Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Revival Expanded!

What is better than a week of soul stirring, life changing, Holy Ghost moving revival? More!  We are blessed to add to our revival, fellowship meeting!  Fellowship meeting is when churches from around this part of the country gather together for a day of worship, fellowship and renewal.  Rev. Olson, will be in Memphis Tennessee leading us in fellowship meeting this Saturday at 2pm.

If you have never been to a fellowship meeting, you are in for a real treat!  Rev. Crain, who is the  host pastor of the church in Memphis, always shows us great hospitality and Christian love.  Churches from Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and Mississippi will gather there.

I encourage you to come!  To facilitate the travel, we will not have revival service Friday night, and of course our Saturday service will be held in Memphis. Sunday services times remain unchanged and we expect to bring extra Holy Ghost fire back from the meeting!

To top it all off, we will be extending our revival services into the following week!

To be clear, Revival services  (8/6/13) Tues, (8/7/13)Wed, (8/8/13)Thur,  and (8/11/13) Sun, at 7:30pm.  Rev. Tieman will be preaching.  Fellowship meeting in Memphis Tennessee on (8/10/13) with Rev. Olson leading us.

The address for the Fellowship meeting is 4975 Quince Rd, Memphis TN.  The drive time is approximately 5 hours.  There will be a fellowship on Friday night before the meeting at the church fellowship hall around 7pm.  Contact me for hotel information. (314)229-0047

Pastor Devonshire

  Here are the driving directions:

Driving directions to 4975 Quince Rd, Memphis, TN 38117
From:
1123 Holly Hills Ave
St Louis, MO 63111

1. Head southeast on Holly Hills Ave toward Louisiana Ave

0.3 mi
2. Take the 3rd right onto Alabama Ave

0.3 mi
3. Turn right onto Loughborough Ave

0.1 mi
4. Turn left to merge onto I-55 S
Passing through Arkansas
Entering Tennessee

276 mi
5. Take the exit to stay on I-55 S toward Jackson Miss

6.4 mi
6. Continue onto I-240 E

7.0 mi
7. Take exit 17 for Mt Moriah Rd

0.2 mi
8. Keep left at the fork, follow signs for Mt Moriah Rd N

302 ft
9. Turn left onto Mt Moriah Rd

0.7 mi
10. Turn left onto Quince Rd
Destination will be on the left

187 ft

4975 Quince Rd
Memphis, TN 38117

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Questions We Should Ask Ouselves About Our Apparel (Nancy Leigh Demoss)

    • What statement do my clothes make about my heart?
    • In choosing what clothes to wear today, whose attention do I desire, and whose approval do I crave? Am I seeking to please God or impress others?
    • Is what I wear consistent with the biblical values of modesty, self-control, and respectable apparel, or does my dress reveal an inordinate identification and fascination with sinful cultural values?
    • Who am I trying to identify with through my dress? Is the Word of God my standard or is it the latest fashion? 
    • Have I asked other godly individuals to evaluate my wardrobe?
    • Does my clothing reveal an allegiance to the gospel, or is there any contradiction between my profession of faith and my practice of godliness?1
    • Ask a godly family member or a close friend to give you their honest opinion about your clothing choices. Ask yourself, “Why do I want to wear this particular outfit?” and “Do I truly believe God would be pleased with the way I look in this outfit?”
    • Is there writing (or pictures) on my clothing that emphasizes private parts of my body?
    • If someone were to look at me, where would their eyes naturally go—to my face, eyes, hips, thighs, breasts, etc.? Where do I want men looking when I come into view?
    • Is the fabric that I’m wearing too sheer? Could someone see through it to private parts of my body?
    • Am I wearing tight, form-fitting clothes? (A well-known designer once said, “Your clothing should be tight enough to show that you’re a woman, but loose enough to show that you’re a lady!"
    • Am I wearing anything provocative? (Today, underwear has become outerwear—often designed to be provocative. To expose undergarments is to tease men.) 

Sunday, June 09, 2013

More Beautiful Than Imagined!

When William Montague Dyke was ten years old, he was blinded in an accident. Despite his disability, William graduated from a university in England with high honors. While he was in school, he fell in love with the daughter of a high-ranking British naval officer, and they became engaged.
          Not long before the wedding, William had eye surgery in the hope that the operation would restore his sight. If it failed, he would remain blind for the rest of his life. William insisted on keeping the bandages on his face until his wedding day. If the surgery was successful, he wanted the first person he saw to be his new bride.
          The wedding day arrived. The many guests—including royalty, cabinet members, and distinguished men and women of society—assembled together to witness the exchange of vows. William's father, Sir William Hart Dyke, and the doctor who performed the surgery stood next to the groom, whose eyes were still covered with bandages. The organ trumpeted the wedding march, and the bride slowly walked down the aisle to the front of the church.
As soon as she arrived at the altar, the surgeon took a pair of scissors out of his pocket and cut the bandages from William's eyes.
          Tension filled the room. The congregation of witnesses held their breath as they waited to find out if William could see the woman standing before him. As he stood face-to-face with his bride-to-be, William’s words echoed throughout the cathedral, "You are more beautiful than I ever imagined!"
          One day the bandages that cover our eyes will be removed. When we stand face-to-face with Jesus Christ and see His face for the very first time, His glory will be far more splendid than anything we have ever imagined in this life. (Kent Crockett, Making Today Count for Eternity, Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, pp. 101-102) 

Thursday, June 06, 2013

The Danger Of Delay

The Danger Of Delay
A German farmer settled in Guatemala and became very prosperous. After a while he decided he would go back to visit his family in Germany. So he saved his money and got on a ship.
After a few days at sea he noticed he had an infection in his toe and realized that a small tropical flea was under the nail and had laid its eggs. This caused him terrible itching and inflammation. The cure was to take a needle and bore through the nail and remove it.
The German farmer decided to do that. So he got a needle and sat down. Then he thought, “My uncle and his family in Hamburg have never seen one of these tropical flees.” So he decided to leave it under the nail and after he had shown them he would remove it.
By the time he reached Hamburg his toe was swollen and his foot was hurting terribly. He showed it to his Uncle Otto who looked and said, “Aw, the whole family would like to see this.” So he left it in until all the family could see it. But the difficulty was that the infection got out of control and got into the blood and he died of sepsis. (Adapted from The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, Charles Swindoll, p. 471)
-If you want to commit spiritual suicide, that might even lead to physical death, let something smolder in your heart and in your mind. Nurse it. Coddle it. Reason with it. Justify it. . . . but most of all look for a convenient season to deal with it. . . .
(from a sermon by Phillip Harrelson)

Thursday, May 02, 2013

DRAFT notes for discipleship class: Loyalty, Unity and Bitterness



In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity....St. Augustine often quoted by John Wesley

Arnold was born into a well-respected family in Norwich, Connecticut, on January 14, 1741. He apprenticed with an apothecary and was a member of the militia during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). He later became a successful trader and joined the Continental Army when the Revolutionary War broke out between Great Britain and its 13 American colonies in 1775. When the war ended in 1883, the colonies had won their independence from Britain and formed a new nation, the United States.

During the war, Benedict Arnold proved himself a brave and skillful leader, helping Ethan Allen's troops capture Fort Ticonderoga in 1775 and then participating in the unsuccessful attack on British Quebec later that year, which earned him a promotion to brigadier general. Arnold distinguished himself in campaigns at Lake Champlain, Ridgefield and Saratoga, and gained the support of George Washington. However, Arnold had enemies within the military and in 1777, five men of lesser rank were promoted over him. Over the course of the next few years, Arnold married for a second time and he and his new wife lived a lavish lifestyle in Philadelphia, accumulating substantial debt. The debt and the resentment Arnold felt over not being promoted faster were motivating factors in his choice to become a turncoat.

In 1780, Arnold was given command of West Point, an American fort on the Hudson River in New York (and future home of the U.S. military academy, established in 1802). Arnold contacted Sir Henry Clinton, head of the British forces, and proposed handing over West Point and his men. On September 21 of that year, Arnold met with Major John Andre and made his traitorous pact. However, the conspiracy was uncovered and Andre was captured and executed. Arnold, the former American patriot, fled to the enemy side and went on to lead British troops in Virginia and Connecticut. He later moved to England, though he never received all of what he'd been promised by the British. He died in London on June 14, 1801. (www.history.com)

This, of course, was Benedict Arnold, a name synonymous with traitor!


The path to becoming Absalom

When you read the bible, after Judas Iscariot who betrayed our Lord Jesus, there is no more treacherous traitor than Absalom, the son of king David.

Absalom had a lot going for him
·       Good looking
·       King’s son
·       Had influence
But a tragedy occurred to Absalom’s sister, she was raped by her brother, and Absalom was disgruntled with how the king dealt with it.

David allowed his love for his son to sway him away from the justice that should have been done.
All the while Absalom was watching.
Life isn’t fair, and there are times when bad things happen to good people.  There are times when leaders, or brothers and sisters in the church, drop the ball.
·       Not so much what happens to us but what happens in us
·      Not so much the situation but how we respond to it
·       Illus: Two grown dogs were talking and the one shared a story of when he was a puppy. There once was little boy who had a puppy.  He loved the puppy and played with the puppy and the puppy loved him.  The puppy would do anything for that little boy.  Then one day another dog came around and the boy was enthralled with that dog.  He loved the new dog and the puppy became second fiddle.  Once while the puppy was playing fetch with the boy, the boy threw the stick and the puppy ran to fetch the stick and while he was gone, the new dog came and the boy started petting the other dog and forgot about the puppy and the stick. 
·       At the end of the story the other dog said “that was long ago, how do you recall all those details and the hurt?” The dog said “I am still carrying the stick!”

Absalom carried that stick for two long years and eventually he had his brother killed.  But bitterness has far reaching roots.

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
His bitterness caused him to sew discord in the nation.  He created a false perception that David didn’t care.

“If I were king, I would take time for you.”

This eventually lodged in the minds of the people till they actually believed that David didn’t care. (Though David had his faults, the love he had for the people of Israel is marked throughout the story of his life!)

His words and deeds, split the nation, caused a war, and took the lives of many thousands including his own.

Let me share with you how this happens and how the devil does this today.
·       It’s not like it once was (People who say this are saying that they have changed, because our spirituality is our own doing!)
·       When you go over their house, just watch, look, pay attention, you will see, you have the Holy Ghost.
·       When you go to that church, look…

What they are endeavoring to do is to sew a false perception in your mind and get you to look for things that are negative.

But my bible tells me to Think on these things!

Php 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

We need to show grace to one another
·       If we want grace and understanding, we need to show it, to leaders, to brothers and sisters
We need to love in spite of others' faults
·       Rick Warren’s son and his suicide
·       The times when he had to cancel a meeting and couldn’t tell the world it was because of his son’s illness.
·       We don’t know what other people are going through.


We need to reject those who would create a false perception, in our mind.

For those who would come up next to you and say:
·       What do you think about Sis. So N So?
·       What do you think about what Pastor taught last night?
·       I just don’t feel that the church is as loving as it ought to be…

That is the devil trying to form a perception in your mind, a preconceived idea that will make you prone to look for the worst!

We can’t let that happen!
Ladies I know
·       throw birthday parties
·       have baby showers
·       write cards
·       pray for one another
·       buy clothes  and shoes for other people’s kids
·       cook food for those suffering a loss in their family
·       visit folks in the hospital
·       help others clean their house
·       sometimes have babysat for free
·       volunteer their time to decorate for Sunday School and the church
·       Taken people to the doctors office

The men that I know
·       put gas in other people's tanks
·       paid their automobile insurance
·       taught other people's children how to ride a bicycle
·       help them get their car fixed
·       pick them up for church
·       pray for them
·       lent their truck out
·       helped people move
·       Made jobs and paid others out of their own pocket to help them

We need to be loyal to God our church our leaders


APPLICATION:
·       I will have a forgiving spirit
·       I will deal directly with God and with my brother


Pro 6:19  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Mat 18:7  Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

Offences is defined thusly:
G4625
σκάνδαλον
skandalon
Thayer Definition:
1) the movable stick or trigger of a trap, a trap stick
1a) a trap, snare

( A stick that triggers the trap that puts you in the jail!)


Luk 17:1  Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!

Rom 16:17  Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

2Ti 2:25  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
2Ti 2:26  And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
(satan-adversary, opponent)

Jude 1:18-21
18  How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
19  These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
20  But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21  Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Unsettled questions rattle around in our hearts like loose cannons.
Search the Scriptures! Go To God! Ask the pastor! Get the answer!

When we lose our certainty, we stop moving forward.
When you don't know where you're going, you don't go very fast.

When the devil has succeeded in getting you to doubt your leaders, or your brothers, he ruins your effectiveness for God, and cripples your growth.

2Ch 20:20  And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.


The friendship of the world is enmity with God. 
You must choose to be a friend of God or a friend of the world.
If you are a friend of them that sow discord, you are no friend of God, and no friend of mine.



Pro 18:19    A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.


Mar 6:3    Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

Rom 14:21    It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.


Friday, April 12, 2013

New Beginnings Part 2 "From Saul To Paul"


New Beginnings Part 2 "From Saul to Paul"

Bible Reading Acts 9:1-18
Text Acts 9:5-6
5  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6  And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.


Review: We said “It is never too late to become what you could have been.” 
We shared that everyone needs a fresh start, a do over, a new beginning.
Whether you are a seasoned saint, a new believer, or you are just checking out this Christianity thing, there are times we just want to start over, and God allows that and makes a way for us  to begin again.

Last week we saw Mary Magdalene at the tomb experiencing a new beginning. 
She thought it was the end, she was at a point of utter despair, things couldn't get any worse in her eyes, but it was really just the beginning.
She couldn't see Jesus because she was blinded by her despair.
Jesus had to break in on her and manifest Himself to her, He whispered her name and her eyes were opened and she found out that instead of it being the end, it was just the beginning!

We see a similar pattern in our man this week.
Two names in the bible for this man, Saul, and Paul.  Saul was the BC name.  Before Christ.
Saul was what we would look at as the evil persecutor, pursuing Christians throughout the land, hauling them off to jail, watching as they are stoned to death, zealous in His persecution of the believers.

But the amazing thing is, if you would ask Saul, he wouldn’t see himself in that light at all.
·       He would tell you that he is a believer in the one true God Jehovah.
·       That He is zealous about the Word of God
·       That He is trying to eradicate this false doctrine that has sprung up
Looking back from our viewpoint we can see him accurately, but from his day and time it would look differently.  He was blinded by his self-righteousness and religion!

That leads us to ask the question, is it possible that we are blinded also?
The bible tells us that “Every man’s ways are right in his own eyes…”
That there would be those that say we preached in your name and did many wonderful works in your name and yet Jesus will say depart for I never knew you!

Self-Righteousness and pride are some of the most dangerous sins because you are blind to them!
If you rob a bank, you don’t afterwards ask “What happened?  Why do I have $5000 dollars in my wallet, I don’t understand…”
You know!
If you commit adultery, you don’t ask “Who are you?  You are not my wife or my husband!!”
You know!

But pride and self-righteousness conceal themselves from you.
They are like the cold sore virus, never completely eradicated, 60%-75% of the world carries it, and it hides at the base of your spine, and waits for a time of high stress, or excessive sun exposure, or tiredness to break out and make it’s ugly self known.

That is just like pride and self-righteousness!
·       They lurk within and blind us to Jesus calling
·       They hide and keep us from understanding the goading of God
·       They keep us deaf to the voice of God calling
So how can I identify it in my life?
There are some symptoms that you can look for:
·       Self-righteousness keeps us constantly struggling (because we are ever having to earn our standing with God in our eyes!)
·       Self-righteousness makes us easily annoyed with others (why can’t they live up to our standards?)
·       Self-righteousness makes us joyless (There is no enjoyment in a rat race mentality!)
·       Self-righteousness  makes us demanding

Compare that to the righteousness that Jesus gives us when we put our faith in Him and receive Him as our Savior:
·       Instead of struggle there is peace:
o   Rom 5:1-3  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
·       Instead of being easily annoyed, there is longsuffering (fruit of the Spirit)
·       Instead of being joyless there is joy unspeakable!
·       Instead of being demanding there is understanding
·       Instead of being proud there is humility (you understand like Paul “there is no good thing in me”
·       Instead of worry in tribulation (What did I do to bring this on me? (which reveals the work for righteousness mentality)) You Glory in tribulation, because it is another chance for God to get glory from our story!

***Woodpecker started to peck on a limb at the same time that a lightning bolt hit the tree and flew away saying “Whoa!  I didn't know I had that much power in my beak!”

In Self-righteousness, whenever the goad of God, our conscience, begins to poke at our heart, we tend to crank up the machinery a little faster and DO more!  Hoping that will quiet that certain uneasiness that we are feeling.

It doesn't!  But it does make us deaf to God calling!

God had to break in on Saul just like He had to break in on Mary.

“Saul! Saul! it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks!”
Who art thou Lord?  What!? A religious nut, but he didn't know who Jesus was!
JW’s, Mormons, Catholics, Hindus, Muslims, and even some who claim Christianity but are Christians in name only!
Notice this:

Act 9:6  And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

But what did the scriptures say that he did?   RECEIVED!  RECEIVED SIGHT!  RECEIVED THE HOLY GHOST!

The “must do” was related to the calling God had on his life, not how to be saved.  As one man said, “Our salvation isn’t received because of our behavior, but because of our belief (in Christ)”

Saul had a new beginning! He was changed from a self righteous, proud religious man, into a humble follower of Christ! 

You can have a new beginning today also!


Sunday, January 06, 2013

Learning To Love

"Learning To Love" series starts today at 11am and every Sunday in January, but If you think you are in for four weeks of warm fuzzy sermons, think again! God's command to love is one of the most challenging in the bible. Consider these:
  • Love your ENEMIES
  • Love your wife like Christ lives the church and DIED for it.
  • (By the way, no intended connection between enemy and wife) :-)
But the greatest thing about love is that God said "Love NEVER fails!"

See you at 11!

Friday, January 04, 2013

The Cold Within


Six humans trapped by happenstance in black and bitter cold.
Each one possessed a stick of wood (or so the story’s told).

Their dying fire, in need of logs, the first woman held hers back,
For on the faces around the fire, she noticed one was black.

The second, looking across the way, saw one not of his church,
And couldn’t bring himself to give the fire his stick of birch.

The poor man sat in tattered clothes, he gave his coat a hitch.
Why should his log be put to use to warm the idle rich?

The rich man just sat back and thought of the wealth he had in store
And how to keep what he had earned from the lazy, shiftless poor.

The black man’s face bespoke revenge as the fire passed from his sight,
For all he saw in his stick of wood was a chance to spite the white.

And the last of this forlorn group did not accept for gain:
Giving only to those who gave was how he played the game.

The logs held tight in deaths’ still cold hands was proof of human sin.
They didn’t die from the cold without, They died from the cold within.


This poem was written in the 1920’s by James Patrick Kinney