Memorial Day

this video is in memory of those that died in service to our country’s military.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_klwtm67ogg

This video is in honor of those that are currently serving in our country’s military overseas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkkzNa2nlZI&feature=related

In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

All For His Glory

One of the closings I use on many of my communications is "All by His grace, All for His glory."

"You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created." (Revelation 4:11)

God willed us and created us and we are set apart (sanctified) for a special purpose.

For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
(Hebrews 10:14)

We have been perfected, that is matured in Christ. We are mature beautiful fruit on the vine of Jesus Christ, and this was accomplished through one sacrifice for all time.

We weren't created so that we could just experience the joy of being fruit and hanging out on an awesome vine or tree.

We were created for the glory of God.

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:9-11)

and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
(Revelation 1:6)

So what's your 'bringing God glory' index looking like right now? How have you been bringing glory to your Heavenly Father and your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? The amazing thing about all this, is that God promises us that as we serve Him and bring Him glory that we will receive glory in Christ Jesus. If we lose our lives, we shall truly find them! Jump in to being a fully devoted follower of Christ! The water's fine.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Just How Naked ARE You?

Most of you remember the fairy tale of the Emperor's New Clothes. If you don't you can google it and there are many sites that have the story. Impostors claimed to be weaving exquisite cloth for the emperor and yet what they held up for inspection was nothing! Fearing that something must be wrong with themselves, the king's men didn't challenge the impostors but complimented them on the material. The emperor in turn didn't want to admit that he couldn't see anything, and ended up wearing an imaginary set of clothes!

We, like the emperor, think we are wearing a great outfit when the world tell us we looks good, but in reality we are, by God's standard naked.

When we look at ourselves through the eyes of the world, we see ourselves as reasonably happy, reasonably well off, reasonably well clothed, and reasonably healthy. Yet if we are not living wholeheartedly for Christ we are in fact, wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and yes, naked.

So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
(Revelation 3:16-19)

Are you fervent for the Lord? Do you see the urgency of reaching the lost for Christ? Do you see the urgency of reaching the 'off track ones' for Christ?

It is when we lose our fervency and our sense of urgency that lethargy, apathy, and lukewarmness set in. Suddenly we are no longer sacrificially serving God out of a commitment, but serving Him when it is convenient. When we can afford to, when we're not too tired, when we don't have anything more important or more enjoyable to do.

God help us!
Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Christ is Ever Knocking- Are You Answering?

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
(Revelation 3:20)

Christ is ever seeking our fellowship and we either join in that fellowship or refuse it.

Have you been fellowshipping with Christ, or have you been shutting Him out?

The word of God warns us that if our love is to be without hypocrisy we must abhor that which is evil and cling to that which is good.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
(Romans 12:9)

Unfortunately sometimes we avoid the good (i.e., praying, witnessing, fellowshipping with the saints, worshipping, studying the Word), and cling to the stuff that is unhealthy and worldly.

Opportunity always knocks, but so does Christ. He brings opportunity to be spiritually victorious and to honor and glorify God with our life.

So are you answering?

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Are You Born of God? Then You are an Overcomer!

We don't often see ourselves as overcomers. We tend to focus more on our circumstances or our failures then on who we are in Christ.

The apostle John said this,

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. (1 John 5:4)

The faith of God is more powerful then the world. Therefore those that have it are more powerful then the world.

The apostle John also said,

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them [evil spirits], because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

The faith of God is more powerful then the evil spirits at work in the world. Therefore those that have it are more powerful then the demonic forces in the world.

No wonder the apostle James said, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
(James 4:7)

Our theme this year at Calvary Chapel Space Coast has been, "Overcome, or Be Overcome". This is not a season for the church of Jesus Christ to sit back and relax and take a breather. This is a season for the church of Jesus Christ to move against the forces of evil at work in this world and OVERCOME!

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Revelation- Jesus is Ruler over the Kings of the Earth

Did you know that Jesus is the ruler over the kings of the earth?

Our SCRIPTURE FOR THE DAY is Revelation 1:5, which says,

and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, (Revelation 1:5)

Do you realize what that means? God is in control!

The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. (Proverbs 21:1)

The world so often looks so out of control that we sometimes forget that despite the fact that sin has infected our world, and that sinners hold positions of great authority, JESUS CHRIST HOLDS A GREATER POSITION OF AUTHORITY!

Our God loved us and washed us from our sins by His own blood!!

And now the risen Christ is reigning until all enemies are subjected to Him.

For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. (1 Corinthians 15:25)

Praise God for His salvation and deliverance! Praise God for His merciful reign over man and His patience toward us, not willing that any perish, but that all would come to repentance.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Press Toward the Goal

Press toward the goal, my brothers and sisters in Christ!

Do not lean on your own understanding, do not trust your natural wisdom, do not think that you will win in your own strength, but whole heartedly put y0ur trust in the Lord.

It starts with making sure you have a right standing with God (the Bible calls this being "justified"), and this is obtained through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

It then continues as you walk in that faith, trusting God at every turn to work on your behalf.

"When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. So it shall be, when you are on the verge of battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people. And he shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; for the LORD your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.'
(Deuteronomy 20:1-4)

Can you believe this? Before the general and the officers of the army addressed the troops, the priests were to address the troops. Yes, we are responsible to act, but our faith must not be in our own strength, but in the will and might of our God. Our God is our strength and our deliverer.

For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 3:3-14)

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Our SCRIPTURE FOR THE DAY is Philippians 3:10

The Early Church and the Word

How important was the Word in the growth of the early church?

Then those who gladly received his word were immersed; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
(Acts 2:41)

However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
(Acts 4:4)

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
(Acts 4:31)

but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word." . . . Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
(Acts 6:4, 7)

So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
(Acts 8:25)

The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the immersion which John preached:
(Acts 10:36-37)

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
(Acts 10:44)

Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.
(Acts 11:1)

Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only.
(Acts 11:19)

But the word of God grew and multiplied.
(Acts 12:24)

who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
(Acts 13:7)

On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.
(Acts 13:44)

Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region.
(Acts 13:48-49)

Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing."
(Acts 15:35-36)

These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
(Acts 17:11)

And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks . . . So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
(Acts 19:10, 20)

"So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
(Acts 20:32)

So what do you think? How important was the spread of the Word of God in the growth of the early church?

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY:
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
(Acts 1:8)

So how are you doing in being a witness for the Lord to those around you?

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Golden Pot Stirrer Award

How often have you been accused of stirring the pot? Did you know that stirring the pot can be a good thing, especially if you're stirring up the people of God to look out for each other and love each other the way Christ loved us.

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
(Hebrews 10:24)

How about do a little pot stirring today? Can you think of some ways that you can encourage a Christian brother or sister to share the gospel with someone? Or, to help out someone? Or, to bless a Christian brother or sister in a special way?

Be blessed, and be a blessing,

Pastor B.

Let Your Light Shine

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
(Matthew 5:16)

"Good works" are more than actions. Good works are acts of obedience. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your acts of obedience and glorify your Father in heaven. One of our first acts of obedience must be to repent of our sins and receive Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." (John 6:28-29)

Another act of obedience is to be the witness that God calls us to be.

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

Witnesses are sworn to tell the truth, and they are obligated to TESTIFY! We must testify, and that obligates us to speak up!

There is a sense in which God is on trial in the world every day. There are plenty of those that think of Him, or even accuse Him of beign uncaring, distant, and cold. Those of us that know differently have been called on to testify on His behalf. Not because of the consequences that God must face, but of the consequences that the unrepentant must face.

Let your light be the light of the Spirit and truth of God. Shine brightly til Jesus comes, and may many find their way in the darkness to salvation and new life in Christ because of your light.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

You don't TAKE communion, you SHARE in communion

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship [communion, 'koin-no-nee-a'] with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

It is interesting that we call the Christian passover 'meal' communion. The word communion comes from the Latin 'communis' meaning 'common' or 'shared'. We get the words 'community' and 'commune' from this. Places where everyone mutually participates and shares in community life.

The Christian church is a community of believers that shares in daily life together

So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
(Acts 2:46-47)

You don't TAKE communion or fellowship. You SHARE in communion or fellowship.

And our sharing or participation in communion is not based on OUR worthiness, but on the worthiness of Jesus Christ!

So why does the scripture tie fellowship with the cleansing of the blood of Christ? It is the blood of Christ that brings us into fellowship with the Father and the FAMILY of God. If we have communion the blood of Christ cleanses us from our sin. Not because communion cleanses us from our sin, but because communion is the outward demonstration of the relationship that we have with the Father and the family through the blood of Christ. It is the evidence that the blood is working on our behalf because it has brought us into fellowship with the Father and the family.

Praise God! Praise Him that Christ is our righteousness and our holiness and our sanctification.
Praise Him that the blood of Christ brings us into relationship with the Father and the family of God.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Is Immersion Really that Big a Deal?

We have many denominations within the church of Jesus Christ that do not typically immerse people. The Catholic, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Methodist deonominations are some of the largest of these groups. Each of these groups has made significant contributions to the proclamation of Christ and the advancement of the kingdom of God. I believe it is a good thing to dedicate our infant children to the Lord and commit, as both parents and congregation of Christ, to disciple them as they grow. All Christians, however, would acknowledge that not all of these babies grow up into faith in Christ. Some reject Him. Some receive Him. John the apostle says that:

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: (John 1:12)

Jesus said that it is important for all of us to publicly confess Him:
"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32)

So is immersion the way God has chosen for us to publicly confess our commitment to God? Should children of believing parents be immersed once they have received Christ?

Jesus Himself, though he was dedicated as a baby to God in the temple, was immersed.

Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were immersed by him [John the immerser] in the Jordan, confessing their sins. . . . And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be immersed by You, and are You coming to me?" But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him.
(Matthew 3:5-6, 14-15)

Jesus thought it was important enough to submit to it even though He was without sin.

In fact, Jesus tied personal faith to public immersion:

He who believes and is immersed will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:16)

It should therefore not surprise us that His apostles tied personal faith to public immersion:

Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be immersed in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)

And he commanded them to be immersed in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days. (Acts 10:48)

Or do you not know that as many of us as were immersed into Christ Jesus were immersed into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through immersion into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, (Romans 6:3-5)

There is also an antitype which now saves us—immersion (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (1 Peter 3:21)

Personal repentance and faith in Christ is excercised when we call upon the name of the Lord to save us, but public confession in the waters of immersion has been an important declaration of the Christ follower for over 2,000 years.

SCRIPTURE FOR THE DAY:
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
(Hebrews 10:22)

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Seek Him and Serve Him, Give Generously

When someone is selling 'gold' jewelry it is always important to make sure it is real gold. One way is to examine it for markings such as '14k' or '18k'. Another way is to put a few drops of a certain chemical on it to see if it changes color.

In Malachi 3:10 God calls on His people to 'examine' Him and see if His promised blessing is for real.




Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.
(Malachi 3:10)

The Hebrew word translated "try" in the vers above is 'bachan', which means to 'search out', 'examine', or 'test' something for truthfulness, or genuineness.

God was calling on His people to bring the tenths (i.e., tithes) of their produce and herds into the storehouse of the temple as instructed in His law, and to check Him out, if you will, and watch Him pour out a blessing of superabundance.

While Christ and His apostles never promised us financial prosperity in exchange for giving generous, we do know that God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him and serve Him generously.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Trust the Lord, Fear the Lord, Honor the Lord

Sessions 21-22

Most of us know the importance of having mercy and of having truth.

Most of would like to have favor with God and with man.

Three Keys to having mercy and truth, and having favor with God and with man.

Trust in the Lord, Fear the Lord, and Honor the Lord.

It may sound simple and straightforward, but look at what King Solomon had to say about this.

Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
(Proverbs 3:3-9)

Trusting the Lord means not leaning on your own understanding, and being willing to acknowledge Him and submit to Him in ALL areas of your life.

Fearing the Lord involves departing from ALL evil.

Honoring the Lord involves giving Him using ALL your possessions in the way that He wants you to, and giving to Him the first portion of your income and profits in life.

Wow!

A tall order and a total cost, but a tremendous blessing!!

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.
SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY
Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
(Proverbs 3:9)

Make the kingdom of God your number one priority

Make the kingdom of God your number one priority.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

The kingdom of God is where God reigns. Those of us that have Christ reigning in our lives have been translated into the kingdom of His dear Son.

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, (Colossians 1:13)

God wants to establish His kingdom on earth. Adam and Eve failed. Israel failed.

And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." (Exodus 19:6)

But God continues to rule over the nations and excercise His sovereignty from His throne.

For the kingdom is the LORD's, And He rules over the nations.
(Psalms 22:28)

The LORD has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all.
(Psalms 103:19)

They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, And talk of Your power, To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
(Psalms 145:11-13)

But there is a future day when God will establish His throne (the throne of David) on this earth.

And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
(Daniel 2:44)

The good news is that God is in control.

How great are His signs, And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation. . . . And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, "What have You done?"
(Daniel 4:3, 34-35)

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Happy Mother's Day to the Moms and Five Minutes Peace to All of You

There is a cute book called, "Five Minutes' Peace" by Jill Murphy that tells the story of a mother that just wants five minutes peace from her young demanding and often noisy children.

It's so right on with respect to the demands of motherhood, and I hope that all of you that are mothers have a great day tomorrow, and that you even get a rest and some peace from the day to day grind of motherhood. And for those of you that are not moms, I also hope you guys get some peace and some time to reflect on the goodness of God.

We are giving out a book to the ladies tomorrow at Calvary Chapel Space Coast that is called, Stones of Remembrance- A Rock-Hard Faith from Rock-Hard Places". It is the story of women of God that have chosen to walk in faith in the most difficult times.

What about you? Are you going through difficult times? Most of us would like a little less drama and a lot more down time. But the question is, are you walking out your faith in the hard times as well as the good times?

strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."
(Acts 14:22)

who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
(2 Corinthians 1:4)

We strengthen one another's souls by exhorting one another to walk out our faith in the midst of the hard times. Be of strong. Be of good courage. Wait on the Lord and He will strengthen your heart (Psalm 27:14). And while you're waiting, take some time to encourage a few of your brothers and sisters in Christ to walk out their faith. When the going gets tough, those grounded in Christ renew their determination to be faithful witnesses and servants of the one true God.

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

Weaknesses and Weapons

We all have our weaknesses, but one thing you can be sure of. No matter what your weakness, God can do extraordinary things through you, and there is no weapon in heaven or earth that can successfully be used against you by your adversary. Do you understand what that means? Your adversary is helpless against you, because God is in you and because God is your strength where you are weak.

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY- THURSDAY
And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Christ is in you and the power of Christ rests upon you as you serve God in the Spirit. There is a heritage that can be claimed by ALL SERVANTS OF THE LORD, and that heritage is that no weapon formed against you will work. Satan and his demonic horde can muster tanks, land mines, and even nuclear missles, but none of them will work against you and keep you from your destiny in Christ.

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY- FRIDAY
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD.
(Isaiah 54:17)

The prophet Moses didn't think he was the man for the job because of he was not an eloquent speaker and had a speech impediment. The Lord told him that He would be his mouth and teach him what to speak (Ex.4:10-12). Isaiah didn't feel that he had it together good enough to be a prophet (Is. 6:5). Jeremiah didn't think that he mature enough (Jer 1:6). Yet God called all of these people and used them in a mighty way.

Has God called you to serve Him? Then rest assure He can use you to do extraordinary things, weaknesses and all!

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

The Day of the Lord is Coming!

The Day of Reckoning is Coming! It's a world wide 'come to Jesus' meeting. It is a day when the nations will be judged for their wickedness and their persectuion of God's people. It is what the prophets called "The Day of the Lord".

It is not the day when the Lord Jesus came as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. It is the day when the Lord Jesus comes as the Lion of Judah, the son of David.

And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
(2 Thessalonians 1:7-9)

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
(Revelation 19:11-16)

We all know John 3:16, but how about Joel 3:16?

The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. (Joel 3:16)

Who can you tell about the second coming of Jesus and the Day of the Lord?

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

What Does God Require?

What does God REQUIRE of us? Interesting question. Not what would He like of us, or what He would want for us, but what does He REQUIRE of us?

Moses recorded the following in the book of Deuteronomy-

"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?
(Deu 10:12-13)

Wow! That sums it up, doesn't it? Some would have you think God doesn't require much, BUT . . . it's just the opposite. God requires EVERYTHING!

But that doesn't mean that the God following Christ following life is a complicated one with lots of rules. The prophet Micah put it this way-

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
(Mic 6:8)

The bottom line is that you and I have been purchased with the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28), all that we are and all that we have belongs to Him, and we are REQUIRED TO FAITHFULLY MANAGE WHAT IS HIS.

Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
(1Co 4:2)

So how have you been doing in managing yourself and all that you have? Have you been managing it as if it belonged to Him? How faithful are we as stewards of what the blood of Christ has purchased?

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

What Kind of Seed are YOU Sowing?

In Matthew 13 Jesus tells the parable of the sower that sows good seed in the ground, and the good seed is the Word of God.

Those that walk humbly with the Lord speak often of the wonderful works of God and the Word of God.

I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together.
(Psa 34:1-3)

Do you sow the good seed of the word of God and of testimonies of the wondeful works of God?

Believe it or not, arrogance and pride is one of the greatest enemies of those that are busy sowing the seed of the Word of God. One of the reasons for this is that arrogance and pride are subtle, and the schemes of the devil are subtle.

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY:
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (Jas 4:6-7)

Being a God-follower or Christ-follower is challenging, but not complicated. As the prophet Micah once said,

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?" (Mic 6:8)

When we get puffed up and full of ourselves we tend to be judgmental and critical and see what is wrong with our brothers and sisters in Christ, rather than encourage them as they minister in the name of Jesus.

King Solomon once wrote,
"These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren."
(Pro 6:16-19)

May the Lord help us to actively sow good seed into those around us, and to encourage those others that are sowing good seed in the name of Jesus.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Heed the Lord- Dig the Ditches

If God tells you to dig a ditch, dig a ditch. Whether it makes sense to you or not. How often we likely miss out on God's magnificent demonstrations of His power when we fail to heed His word to us.

Tonight is our first night at our Port. St. John campus, and we are excited about what God is going to do. He told us to start a contemporary casual service on Saturday nights in PSJ, and we have obeyed. Tonight is just the beginning of some neat things God is going to do.

On Sunday mornings here at Calvary Chapel Space Coast Titusville campus we are going through 2 Kings, and have seen how God sometimes calls us on us to do strange things in order to demonstrate His power.

The Israelite army is facing the army of Moab and God tells them through the prophet Elisha to dig ditches!

And he said, "Thus says the LORD: 'Make this valley full of ditches.' For thus says the LORD: 'You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.' And this is a simple matter in the sight of the LORD; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.
(2Ki 3:16-18)

What's really strange, is that even though God says He will miraculously provide water for them if they dig the ditches He doesn't really tell them what this has to do with winning a victory against the Moabite army.

You'll have to read the rest of 2 Kings chapter 3 for yourself if you want to see what God had cooking. What I WILL tell you is that God showed up big, and the Israelites came out on top BIG.

As we go through our survey of the whole Bible in six weeks during our daily abide in His word teaching (abideinhisword.com) it reminds me of how often God asks His children to trust Him and how He demonstrates His love and power to deliver in some pretty amazing ways.

God can work in the midst of the ordinary, but He takes great delight in working in the midst of the out-of-the-ordinary so that man doesn't think his victories are through his own wisdom or might.

Not by power, not by might, but by My Spirit says the Lord.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.