Podcasts about transitionthat

We are excited to have Pastor Brad back from Africa. to day he teaches us what it means to be blessed. Pastor's Notes: 2 Corinthians 9:5-11 NKJVTherefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.”INTRODUCTIONGood morning, everybody!It’s so good to see each of you! I’m certainly glad to be in the States. God did some amazing Things and showed us a favor in many ways. We are so excited about the work that is to come things and showed us a favor in many ways. We are so excited about the work that is to come.SHOW PICTURESKENYA PICSWhat you are looking at is the school that we were given and that we will renovate over the next couple of years. It will serve as the first missionary training center in Kenya. As of now, Kenya only has what we would call “home” missionaries, with none crossing the borders. we will be training them to go into other Muslim countries. How awesome is it that we will be a church that will not just be a missions supporting, but missions producing body of believers! I have to first go on record and say thank you to our church body and our board for allowing me to be me. It takes a strong and secure body of believers to allow their pastor to be used in non traditional ways. I expressed that this was my heart before I ever moved here. Just because I get excited about missions, don’t be weary that I am leaving or anything like that. If I was going to do that, it’s not because I haven’t been asked or don’t have opportunity. Right now, I’m called to be a pastor that just happens to love the world. I am planted, committed, and rooted in our work right here. Doing missionary work keeps me grounded, balanced, and focused on the Great Commission. I also believe that’s a part of who we are as a church. We are a blessed people and a blessed nation.That’s why I wanted to finish off this series with a message I’ve entitled “Blessed”, and on a message on the joy of giving.Note: This is not a message on tithing. If you don’t get tithing, you surely won’t get this message. All Christians should tithe. If you aren’t tithing, you are robbing God, robbing yourself of blessings, and robbing the kingdom of God from ministry that should come from your obedience. Yet today, I’m talking about giving in regards to offerings. We can call this “over and above” giving.ILLUSTRATIONYou see, we are a blessed people! Right now, you might not feel blessed. You might not feel like.....- You make enough.- Your house is good enough. - Your clothes are the best.- Your bank account is full enough.- Your thought might be “I can’t give anything.” But hear me: You live in America.You live in one of the most financially prosperous nations in the world. If you make minimum wage, you make more than most of the impoverished nations in the world. Where I minister in Africa, the average wage is $3 a DAY. A GOOD salary is 50 DOLLARS a MONTH!Most In AMERICA have....NetflixWiFiMore than one car per familyMoney to eat fast foodMoney for golf and hobbies$1000 cell phones that you pay $25 a month extra on your bill for ...And then say “I don’t have any money to give the ministry.”Don’t get me wrong. Blessings are good. Prosperity comes from God. But the issue is when we take our blessings for granted.When we do, we complain, become ungrateful, and ultimately become tight fisted. In doing so, we can stop up the blessings that God gives us.Consider this scripture in the book of wisdom......Proverbs 11:24-25 NKJVThere is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich,And he who waters will also be watered himself. Notice the end of this verse: Open hands produce open heavens. Tight fisted living causes poverty.Why does God want to bless us?To hoard up? To have more?No!We are blessed to be a blessing!God definitely doesn’t mind us having stuff. it’s when we lose perspective on why we have the stuff.TRANSITIONThat’s what we see in our text. We see people who get it. Paul uses the church at Macedonia as an example to the church at Corinth. Macedonia had ever reason not to give, but they did anyways because they caught the vision. It’s in chapter 9 that shows that as they began to give, God began to bless them even more abundantly. 

BACKGROUNDIn our text, Paul is giving us some principles about giving that all of us can learn from. 

APPLICATION1.The Love Of Giving- Paul tells them to prepare and be ready.- To people who love to give, giving is not an afterthought.- How do people manage? - Givers plan to give.- Illust: Making it rain- Slide: “Give God what’s right, not what’s left.”- Slide: “Prioritize God first and blessings will follow!”2. The Levels Of Giving- Bountifully or Sparingly- Generous or Stingy- Generosity is not determined by amount, but by obedience and sacrifice.3. The Law Of Giving- Your level of reaping is determined by your level of sowing.- More seed to sow comes by planting more seed- Why is Africa is so impoverished when their ground is so rich. Because of hunger, they’d rather eat their seed to meet a temporary need than to sow it and wait for a better harvest.CONCLUSIONWe are blessed. I’m encouraging you to see yourself differently, and change your habits to put God First.

Pastor's Notes: TEXTColossians 3:1-11 NKJV If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. INTRODUCTIONGood morning, everyone!I am so glad you’re here. Last week, we covered the topic of redemption, and what it truly means to bought back from the auction block of sin. We saw the value that each of us has in the eyes of God, and what it truly means to truly be saved.This morning, I’m going to go old school. You may not know this, but I AM old school. What I mean by that is while it’s ok to modernize the way we do things, the message must never change! What I’m going to talk to you about today is something that I don’t hear much about anymore. In the past, it was taught from a wrong angle, and I believe it caused us to get off into much legalism. Jesus also dealt with that. I believe that today, as we touch this subject, you will see the importance of it. I want to teach today about holiness in the life of the believer, but specifically on the topic of sanctification. Today, the title of this message is called “Sanctified”.What is “sanctified’?DEFINITION: It means to “set apart”, or “to make holy”. It also means to be separated and pure from sin. ILLUSTRATION 
One rule we have at my house is to rinse off your dishes as soon as you are done with them. The idea is to immediately wash away the food and grime left on your plates, bowls, and silverware so that it doesn’t get caked on and become difficult to get off.Unfortunately, my family (including me) does not always follow this rule. That means that the burned grease, old cereal, and leftover food can get plastered onto the dishes so that it takes more than a bit of elbow grease to remove it.Sometimes the leftover food seems to become one with the dish and that, no matter how hard we scrub, it will never come off.That’s exactly how sin can feel when you truly don’t deal with it.The best remedy for food stuck in this situation is to leave a dish soaking in water for a period of time. This allows the water to loosen up the grime and dirt so that it can be wiped away, usually without much effort.The power of the water over a period of time is enough to get rid of the dirt and grime that you could not get off no matter how hard you scrubbed.Breaking sinful habits works in a similar way, but instead of using physical water, we need the water of the Word.True believers in Jesus Christ are already clean in God’s sight because of the blood of Jesus Christ, but can still struggle to live in obedience because they live in the flesh. That is why we need to know not only what can help us live more obediently, but Who can help us live more obediently as well.
 TRANSITIONThat’s exactly the way we should be as believers. We are saved! God’s nature has been imparted on the inside of us. Our spirit is born again! The issue is that we have the flesh and our mind still to deal with.Those are the things in which we must ourselves work on.On the cross, Jesus sanctified us by His precious blood. That is HIS responsibility.Now once we are saved, we are to sanctify ourselves. Most of all Paul’s letters to the epistles teaches this. It doesn’t nullify the work of the cross. What it simply means is that Christ’s sacrifice has set us free, but now we must choose to walk free and stay free.If and when we mess us, we confess it, repent, and get back up! 
 BACKGROUNDIn the time of writing this book, Paul was a prisoner in Rome. Although he had never visited this church personally, he had an interest in it because it started as an outgrowth of his ministry in Ephesus. It had gotten back to Paul that gnosticism and lewdness had slipped into the church. He was concerned that these false ideologies and doctrines might destroy the work there, so this letter was sent to remind them of exactly what they have and how they should respond. APPLICATION 1. Our Position- He uses the word “if” here, but we know He is saying “If you are saved, look at this.”- Where is our position? We’ve been seated with Christ!- We have died with Him.- We are buried with Him.- We are raised with Him.- We live in Him.- We will be glorified with Him- So as saved people, we ought to think different. We all know that what you think about affects what you do. 2. Our Prescription- We are told to put to death the flesh. This is the part we don’t like.- Contrary to what people may think in today’s culture, Christians are supposed to live different.- We have to crucify it. Why? Because even though we are saved, we can still be enticed and tempted to do the wrong thing.- He names some stuff.- Fornication- Uncleanness- Passion- Evil Desire- Covetousness- Anger- Wrath- Malice- Filthy Language- LyingSurely these are not an exhaustive list of sins, but are likely the ones they were dealing with. What are they a big deal? They are a big deal because they aren’t the characteristic of Christ! Are we perfect? No! We shouldn’t be excusing these things. They have consequences. 3. Our Purpose- Put on the new man- Renewed in Christ- Why? The world needs to see Jesus in us!- Even if we aren’t perfect, if we are saved, we will have a desire to reflect His nature and character in our lives. When we miss it, His Spirit convicts us, and we correct that and do it differently next time- The Word will renew us (Romans 12:1-2) CONCLUSIONIn the old days, holiness was all about the outside (hair, clothing, etc)Jesus addressed this with the Pharisees. They had it all together on the outside, but on the inside, they were like the white tombs opposite of the Temple Mount. (Matthew 23:27-28)How do we continue to allow Him to change us? From the inside out.

Today Pastor Brad starts his new summer series he calls Mythbusters.  During this series we will take a look about some popular myths concerning Christians. We start with a message about the myth "I Don't Have To Go To Church To Be A Christian." Pastor's Notes: TEXTLuke 4:14-21 NKJV14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed MeTo preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me [i]to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind,To set at liberty those who are [j]oppressed;To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”INTRODUCTIONGood morning, everybody!I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend. Besides that, I pray you were blessed by the ministry of Christopher Alam. He actually called me this week and asked me to convey his gratitude for the generosity of our church family.Today, I want to start a brand new series entitled “Mythbusters”. ILLUSTRATION I’m sure many of you saw the show years about called “Mythbusters”.Each MythBusters episode focuses typically on two or more popular beliefs, Internet rumors, or other myths. The list of myths tested by the series is compiled from many sources, including the personal experiences of cast and crew, as well as fan suggestions, such as those posted on The Discovery Channel online MythBusters forums.It was an interesting show to me because it taught us that you can’t just believe everything you hear. We should be diligent to get the facts and compile what is necessary to get the truth. TRANSITIONThat’s why in this series, we will be busting cultural myths that are impacting our present Christian culture. Many of our topics are hot topics and controversial issues both spiritually and politically. Therefore, from week to week, I won’t be sharing on social media the topics of my messages. This will be one of those series where you just have to show up to see what I will be preaching on. However, some of the myths we will be busting are:“Only God Can Judge Me”“Abortion Isn’t Murder”“People Are Born Gay”“Marriage Is Just A Piece Of Paper”“God Will Never Give You More Than You Can Bear” “It Isn’t God’s Will To Heal Everyone”....... along with several others.Today however, I want to unload a myth that many people in today’s present culture have believed. You’ve probably heard it before: “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.”GASP!What if I tell you that statement is not true at all?Now wait a minute, pastor!You mean to tell me the little old ladies who can’t go to church aren’t Christian?I didn’t say that.Let me explain: This would not apply to shut in’s or those physically unable to go to church. That’s why when we know about these people, we and our staff do our best to reach out, stay connected, have communion with them, encourage them, etc.Second, I’m also not preaching that coming to church saves you, or how many times a week you come. I’m no fool. I know that only faith in Christ and the blood of Jesus can save you. Besides that, we just learned Wednesday night in our teaching of the wheat and tares that just because you come to church doesn’t make you saved!Yet, let’s examine the myth: “I don’t have to go to church to be a CHRISTIAN.” (My emphasis added)The word Christian means “little Christ”, “Christ follower”, or “Christ like”.So the question is not salvation, although I believe a truly saved person wants to belong to the body of Christ, but rather, “What are Jesus thought’s about attending a centralized gathering of believers?”BACKGROUNDIn our text, we see Jesus doing what He did best: Teaching. And Jesus ministry did involve open air teaching and preaching and in the streets, but one thing is for sure: He was regularly in the synagogue or the temple preaching.APPLICATION1. Jesus Thought It Was Important- Our text says “and as His Custom was” Another way to say this is “it was His habit”- I will say thing. Regular church attendance has to become one of those good habits in your life, sort of like bathing, brushing your teeth, etc.- Much of the other places in the Gospel tell us that Jesus regularly was there.2. It Was The Center Of Culture- Temple Worship, the Synagogue, and Sabbath worship both was, and still is a way of life in Jerusalem today. The people’s lives were planned around the regular coming together of worshiping God.- After the resurrection, more and more Jews were not accepting of Christianity, the early disciples worshiped in churches on the first day of the week.- Jesus Was the beginner of the church.- We too, like Christ and the disciples, should plan our lives intentionally around the corporate worship with believers.3. It Has Purpose- They came together for:- Worship- Prayer- Instruction- Fellowship- Serving- EncouragementCONCLUSIONSo in our current culture things are great like live streaming, podcasts, and tv programs. They can be a great way to supplement your spiritual life. What an even better tool for people who are physically unable to attend, or those who work off or are in the active military.Yet, they should never be a substitute for the believer who is able.When you give up on attending church, what's at stake?Well, to put it in a nutshell: the unity of the body, your own spiritual growth, protection, and blessing are all at risk when you're disconnected from the body of Christ.

Please Support The Show with a DonationDillan Digiovanni used to be a really angry activist. He believed his anger was an important driver to fuel his work to inspire change in the world. Then he had a revelation: His anger wasn't working. It was driving other people away and it was toxic to himself. Where his path led him from there has turned out to be quite an adventure. He's now an activist without the energy of anger and he now identifies as a man. This interview will inspire you to live your truth. It will inspire you to examine your own life and be better because of it. This important conversation is not only relevant to the issues of today, but it proves to be perennially relevant to how we decide to live our lives in the skin we're in.This episode is sponsored by Health IQ. Get lower rates on life insurance if you are health conscious. Get free quote hereand by Casper In This Interview, Dillan DiGiovanni and I Discuss...The Wolf ParableHow, as an activist, his anger was driving people awayThat there's no right way to do anythingIf you're angry all of the time you're constantly looking for the threatHis gender identity transitionThat anger can be a healthy thingSearching for the feeling that's underneath the angerThe harm in being angry at people for being ignorant about an issueThe way anger impacts your perspective on life and other peopleThe harm in saying "they did this because..." when what you're working with is an assumptionHis relationship to anger now that he's awake to itThe power of "allowing" vs "resisting"His story of transitioning his gender identityResilienceHow to live in the world when no one person understands all of youThe anger that arises when your expectations about how other people should behave aren't metThe power of meeting people where they really areHow to work with your vision about how the world should beThe power of the serenity prayerWhat happened when he let go of his anger as an activistHis Buddhist traditionHaving a meditation practicePlease Support The Show with a Donation