Trea BTS Rally 2011

Walk With God

3-20-11 Bro James Richard

FPB loves to have a great time worshipping God!

Love

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13)

God came to earth to redefine love, to show us that loving others is real love because real love is not about us, it’s about them. The real challenge lies in our ability to give love to others also- it’s not just caring for them, not just empathizing with them, not just loving them, but loving them as Christ loves you.

Faith In Action

19 Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: 20 religious, nonreligious, 21 meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, 22 the defeated, the demoralized - whoever. I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ - but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. 23 I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!--- 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Don’t be afraid to associate yourself with a wide variety of people. Instead reach out to others and get to know them for who they really are, not the opinions of how other people see them. Although, be careful to not allow people to transform you into somebody that you are not. Stay true to the person God has molded you into, and allow yourself to be so consumed by God that other people see Him instead of you. Put your faith into action and humble yourselves; you will not only be helping someone else, but you will be bringing honor to God as well.

Inescapable

All this time Saul was breathing down the necks of the Master’s disciples, out for the kill. He went to the Chief Priest and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem. He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: “Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?” He said, “Who are you, Master?” “I am Jesus, the One you’re hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you’ll be told what to do next.”—Acts 9:1-6

You know I can’t help but be reminded, after reading this scripture, at how amazing Jesus is. No matter where we go or what we do, He is with us. You don’t have to be in a church building to encounter Him, and over the past couple of weeks it has been pretty incredible to see that lived out. A couple of Wednesday nights ago, we had service in the gym but yet He was still there. This past weekend, even though we were in a cabin in Branson miles away from home, He was there. We are not limited to a certain time or place, but yet we can worship Him and experience His amazing presence anytime we choose. He is waiting on us with open arms every second of every day; He is so good!

Blood of Jesus

There is nothing that compares to what Jesus has done for us. The ultimate sacrifice, His perfect blood was spilt so that we can be free. Once we are covered in His blood then our past doesn't matter, our addictions can be overcome, and the chains of this world can be broken. We will have the power to go beyond.

Follow Him

Then He told them what they could expect for themselves: “Anyone who intends to come with Me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat- I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow Me and I’ll show you how. Self-sacrifice is the way, My way, to finding yourself, your true self.”—Luke 9:23-24

Who are we to determine what is good or bad? We really have no idea; only God knows. Say that you pray for something to happen in your life and it ends up not happening. Are you then upset with God? What if you were to lose a family member that’s very close to you, would you be upset with God for taking them away? When God closes a door in your life, He always opens another. Follow Him in all situations; He knows what He is doing and what is best for you.

Hot Bread!

“You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do. All summer it stores up food; at harvest it stockpiles provisions. So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing? How long before you get out of bed? A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy- do you know what comes next? ”—Proverbs 6:6-10

Don’t become complacent with where you are now. The moment that you do, you will start to backslide. No matter what depths God has brought you from, He wants you to continue to seek Him when things are rough or they are good. Don’t get comfortable or lazy because you just might miss out on something amazing God wants to do in your life. Instead, get on the edge of your seat and get ahold of that HOT BREAD!

Priorites

"So here's what I want you to do. God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don't become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."--Romans 12:1-2

Sometimes we tend to make "ourselves" our main priority. We try to center our lives on the things of this world, and sometimes we just want to fit in and not be look at as being different. It is easy to get caught up, and as bad as it sounds, it is even easier to not place God before everything in our lives. Fix your attention on God and you'll be changed from the inside out. Don't be afraid of being labeled as being "different" in the eyes of the people around you. Instead, think of it as a blessing for being thought of that way because it shows that people are taking notice in what He is doing in your life. Everyday make God your main priority, and He will use you to lead others to Him.