As many of you know I have had a stirring my spirit for several weeks now about the Church and the amount of passion that we have or rather do not have. It seems that everything that I read or study points me back to that theme in some way or another and today I read and today was not different. If you read the scripture, above what do you see? What jumps out at you some might say that it is a message from Paul to make sure that people are prepared so that what he has been saying about them is accurate. However, that is really a side point to what I think is important about this scripture.

Everyone knows how “fired up” Paul was for Christ. We all know the great lengths he went to share his faith and to be tortured and eventually martyred for his beliefs. So for him to be “proud” (for lack of a better word) and to boast about these people, they must have been very sincere with their hearts and with their actions. So here is my question…When is the last time that you enthusiasm for Christ and your ministry affected others to be as excited as you are. Are you so excited about serving your Lord that it is contagious to other Christians and to others that may not even know you? I wonder if your church so was fired up for Jesus that they started to make other spread the word through the community about “That Church”. We all have heard how quickly gossip can spread and we all know that if a church is doing something that is way out there it is spread quickly and everyone is talking. Well lets use that and let’s make them say “I have never seen a church that is that caring,” or “Wow, why would they do so much for us?” But most importantly let’s make the say “you know, there is something different about that Church.”

Pay close attention to verse 2 because Paul tells us that when he spread the word about this church it “stirred most of them to action”. That’s right we can take Christ to the streets and not only affect the lost but we can affect the stagnant as well. Read your Bible and get “FIRED UP” Lets do this!!!

God Bless ~ Tyler

I know I know it has been a long time since I have blogged last, and I am sorry for that however I have just been literally swamped with an abundant life. Some ways good and some ways bad but still abundant none the less. I have spent time with my fellow pastors and some time with my family but one place that I have spent some serious time is in my Heavenly Father’s lap. Jesus and I have spent some time just talking and hashing out things that I just don’t understand. And more importantly He has begun to show me my passion, and that is helping others renew their passion. I want to see Christians renew that fire inside them that burns and draws them closer to God. Where else are we supposed to be as Christians? Let me explain in a better way, if your time at church is spent wondering how much longer the pastor is going to take…you’ve lost your passion. It is time to dive into the word and find out what God has planned for you. And it basically is very simple, God doesn’t need you, but He wants to use you. Find out what it is an take the necessary steps, then go get your blessing. Love yall…stay tight

God Bless~ Tyler

I have to admit that I have been swamped and just down right lazy and have missed my devotions the past 2 days so…In that regard I was sent something from the guy that was my guide and example of what a christian is supposed to be and so I thought that it was worth sharing.  And as father’s day approaches I began to think about my own father and how he has impacted my life.  My Dad has always been an amazing father and he was always an example of not only Christ’s love but also his forgiveness.   But the most important thing that my father did for us as kids was he has always studied the word and he always pointed issues in our life to what the word said and instructed us to look their for the answers.  Well he had an email echange that I thought was phenominal so I wanted to share it.  So without further delay Here it is!

God’s Will ,  I remembered one of the major verses we have used in the past –

Ephesians 1:3 – 10.  The heart of the verses are 4 – 6 ….. it says…….

 “ for He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to  His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.”  HCSB

 These verses tell us He chose us to be HOLY and BLAMELESS in His sight – that is God’s will for our lives …….. or in other words to be like Jesus! That is God’s will for every life.  

 When someone will ask me about God’s will, I will refer to the above verses and then ask if they are doing the things they already know are God’s will – such as,

 Matt 15:4  – “  ….. Honor your father and your mother ……”

Matt 19:18 – 19 “…….. Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; ……”

 And the list includes all the commandments, and on, and on, etc.  We are given a large amount of scripture which details how the followers of Jesus are to live – this is the will of God for our lives.  If we are not doing what we already know to do,  how can God show us additional direction of His will?  This is a major teaching in the OT – when God’s people knew what God’s heart desired of them, but they chose their will, not God’s.  That is one of the major turning points within our lives as followers of Jesus,  when we chose to obey what we already know is God’s will for our life and then God can reveal the NEXT step in our lives.

 There is so much to this subject – “God’s will” – I have found in my own life that most of the time it is a battle of the “wills” – mine or God’s.  I have to chose everyday – every hour to obey God’s will for my life – period!  I think it is that simple – as soon as I allow God to have control of my will, I then know His Will in its fullness.

 I love the verse – Matt 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” HCSB

One of those “things” is knowing God’s will ………… it will be provided for you!

I hope you enjoyed it and I also hope that you will take time this weekend to tell you Dad or your father figure how much they meant to you.

God Bless ~ Tyler

Hebrews 13:5-6 (New American Standard Bible)
5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,”
6 so that we confidently say,
“THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID.
WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”

A couple of days ago I gave you a definition for character that a man wrote.  Well the scripture above is one definition of character that God wrote.  Although I do not have a love of money, I do have a stress factor for money.   I will find myself at times stressing over money and even having certain levels of anxiety.  I know that we all have certain levels of this throughout life but the Bible is very specific about how we are to live through Christ. Remember that we as Christians are not to have anxiety over anything in life. 

Philippians 4:6-7 (New American Standard Bible)
 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 
 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We are quick to forget that God will NEVER desert us, nor will He EVER forsake us.  There should be great comfort in these words.  Why do we struggle with this so much when the Bible is so clear about what anxiety does to us as humans? It clearly makes us ineffective.

Proverbs 12:25 (New American Standard Bible)
25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,
But a good word makes it glad.

However, there is a cure for this worry and anxiety.  The scriptures tell us that we are to call upon the Lord and he will take all of our cares and burdens and place them on the cross.  We are as believers to take all of our problems, concerns, & cares to Christ and He will relieve us of those and give us His peace, which as scripture above stated is beyond all comprehension.  Look at what the Psalmist said:

Psalm 34:4 (New American Standard Bible)
4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me,
   And delivered me from all my fears.

So remember that all we have to do is cast our burdens upon Christ and He will delivery us from them.  I know that this seems very simple and yet it is hard to do sometimes.  But I encourage you as well as myself to pray without ceasing and give those things that we cannot control over to the Master who will never forsake us.

God Bless ~ Tyler