Sunday Nite A Little Leaven Galatians 5:7-17
► Ask, seek, knock. Obey by sharing what the LORD tells you to share.
►We want to encourage everyone, who has a word from the Lord, to share and participate in our services.
►If the Lord gives you a word, it will be precise and clear. It is our flesh that always wants to add to, to interpret, to leave out and thus dilute what the Lord desires for the body.
►If you are not certain if you have a word of prophecy, plan what you want to say.
►If more than one item is to be shared write a brief outline of what you want to share. This keeps you on track. An outline helps to prevent repetition.
►Pray over what you have to share. Not everything should be shared with everyone.
►Keep it brief.Others want to share also. In general, try to limit sharing to 1 to 3 minutes. If it is over 3 minutes, check with the elders to see if we need to schedule it for another service.
►Keep the focus positive if possible. Even if you bring a negative word you can “sandwich” (+ - +) Positive-Negative-Positive.
►Sometimes God gives us messages just for a particular person or group. If in doubt discuss with the elders.
► Unnecessary details will not edify. Revelations of personal matters are not appropriate. Home group sharing is less formal than corporate worship services, more relaxed and allows for more questions and dialogue.
Praying for someone
►Simply, hold up your hand and when recognized, begin to pray for the person or need that is on your heart
►Do not give all the details of someone’s illness or why they need prayer. If you do not want to pray, ask someone before the service to pray for the need that is on your heart.
►Do not reveal confidential or embarrassing information when you pray.
►In corporate worship services, use a microphone when you pray or speak. Hold it close (1/2”) to your mouth so that everyone can hear. Otherwise most will only hear mumbling and not know what is being prayed for. It would be better to pray silently than to have a time of mumbling that no one can agree with or understand. It is not vain to use a microphone, it is considerate and respectful of others time.
►Be on time. This demonstrates humility and consideration for others.
How To Be Sure You are a Christian
God’s word is so clear and simple about how to become a Christian, that many ignore it, and seek something more complex and religious.
Romans 10:9-13: “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with theheart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For whoevercalls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
God’s Word says we must believe in our heart and we must confess with our lips that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, and that God raised Him from the dead. This is the essence of what is absolutely needed to be born again. Part of the salvation process involves God’s giving the gift of faith to the person coming to Him and giving that person the gift of repentance so the person can and will come to God. God alone controls those gifts. And God alone knows our real motives and willingness to actually trust Jesus alone for our salvation.
Because God loves us, and wants for us to be with Him forever, He freely gives the gift of repentance. The gift of repentance is the ability to change our mind to the truth about who Jesus truly is. And the gift of faith is having the ability to trust Jesus’s death and resurrection, for our salvation. To openly confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior demonstrates the truth of our faith in Him, so that we might be changed, spiritually, forever (what the Bible calls being born again). Without those two gifts, all we can do is have a mental assent, or a shallow, formal acceptance that Jesus did live and died on the cross. That is NOT saving faith and will NOT allow us to go to heaven and be with our creator-God forever. The Bible says that even demons have that kind of fact recognition and belief. James 2:19 says “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble!” . We will continue to grow as we read God’s word, fellowship with other believers and as we learn to discover and yield to God’s will for our lives. ThiSaving Faith is always initiated by God. God gives us the gift of repentance so that we might change our mind and have the correct understanding of who Jesus is. God gives us the gift of faith so that we might act on that correct knowledge and trust Jesus alone for our salvation, and confess Jesus alone as our Savior and Lord. Without those two gifts (repentance and faith) no one could ever receive the ultimate gift, God’s salvation. We cannot earn salvation by any means. Our response to those gifts is the same response that anyone should have who receives a gift: appreciation, and thankfulness as shown by our words, attitudes and actions. Indeed those who are born of God’s Spirit, do demonstrate gratefulness by obedience to our Lord by being baptized as His word commands us to, and by regularly meeting with other believers to worship, share, learn and minister in Jesus’s name. This is the very beginning of a life walk with our Savior-Redeemers growth is a witness to ourselves and others that we belong to the Lord; that we are “born again”; that we are “saved”. The absence of obvious growth brings feelings of doubt, fear, unbelief, and a lack of confidence to attempt to obey God in any area of our life.
If you would like to become a Christian, Pray and ask the Lord to save you and change your life forever. Pray something like this:
Lord, please forgive me of my sins. I believe you died on the cross and rose again to pay for my sins. I accept your gift of eternal life. Come into my life and be my Lord and Savior. I will tell my family and friends that I have become a Christian, and I will be baptized and fellowship with other Christians as the Bible tells me to. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer, we would like to hear from you and send you a Bible and other helpful literature. Pray and ask our Lord to show you a church or fellowship that He would like for you to attend. He will direct you to a place of fellowship and service. There are no perfect churches. But the Lord does have a particular place He wants you to fellowship at this time. Pay attention and He will clearly lead you to the place where you can grow and minister to others. See the bottom of this page for how to contact us.
How To Hear From God Clearly
By David Miller
The following directions are for Christians only. If you have not trusted Jesus alone for your salvation, and been spiritually born again, you cannot hear from God for direction for your life. You must become a Christian first.
There are at least five ways you can find and know God’s Will when making a least decision.
1. First and most certain is from the Bible, God’s Word.You should not use it like a magic book by opening it and seeing what is revealed or, just as bad, take verses from here and there to prove a point you want to make. To hear from God consistently, you need to read His Word on a regular (daily) basis in some sequential manner.Certainly when you are faced with a crisis you need to know where to go for His counsel, then you might search for topics that deal with the problems you are facing. You could look in a topical or regular Bible concordance to find specific words.God never contradicts His word by any other means. He says heaven and earth shall pass away but His Word will never pass away.His word cannot be understood on a mere intellectual basis. You must have the teaching and guidance of the Holy Spirit as you read His Word. Even the gospel is foolishness unless the Holy Spirit gives revelation to the hearer. As you read God’s Word, He will give you the direction and answers you need.If you want to receive, you must ask. He wants you to ask Him. To learn to hear clearly from God requires serious effort, and it is best if you are not in a crisis before you begin.
2. Second, God will speak to you through other Christians. They may not even know the circumstances or the decisions you are faced with. God will speak words of direction, warning, encouragement, guidance and confirmation of the things He desires to reveal to you. This is one reason why it is so important that you get together with other Christians on a regular basis to fellowship and talk to one another and encourage one another and listen to one another. A major warning sign and an indication of rebellion is an unwillingness to be accountable to other Christians.If you will seek the Lord you can find Him and His will for your life. The devil would like to separate you from any direction that would come from the Lord. If he cannot do that, then he will try to get you to change fellowship groups or selectively listen only to those who agree with whatyou (your flesh) want to do. God often calls us to do difficult things that don’t please our flesh. The rewards of doing God’s will are both for now and for eternity.
3. Third, God will speak to you through circumstances.The Lord will use circumstances in your life to point to a direction or outcome that He wants you to take, or conversely, to a direction that He does not want you to take. He will never force you to go through a door He has opened for you. He will seldom completely block your way or prevent you from making wrong decisions, but He will place warning signs in your way to get you to fall on your knees and in humility seek His will and not your own will. You can get a pry bar and open closed doors if you want. God will let you. But later you will regret it.His leading is not contentious and you do not have to scheme or depend upon your own efforts.He will prepare and open the doors for you.His direction is open, apparent and peaceable.If you know Jesus as your savior, He will open the right doors when you ask, seek and knock. (Luke 11:9-13)
4. Fourth,God will speak to you by the inner voice of the Holy Spirit.For many Christians this is the most difficult to hear clearly.There are many spirits in the world that will attempt to deceive and lead you in a wrong direction.Satan is a master at deceit and imitation.Demon spirits can and will place thoughts before you or call your attention in a specific direction, especially if your flesh already wants to wander in that direction.That is why it is so important to consistently read God’s Word: that you know the words that the Lord speaks and the voice of the Lord as clearly revealed in the Scriptures. Often people say, “God told me….”with no clear proof or clear teaching directly from God’s Word, or confirmation by other Christians or other means. Having said that, the voice of the Holy Spirit is a very important confirmation to you in seeking to know God’s specific will in a matter.He will often impress you as you read His word or speak to other Christians or observe circumstances about you.It is all a matter of trust.If you will surrender and allow the Holy Spirit to fill you, He will give you clear direction. Blasphemy is attributing to God things that He did not say or denying what He did say.You should be very careful about saying “God Told Me”; unless, of course, He did.
5. Fifth, God will speak to you by His inner peace.The scriptures call it the “peace that passes all understanding”.Even when your flesh and the world and all logic scream that you should not have peace, you will have His peace in your heart, knowing that you are walking in His will, His provision and His protection.Nothing else can imitate or produce this genuine peace in your life, especially in the midst of a crisis. This Holy Spirit produced peace is a confirmation of God’s will.Many, in order to obtain a fleshly calm, and to bolster continuing in a wrong direction, willuse various drugs and alcohol.The absence of the “peace which passes understanding” can be a “check in our spirit” or a warning sign in major decisions.
Usually, you need several or even all of these ways to hear from God.The more of them you have the more sure you can be in knowing and doing His will.Christians should never make a decision based on how they “feel”.The Bible says, “the heart (feelings) is deceitful and desperately wicked, who can know it”.You cannot even know your own heart (feelings), whether it is correct and proper and in line with God’s will or not.You need to rely on the clear, revealed, confirmed word from the Lord when you make decisions, especially major decisions.
What if you mess up?What if you missed what God wanted you to do?This is called sin.But He has provided a solution. 1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sin, He is just and righteous to forgive our sin and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.”
If we do not seek God’s will, or if we miss God’s will by seeking our own will, then we lose, and those that God wanted to bless through us lose.We will miss the rewards the Lord planned for us. God will have to use someone else to do His will and needs in our own and in other’s lives will go unmet because of our disobedience. That’s bad.The good news is that God has a perfect will for your life starting this minute.All you have to do is to repent and to seek to know God’s will. And if you mess up again?(You will). He will have a new perfect will for your life and He will reveal it to you when you seek to know Him and His will for you.
Quit fooling around, loosing opportunities and rewards and blessings. He made you for specific purposes. Until you begin to walk in that, you will never know the purpose, the blessings, the security, the riches, the rewards that God created just for you.You are the Reason He died on the Cross.
May the Lord richly bless you as you
Please contact us and let us know if these articles were helpful
to you. pastor@gracenredrock.com or 512-303-3891 or
Grace Baptist Church, P O Box 14, Red Rock, TX 78662
Some of those Baptized into Grace Baptist Church
Grace Baptist Church
Red Rock, TX
Phone 512-303-3891