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A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Wednesday, March 20^th 2016. Today is the 90^th Day of 2016.

Today is Diane Sellers Birthday!

There are only 276 days left in this year; and, there are only 10 Days Left until Our Spring Revival Meetings Begin!

We will begin the Revival Meetings on Saturday, April 9^th with a Banquet and Sermon at 6pm.

Sunday, April 10^th, we will hear Bro Bobby at 10am and again at 6pm.

Monday and Tuesday, April 11^th and 12, we will hear Bro Bobby at 7pm each night!

Please clear your schedule to attend as many of these meetings as possible.

As I often say, “The two things you have to invest to be blessed are your Attendance and your Attention!”

Please be in prayer for Dr. Bobby and Sandra Boyles as they travel here and back.

Pray that God will pour out HIS SPIRIT on us as never before!

Pray for the salvation of the lost; repentance and renewal in the life of God’s people; new people to become part of our Church Family; the calling out of ministers and missionaries; a spiritual awakening in our area; and, for Jesus Christ to be glorified in all that we do!

The effects of being “REVIVED” are exactly the same as being “Vived” (made alive) since the word “re-vive” simply means to “vive again.”

So, if we want to see the anticipated effects of revival, think back at what happened when the Church was new and fresh and fully alive in the Spirit…

Acts 2:42-47
⁴² “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

The fifth thing that happens when God revives HIS people is that HE renews their PASSION for UNITY:

(2:44) “And all who believed were together and had all things in common.”

A genuine moving of the HOLY SPIRIT will bring a genuine sense of UNITY to the people of God.

There is a real difference between a “crowd” and a “congregation.” A crowd is simply several people in the same place at the same time; whereas, a “congregation” is a group of people gathered in a place to accomplish an agreed upon purpose.

Our agreed upon purpose is clear… to live out the Great Commandments and carry out the Great Commission by loving God, loving people, and sharing the Good News.

To “have all things in common” means that we see ourselves as family. Whatever we have is available to the LORD and HIS Kingdom work as HE sees fit to use it.

If there is any area where most churches need revival it is in this area.

The old story of “The Three Musketeers” illustrates the point. If there is ONE thing that people remember about these three, it is their motto: “All for One and One for All.”

A revived, refreshed, renewed, and revived Church will have that same sense of shared purpose and shared sacrifice.

May God grant us such a spirit of UNITY!

REMEMBER: Our Revival Meetings begin in only TEN days!

Get ready now… set aside the time now… Start praying now… DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY to experience a great moving of God!

Revival CAN happen, it really CAN happen!

Will we really have revival?

Will you?

Carpe Diem!

Sermon Starter for Sunday, April 3^rd, 2016

Ephesians 3:14 – 21
¹⁴  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
¹⁵  from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
¹⁶  that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
¹⁷  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
¹⁸  may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
¹⁹  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
²⁰  Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
²¹  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Paul’s Prayer that the Ephesians would both Know and Glorify God

One of the great insights we obtain from the writings of the Apostle Paul is his ministry as a Church Planting Pastor. His letters clearly reflect his love for the members of the Churches he planted.

As does any good Pastor, Paul often prays for these people and he lets them know that he is praying for them and he often shares his actual prayers with them.

This is the situation we find in our passage for this coming Sunday. Paul prays that they will know God and glorify HIM in their life.

He mentions two specific things about their knowledge of God. First, he prays that they will know HIM intellectually; and, second, he prays that they will “know” HIM experientially.

This is what many call “head” knowledge and “heart” knowledge. Often we hear how one is superior to the other, but Paul prays that the Ephesians may have both head and heart knowledge of God.

He also prays that they will glorify God. He prays this first of all for the good of God, but he also prays this because it is also good for them.

Paul gives them – and us – the picture of bowing his knees before a King, yes; but this King is also their Heavenly Father.

Both aspects of God are important to our prayer life. We do come to HIM as King of Kings, the almighty God Who can do anything… but, we also come to HIM as a child comes to his loving Father.

Paul reminds them – and us – that the HOLY SPIRIT indwells every believer and the HOLY SPIRIT is God in us and with us. HE is the source of our spiritual life and our spiritual strength.

Paul prays that God will be glorified in HIS Church. Do we pray that way? Is God glorified in our Church?

This coming LORD’s Day we will be ONE WEEK away from the beginning of our Spring Revival meetings. My prayer for all of us is that God will be glorified in this Church today and every day.

I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side…

“Ecclesia Reformata, Et Semper Reformata…”

To the glory of God.

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Tuesday, March 29^th 2016. Today is the 89^th Day of 2016.

TODAY IS KAIDEN MORFEY’S BIRTHDAY…

TODAY IS ASHLEY PRIEST’S BIRTHDAY…

On this day in 1788, Charles Wesley who founded the Methodist Church along with his brother John, died in London. He was 81 years old.

There are only 277 days left in this year; and, there are only 11 Days Left until Our Spring Revival Meetings Begin!

We will begin the Revival Meetings on Saturday, April 9^th with a Banquet and Sermon at 6pm.

Sunday, April 10^th, we will hear Bro Bobby at 10am and again at 6pm.

Monday and Tuesday, April 11^th and 12, we will hear Bro Bobby at 7pm each night!

Please clear your schedule to attend as many of these meetings as possible.

As I often say, “The two things you have to invest to be blessed are your Attendance and your Attention!”

Please be in prayer for Dr. Bobby and Sandra Boyles as they travel here and back.

Pray that God will pour out HIS SPIRIT on us as never before!

Pray for the salvation of the lost; repentance and renewal in the life of God’s people; new people to become part of our Church Family; the calling out of ministers and missionaries; a spiritual awakening in our area; and, for Jesus Christ to be glorified in all that we do!

The effects of being “REVIVED” are exactly the same as being “Vived” (made alive) since the word “re-vive” simply means to “vive again.”

So, if we want to see the anticipated effects of revival, think back at what happened when the Church was new and fresh and fully alive in the Spirit…

Acts 2:42-47
⁴² “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

The fourth thing that happens when God revives HIS people is that HE renews their PASSION for prayer:

“and prayers…”

I have covered this aspect of revival several times before, so I will not go into great detail today.

Prayer, prayer, prayer, and more prayer. Prayer is the most effective tool that God has given HIS people. I am sure that is why the world, our flesh, and the Devil fight against our prayer time and prayer life more than anything else in our Christian experience.

As I mentioned several weeks ago, George Mueller of Bristol, England is famous for saying, “Prayer can do anything God can do, and God can do anything.”

If all we ever learned about prayer was that one sentence, we would be on our way to a life-changing revival.

God is glorified in answering the prayers of HIS people.

Let’s pray. Let’s pray together. Let’s pray together for revival.

REMEMBER: Our Revival Meetings begin in only ELEVEN days!

Get ready now… set aside the time now… Start praying now… DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY to experience a great moving of God!

Revival CAN happen, it really CAN happen!

Will we really have revival?

Will you?

Carpe Diem!

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Monday, March 28^th 2016. Today is the 88^th Day of 2016.

There are only 278 days left in this year; and, there are only 12 Days Left until Our Spring Revival Meetings Begin!

We will begin the Revival Meetings on Saturday, April 9^th with a Banquet and Sermon at 6pm.

Sunday, April 10^th, we will hear Bro Bobby at 10am and again at 6pm.

Monday and Tuesday, April 11^th and 12, we will hear Bro Bobby at 7pm each night!

Please clear your schedule to attend as many of these meetings as possible.

As I often say, “The two things you have to invest to be blessed are your Attendance and your Attention!”

Please be in prayer for Dr. Bobby and Sandra Boyles as they travel here and back.

Pray that God will pour out HIS SPIRIT on us as never before!

Pray for the salvation of the lost; repentance and renewal in the life of God’s people; new people to become part of our Church Family; the calling out of ministers and missionaries; a spiritual awakening in our area; and, for Jesus Christ to be glorified in all that we do!

The effects of being “REVIVED” are exactly the same as being “Vived” (made alive) since the word “re-vive” simply means to “vive again.”

So, if we want to see the anticipated effects of revival, think back at what happened when the Church was new and fresh and fully alive in the Spirit…

Acts 2:42-47
⁴² “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

The third thing that happens when God revives HIS people is that HE renews their PASSION for Worship:

“and the Breaking of Bread…”

We have in this passage a clear and beautiful picture of the worship of the early Church.

Just over seven weeks before, Jesus had transitioned their traditional service of “Passover” into a new aspect of worship that we call “The LORD’s Supper.”

We see these believers practicing this sweet time of communion with the LORD and each other in their homes as part of their worship.

Don’t miss the clear implication of this – as God’s people are renewed, or revived, we will have a fresh passion to worship the LORD and to worship the LORD together.

This series of “Revival Meetings” will hopefully be much more than just an exercise in spiritual discipline (as important as that is) I am praying that these meetings will provide us genuine opportunities for worship.

REMEMBER: Our Revival Meetings begin in only TWELVE days!

Get ready now… set aside the time now… Start praying now… DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY to experience a great moving of God!

Revival CAN happen, it really CAN happen!

Will we really have revival?

Will you?

Carpe Diem!

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is GOOD FRIDAY, March 25^th 2016. Today is the 85^th Day of 2016.

Today is VALARIE NELSON’S Birthday!

There are only 281 days left in this year; and, there are only 16 Days Left until Our Spring Revival Meetings Begin!

We will begin the Revival Meetings on Saturday, April 9^th with a Banquet and Sermon at 6pm.

Sunday, April 10^th, we will hear Bro Bobby at 10am and again at 6pm.

Monday and Tuesday, April 11^th and 12, we will hear Bro Bobby at 7pm each night!

Please clear your schedule to attend as many of these meetings as possible.

As I often say, “The two things you have to invest to be blessed are your Attendance and your Attention!”

Please be in prayer for Dr. Bobby and Sandra Boyles as they travel here and back.

Pray that God will pour out HIS SPIRIT on us as never before!

Pray for the salvation of the lost; repentance and renewal in the life of God’s people; new people to become part of our Church Family; the calling out of ministers and missionaries; a spiritual awakening in our area; and, for Jesus Christ to be glorified in all that we do!

Since today is GOOD FRIDAY, I wanted to use this Devotional to share some details about this event with you…

Matthew 27:45-54
⁴⁵ “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
⁴⁷ And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”
⁴⁸ And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.
⁴⁹ But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”
⁵⁰ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
⁵¹ And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
⁵² The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,
⁵³ and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
⁵⁴ When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

There is far too much here to cover in a few hundred words… But, let me take on the most basic of truths revealed in the story of the crucifixion of Jesus: a holy and righteous God gave HIS Son to die to pay for the sinners for whose sins HE died.

WOW…

There are many “theories” about the death of Jesus loose in the world, but only one is correct – the substitutionary atonement of the Second Person of the Trinity on behalf of HIS sheep.

Substitutionary = Jesus took our place

Atonement = Jesus satisfied God

Fallen sinners cannot, cannot, cannot please God.

In 10,000 acts of sacrifice and contrition, we could not repay God for one single sin we have committed against HIM; let alone for the thousands upon thousands that we have thrown in HIS face and the hundreds that we will continue to commit as long as we live on this earth.

None. Zip. Nada.

Because HE has chosen to love us before the foundation of the world, the One, True, and Living God conceived what theologians call, “The Covenant of Redemption.”

The Son would become a human. HE would live a sinless life in perfect obedience to the commands of the Father. HE would die a horrific death to satisfy the righteous demands of HIS Father and then the Spirit would raise HIM from the dead.

The Spirit would then draw all of HIS chosen people to HIM and regenerate them by means of the “Good News” of what the Son had done.

WOW…

That is WHO Jesus is; and, that is WHAT Jesus did.

WOW…

There is, of course, more to the story…

Matthew 28:1-6
¹ “Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.
² And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.
³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
⁴ And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.
⁵ But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
⁶ He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.”

BUT, I will save that for Sunday.

Our Good Friday Service is this evening at 7pm.

I dearly look forward to seeing you there.

REMEMBER: Our Revival Meetings begin in only sixteen days!

Get ready now… set aside the time now… Start praying now!

Revival CAN happen, it really CAN happen!

Will we really have revival?

Will you?

Carpe Diem!

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Thursday, March 24^th 2016. Today is the 84^th Day of 2016.

TODAY IS KAREN BUTTERICK’S BIRTHDAY

TODAY IS JANA WALKER’S BIRTHDAY

TODAY IS “MAUNDY” THURSDAY…

There are only 282 days left in this year; and, there are only 17 Days Left until Our Spring Revival Meetings Begin!

We will begin the Revival Meetings on Saturday, April 9^th with a Banquet and Sermon at 6pm.

Sunday, April 10^th, we will hear Bro Bobby at 10am and again at 6pm.

Monday and Tuesday, April 11^th and 12, we will hear Bro Bobby at 7pm each night!

Please clear your schedule to attend as many of these meetings as possible.

As I often say, “The two things you have to invest to be blessed are your Attendance and your Attention!”

Please be in prayer for Dr. Bobby and Sandra Boyles as they travel here and back.

Pray that God will pour out HIS SPIRIT on us as never before!

Pray for the salvation of the lost; repentance and renewal in the life of God’s people; new people to become part of our Church Family; the calling out of ministers and missionaries; a spiritual awakening in our area; and, for Jesus Christ to be glorified in all that we do!

Since today is “Maundy Thursday” I will focus this devotional on this Happy Day in the life of a Christian…

John 13:21-35
²¹ “After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
²² The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.
²³ One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side,
²⁴ so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking.
²⁵ So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?”
²⁶ Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
²⁷ Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
²⁸ Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him.
²⁹ Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor.
³⁰ So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
³¹ When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
³² If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.
³³ Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’
³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
³⁵ By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 13 records the events of the meal that Jesus ate with HIS disciples on the night before HE was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane.

This meal was both “The Last Passover” and “The First LORD’s Supper.”

I will share more about this aspect of the meal at our Maundy Thursday Service at 7pm this evening.

John 14, 15, 16, and 17 records the events following the meal as Jesus prepared for HIS betrayal and arrest.

At the meal itself, Jesus, gives them what HE calls, “a new commandment…” to love one another.

A few hundred years after the closing of the New Testament Latin became the primary language of the Roman Empire so the Western (Roman) Church adopted it as the formal language of the Church.

The Scriptures were translated into Latin by a scholar named Jerome around 400 AD. As you know, Latin remained the language used for Scripture and commentary writings until well after the Reformation (1517) when the Bible began to be translated into the common languages of the peoples of Europe.

In Latin, verse 34 reads, “Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos.“

We get the name “Maundy Thursday” from the word in verse 34 that is translated “commandment.” In Latin, it is the word, “mandatum” – in English we get the word “mandate” from this word.

So, the “new commandment” is a “new mandate.”

Of course, this event took place on the beginning of Passover just prior to the crucifixion of Christ.

PLEASE NOTE that we will celebrate the LORD’s Supper together this evening. Since this is only three days before our Easter Service, we will not celebrate it on Sunday even though this Sunday is the last Sunday of the month of March.

If you desire to take the LORD’s Supper together with your Church this month, you will need to be at this Service tonight at 7pm.

I dearly look forward to seeing you there.

REMEMBER: Our Revival Meetings begin in only seventeen days!

Get ready now… set aside the time now… Start praying now!

Revival CAN happen, it really CAN happen!

Will we really have revival?

Will you?

Carpe Diem!

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Wednesday, March 23^rd 2016. Today is the 83^rd Day of 2016.

There are only 283 days left in this year; and, there are only 18 Days Left until Our Spring Revival Meetings Begin!

We will begin the Revival Meetings on Saturday, April 9^th with a Banquet and Sermon at 6pm.

Sunday, April 10^th, we will hear Bro Bobby at 10am and again at 6pm.

Monday and Tuesday, April 11^th and 12, we will hear Bro Bobby at 7pm each night!

Please clear your schedule to attend as many of these meetings as possible.

As I often say, “The two things you have to invest to be blessed are your Attendance and your Attention!”

Please be in prayer for Dr. Bobby and Sandra Boyles as they travel here and back.

Pray that God will pour out HIS SPIRIT on us as never before!

Pray for the salvation of the lost; repentance and renewal in the life of God’s people; new people to become part of our Church Family; the calling out of ministers and missionaries; a spiritual awakening in our area; and, for Jesus Christ to be glorified in all that we do!

The effects of being “REVIVED” are exactly the same as being “Vived” (made alive) since the word “re-vive” simply means to “vive again.”

So, if we want to see the anticipated effects of revival, think back at what happened when the Church was new and fresh and fully alive in the Spirit…

Acts 2:42-47
⁴² “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

The second thing that happens when God revives HIS people is that HE renews their PASSION FOR HIS PEOPLE:

“and fellowship…”

“Fellowship” in the biblical sense is much more than pot-lucks and party time. Fellowship is the sweet spirit of kindred hearts rejoicing together about the goodness of God in their lives.

Sadly, and I do mean sadly, many times fellowship becomes pretty thin and pretty sporadic.

A wise Christian once described “fellowship” as “two fellows in the same ship.”

This “we are in this together” aspect of Church life and ministry is a key to understanding one of the immediate results of revival…

By the way, many of our folk (especially some Sunday School Classes) are having sweet and frequent fellowship already; but, even these can be improved – and – this needs to be true of all of us; not only some of us.

Revived people share a sweet and deep fellowship. When God “re” vives HIS people; this kind of sweet fellowship is a result.

Our entire culture tends to “hunker down” in family groups or a small group of a few friends.

Church-wide; Village-wide; even area-wide Christian fellowship can and should be the norm.

Don’t miss these revival meetings… after all, we are kicking them off with a FELLOWSHIP “MEAL AND A MESSAGE” on Saturday, April 9^th at 6pm.

See YOU there.

REMEMBER: Our Revival Meetings begin in only eighteen days!

Get ready now… set aside the time now… Start praying now… DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY to experience a great moving of God!

Revival CAN happen, it really CAN happen!

Will we really have revival?

Will you?

Carpe Diem!

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Tuesday, March 22^nd 2016. Today is the 82^nd Day of 2016.

On this day in 1758, Rev. Jonathan Edwards, the greatest theologian to ever live and minister on the North American Continent, died of smallpox in Princeton, NJ.

There are only 284 days left in this year; and, there are only 19 Days Left until Our Spring Revival Meetings Begin!

We will begin the Revival Meetings on Saturday, April 9^th with a Banquet and Sermon at 6pm.

Sunday, April 10^th, we will hear Bro Bobby at 10am and again at 6pm.

Monday and Tuesday, April 11^th and 12, we will hear Bro Bobby at 7pm each night!

Please clear your schedule to attend as many of these meetings as possible.

As I often say, “The two things you have to invest to be blessed are your Attendance and your Attention!”

Please be in prayer for Dr. Bobby and Sandra Boyles as they travel here and back.

Pray that God will pour out HIS SPIRIT on us as never before!

Pray for the salvation of the lost; repentance and renewal in the life of God’s people; new people to become part of our Church Family; the calling out of ministers and missionaries; a spiritual awakening in our area; and, for Jesus Christ to be glorified in all that we do!

The effects of being “REVIVED” are exactly the same as being “Vived” (made alive) since the word “re-vive” simply means to “vive again.”

So, if we want to see the anticipated effects of revival, think back at what happened when the Church was new and fresh and fully alive in the Spirit…

Acts 2:42-47
⁴² “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

The first thing that happens when God revives HIS people is that HE renews their PASSION FOR HIS WORD:

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…”

Remember that believers constantly battle our old habits and desires as we seek to allow God to change our life. A key area in that battle is our desperate need to be nourished and strengthened by the intake of the WORD.

All of our enemies, (the world the flesh and the devil) stand against every effort we make to feed on God’s Word. Notice that when these 3,000 were first saved the first thing said of them was “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.”

All of our answers lie within the pages of Holy Scripture. All of them. All of our spiritual needs are met there.

I know, I battle this all of the time.

It is no coincidence that the means by which God draws HIS people back to HIS Word is by exposure to HIS Word.

The PRIMARY PURPOSE of hearing five sermons over four days is simply TO BE SATURATED in HIS Word.

Saturated.

No one can guarantee that attending these meetings will bring genuine revival into your walk with Jesus; but, anyone knows that if you do not attend these meetings there is NO POSSIBILITY of God using them to bring you into a deeper walk with HIS Son.

Zero.

It is clear to me that it is God’s usual “modus operandi” to work mightily in and though Bobby Boyles. My prayer is, “LORD, do it again.”

The table will be seat; a Bible feast will be prepared; so I quote Jesus… “Come and dine.”

REMEMBER: Our Revival Meetings begin in only nineteen days!

Get ready now… set aside the time now… Start praying now… DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY to experience a great moving of God!

Revival CAN happen, it really CAN happen!

Will we really have revival?

Will you?

Carpe Diem!

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Monday, March 21^st 2016. Today is the 81^st Day of 2016.

There are only 285 days left in this year; and, there are only 20 Days Left until Our Spring Revival Meetings Begin!

We will begin the Revival Meetings on Saturday, April 9^th with a Banquet and Sermon at 6pm.

Sunday, April 10^th, we will hear Bro Bobby at 10am and again at 6pm.

Monday and Tuesday, April 11^th and 12, we will hear Bro Bobby at 7pm each night!

Please clear your schedule to attend as many of these meetings as possible.

As I often say, “The two things you have to invest to be blessed are your Attendance and your Attention!”

Please be in prayer for Dr. Bobby and Sandra Boyles as they travel here and back.

Pray that God will pour out HIS SPIRIT on us as never before!

Pray for the salvation of the lost; repentance and renewal in the life of God’s people; new people to become part of our Church Family; the calling out of ministers and missionaries; a spiritual awakening in our area; and, for Jesus Christ to be glorified in all that we do!

Joel was a Prophet to Israel just after the end of the Babylonian-Media-Persian Captivity that ended around 516 BC. The people had not completely turned back to Jehovah and HE responded to their continuing rebellion with continuing judgments – primarily through a devastating plague of Locusts. (Joel 1:1-2:11)

Here is God’s inspired action-plan for revival:

¹⁵ “Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly;
¹⁶ gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.
¹⁷ Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

Joel 2:12-15

(1) “Blow the trumpet in Zion!”

(2) “Consecrate a Fast!”

(3) “Call a Solemn Assembly!”

(4) “Gather the People!”

(5) “Consecrate the Congregation!”

(6) “Assemble the Elders!”

(7) “Gather the Children, even Nursing Infants!”

(8) “Bring the Newlyweds!”

(9) “Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

Let us commit ourselves to doing all 9 of these preparatory steps; for today, I want to focus on Step #9 – The Prayers of the Priests:

WE are the Priests of God in the Dispensation of the Church.

As we look at the end of this passage, I want you to see that there are two reasons that they are seeking Revival:

• The Good of the People
• The Glory of God

For today, I will focus on the second of these reasons… Revival is for the Glory of God

Let me say as I begin this part of the Devotion that I am more than a little surprised that this is not heard among God’s people than it is.

Revival is for the glory of God.

And, let me honestly say that I am more often concerned with the “results” or “benefits” of revival than I am with how God is glorified in revival.

Revival will cause people to praise God more; love God more; talk to God more; serve God more; and honor God more.

What could a Christian desire more than these things?

When we read about what we think of as “Super Christians” who are willing to suffer for the glory of God; sacrifice for the glory of God; and, even die for the glory of God, we overlook the many ways in which God is glorified in the ways HE revives HIS people.

If God blesses us by reviving our love for HIM during these meetings, our family will know that HE is at work in our life; our friends will know that HE is at work in our life; others will know that HE is at work in our life.

When HE is working in us in a new and fresh way, people who know us will know – and guess what?

God will be glorified in us.

REMEMBER: Our Revival Meetings begin in only twenty days!

Get ready now… set aside the time now… Start praying now… DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY to experience a great moving of God!

Revival CAN happen, it really CAN happen!

Will we really have revival?

Will you?

Carpe Diem!

A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Saturday, March 19^th 2016. Today is the 79^th Day of 2016.

Today is Cooper Shoemakers’ Birthday!

There are only 287 days left in this year; and, there are only 22 Days Left until Our Spring Revival Meetings Begin!

We will begin the Revival Meetings on Saturday, April 9^th with a Banquet and Sermon at 6pm.

Sunday, April 10^th, we will hear Bro Bobby at 10am and again at 6pm.

Monday and Tuesday, April 11^th and 12, we will hear Bro Bobby at 7pm each night!

Please clear your schedule to attend as many of these meetings as possible.

As I often say, “The two things you have to invest to be blessed are your Attendance and your Attention!”

Please be in prayer for Dr. Bobby and Sandra Boyles as they travel here and back.

Pray that God will pour out HIS SPIRIT on us as never before!

Pray for the salvation of the lost; repentance and renewal in the life of God’s people; new people to become part of our Church Family; the calling out of ministers and missionaries; a spiritual awakening in our area; and, for Jesus Christ to be glorified in all that we do!

Joel was a Prophet to Israel just after the end of the Babylonian-Media-Persian Captivity that ended around 516 BC. The people had not completely turned back to Jehovah and HE responded to their continuing rebellion with continuing judgments – primarily through a devastating plague of Locusts. (Joel 1:1-2:11)

Here is God’s inspired action-plan for revival:

¹⁵ “Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly;
¹⁶ gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.
¹⁷ Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

Joel 2:12-15

(1) “Blow the trumpet in Zion!”

(2) “Consecrate a Fast!”

(3) “Call a Solemn Assembly!”

(4) “Gather the People!”

(5) “Consecrate the Congregation!”

(6) “Assemble the Elders!”

(7) “Gather the Children, even Nursing Infants!”

(8) “Bring the Newlyweds!”

(9) “Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

Let us commit ourselves to doing all 9 of these preparatory steps; for today, I want to focus on Step #9 – The Prayers of the Priests:

WE are the Priests of God in the Dispensation of the Church.

As we look at the end of this passage, I want you to see that there are two reasons that they are seeking Revival:

• The Good of the People
• The Glory of God

For today, I will focus on the first of these reasons… Revival is Good for God’s People.

FIRST: (Do not miss this) Experiencing revival will spare God’s people.

“Spare your people, O LORD…”

“Spare” in this passage means to save physically. Recall that Joel is a post-exilic prophet; and, that the people of God had recently returned from exile in Persia.

By the grace of God, Christians in America are not yet facing grave physical danger. Sadly, that is not true for millions of our Brothers and Sisters around the world.

But, in America, we ought to pray that God will spare our marriages, our children and grandchildren, and – in fact – the freedom we now have to worship God as the Bible teaches.

We truly are just one vote away on the Supreme Court of the United States from losing many, if not all, of our remaining religious freedoms.

SECOND: Experiencing revival will maintain the honor of God’s people.

“and make not your heritage a reproach…”

So-called “Christianity” in America has nearly become a joke. We hear lots of names used to lump us all together such as, “evangelicals.” That particular title used to be reasonable; but, today tens of thousands of people identify themselves as evangelicals who are merely “nominal” Christians; (Christians in name only) or, “congregational” Christians (people who assume they are Christians because they attend a church.)

All over our Nation and all over the world we see non-Christians who claim to be Christians bringing reproach to the Name and Kingdom of Christ.

THIRD: Experiencing revival will preserve the public testimony of God’s people.

“a byword among the nations.”

Being a “byword” means that the very mention of God’s people brings derision and hatred to the minds of people who observe how professing Christians, (and sadly, some actual Christians) live in this world.

Think of all of the “wackos” in the world who claim to be Christians and all of the Cults that also claim to be “True Believers.”

As I once heard someone say, “It is heartbreaking to think of how much damage has been done TO the Name of Christ IN the Name of Christ.”

Joel leads them to pray for revival in hopes that these three calamities will not come upon God’s people.

We will also. I hope you will determine to do whatever it takes to be part of these meetings.

REMEMBER: Our Revival Meetings begin in only twenty-two days!

Get ready now… set aside the time now… Start praying now… DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY to experience a great moving of God!

Revival CAN happen, it really CAN happen!

Will we really have revival?

Will you?

Carpe Diem!