April 21, 2008 by Pastor Jon.

So it was when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine 1 Samuel 17:48 (emphasis mine)

David ran out to meet Goliath. From a logical stand point, David was not the best choice to send against Goliath. He was small, young and inexperienced. He did not have the confidence of King Saul, his brothers, or the rest of the army.

1. David did not listen to the doubts of others, and drew confidence from his past experience. He reminded himself and King Saul of his victories over the lions and the bears.  He stood on the fact that he heard from God.
2. The Lord was with David and he knew it. David had a habit of praising and worshiping God. His relationship was strong and he was able to tap into the strength of that relationship.
3. David ran to the battle. He knew that the only way to win was to advance. He did not want to allow Goliath to have the advantage of momentum or position. He wanted that advantage.

So ask yourself, do you see yourself as God sees you? Do you hear from God? Do you have the confidence to move out and run towards the battle? (Step out into what God has called you too.)

If not, then the place to start is with your relationship with Christ. Spend time each day in His word. Spend time in praise, worship and prayer. Make it a daily habit. This daily investment will continually draw you to find your place in God’s plan.

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April 18, 2008 by Pastor Jon.

Our meeting last Sunday (4/13) went well. We had over 13 people in attendance.

Memory Verse Galatians 4:6-7, And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out Abba Father! Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

We reviewed chapters 4 and 5 in the Divine Mentor.

Our next meeting will be on 4/27 and we will review chapters 6 and 7

We started off with this quote from chapter 4

“By the time you graduate from high school, statistics say you will have watched more then sixteen thousand hours of TV. Fourteen thousand hours in an educational institution. And if you if you go to church for just two hours a week, you will have spent just under two thousand hours getting spiritual help. So, to draw on when it comes to make a decision, you’ll have eight times as much TV and seven times as much “world culture education” as you will have church” p59

When trying to implement a change you need to start small and build it over time. The same goes with a discipline approach to spending more time with God. Time spent with God will deposit wisdom that will help you navigate the issues that may arise in the future. The Holy Spirit knows what lays ahead when we do not. On page 57 the Wayne Corderio wrote that satan most often attacks your relationship with God as apposed to your fruit. If he can weaken our relationship he can make us vulnerable to getting off track.

In Chapter 5 Wayne wrote “We must understand, and make the fact a core principal that the source for the Christian, that which fuels, ignites, guides, sustains, empowers absolutely everything is our time with the master.” p. 68

For you and for Redeemer’s Way to achieve success to be productive to feel satisfied and fulfilled to become an important part of the solution rather than a significant part of the problem, we must practice daily time spent with God. We must do this day in and day out. Neglecting this causes spiritual weakness, and leaves us vulnerable to making rash decisions and choices. p.70

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April 14, 2008 by Pastor Jon.

In the book The Devine Mentor on page 77, Wayne Cordeiro writes, “If we are going to be a leader in our families, our communities and our church, then we must be a people who know how to take ground and move forward. To do that effectively you will have to know God’s word – memorize key verses. If all you are doing is playing defense you will continue to lose… Victory only comes to those who learn to go on the offense and succeed on the offensive.”

As Christians we must keep moving forward. Even when we are not 100% for sure where God is leading us we most move. Often times God will not reveal further direction until we show our faith and the willingness to be obedient. We must carry the presence of the Lord and be willing to step into the unknown. We also must be willing to leave behind the comfortable.

Joshua 3:13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the Priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan. Then the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.—- vs. 17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in he midst of the Jordan.

1. Bear the Ark – The ark represents God’s presence.  This relates to the time we spend reading the word, the time we spend in prayer and fasting. If we neglect individual (one on one) time with God we can not walk in His presence. We must carry the presence with us.

2. Get Wet (Step into the unknown) — The Jordan River was in its flood stage when the Children of Israel crossed over. Odds are, it was wider, deeper and flowing faster than any other time of the year. While carrying the heavy Ark of the Covenant, the Priest had to step into the fast flowing strong current with the slippery and sinking muddy bottom. But once they did the ground became dry and firm. We must have faith to step forward and walk into the water.

3. Leave it behind – Matthew 4:18-20 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fisherman (This was there heritage, life, source of income etc.) Then he said to them “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” They immediately left their nets and followed him.

They had to leave behind the comfortable. They also had to step out into the unknown. Christ leads us to a place where we depend fully on Him. It is at this place we can find true peace, and find the life that God has called us too. As we die to self we find our self in Christ. As we step into the unknown we find revelation and life.

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April 3, 2008 by Pastor Jon.

We had another great team meeting this past Sunday. Counting the Stallings family we had 7 adults and 5 children for a total of 12 people.

Janice spent time relating Redeemer’s Way’s vision to Joshua. We feel strongly that Joshua chapters 3-5 describe where we are now (west side of the Jordan) and where we are quickly heading (east side of the Jordan). God gave them the land but the Children of Israel had to go in and possess it.

We then spent time discussing the first three chapters of The Divine Mentor by Wayne Cordeiro.  Click here to learn more about the book

From chapter 1 “Sacred Enclosures” we learned about guarding your heart and protecting your root system. We must watch out for distractions that will keep us from spending time with the Father. We talked about Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42. Through this we learned that even ministry can become a distraction.

In chapter 2, “You Do not Have What it Takes,” we learned about the two teachers, Consequences and Wisdom. Consequences we learn from after the fact. It also causes regret. From wisdom we learn upfront, but it requires discipline, obedience, consistency and above all time. The people and events are recorded in the Bible so we can learn from their wisdom. We learn from the good, and from the consequences of the bad. Our investment upfront will pay huge dividends in wisdom.  

In chapter 3 “The Self-feeding Program” we learned that we are responsible for our spiritual health. As Pastor Scott has taught us, if the only word we get is on Sunday and/or Wednesday we are not getting enough.

In Joshua 5:12 the manna stopped flowing and the children of Israel had to seek out the fruit of the land.

There is not a magic bullet to solve it all. We can not depend on others to feed us. Pastors and teachers are critical but our success is up to us as individuals.

Our next meeting will be on 4/13

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