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THIS MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT VERSE IN PAUL'S LETTER: Galatians 5:6 (NASB), "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor un-circumcision means anything, but faith working through love."

We need to orient our lives on the clear statements of Scripture regarding His will. So—today let’s focus our attention on just this one: It Was For Freedom That Christ Set Us Free." (Galatians 5:1-)

We need the wisdom of God & the love of Jesus in order to help those around us. May our hearts be cleansed from impure motives. May our anger be replaced with genuine concern for others.

Galatians 4:11 ... Don't Turn From Jesus & Become Slaves of Satan!

The next time you’re tempted to give up, think of these 7 promises & be encouraged by all God has done for you & what you cannot do for yourself.

We usually only compare ourselves to someone who we think isn’t as good as we are. But Not God! When God makes a comparison, He compares us to His Son, the Lord Jesus—and we all have sinned & fallen short of His glory (Rom 3:23).

Only a new infusion of God’s love can overcome the impulse toward tribalism that separates us into a thousand competing groups. It is good for all pastors & all people to regularly ask, “Do we/I really mean it when we/I say that everyone is welcome?”

I pray that we not only say we believe the Bible is authoritative, but also submit our minds & hearts to it by reading with precision..

This EASTER—lift yours heart & say/sing with the choirs on earth & heaven as recorded in Rev 5:12: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power & riches & wisdom & strength & honor & glory & blessing.”

3 PALM SUNDAY PICTURES: a King on a donkey, a Prophet addressing the city with tears & a Priest cleansing the temple of empty ritual.

ARE WE WITH GOD OR AGAINST HIM? DO WE JOIN HIM IN HIS EXALTATION OF JESUS

Read Acts 2:14-21 ... Last Days ... Holy Spirit ... Prophecy

Pentecost—a day when power & comfort flowed. PENTECOST–A DAY OF HOPE & INSPIRATION. A day when the Holy Spirit was revealed in flaming glory. AND THE GLORY WAS GIVEN TO THE PEOPLE.

, I want ALL of us to be a part of that bright, bold, prophetic, Christ-exalting, risk-taking, end-time band of disciples who experience & rejoice in THE POURED-OUT SPIRIT OF GOD!

In Acts 1:8 it said they shall receive power (dunamis / dynamite) from the Spirit & shall be witnesses (martus / martyrs). And, in Luke 24:48-49 it says that they are to be witnesses—BUT—the power from on high is so crucial they must wait/stay for it in the city before they begin to launch out to the nations.

We need a Spirit-authenticated commission on our lives from the living Jesus.

You hallow the name of God when you trust Him, revere Him, obey Him & glorify Him.

The jealousy of God for your undivided love & devotion will always have the last say. Whatever lures your affections away from Him will come back to strip you bare. It is a horrifying thing to use your God-given life to commit adultery against the Almighty.

Revelation 21:5 ... God is absolutely the beginning & absolutely the end. Everything that is, originates ultimately in Him. And everything will somehow end with Him.

Today, we focus our attention on this name: GOD ALMIGHTY. And what does it mean? The Hebrew behind the English GOD ALMIGHTY is "El Shaddai."

Walk the walk of faith--There will be times when that's all we can do!

Knowing the names of God will help us trust Him with our daily affairs & our eternal destinies.

Now, most people know why we celebrate Christmas & what happened at Christmas. But I ask: do you know the why Jesus came—and do you know what He came to do?

In our waiting & preparation, we come to rest, again, at the foot of the cross. Even in this season of anticipation, we see the fullness of God’s promised redemption in the waters of baptism. As those who are fully known & redeemed, we confess our brokenness before God & one another.

God will always be with you—He’s bigger than tough times & He always honors faith! So, friends, this coming week will bring good times & challenges. Choose joy! Even now!

God’s ways are not our ways—a fact for which I am eternally grateful. And yet: I don’t really understand His love for us—it doesn’t make any more sense to me than what He told Hosea to do. But that’s OK. I choose to trust Him anyway—and I know that He will not lead me astray. That’s evidence of Advent PEACE!

The fountain of forgiveness has been opened for all believers. And if you cleanse yourself through faith in that fountain, surely Advent HOPE & the subsequent promises to God's people, are yours as well!

Those who look to this world for lasting approval must eventually be disappointed because the best things of this world must one day disappear. Those who look to the God who created the world will find the safety & security that will last forever

Father, expand our vision to see the world as you see it. Please make us less like Jonah & more like Jesus. Grant us a fresh concern for those we meet. Renew in us a compassion for those who by nature would be repulsive to us.

It comes down to 6 words: The just shall live by faith. That’s the message we preach. This the text that changed the world. And it started with Habakkuk 2600 years ago.

Obadiah’s little book warns us against pride & revenge & bitterness—reminding us that we serve a powerful & sovereign God who loves & protects His children. May we be wise hearers & live accordingly.

Quite often the love we need most is the love we want the least. And what kind of love is this?

What kind of preaching does God inspire when his people need revival & reformation? How about A Warning About the Coming Wrath of the Lord?

In Joel 2:28, the prophet predicted that a day would come when God would pour out his Spirit on all people. This is one of the greatest statements in the Bible.

All Christ-Followers Must Lay Hold of Eternal Life by Fighting the Good Fight of Faith.

There is no teaching more important than the teaching of God’s word in the church. And that is why it is essential that those who teach about God never say: “Do as I say, not as I do.”

Paul nurturing his apprentice Timothy—encouraging & training him in how to be a leader. He does this by talking about the qualifications of a leader, by sharing 3 DIFFERENT ROLES OF LEADERSHIP.

I 1 Timothy 2, Paul, writing to his young disciple Timothy, deals with the role & status of women in the church in some verses that challenge our 21st century perceptions.

What does success in the Christian life look like? Simple: It's about living a life of love, of mercy, a life in pursuit of transformation & pursuit of the finish line.

John 21 is in the Bible, so that all of us Peters would know that though we fall again & again, by God’s grace we can keep on getting back up. What mercy! What grace!

Today we will look at Jesus’s first appearance to all his frightened disciples after His resurrection. (John 20:19-23) What I want us to see is: How did the risen Jesus act & what did the risen Jesus say?

God used 2 men’s late, but costly, commitment (Joseph & Nicodemus). The application for us is: Looking on the crucified Jesus deepens our commitment to Him.

John 18:1-11 tells the story of the arrest of Jesus. This midnight encounter sets in motion the events that will lead to the cross on Friday morning. If you look at this passage from one perspective, you might conclude events have now spun out of control. But you would be wrong.

John 17—the longest recorded prayer of our Lord closes the Upper Room institution of communion & precedes Gethsemane, the betrayal by Judas, Jesus’ arrest & the beginning of his trials.

We are accepted in God’s presence only because of Christ. We can only come to God through Christ. He is the only Mediator. That is true for salvation—and for supplication. And just as there are physical means of life, there are spiritual means of grace. Resist the lies of the devil & get a bigger breakthrough in prayer than you’ve ever had.

In order to cultivate contentment, we must live in the present and leave the future in God’s hands.

We speak to the Lord of our trust & the pleasures of abiding. And once that is done—we present Jesus! ABIDE—AND PRESENT!

Jesus, in John 14:1-11, shows us how he & the Father team up to overcome our unholy turmoil by calling us to trust Jesus & the Father—and giving us 5 reasons why we should.

From his high standing, Jesus goes low to serve (foot washing). He says in John 13:15: “For I gave you an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you.”

It won’t be easy, but it will be significant. And that’s true for us as we serve Jesus through ResTore. It might not be easy—but it will be glorious. (John 12)

In our days of darkness, when it seemed that our souls would give way, Jesus loved us—not by taking away the suffering or the loss or the darkness—but by giving us himself in ways that could not have been ours without this painful season.