BLOG Archives – Messenger Church

Identity Crisis

Posted on Jun 17, 2019 in BLOG, Uncategorized |

“Identity Crisis”

Note: The following is a series I am teaching in Wed.’s Word Studies w/ Pastor. I pray it will be an encouragement to you as well as a directive. We are who we are because of who God says we are…we can do what we need to do because God says we can. Never believe differently.

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“Identity Crisis”

I firmly believe that one of the main reasons that many Christians remain in captivity after salvation is because of an Identity Crisis. A crisis that is brought on due to… # 1 Failure In Realizing Who They Are In Christ # 2 Accepting Who They Are Based Upon What The Word Says. Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge….”

It doesn’t matter who or what others say you are… it doesn’t matter what the devil says you are… It is what the Word/God says. In truth it doesn’t matter what or who God says you are…if you don’t accept it you will continue to fight the same battles you have been fighting for years.

I. Let It Go: The first thing you must do after salvation to be able to go forward is to …..let what was stay what was not what is….just let it go!

You say “but you wouldn’t say that if you knew my past. I would say what God would say…”What past?”

According to God, the Creator, you don’t have a past…5 2 Cor. 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

II. The Word Defines Us: God’s Word concerning each of us is irrevocable.

Deuteronomy 4:2 “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take anything from it”

Proverbs 30:6″Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar”.

Revelation 22:18-19, “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

III. The Word Says…

*I am complete in Him Who is the Head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10). “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”

*I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5). “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”

*I am free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

*I am far from oppression, and fear does not come near me (Isaiah 54:14). “In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you.”

*I am born of God, and the evil one does not touch me (1 John 5:18). “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.”

*I am holy and without blame before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4; “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,”

What I Have…Because of Him:

*I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16, “For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”

*I have the peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

*I have the Greater One living in me; greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

*I have received the gift of righteousness and reign as a king in life by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17, “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)”

*I have received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened. Ephesians 1:15-18, “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”

*I have received the power of the Holy Spirit to lay hands on the sick and see them recover, to cast out demons, to speak with new tongues. I have power over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm me. Mark 16:17-18,“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

*I have put off the old man and have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him Who created me (Colossians 3:9-10, “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,”

Oct '18

What Is On The Horizon?

Posted on Oct 3, 2018 in BLOG, Uncategorized |

Oct '18

What Is On The Horizon….

“I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” Lk. 12:49

The Vision…

A few weeks back, while n prayer in the sanctuary at MC, I was shown what is on the horizon for the church. The hungry church…the praying church…the purified church…the hearing/seeing church.

(A Note of Clarity: The Church = each born-again child of God who understands and knows that we r who we are because of Jesus’ birth, death, resurrection and ascension. He is now and will forever be the only way to the Father.)

“I saw a pile of smoldering embers; as I looked closer I could see the white dust, a residue of what had been, proof that in the past a fire had once been there but had lost something to burn and seemingly left nothing but the proof of the past fire. But then I felt the urgency to look closer, under the proof of the past fire, the dust, I saw some glowing ember, .some very small particles that still had the fire in them. As I stood gazing at the smoldering embers a wind began to blow across ‘what was’, the dust of the past fire, the dust was blown away, the wind continued to blow upon the small glowing embers and suddenly a fire burst out. As I stood there the fire began to grow in intensity. As it grew I began to see people start noticing the fire and were drawn to it’s flames. The higher the flames grew the further away it could be seen and it became like a magnet to those who saw it. People began to come from far away places…large crowds of people…they came to see and experience the fire.

This morning, 7/17/18, my spirit was drawn back to that vision and I heard these words…”It will begin with a gentle breeze and will then grow n intensity”.

To the hungry…the thirsty…Pastor or parishioner…get ready the gentle breeze, if it hasn’t’t already started blowing, it is about to begin and then the Wind.

(If this resonates with your spirit…share it with others.)

Apr '18

Doing Whatever It Takes

Posted on Apr 23, 2018 in BLOG, Uncategorized |

Apr '18

“Doing Whatever It Takes”

There is no doubt a great future is ahead for those who follow Christ; seeing people turn to Jesus, national and international revival, signs following those who believe, miraculous interventions (ElShaddai manifestations), those sick healed are but a few of what is possible. The question is…are we willing to “Do Whatever It Takes” to see these things happen? I pray the following will give a some insight into what we must do…

Phil. 3:13-14, “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.”

He, the devil, isn’t threatened by your past…but by your future! He knows the best is yet to be!!

I. Aims/Goals – ‘I press toward the goal’: ’if you aim at nothing you will hit it every time.’

Until we can see what we are aiming for the journey there will be impossible to achieve.

Goals/prizes are the impetus for what we face and have to go through to get to the award day.

II. Achieving What You Are Aiming For: Practice….practice….practice!

a. “I have not apprehended”.… None of us have arrived. We are and will always be in the process of becoming.

b. ‘forgetting what is behind’.

1. Forgetting the accomplishments of our past pursuits.

The end of anything is the beginning, the open door, of something bigger and often better but not often easier.

2. Forgetting the pains of the past and especially those who inflicted the pain.

It is hard to forget as long as there is a face to put on the pain. But we will never move beyond the moment of the pain until we begin the journey of forgetting.

c.. ‘I press (strain) toward (facing forward…refusing to live life looking in a rear view mirror)…’

In the pursuit of anything of value pressure is an inevitable part of the process but the reward by far out weighs the pressure.

Conc. What about you? Is there something you want enough that you are willing to practice…practice…practice…to go through “Doing Whatever It Takes?”

It will not always be easy but it will be possible.

Apr '17

Living In His Presence

Posted on Apr 27, 2017 in BLOG, Uncategorized |

Apr '17

Psalm 16:11, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

I believe stirring within the body of Christ today is a hunger for the presence of God at a level as never before. Many within the church have grown tired of a religion that is nothing more than performance based. Many are tired of hearing of life but never experiencing the abundant life that the Word of God promises us can be ours. If you are finding yourself seemingly sitting on the sidelines feeling more like a spectator and not a participator in what God is doing today…then I pray the effect of this word today will stir within in you a desire to pursue the more that God has for you.

I. The Process: As with all things that come from God there are directions that the Word of God

gives us that will bring to light the process that must be adhered to to receive what God has for us.

To experience His presence we must experience….

a. A time of thanksgiving and praise, Ps. 100:4.

b. A time for the penitent to deal with his/her sins in a time of repentance.

c. Sanctification and separation. I Th. 4:7; Heb. 12:14

d. Prayer, Ps. 141:2

e. A time of Godly sorrow over the condition of, not only fallen man, but also the condition of the hearts of many within the body of Christ who have willingly laid aside a life of repentance, praise, holiness, and prayer for the temporal joys of the carnal life. I Sam. 7:2

I believe that once our hunger for God supersedes our hunger for self we will willingly accept and accomplish these demands of God. This will be done with a heart of gratitude for His grace that has put our past of sins and failures behind us. Because of this we can now, with His blessings, step forward into all that He has to offer. Are you ready?

We stand in a unique position, a position of choice if you please. We can keep “Holding On To What Was” or “Step Into What Is”. It is our individual choice and no one can make it for us.

II. Holding On To What Was: The inability to release what was and step into what is offered has caused many in the Kingdom to miss out on what God has offered.

Note two places in the Word that adds needed gravity to this time of decision. Matt. 23:37-39 ” O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. ”

Lk. 19:44 ” And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. “

Israel refusal to except their spiritual need and weakness caused them to miss the greatest opportunity ever accorded man.

There are, no doubt, many here today who stand on the side of tradition. You can’t accept change. You’ve become comfortable as you are for so long until you have accepted that this is the way it should be. The church world as a whole is infected with this disease.

It is man made and man orchestrated traditions that keep us bound in denominational warfare, church splits, divisive clicks, and fussing and fighting over isms and schisms that doesn’t even warrant the time of God when He is called on for help. “ OH HOW THE DEVIL MUST LAUGH AT THE CHURCH WHO PREACHES LOVE AND YET CAN’T LOVE ONE ANOTHER ENOUGH TO GET ALONG. ”

This very spirit is what caused Israel to miss the greatest visitation of their history. Look around

you friend. If there are more people lost in your family than found; more people bound that free;

most people sick than well……something isn’t working. And God isn’t broke!!!

III. Stepping Into What Is: For a brief moment note Isa. 43:19-21, “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen. This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise.”

a. A new thing is here…are you ready for it?

b. It will spring forth…a suddenly will happen.

c. There are many within the church that will not even know it is happening for has happened.

Why? Many are so busy going through the motions of ‘having church’ until they have forgotten

the need of ‘being the church’.

d. He will make a way in your wilderness…and rivers in your dry places. This the God who

established the laws of nature over-riding those natural laws with a super-natural manifestation

for His power.

e. Why? #1. That those who He has formed for Himself will show forth His praise. #2. Because

He cares…He cares about where we are and what we are going through and is willing to do

whatever it takes to alter our situation for our good.

A Reminder: “In His presence is fullness of joy!” Are you hungry for joy…happiness…peace…if so step through veil entry into what He offers.

Apr '17

Revival: God’s Gonna Do It Again

Posted on Apr 4, 2017 in BLOG |

Apr '17

Text: Ps. 85:6, “Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?”

Intro. Today I want to talk to you about “Revival – God’s Gonna Do It Again“ and over the next couple of weeks we will note “What Revival Is” & “The Promise of Revival”.

In truth since the creation there has been a continual backsliding by man and a continual reviving by God. God has never given up on those created in His image.

Can Messenger Church become a Centre for revival? Or is it already a Centre for revival? Is that what we are and have always been but just didn’t realize it?

Once you find your true purpose you must prepare to become the best you can become. (Revival Centre versus a Centre for Revival)

We must become a place people are drawn too because of what they can receive.

(Feeling versus receiving) Many that come will not remain but will return to where they came from and be a catalyst for revival in the lives of others.

Revival doesn’t remain simply because we want and even feel the need. It must be nurtured. (to feed and protect: to support and encourage, as during the period of training or development;)

We have what we need…we need to embrace it and see more of it. We must not allow a depletion of what has been given.

One constant that must be realized…the Holy Ghost only dwells where He is welcomed.

Intro. to this segment sermon: A misunderstanding of the primary subject….REVIVAL. It is not as simple as inviting a preacher to come to MC and preach 4 or 5 of the sermons in his repertoire…sermons that are good and or great. Sermons that stir and inspire. Revival is ‘bringing back to life’ that that was alive but is now dead….simply put…REVIVAL IS HUNGER….A hunger so great until there is nothing nor anyone that we will allow to cause us to become distracted.

REVIVAL IS ALLOWING GOD TO DO IT AGAIN!!

A Prophetic Word: “There are many today that are tired of the uninspired, lifeless services that are being replicated across the country that we call having church. There is being birthed in many a desire for something that gives substance to the time that men are giving on Sunday morning to God. Something that will help them have faith in God…faith in themselves…faith in others…faith that they will be able to overcome the obstacles that inevitable come their way every day.

The church is not producing it! We have ended up with misdirected pursuits. Our pursuits today are self-driven not God-driven. These self-focused pursuits are depleting, diluting and destroying the church instead of reviving it.”

2 Tim. 3:1-5….”having a form of God but denying the power.”

History bears out there are people who have made a mark on their generation because of great moves of God but through time they became so caught up in their organizations they ceased to function as an organism that God could work through to bring life and light to a spiritually darkened world. I pray today that we, the church of this hour, will not allow itself to follow the paths of self-destruction that so many have chosen to follow.

I. Revive – “the process (there are no over-night successes) of bringing somebody back to life.”

There are two facts about revival we need to note…

Fact 1: In the process of reviving or resuscitation there is one constant…you must breath fresh breath into him/her. Without this breath he/she often doesn’t make it.

In Eze.’ valley of dry bones God tells the prophet to speak to the wind (ruah=breath) and tell it to blow across the valley of death.

Fact 2: There is more than one process to revive someone. It is important that we don’t make the process/method the primary message. How we do it is not the focus…it is the results that count.

II. The Steps To Revival: Ps. 85:6, “Will You not revive us again, (A Request)That your people may rejoice in You?” In this we see the ‘first steps’ for Revival.

Step One – The Need: The desire itself is the admission of need. There must be an admission of need to see revival. In this verse we see that David has looked

around and determined they needed something they had experienced in the past…they needed ”God to do it again”.

I think I can say, without fear of contradiction, that if we look around we see evidence that we need re-viving. We need God to do it again!!

Note with me The Evidence…We live in the time of the “Cultural Christian”… someone born into a Christian family, raised going to church, but without any personal relationship with Jesus. A main stay for the Christians in the past, and must still be, is knowledge of the Word of God. The “Cultural Christian” rarely if ever reads the Bible. This has resulted in gross Biblical illiteracy and the un-doing of doctrine.

The Word some are preaching today is nothing more than a diluted version of what God has said. The results are visible in that what we are seeing produced is a debilitated church who offers people nothing more than a ‘country club’ environment of feel good moments. Sadly, salvation, healing, the miraculous, deliverance or hope of coming out of the stifling life of bondage they live in is a message relegated to the past.

Note a survey by the Barna Group that reveals the results of this lack of Word among many Evangelicals today…
* 37% do not believe the Bible to be totally accurate.
45% do not believe Jesus was sinless.
52% do not believe Satan is real.

57% do not believe Jesus is the only way to eternal life.

This simple survey and what we are seeing happen on our watch shouts loud and clearly we need revival….we need God to do it again!!

The needs of humanity around us shouts…there must be more!!

Step Two: Desire, “Will you not re-vive (Latin re=again or again and again; vive=long live, up with) us again (another time; once more)”.

Step Three: The Purpose…… “that Your people may rejoice (feel or show great joy)

in You.

Conc. The question begs to be ask….Can we have this kind of move today? If the Word be true, and I know it is, we can and we will!!

Apr '17

Shake It Off

Posted on Apr 4, 2017 in BLOG |

Apr '17

“Shake It Off!!”

One of the hardest things for people to do is rid themselves of what happened yesterday…good and bad. It seems we are forever looking back in the rear view mirror at where we can from and all the difficulties that were a part of the past. I like the words of Isaiah 52:2, “Shake thyself from the dust…” The dust is the evidence of ‘where you came from’. God is simply saying, get rid of the evidence of your yesterday! Remember at salvation

‘old things are past away and all thing become new.” What has come is ‘new’ not used. The old stuff is gone, God has made everything new…never been used. We must remember this…even if we have to daily remind ourselves.

Shake It Off!!

Many have stepped into the New Year with the excess baggage of the past year hanging from them. Having faced some of the most difficult times of their lives they are finding it hard to “let go” of “what was” and with hope pursue “what is”.

We, must shake ourselves from the dust of defeat, demotion, disappointments, discouragement, despondency, depression. Shake ourselves from the dust of self pity, sadness and sorrow. Shake ourselves from the dust of poverty and insufficiency, weakness and sickness, oppression and affliction. Shake ourselves from self-righteousness, bigotry, religious pride andShake ourselves from the dust whether the Devil likes it or not.

We must Arise from this defeatist mentality, and sit down in the heavenly places God has willed for us.

We must loose ourselves from the chains of oppressiveness whether Satan or anyone else approves or not.

Shake off the “what was” of yesterday and pursue the “what is” that lies ahead.

What is ahead is not simply a dream…if is a God promise….it is reality waiting to be claimed.

Reality is comprised of what is real just waiting for us to claim/stake a claim on.

Paul’s Reality, Phil. 3:7-12,

Prioritizing the now need with the valuables of the past, v.7 “But whatever former things I had that might have been gains to me, I have come to consider as [one combined] loss for Christ’s sake.”

Understanding true value,v.8 “Yes, further more, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively

becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One),

His true pursuits, v.9-11 “And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my obedience to the Law’s demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith. 10[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I) may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] 11That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral) resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].

Admitting his need,v.12 “Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own.”

Today each of us stand on the threshold of extreme possibilities. We can decide to remain

where we are and become nothing more than a relic of the past ( something that has lost

it’s usefulness and is only good for looking at) or we can admit our need…see and accept

our strengths…and pursue the prize before us.

IT IS UP TO YOU..