure and His glory and as you OBEDIENTLY AND DILIGENTLY seek Him, His response to your worship will be immeasurable.

©2001 by Darlene Zschech
This article was originally published in the Hillsong Magazine.

Why Women Love the Lord

• He is a gentleman,


• He is confident


• He is a provider and protector


• He is rich and powerful


• He owns everything, there is nothing He wouldn't do for me


• He perfects all things concerning me


• He anticipates my wants and needs


• Every day He tells me and shows me how much He loves me


• I don't have to perform in order to earn His love


• He keeps all of his promises


• No one can influence His opinion of me


• He is the ultimate intimate partner


• He can't "disown" me because I am a part of Him


• He will never leave me, nor forsake me.


• He prepares a table before me


• He covers me and doesn't expose me


• He wrote His loving words down so that I'll never forget how He feels about me!

NOW THAT'S LOVE!!! Any man, who wants pointers on how to love a woman, should study GOD! Wake up every day and thank God for being the best "man" in your life!