Thank God For His Grace

Usain Bolt was disqualified after breaking the NO false start rule in the World Championships which robs the world of watching the fastest man in the world run the 100 meters. The World Championship organization needs to learn a new word called "Grace!"

Grace can be defined as God's unmerited favor. It is God's free action for the benefit of His people. God's grace can be compared to the pardon that a governor of a state can give to a guilty prisoner who is facing execution (the punishment of death) for something that he or she did. Without this pardon, without this grace, they will be given what they deserve.

I'm thankful that God doesn't disqualify US when we mess up, but give us a ANOTHER CHANCE to do what we were born to do. #ShoutingBecauseOfHisGrace

What Can I Do To Support My Pastor Pt. 1

A question I receive often is, “Pastor, what can I do for you?” or “How can I pray for you?” People think I do for others, so they want to do something in return. I’m so thankful for that kind of heart.

Actually, the church does plenty for me, but since you asked….

Here’s what I would love from my church:

• Understanding that I’m human and will make mistakes…
• Prayer that I would stay focussed, committed and faithful…
• Seeing a need within the church or community and meeting it without being asked…
• Not looking to be spoon fed but taking ownership and responsibility for spiritual growth…
• Realizing that I can’t be everywhere or do everything I might wish I could…
• Bringing new people with them as often as they can…
• Making church services a priority over other activities, rather than the other way around…

Quit faking the funk

I had the privilege of being mentored by a man who is now gone. I became one of the first assistant on the staff with Dr. C C Cooper at Greater Bethel Baptist Church. And I saw in Pastor Cooper something I had not seen modeled in many pastors . . . an authentic life.

Pastor Cooper was just who he was. I saw it work. I saw a man who was not defensive, who could laugh at himself, who had fun in life and yet was as good a thinker on his feet in question/answer sessions as I’d ever seen. I saw a man who could love the homosexual and at the same time do an excellent biblical presentation on the sin of homosexuality. I saw a man who had a room in his life for a wayward child. I saw a man who hardly traveled alone, no matter where he went, and always had someone younger with him. One of the secrets of building character in the lives of others is taking time for those younger than you. Those who are longing for the qualities and the character that have made you who you are. Pastor Cooper did this for me.

No matter how significant you may become, no matter how well known your name, no matter how important your work, no matter your salary, no matter what your reputation may be, you must allow yourself to become who you are. I’m not a formula guy, but this simple little formula has worked for me throughout my adult life:

Know who you are,

accept who you are,

be who you are.

The greatest gift you can give to your congregation, to your family, to whomever—as the Lord continues to work in your life—is who you are.

Character will not emerge from a phony life, which is all the more reason to go back to that word that so characterized Pastor Cooper's life: authentic. Know who you are, accept who you are, be who you are. That’s really it in a nutshell.

A Lesson For The Peacher

This evening I preached for a very good friend of mine who was celebrating his 19th year of Pastoring. The Lord place on my heart to share from a famous passage of scripture Psalm 23:4 needless to say the Lord blessed. After the service one of the members that I'm please to pastor came up to me and said "You didn't preach that like that a home (referring to the first time I preached the sermon @Bethel) after a brief pause prayerfully considering how I was going to respond the Holy Spirit said "You weren't the same person you were when I first gave it to you"!

Here are a few things that ran through my spirit...

First: the preacher has grown since the first time

Second: the listener has grown since the first time

Third: the word has been manifested or grown since the first time

I later began to appreciate that statement more and more as the evening ran on.

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

Matthew 5:18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

1 Peter 1:25 but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.

Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

Psalm 111:8 They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.

Psalm 119:89 Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.

Isaiah 46:10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

Isaiah 55:11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 59:21 "As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD.

Jeremiah 44:29 "'This will be the sign to you that I will punish you in this place,' declares the LORD, 'so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.'This evening I preached for a very good friend of mine who was celebrating his 19th year of Pastoring. The Lord place on my heart to share from a famous passage of scripture Psalm 23:4 needless to say the Lord blessed. After the service one of the members that I'm please to pastor came up to me and said "You didn't preach that like that a home (referring to the first time I preached the sermon @Bethel) after a brief pause prayerfully considering how I was going to respond the Holy Spirit said "You weren't the same person you were when I first gave it to you"!

Here are a few things that ran through my spirit...

First: the preacher has grown since the first time

Second: the listener has grown since the first time

Third: the word has been manifested or grown since the first time

I later began to appreciate that statement more and more as the evening ran on.

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

Matthew 5:18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

1 Peter 1:25 but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.

Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

Psalm 111:8 They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.

Psalm 119:89 Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.

Isaiah 46:10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

Isaiah 55:11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 59:21 "As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD.

Jeremiah 44:29 "'This will be the sign to you that I will punish you in this place,' declares the LORD, 'so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.'

This is my 300th Blog Quit Celebrating Others Chaos

I was catching up on some current event reading and came across an article entitled “Tiger Wood’s free fall continues”. I thought wow! Then my thought cleared through the garbage and the trash we have been fed through the media and thought what is about seeing people lives crash or spiral out of control that people are so intrigued with? Why is it entertaining to see people fall, fumble and stumble? Why is bad news good news? Why are we so captivated in others chaos? Why is ones mishaps and misfortunes the media’s message again and again? Has society become a community of carnivores? Have we reverted back to the Roman coliseum and are entertained by people being thrown to the lions as we sit back eating our popcorn laughing entertaining ourselves at the expense of others. Our insatiable (okay I had to look up how to spell the word but you have to admit it work…lol) insatiable appetite to see others cry, fail, get kicked off, fight, fuss, back-stable, lie, cheat and risk everything as consumed us.

I miss when the nightly news was good news, movies had good endings, heros where the norm, comedy was funny, families were firm, people where happy and good meant good. We have a responsibility to our children and grandchildren to not allow them to become immune to other’s pain. The enemy’s attack on America is for us to laugh at other pain, misery, mistakes and failures. Let’s raise the standard back to caring about each others feelings, emotion and lives we shouldn’t get all warm and fuzzy when we think about those who are hurting or heartbroken.

Romans 12:9-21 (NIV)

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

13 Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.

18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

20 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The LORD is our Righteousness

Jehovah-Tsidkenu means “The LORD is our Righteousness”! WE are commanded to walk in the paths of righteousness and to offer the sacrifices of righteousness, putting our trust in the Lord. God understand that our best is but as dirty, filthy & foul rags BUT He sent Jesus the Righteous One to die for OUR UN-Righteousness and because of HIS WORK we are declared innocent, justified & acquitted of all wrong. I declare today that YOU and I are cleansed in the blood of the Lamb & clothed with the white robe of the righteousness of Him who is Jehovah-Tsidkenu, Jehovah-Jesus. Amen!

7 Ledership Tips From Coach Phil Jackson

I have always been a fan of Phil Jackson as a coach. I have always admired his style and cool, calm collected nature as a coach. He seems to know exactly when to sit, stand, call a timeout and maximize the productivity of his team. Phil will go down as one of the best coaches of all-time in any sport. It appears as though he just coached his last game, according to Phil Jackson, ”All my hopes and aspirations are, this is the final game that I’ll coach.” He will exit with 11 Championships and not other professional coach will come close to that.

There is a lot to be learned about leadership from Phil Jackson’s coaching career and coaching style. 7 Leadership Lessons From Phil Jackson’s Coaching Career:

• 1. Willingness To Coach The Best: Phil was willing to coach the best and show the best how to sin championships with a supporting cast. He was able to win championships with Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal & Kobe Bryant. He’s not scared of leading the best and great leaders want the best on their team.
• 2. Win Without The Coach: Phil was able to prepare his teams in a manner that allowed them to believe in themselves and get it done without his direct supervision. He taught his team how to play through long stretches without timeouts or his direct interaction. He taught his players how to be great leaders and confident thinkers rather than just executors. Great leaders prepare teams to perform at a high-level, even in their absence.
• 3. Mastered The 3-Peat: Phil was able to 3-Peat several times with several teams. He not only won championships, but he did it again and again and again. He 3-peated 3 times and the one time he didn’t 3-Peat he repeated. He even said it in his closing press conference today that the thrill of chasing the “3-Peat” is always a great challenge. Great leaders don’t want their teams to win, but rather win again and again.
• 4. Masterful At Creating A Culture Of Winning: Creating a culture of winning comes with extreme give-and-take, strategy, encouragement and believing in those that you lead. It requires taking the best basketball players on the globe and meshing them role players and players with quirky personalities like Dennis Rodman and Ron Artest. He created cultures that made all players valuable and maximized potential in everyone. He creates a culture of focused chemistry. The number one priority in coaching and leading is to create a strong culture by developing leadership, empowerment, communication, authentic care for others, relationships, trust, and motivation.
• 5. Cool, Calm and Collected: Phil Jackson was one of the most cool, calm and collected coaches in the game. He would sit on the sidelines as cool as the other side of the pillow. He always remained cool under pressure, which translated to his team taking on that same persona. Teams feed off of their leader, if their leader demonstrates a “we got this” mentality, it’s destined to rub off on the players.
• 6. He Knows When It’s His Time: Phil is going to retire into the sunset of Montana and relax. He stated that he has had a good 20 year run of coaching and now it’s time to give some of the younger coaches an opportunity. Some leaders don’t know when their time has passed and they make it rough on an entire organization.
• 7. Great At Selling His Leadership Style To Players: Phil’s style and triangle offense was not an easy sell. He was able to elevate the importance of his unique style of coaching and offense to a place of relevance that the best players to ever play the game such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant bought into it. If a leader has a style worth buying, team members will gladly buy it. Phil Jackson never tried to be someone else, take it or leave it the “Zen Master” was the “Zen Master.”

Great leaders are more focussed with making those around them great. Phil Jackson was a great coach and a great leader. Kobe Bryant says it best in this quote, “He’s absolutely brilliant in bringing a group together to accomplish one common goal.”

Why The Church Stops Growing

God is into church growth, however. It’s our mission as believers to produce disciples and our model example of the first century church was a growing church, so outside the God factor, there are usually reasons for stagnation in a church. Because the church is an organization made up of people, these reasons are often similar to those you may find true as to why growth stalls in the life of an organization also.

In my experience, the reasons are for getting stuck and/or halting growth include:

You get comfortable…It’s okay to be comfortable, but when you hang out there too long, it can be dangerous, because you stop trying new things to spur growth and excitement.

You quit dreaming…Dreams inspire, challenge, and grow people and organizations. You’ll never dream bigger than the dreams God has for you or your church.

You stop taking risks…You can’t succeed at anything without a measure of risk. Playing it safe never grows anything. The call of God always involves risk-taking.

You start maintaining…When you fall into the mode of protecting what you have, you’ll be less likely to encourage growth for fear of losing ground.

You fail to walk by faith...Especially for the church…we are a faith-based organization. If you aren’t walking by faith in what you are doing…it’s impossible to please God. (That’s Biblical…look it up!)

Obviously there is so much more to this issue and to each one of these answers. These are general responses and there are specific issues with every church or organization. Hopefully thinking through each of these as a paradigm for brainstorming may help trigger thoughts towards actions which can spur future growth.

Dream by William Murphy

I've been struggling these past few weeks with what God is saying and what people are saying/what I see through my physical eyes. So I’ve been challenged to grow and trust me it hasn’t been comfortable. I posted these messages to facebook as a way of encouraging myself through encouraging other. My ministry has simply been brought forth that way…my preaching comes from my struggles with the Holy Spirit in my own walk. I often hear people saying, “Pastor, that word was for me,” they never know how God has birth that word from the womb of the preacher’s own life. So the following have been my confession to God:

Monday: Accept the tension of knowing u r called 2 GREATNESS but live with WEAKNESS. Admit your weakness and God will reveal His greatness for you, in you & through you! You were BORN for greatness!

‎Tuesday: It's MUCH easier to have faith in the sunshine but your faith grows MOST in the storm. "These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Pet 1:7

Wednesday: Feed your faith NOT your fear! If you don't feed your faith it will be too weak to fight your fears & fears that are allowed to run free will ruin your life. "For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline" 2 Tim 1:7 I believe in you & you were born for GREATNESS!

Thursday: GOD (will) do EVERYTHING HE Promised, now the question is: Will YOU do EVERYTHING You Promised? CAN God trust you & Can your Pastor & Church count on you? Psalms 37: 4-5 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.

During my quiet time today I was blessed by this song entitled “DREAM”! God has given me a dream for the Greater Bethel Church and the people that I’ve been privilege to pastor for nearly 20 years. As you read the words of this song I hope that it will revive, reinstate, and refresh the dream & vision God has placed inside of you.

It's never too late to be what you should have been
It's never too late to start over again


It's never late to do what you should have done
The curses are gone you are the chosen one


It's never too late to chase after your dream
What God has prepared your eyes have never seen


Today is the day that God's gonna change your name
And after today you'll never be the same


Dream

Dream

Dream

Four Lesson The Church Can Learn From A Track Team

I came across this article written by Cameron Smith about uniforms in the world of high school track and field and how they tend to be pretty, well, uniform.

I’m really NOT that old but I’ve been around during a sexual revolution. Everything is about sex these days. I remember a few years back my brother Mike and I went to watch the University of Oklahoma indoor track team run and I was shocked at what both the men and women runner wore. Almost every team was wearing tight tops and shorts made of spandex (or of other material that is nearly as form-fitting). Lets just say nothing was left to the imagination for male or females. This applies to volleyball as well. So when I saw this article I wanted to give a shout-out to both the writer and the coach/designer as well as the girl track team that dared to be difference, took a stand and made a difference.

The Washington Post reported that the city's best public school girls track team broke free of the competition when they ditched their traditional uniforms for something a bit more retro: a skirt, (See above photo, second to the left in the back and the girl leading in the front are wearing them).

To be exact, the uniform items that helped the Dunbar (D.C.) girls track team excel were skorts, skirts with black compression shorts attached to them. When the team's female athletes put them on, they claimed to feel significantly less self-conscious about their appearance, leaving the runners to focus solely on their events.

That additional focus more than made up for any lost streamlining as Dunbar athletes stepped forward with faster times and something that may be responsible for those improvements: Significantly more self confidence.

"That skort is a miracle worker," Dunbar star Destiny Phillips, one of the team's co-captains, told the Post. "You look good, you run good. It makes you feel different when you're out on the track, like no one can come get you."

I simply say, Congratulations!

I think the church can lean a lesson or two from “skorts”!

You don’t have to settle for statue quo!

You if you’re uncomfortable about something then change it!

Change is good and many time much, much better!

It never pays to be safe!

Life Hurts & the Church has to be God's Divine ER

Life Hurt and the Church is the God's ER

At one time or another every human being will endure periods of intense suffering. It is common to the human condition. However, something so common to each of us has the potential to completely derail us, devastate us, and potentially ruin us unless we understand how to Biblically respond to it. God’s word has so much to say about how we should think about and respond to pain.

The ER should be open to pastors/preachers/teachers who are suffering, families who are enduring pain and challenge, or an individuals that are going through extremely difficult circumstances. The church is designed to comfort, provide care, and encourage those who are in the middle of suffering and/or who would be benefitted by being assisted in thinking through suffering.

The New Testament church is commanded to live out what is known as the "one another's" such as “love one another,” “care for one another,” “pray for one another,” “encourage one another,” “share with one another.”

It's is my prayer that Greater Bethel Church become a place that's will be known for her gentle, loving and caring ministry that lead the hurting through some deep theological truths about suffering, sovereignty, and growth that will assist individuals in developing a firm foundation from which to find direction, purpose, and comfort in the midst of trying circumstances.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2(ESV)

Take A Break Or It Will Break You

http://t.co/aZ0CjbN

Sunday Notes

The Meanest and Most Dangerous Member In The Church

“WTH Wrong with the Church?” Pt. 2

James 3: 1-12 (NIV)

1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. Who do you think is the meanest member in our Church? I'm sure that we all have our own private opinion. But there is a member in our church who has killed more friendships ruined more reputations wrecked more homes split more churches, driven more preachers out of the ministry and caused more division in the church than any other member I know. James 3:1-12 (NIV)

James makes three important observations concerning the meanest and most dangerous member in our church.

1. The dynamic power of this member!

This member guards

This member guides

2. The deadly poison of this member!

This member destroys

This member defiles

This member devours

This member deadens

3. The divine purpose of this member!

This member proclaims

This member praises

This member promotes

Taking the Word Deeper:

Question: 1

Read & write out Proverbs 15:23.

What does it means to have “a word spoken in due season”?

Question: 2

Read & write out 1 Peter 3:10.

Discuss: How does words dictate how you live out your days?

Question: 3

Read & write out Psalm 141:3.

Discuss: How do we take control back from this member?

Question: 4

Read & write out Proverbs 18:21.

Discuss: What is the writer of Proverbs saying about the power of our words?

Question: 5

How have your own member (words) and the member of others (words) impacted your life?

Sunday Notes

Who Elected You The Judge & Jury?

“WTH Wrong with the Church?” Pt. 1

Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV)

1. When you become judge and jury you play God?

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”

2. When you become judge and jury you play yourself?

“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye.”

3. When you become judge and jury you play others?

“Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.”

Random Thoughts

1. · Will change-lives ever be a shouting & a giving point in the church?
2. · What would Dr. Martin Luther King say about racism in America?
3. · What was Scottie Pippin on when he said Michael Jordan was the greatest ever?
4. · Why are there still hungry people in America one of the wealthy nations in the world?
5. · Why isn’t the church the most accepting, approving, asserting place on the planet?
6. · Why does the church say they want to win the lost to Christ but when the lost show up they aren’t welcomed?
7. · Why ask members to be obedient and bring their tithe and give offering if the church is only going to watch the bank balance up and won’t use it to expand the mission and ministry of the church?
8. · Why are God’s people who say they have been changed won’t accept church in church?
9. · Why is it that when a church want to be innovative and cutting edge that its worldly but when people bring technology into their homes and job it necessary?
10. · Why do we complain the state of our children and student but we don’t invest time, talent nor treasure to change them?
11. · Why do we always talk about the power of prayer but prayer meeting the weakest service all week?
12. · Why is church diversity only when black attend white churches not the other way around?
13. · Will Americans ever give President Obama the respect due the office of President and get behind him? If we can fall President Bush for 8years we surely ought to be able to follow a very intelligent President Barack Obama?
14. · Will the church ever stop being a place of performance and become a place of power, purpose and preaching?

Be Encouraged

I WANT TO SPEAK THIS INTO YOUR SPIRIT & OVER YOUR LIFE! The problems you are facing in this season of your life is growing your faith, fortifying your faith and producing patience! You won't ever be the same again. God is developing you into the champion that He purposed, planned & positioned you to be from the foundation of the world.

James 1:2-4 says it this way, "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." I believe in YOU! It us my desire to use this moment to make a difference n the world by making a difference in you...if you have been blessed by these post leave a comment & tell your friends & let's lift up Jesus & each other.

A few random thoughts that have been running through my mind that I may write on later but really don’t have the time to develop now:

In Matthew 16: 13-15 Jesus asked the probing question: “ Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:13-15)

Is Jesus exposing them with this first question? What are THEY saying about me? Where they that drawn to what others where saying rather than what Jesus was saying?

Why could those that had been with Jesus the most, seen the most, and experienced the most not answer the question, “Who do you say I am?

How come they watched him minister, saw his motives and heard his message and still didn’t know him?

Is this a picture of the how lonely it is to be in ministry? How people can be so close be never really know you?

HDJF?

All of us remember the craze WWJD “What Would Jesus Do”? I want to put a Gaddis twist to it and call this one HDJF “How Did Jesus Feel”? I believe that one only guesses as to what WWJD if you haven’t investigated HDJF? Have you ever pondered that? I know that we see Jesus as He is as the conquering King but we first must see him as the Suffering Savior. I know we see Him as the Great I Am but we first must see Him as Mary’s little baby. He was all God but Jesus was all Man at the same time. Pastor C. C. Cooper (whom I’ve been thinking about a lot lately) says it as only he could, “Jesus was just as much God as He was man and just as much Man has He was God”.

Some here’s a few question: How did Jesus feel when…

He received NO respect in his own hood?

He was lead to start a ministry with out a church?

He chooses Judas as His betrayer?

The religious leader rejected Him?

Nobody but Peter could answer, “Who do you say I am?”

His disciples slept rather than prayed?

He heard the rooster crowed right after Peter’s denial?

He was lied on, spit on, and beat & made fun of?

He was being falsely accused?

He was being beating to an inch of His life; they put a cross on his shoulders and commanded Him to carry it?

He heard the insults from the very ones He would soon die for?

The weight of the cross causes His knees to buckle?

They nailed His hand that only did good and nailed His feet that only ran errands of mercy?

They lifted the cross and the weight of His body fell on the nails?

The crowd and the thief began to mock him?

He saw the tears in His mother’s eyes.

He saw God turn His back?

His disciple deserted Him?

His disciples didn’t believe Him?

How does He feel about the church of today that He died for, sacrificed for and paid the price for?

How would we every know WWJD if we’ve never asked ourselves HDJF?

The Greatest Issue Facting The Church Today

What is the greatest issue facing the church today? Is it abortion? Is it the rapid spread of Islam in our Western culture? Is it apathy, self-centeredness, or lax morality? While all of these are important, and some may even be critical, I believe the greatest issue facing the church today, is STAGNATION.

In his book, Comeback Churches, Ed Stetzer estimates that 70% to 80% of all churches in the US have either stopped growing or are in decline! This is a crisis that should not only capture our attention - it should drive us to our knees. Imagine how outraged we would be if 70% to 80% of all the ministers in America had a terminal disease. It would be on the front page of every newspaper and the lead story on every television broadcast. The headline might read, "The Church is in Danger of Extinction!" Our church are is in an equally serious predicament because the outcomes are as potentially devastating. We continue to come into our comfortable churches, praying our comfortable prayer, singing our comfortable songs, giving our comfortable offerings, preaching our comfortable sermons, giving our comfortable invitations, comfortable hugs, comfortable words, getting back into our comfortable car, heading to our comfortable homes.

Here are 7 things that we much refresh to keep our church from becoming extinct.

Our Salvation
Our Servanthood
Our Structure
Our Strategies
Our Strengths

Our Services
Our Singing
Our Sermons