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| The Dark SideThis past Tues. night, Pastor Dave talked about being unsatisfied....unsatisfied about how more of the younger generation can be pursuing God for who he is and not what he can do for them, but many of them face struggles, as Dave referred to as "the dark side". We did an experiment about the dark side. Pastor Dave asked us to write down one thing that we would do if we knew that God was not looking and would not hold us accountable for it. I don’t know about you guys, but my flesh went a little crazy! I am sure we all had quite a few things we would do. Some people wrote down they would steal money or do something sexually immoral. The fact is, we all have a dark side, and Paul warned us of this struggle in Romans 7 (21-25). As Pastor Dave mentioned, if we look in John 17, God warns us we will have troubles. We live in a broken world, and so many things try to pull us away from God. There are so many things, even good things, like work, family, and relationships, that demand our time, and keep us from time with God. Pastor Dave talked about how just as we do physical training for our bodies, we need to do spiritual training to keep our spiritual bodies in shape. Then Dave talked about Katy Hudson, a pastor’s daughter, who grew up in a strong Christian family, and in her teens she even recorded music with Jennifer Knapp. Then, there came a point of dryness in Katy’s career, and she talked about how she wasn’t getting the meat of God’s word. There came a point for Katy where she struggled with her dark side, and now she is Katy Perry, and she is teaching music to teenagers that in no way glorifies God. There came a point in her life where she departed from that faith of her parents, and somewhere along the line she had cracks in the foundation, or failed to continue to build, and things fell apart. So we need to do what Pastor Dave suggested…we need to not only talk about God's word, but also apply it to our daily lives! Like Katy, many of us grew up in church. So are you satisfied with where you are in your relationship with Christ? Don’t let your dark side rule you…for there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ! All of us, even pastors, struggle at times and walk through seasons of darkness, but if we are born again, we all have the Holy Spirit within us to overcome the dark side! God Bless, Wesley Note: Tuesday, July 22--7pm…Meet in the Choir Room at MCC | | |
| We're half-way through - don't miss them...Hey all, With the heat wave we've been having, we can feel that Summer's coming fast this year. The Jerni has been celebrating the season along with the work the Lord has done in the lives of individuals each week. Mike Landon shared his testimony last week and Krystal shared the other night. Their life stories are much different, but the same power of God has been working in and through them. The Jerni got to hear them and I know they made an impact. There are still two more to come. The next two weeks will bring some fun outside along with an increasingly larger group and of course, sundaes each week. What's around the corner... - Tuesdays each week - The Jerni meets at MCC at 7pm. Come early and get to know someone. If you've never come to the Jerni before, come out and give us a try. We love new faces. - Jerni Picnic on the Rappahannock river Saturday, June 21st. - Water Tubing Saturday, July 12th | | |
| Luke 8This past Tuesday, John talked about Luke 8 and five points: hearing the Word, the testimony, the storm, the warfare, and the healing. He talked about our recent major series, on tithing, and on the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and related it to the parable of the sower and the seeds. Many times we think of this referring to the salvation message, but also it can apply to any time God speaks to us, and how we react, and whether the seed that has been planted bears good fruits and matures to the fullness that God has purposed for it. Then John talked about the testimony. Obviously our greatest testimony is how God saved us from eternal death and gave us life through Christ. Then along the way God does other great things in our lives….as we allow Him. But, sometimes comes the storm period. John pointed out the storms, and how the disciples were scared of the storm and woke Jesus up. Everyone who serves God will come upon a storm at some point, because storms develop faith. And we also have an adversary who would love to steal everything God has given to us. God calls us to put on the armor of God and to live out our faith according to the promises he has given to us. We see Legion, and how he had the unclean spirits cast out of him by Jesus. As John give some personal examples, sometimes we need to go through the storms to develop our faith so that we can have the faith to break the bondages in our lives. Acts 10:38 tells of how Jesus healed those who were oppressed by the devil. I once heard someone say “if you don’t meet the devil head on, you are probably heading in the same direction”. And finally, we see two examples of healing. In one, the daughter of Jairus was dead, and Jesus told them not to fear…but to believe and have faith. She awoke as Jesus came to where she was. And then there was the lady who had been bleeding for 12 years and no doctors could help her, and Jesus didn’t come to her, but she came to Him! She touched his garment, and because of her faith she was healed! God Bless Wesley CALENDAR: (New members encouraged to attend) Sat May 31-----Bonfire at Cheryl's Every Tues night in June: Block Party at 7pm at MCC Sat June 21---See you at the Rappy! (Picnic on the River) | | |
| The Holy Spirit...don't leave home without it!Last Tuesday, Ken Simpson talked about the Holy Spirit, and the call on present day Christians. In 1 Corinthians 12, there is a calling for different roles in the church…including prophets, teachers, and apostles, among other things. Each member of the body of Christ has a specific ministry and gifting, and perhaps more than one. Jesus Christ had the Holy Spirit in fullness, but each believer, who receives the Holy Spirit at the time of salvation, receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit sees fit of these for ministry needs. As was pointed out, satan will try to sift us. He wants to kill, steal, and destroy, but when Jesus left to ascend to Heaven, he promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us defeat sin and satan, and the disciples received the Holy Spirit in John 20. Many days later, there was a second outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. This gave the disciples the power to minister effectively. In order for our work for Christ to be effective, we must first, be saved, in which our body becomes a temple for God’s Holy Spirit. And as with any building, there must be a solid foundation, so we must know God’s word. I think back to how we talked about Tuesday night that satan was even bold enough to try to tempt Jesus with scripture (even though it was twisted) in the wilderness. We must know what God is able to do in the past, and what he has promised to do in the future. Then, we must listen to what the Holy Spirit says, as he only speaks what he hears and tell of what is yet to come (John 16). God tells us that his sheep hear his voice. If we try to do God’s work without the Holy Spirit or without being saved, then we can see the dangers from Acts 19, where the sons of Sceva, a Jewish priest, saw Paul casting out evil spirits, and tried to do it, but they got beat up and run down the street naked by the evil spirits. So God calls us to not be naked, but to take up the armor of God. Ephesians 5 tells us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus, even though he was perfect, did not minister until he had received the Holy Spirit when John baptized Him. Come out this week as we continue our series on the Holy Spirit with Pastor Don Coleman speaking. In Christ, Wesley Tues., May 6th---7-9PM in the Sanctuary at MCC....Don Coleman speaking on the Holy Spirit Tues May 13th and May 20th--7-9pm. in the FLC Brett Speaking Cheryl's Bonfire - May 16th Block Party (with ice cream, music, and testimonies) in the weeks of June Picnic on the Rappahannock River - June 21st | | |
| Speaking the language...... BRB. LOL. TTYL. For those of you who chat online or send text messages in the phone, you know what these mean…”be right back”, “laughing out loud”, and “talk to you later”. It’s the new wave of communication for our generation. Last Tuesday night was about communication. Interestingly, at one time, there was a single language on the earth. Then in Genesis 11, we see the people coming together and building the tower of Babel , but for the wrong reason...it was to glorify themselves as builders, not to glorify God. So God confused their languages and scattered them throughout the earth. Man has tried to communicate with animals. John gave examples of the turkey call, doe call, and the goose call. Most of these have one purpose too…it means “come out I want to hunt you”. I can’t help but think a lot of times in our communications with God we only have a single, self-serving purpose….”God I need help”. While there is nothing wrong at all with going to God in times of need, this should not be the sole time that we communicate with Him. Sometimes, we just don’t know what to say to God. Paul talks about speaking in tongues in 1 Corinthians 14. In verse 2, he talks about speaking to God and not man. Paul talked about that he spoke in tongues both of men and of angels in 1 Corinthians 13. In times of teaching, unless there is interpretation of an unknown tongue, everything should be done in the native language to provide order. However, in private prayer times, or even times in worship, where the communication is just with God, sometimes the best way to communicate is through speaking in tongues. Even though our minds may not be fruitful in understanding, when we speak in a heavenly language, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God. It is the Holy Spirit, part of the Trinity, speaking to God, another part of the Trinity, according to what it he hears and sees from Jesus, the final part of the Trinity! Of course, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the christian walk, is not just about speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues is just the beginning. It’s not about shaking, or becoming overcome with joy, as some do when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. We are creatures of emotions, and sometimes the experience itself are nice, but the fruitful results, which include becoming more effective in service to God’s Kingdom, are the main things with the baptism in the Holy Spirit we have been studying the past few weeks. I think about my life and how pride always kept me from coming to the altar to spend personal time with God during my struggles because I was always afraid of what others would think, since I hardly ever saw anyone go to the altar, and if they did everyone thought something was wrong because someone went there. Then I think about Stephen’s testimony Tuesday night, and how he is a mighty man of God, and as he is kneeling at his seat during prayer time last week at the Jerni, and God called him to a deeper place….to come receive more of God’s Holy Spirit. At first Stephen tells God he is comfortable where he is at, but then he finally goes forward and receives what God has for him. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is about boldness…and that boldness comes from the Holy Spirit. It is boldness to do things your flesh absolutely does not want to do. John also talked about how the baptism in the Holy Spirit has given him power and boldness in his ministry. We see the same things happening in the book of Acts. So as we spend these next two weeks, maybe God is calling you to leave your comfort zone and come to that deeper place in His presence. We are all on this journey together, and we have seen some great things, and will continue to see God do even greater things…..if we come with an expectant heart, and believe that God wants to continue molding us! Maybe you haven’t had that experience yet with the Holy Spirit, and God wants to give you the boldness to come to receive all he has for you! It might be healing, a word of wisdom, baptism of the Holy Spirit, comfort, or a number of things….because God knows what each one of us needs. The challenge is for you to decide how bad you want to seek after it and receive all that He has to offer to you! Have a great week in Christ! Wesley UPCOMING EVENTS: (come and bring a friend...all young adults are welcome) Tues., April 29th---7-9PM in the Sanctuary at MCC....Kenny Simpson speaking on the Holy Spirit Tues., May 6th---7-9PM in the Sanctuary at MCC....Don Coleman speaking on the Holy Spirit Cheryl's Bonfire - May 16th Ice cream socials in the weeks of June Picnic on the Rappahannock River - June 21st | | |
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