Blessed To Bless

Synopsis: Blessed to Bless follows the theme that God told to Abraham in Genesis 12 and ask the question, "Why do you do what you do?" This lesson will challenge each believer to examine why they do what they do and encourage them to make sure their motivations are right in God's eyes as they reach out to a lost and dying world with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Gtcotr/ss102807

Why we do what we do is often as important as what we do.

Key Scripture: Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (NKJV)

Last Sunday we discussed the fact that we were Born For Purpose.

Through the study of the scriptures we saw that God creates, equips and positions us for our greatest usefulness in His kingdom plan. Of course it is still up to us if we choose to participate or not, but God has included every person in His will and He has not forgotten nor forsaken even one.

You, yes even you, are perfectly and wonderfully made, just like you are, for a purpose and for His plan … our part is just to yield to His purpose and participate in His plan with every opportunity He gives.

This morning we are going to continue with this theme by taking a little examination of the soul to see if we can see behind the scenes in our own life and discern why we do what we do.

Why we do what we do is often as important as what we do.

Generally people do what they do for one of three reasons:

1. People do what they do for God

2. People do what they do for themselves

3. People do what they do for others

These are sometimes very difficult to discern between. For example we may think we are doing something for God or others when in fact we may actually be doing it for our own self.

What is the motivation for you to do what you do? You see …

The hidden motivation of the heart is a trigger that either: gives life or robs life; adds joy and fulfillment to our day or takes away joy and fulfillment from our day; increases energy or causes tiredness; spawns vision and productivity or stifles creativity.

When what God has created, equipped and positioned us to do becomes something we have no passion or heart to do then we may not need to stop doing it but examine why we are doing it and then adjust our motivation and continue on.

God has created us, equipped us and positioned us for purpose.

And you are most likely more in the will of God today than you give yourself credit for. And, it was your yesterdays that brought you here … and God knew it all the time!

Isaiah 46 (The Message)

9 Remember your history, your long and rich history. I am GOD, the only God you’ve had or ever will have—incomparable, irreplaceable—

10 From the very beginning telling you what the ending will be, All along letting you in on what is going to happen, Assuring you, ‘I’m in this for the long haul, I’ll do exactly what I set out to do’.

Reckon what other great adventures God has in store for you? Just you wait and see.

He has a purpose in making you just like you are, placing you just where you are and involving you in just what you are doing and going to do. He alone is God and only He knows the end from the beginning.

Remember our key scripture: Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (NKJV)

Hold that thought while we look at a parable Jesus used to teach us the importance of participating in God’s plan.

Luke 12 NKJV

15 And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."

16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.

17 "And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’

18 "So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.

19 ‘And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."‘

20 "But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

21 "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

There can be more than one reason why God blesses a person but one definite result of being blessed is to take the opportunity God has given us to bless others.

Genesis 12:2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.

Blessing others is a part of our Abrahamic covenant responsibility.

In the book of Proverbs Solomon saw this truth and gave us the wisdom of this principle of life.

Proverbs 11 NKJV

26 ¶ The people will curse him who withholds grain, But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.

God intends for us to enjoy the fruit of our labor: Ecclesiastes says that it is a gift from God. However, there is a responsibility which comes upon a person to whom the Lord blesses.

Luke 12 continues to say that to whom much is given, much is required … we take no thought only for ourselves …

What we do with what we have often reveals who we are and what we believe.

Why you do what you do often is determined by how you feel about yourself, your life, your past and how you see your future.

I have found two prevailing attitudes of life that often shape the motivation of people and determine why they do what they do.

Our attitudes of life are shaped either by our future or by our past.

Motivations and decisions come either from a dominant:

* Survivor Mentality - or a dominant -

* Thriver Mentality

Living life out of a ‘survivor mentality’ may achieve God’s desired results for the others as we are motivated to reach out and bless them, but it will not produce God’s best for us in our own life.

That is what Solomon meant when he said:

Proverbs 11 NKJV

24 ¶ There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty.

Survivors hold back more than they should … not only in money and blessings given to others but also in other areas of life.

Survivors withhold more than is necessary concerning agreements, affection, support, relationships, submission, love and forgiveness … at home, at work at play. They often won’t allow themselves to be vulnerable so they self protect and reserve a portion of life, thought, future, assets and commitments. They are independent and don’t want to lose control, they are calculating and protect what they see as in their own best interest and often give with a motivation to get.

Survivors are more affected, shaped and controlled by their past than their future. They attempt to protect their future by either avoiding or reliving the past, but they never fully deal with it. Fear of loss, failure, or being hurt often keeps them riding yesterday’s bus and repeating yesterday’s mistakes.

Thrivers on the other hand have a liberal, generous mentality which motivates them. They often open themselves up to be taken advantage of by giving others the advantage first, they give extra support, increased affection, they offer more to relationship than it demands … at home, work and play, they are givers. These people are great to be acquainted with because they always look for your need and try to meet it before you even ask.

Thrivers protect others and are quick to commit without reserve. They are interdependent and don’t mind others having their share. They often calculate to see how their decisions affect others interests and look at ways to get more so they can give more of their time, talents and treasury.

Thrivers are more forward, future minded, not allowing the past failures or successes to control the current decisions. They ride the bus of the future and believe in a better day ahead.

Survivors want to have others in their life, they just don’t want others to have them. Survivors often create dysfunctional relationships … the bottom line --- “it’s all about me”!

Thrivers however, are interdependent and place a high premium on making sure that others get what they want in life.

Survivors give to get while Thrivers live to give.

That’s what Solomon was describing when he penned:

Proverbs 11 NKJV

25 ¶ The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.

What are you in life? A survivor or a thriver?

Why do you do what you do for God, for others, for yourself?

If you are living life out of a survivor mentality because of pain from the past or fear for the future, Jesus has a way to help you change.

He wants you to do more than survive … Jesus wants you to thrive. He came to give you life and life more abundantly. You are more than a conqueror through Christ Who loves you. You can do all things through Christ Who strengthens you. You are on your way to your greatest day and:

It begins this morning with prayer.

* A conscious and serious application to God for help.

Followed by a commitment to challenge each decision with an examination of why you are doing what you are doing.

* If it’s just to survive, challenge that attitude.

* If the why is not right, it may not mean you should not do it, but it may just mean you need to change the why before you do it.

God will help you and the Holy Spirit will be your Guide.

God never intended for His children to live a meager life of surviving in the wilderness. God had plans for His children to have dreams and visions of their future, a future so great and wonderful that it would seem impossible if not for the fact that they were Children of the Most High God! So …

Put a song in your mouth, faith in your heart and the Word of God in your mind and step into the abundant life God intended you to live.

Enjoy the peace that passes all understanding and the joy that is unspeakable and full of Glory! Give God a fair chance with your future! It begins today with prayer … won’t you stand.

Born For Purpose

Synopsis: Isaac, Moses and Samuel, Eve, Esther and Mary were all children born for purpose. In God’s eyes, every person is born for purpose, then prepared, positioned and called according to that purpose. This sermon is designed to bring people to a place of prayerful consideration before God as to their purpose in life as they realize that God has a specific plan for their life and He is ready for them to engage in that plan.
Gtcotr/ss102107

God has a history of calling greatness out of obscurity.

In fact many times throughout the bible when God wanted a special job done a child was born. This shows that God is a God of planning, birthing, preparing and calling people with purpose.

Jeremiah was told:

Key Scripture: Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."

In the same way Isaac, Moses and Samuel, Eve, Esther and Mary were all children born for purpose.

In God’s eyes, every person is born for purpose, then prepared, positioned and called according to that purpose.

You see:

God has a plan

He will succeed

Each person has an opportunity to participate

We can read the story of Jeremiah or Samuel, Esther or Mary, Peter or Paul and clearly see that these were people born with a destiny. However, not one of these people knew anything about the resident potential in their life until God revealed it to them.

It is easy to study men like David and see the firm hand of God on him throughout his life from early childhood to the end of his days. God was with David when he faced the lion, the bear and Goliath as a young boy and God was preparing him each day in every way for the purpose he was born for.

Esther 4: 14 "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (NKJV)

Esther was told by her cousin that if she did not rise to her potential and choose to participate in God’s plan for her life that doubtless God would then choose someone else to do her work but she would suffer and perhaps invite the suffering of many others.

This morning I want us to look at the callings of four men in the Gospels, specifically the first four men Jesus called to be His disciples. These were people born for purpose. As we study these men and their individual purpose, it is my hope that your calling may become more clear and meaningful. Let’s see if we can find ourselves represented in these men.

Matthew 4 NKJV

18 ¶ And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."

20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,

22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Interesting to note: The first four disciples whom Jesus called were fishermen.

The firsts to be called were Peter and Andrew, they were brothers. Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist and had earlier introduced his brother Simon, called Peter, to Jesus. Andrew, it seems, had a great desire to connect people to people and people to Christ in a one-on-one encounter. (John 1:40ff)

Peter, on the other hand, was a person best acquainted with groups of people and crowds. In ministry Peter would later be the one chosen to speak to the multitudes on the Day of Pentecost and to see multitudes come out into the streets, laying their sick in the way, hoping that even his shadow might touch them and heal them.

What do the scriptures tell us Peter and Andrew were busy about on that day when Jesus was directed to call them to follow Him?

v. 18 “… casting a net into the sea …”

Hmmm, what can we glean about their calling from this picture?

Casting a net is representative of outreach and evangelism.

This element of ministry continued to play heavily in the future God had planned for both of these men. Evangelism and outreach are still a great part of the Kingdom plan of God today.

This same Greek word translated in verse 18 as ‘casting’ is found again in Matthew and Mark giving us a picture of God’s Kingdom plan.

Matthew 13:47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: (KJV)

Mark 4:26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; (KJV)

Both net fishing for huge numbers and immediate results, as well as sowing seeds one at a time for future harvest are a part of our evangelism and outreach responsibilities. Preaching to the crowds and one-on-one evangelism are both designed for different people with different callings and different destinies. God prepares and positions us and He is ready for us to engage in the purpose we were born for.

Now let’s turn our attention to verse 21 of Matthew 4:

Matthew 4:21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them

James and John were not casting their nets but were rather mending their nets. What does this imply?

Mending represents the Pastoral Care and nurturing given to each person by God through His faithful servants.

Mending in the Greek can be described as: The work it takes to repair, perfect, complete and make whole and useful again. This is the work of a loving Pastor, a caring teacher, a nurturing parent, a true friend or a Godly counselor. It is also the work we can complete on ourselves with the comfort and help of the Holy Spirit.

This same Greek word translated ‘mending’ is found throughout the rest of the New Testament. Here are a few examples:

1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Loving and caring figured heavily into the lives of James and John who were the first and the last Apostles to be martyred for their faith. Pastoral in nature John was given the responsibility to care for Jesus’ family on earth. Tradition holds that just prior to 70 AD and the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem that John took up residence in Ephesus along with him was Mary, the mother of Jesus and a few others of the family. What a shepherd pastor John was.

This concept of mending nets is also carried over in to the thoughts of the Apostle Paul’s doctrine to that same church in Ephesus:

Ephesians 4 (NKJV)

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

What then is our conclusion?

God has called some to be net casters and some to be net menders … which are you?

You were born for purpose and you have great and perhaps as yet untapped potential.

Won’t you ask God today to show you your place in His Kingdom plan. You are already more prepared than you ever imagined. Simply saying yes to Jesus is the first step to being used by Him. Say yes this morning. You were born for purpose!

Greater Works

Synopsis: Isaac, Moses and Samuel, Eve, Esther and Mary were all children born for purpose. In God’s eyes, every person is born for purpose, then prepared, positioned and called according to that purpose. This sermon is designed to bring people to a place of prayerful consideration before God as to their purpose in life as they realize that God has a specific plan for their life and He is ready for them to engage in that plan.
Gtcotr/ws101707

Key Scriptures: Matthew 16 KJV

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Last Sunday we talked about the different groups of people Jesus ministered to while He walked on earth. From the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we are able to identify these groups of people as:

The 5000

The 70

The 12

The 3

The 1

Jesus was very strategic in both choosing His topics for discussion and in His presentation of the material with each group. His aim was to meet each individual and group where they were and speak to their current need while challenging them take their next step with God.

Sunday we focused on the group known as the 5000, the multitudes. We saw from several scriptural examples how that Jesus taught a basic three point message to this group. His points were:

Bless Me

Feed Me

Heal Me

We talked about these people representing the proverbial Sunday morning crowd and how important it is for us to follow the pattern example of Christ. When Jesus spoke to the multitudes He kept it simple and focused the message on their need.

However, when Jesus ministered to smaller groups of followers He was not always so gentle and understanding. With them He focused more on God’s need. The more intimate the relationship the deeper His subject matter and the stronger His delivery.

Tonight I too want to go a little deeper than just the bless me, feed me, heal me message and speak to the disciples of Christ; those who desire to follow Him more closely and give more of their lives to Him and His Kingdom work.

Psalms 77:13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?

In that sanctuary David was speaking of there were several places of worship and service. There was the outer court where the multitudes came to be forgiven, blessed and healed. There was the inner court where the Levites came to serve and minister to the Lord and finally there was the Holy of Holies where only those specially chosen by God, consecrated, sanctified and holy priests, could come before the very presence of God and hear His voice from the mercy seat.

This pattern reveals a progression of intimacy, service and worship. When Jesus died on the cross God tore the veil that separated Him from mankind and made it possible for every person to approach His throne. Now it is up to each individual as to the level of relationship they want to pursue with God … from His blessings to His presence.

We can live in the ‘it’s all about me’ arena of life or go farther into God’s will and become servant workers in His Kingdom work and, if we desire, we can pursue an intimate, holy, separated life unto God, devoted to Him, hearing His voice and being His vessel.

God has left it up to each individual as to which group they belong.

Lets look at some of Jesus’ teachings to the 70 and the 12:

Matthew 10 KJV

1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Mark 16 KJV

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Luke 10 KJV

1 ¶ After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

17 ¶ And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.

19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

John 14 KJV

12 ¶ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. KJV

Matthew 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. KVJ

There is power in Jesus’ Name and there is power in agreement.

Psalms 3 KJV

1 ¶ <> Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

Agreement and Unity flow down in a well established order as designed by God. We all have to tune to the leader.

That’s where the blessings are revealed … in unity!

Genesis tells us that in the very beginning God made us to have dominion and rule and reign on planet earth. David spoke in Psalms 8 that we were made to be over all of God’s creation as His representative. Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with scriptures that encourage us as sons and daughters of God, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus, our older Brother.

Like our key scripture told us, we have been given keys to this Kingdom of God and with those keys we can do on earth what we see God doing in heaven. Matthew 16:18-19

We were created and are empowered to make things happen and not just let things happen. We are take charge people filled with the Spirit of Almighty God as we are His ambassadors on earth.

Simply Follow Christ

This sermon encourages both preachers and congregation members to yield their lives to simply following Christ. This message teaches the believer that God wants to bless us, feed us and heal us while challenging us to take our next step with God. Without regard to where each person is in life, God has plans to lovingly and gracefully meet them there and lead you closer to Him.
Gtcotr/ss101407

Key Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. (NKJV)

No one can ever imagine they could match the wisdom and skill employed by Jesus in teaching His listeners the next step for their life. People through the ages, from the Apostle Paul to the 21^st century scholars study the Gospels to glean God’s strategy and learn to package and present their sermons the way Jesus did.

Each week congregations sit in hopes to hear a relevant word which will help them grow in God’s grace and cope with life’s challenges. People come to our churches looking for answers, encouragement, comfort and strength. Too often the messages are not designed with them and their moment of need in mind. Preachers may be preaching truth but it’s not always what the people need to hear and many times makes no sense, makes no difference or is just so far from where they are in the realities of their life.

I travel all over the nation and around the world and all too often I hear messages poorly packaged for the people who are present. This is a tragedy. It offers little help and can serve to make people feel that the Word of God and Church itself has lost contact with the common man and is no longer relevant for today with the complex challenges of life we all face.

However, a true study the Gospels reveal the pattern of ministry used by Jesus. In this we can clearly see that His ways and words are eternally relevant and His methods of ministry are timeless and still valid for today. Allow me to encapsulate what I have learned from studying this ultimate Preacher, our Lord and Messiah, Jesus.

Jesus understood His audience and He continually ministered to three distinctive and broad groups of people:

* The Righteous – Those who need no physician

* The Unrighteous – The lost whom He came to seek and save

* The Wicked – Those scribes, Pharisees, Hypocrites who were determinately committed to their own way and, even knowing Who He was, wanted none of Him. These people simply did not want to hear what Jesus had to say and ultimately crucified Him. Many of these people were super religious. How can a person be super religious and be wicked? Religion does not guarantee relationship.

The majority of Jesus’ ministry, and in fact the majority of the whole Bible, is focused on the unrighteous. These are the majority of people on earth who, if given the chance, will gladly receive Messiah and convert to what is just and right in God’s eyes. They have no real agenda, no hidden motives, they only want to love and be loved and enjoy peace and happiness for themselves and their families now and hopefully forevermore. They just need to know what to do.

When Jesus ministered to the unrighteous; those who are lost but are willing to be found; wrong but willing to be right; unsure but willing to learn, He spoke to them according to where they were in life and challenged them to take their next step in a relationship with God.

You know, First grade teachers aren’t stupid! It’s not that they do not know calculus, it’s just that they have the good sense not to try to teach calculus to first graders.

We always see Jesus sharing truth with people. With some people He appears gentle and with others He seems harsh. With some He overlooks evident transgressions and with others He points out even their seemingly minor infractions of philosophy or practice.

Jesus is not schizophrenic, He is neither moody nor bi-polar. His fits of rage are calculated and well orchestrated to produce the maximum affect to those who are His target of intention. He is masterful in His communication techniques, always on cue and always in control.

From my more than a quarter century of study on this subject I have learned that Jesus ministered to several identifiable groups of people who followed Him. His approach to each group and each individual was different as was His choices of subject and presentation.

The main groups who faithfully followed Jesus’ ministry can be broken down into:

* The 5000

* The 70

* The 12

* The 3

* The 1

With each group Jesus chose to meet them where they were in life and help them with their needs while challenging them to make a deeper commitment to God’s Word, God’s Will and God’s Way.

This morning I want to look at how Jesus tactfully and caringly ministered to the group known as the 5000. Remember, these represent the masses of humanity, sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus taught this group, also know as the multitudes, a simple message about the good life God wants to give every person who follows Him. His messages to this group of people usually centered around one of three basic points of the Gospel.

For this group, Jesus made God’s Plan all about them. His 3 points:

#1 Bless Me

#2 Feed Me

#3 Heal Me

Bless Me

Matthew 5 – Blessed are the … poor, meek, merciful, hungry …

Feed Me

John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

Heal Me

Luke 6:19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.

When Jesus talked with the 5000 He was for the most part gentle and encouraging. He often overlooked their failures and pointed them to a brighter future. His teaching method was:

Keep it Simple

2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent. (NLT)

Say it Often

Deuteronomy 6:7 "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. (NKJV)

Make it Burn

* If it does not burn in you it will never burn in others

Luke 24:32 And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us? (NKVJ)

* Passion for the Word will make it burn.

Truly, God wants to bless you

God wants to feed you

God wants to heal you

What was Jesus really saying to the multitudes of mankind? What was His message to the majority of people on planet earth? What is still His message to us today?

God wants to bless you

On Earth

In Heaven

The blessings I am talking about are spoken of over and over in the scriptures. One cannot read the Bible without seeing that:

* God wants to bless us financially

Deuteronomy 8:18 "And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

* God wants to bless us with peace in our homes and joy in our hearts.

Galatians 5:22ff But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

* God wants to bless us with a long and happy life

Psalms 91:16 With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation."

* But most importantly: God wants to bless us with eternal security.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God wants to feed you

Your daily bread for your physical needs

The Bread of Life for your daily spiritual needs

Like manna from heaven each morning, God is preparing something special just for you.

God wants to heal you

Your Bodily Afflictions

You Tortured Soul

Your Wounded Spirit

Your Backsliding Ways

God wants to bless you, God wants to feed you, God wants to heal you …

Will you let Him?

Answer His call … and Simply Follow Christ!

Begin Today!