Gtcotr/ss082618
(Note: Thank the elders, staff, volunteer workers, congregation,
distinguished guests and friends and family including Brenda, April, Ashley and
Teena.)
Genesis 1 NKJV
27 So God created man in His own
image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 Then God blessed them, and
God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have
dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every
living thing that moves on the earth.”
The
first 5 commandments God gave to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden were given
to them in a perfect world. Even in a perfect world there are some do’s and
don’ts.
·
When
God said: Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth:
o God was identifying
and cultivating the desire He placed in mankind for increase.
·
God
also told them to subdue the earth.
o Our God-given, God
ordained disposition is one of pushing back against the enemies and obstacles
of life.
o God gave mankind a
heart to win. We naturally enjoy victory.
·
And
finally, God spoke to the seed He placed within us to have a say in our lives …
to have dominion, the right and the power to govern and control what goes on
around us while we pursue our own dreams.
God wants us to leave things better than we found them. It’s in our
DNA.
What we do with what we have shows who we are
and what we believe.
Some
people live life storing wealth as an inheritance for their children. The Bible
tells us that a good man will leave an inheritance to his children’s children,
how much we leave and how much we do with what we have is the consideration.
And,
if you want to know what others will do with the money you leave behind, you
only have to look and see what they are doing with the money they have now. The
Bible says they will only do more of the same. So, perhaps while you are
preparing your children’s and grandchildren’s inheritance you might also spend
a little time preparing them.
You
see, the only thing God ever wanted to be was a Father. And the only thing God
is working for is family. Family continues to be the most important thing in
the universe and for all eternity. God made family by design and the driving
desire of God is at the heart of all mankind. It’s in our DNA. We all hunger to be fruitful, multiply, fill the
earth, subdue it and have dominion. God has given us a chance to succeed and He
is investing His time and resources in us … it’s called life.
There
is a universal and eternal law that says, “Nothing and
no one was ever born on their own.” Thirty years ago, we did not begin
this Church. Other pastors and people worked hard and long before we got here,
giving everything they had and placing all their hopes to give us a chance to see
what we see today.
The
Bible says that we should “Give honor to whom honor is due”. We owe a debt of
gratitude and respect for all those men and women who gave their precious time,
talents and resources to give us the chance we had to make this Church work.
As
far back as I know, men like Pastor Chester Hensley, Pastor Steve Munsey, Pastor
Larry Lea and Pastor Mike Alexander, along with the deacons, the elders, the
staff ministers and the congregations they led, are the ones to honor this
morning for the past 50 years of service to the communities of Southeast Texas.
They lifted the name of Jesus and left their imprint on the work we know today
as Golden Triangle Church On The Rock. May God bless their memory and continue
to reward them for their labor of love.
We
thank God for our DNA and our family, it gives us the chance to be who we are,
do what we do and have what we have. Success is more
than a one step process. We can’t blame our failures on our family, but it
is to them we do, in great part, owe our successes.
We
live in a world turned upside down. A world where parents deny children and
where children can dis-own parents. Nonetheless, God has made it so that no
parent or child can ever rightly deny who they are and where they came from.
The God ordained truth of your parents and family lineage is written in
undeniable atomic code in every cell of your body. One hair from your head, one
drop of your blood, one kiss from your lips, or one tear in your eye tells the
whole world exactly where you came from and unquestionably identifies who your
parents are. This DNA is passed on to every child and grandchild you have and
will follow you and continue to identify you well beyond the grave and for all
time. DNA is a God marker in your life and you
can never get rid of it because it makes a difference to God. He went to great
lengths to permanently identify you with your family.
Hold
that thought while I tell you a little about what we have done together in
these past 30 years. Here are the Children/Churches/Ministries that have been
brought to life out of the vision and resources supplied through this Church.
These are only the ones within driving distance from this Church. Remember, without
your biological parents, you would not be here. The DNA had to be just right
for you to be you. It does not mean that you are your parents, but it does mean
you will never be able to rightly deny them. It’s the same, without Golden
Triangle Church On The Rock, these Churches and Ministries would not have existed.
Thank God for our DNA and your willingness to be fruitful, multiply and impact
Southeast Texas.
·
COTR
North Beaumont
·
International
Institute of Faith Based Counseling
·
COTR
Vidor
·
Kingdom
Expansion Resources
·
COTR
Sour Lake
·
Compassion
Christian Counseling Center
·
COTR
South Groves
·
Agua
Resources International
·
COTR
Cowboy Church Beaumont
·
Grace
COTR Mid-County
·
COTR
(Bridgepoint) Bridge City
·
COTR
County Jail and State and Federal Prison Congregations
·
COTR
Medical Clinic Beaumont
·
Pathway
Church Nederland
·
COTR
Disaster Relief
·
Rock
Church Southeast Port Arthur
·
Church
Online
·
COTR
Conroe
·
Third
Service
·
COTR
Jasper
·
COTR
Food Pantry Port Arthur
·
Café
Church
·
My
Online TV
·
COTR
Motorcycle Church Beaumont
·
COTR
Youth Church
Not
to forget or make light of those congregations in our communities to which we
supplied pastors and ministers in times of need. One such, Faith Harbor
Assembly of God in Port Acres, pastored by Pastor Lynne Parker, who served on
staff here as our women’s pastor for near 20 years. We heard that church was
without a pastor and I asked her to serve there while we continued paying her
salary. After about 8 months they offered, and she accepted the position as
pastor there. She is sitting here on the front row today because we are
undeniably family.
Added
to these are the new Church start-ups, Missionaries sent out from our Church
and the Foreign Ministries ongoing and fully underwritten by your generosity in
Kenya, Russia, Mozambique, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam,
England, Nepal and Mexico.
Plus
the orphanages, schools, clinics, feeding centers and churches we help to
support on a monthly and project basis, who feed thousands of meals each day,
caring for children around the world and supplying spiritually motivated
humanitarian relief in country after country from Israel to India and from China
to Cambodia to Columbia, so that Today and Every Day, the Sun never Sets on the Ministry and the
Outreach efforts of Golden Triangle Church On The Rock.
Thirty
years ago we were a congregation in trouble but nonetheless a congregation with
a chance. The eldership and I led those few families by making a fresh
commitment to God. Together we stood before the Church and declared that our
one goal would be to put a smile on God’s face every day. We promised to make
this Church important to God and to keep our focus on saving souls and serving
others.
Just
like this Church:
·
You
have a past
·
You
have a present
·
You
have a future
Believe
me when I say, as I have been saying for 30 years, The
journey is your friend! It is the journey that prepares you to operate
at destiny capacity. God has been, is now and ever will be preparing you and
positioning you for your greatest day. Put your trust and your future in His
hands.
Your
past, whether good, bad or ugly, has brought you to this moment.
·
You
don’t have to deny it
·
You
don’t have to hide it
·
And,
you don’t have to repeat it
This
morning I am going to make a fresh and a renewed commitment to keep making this
Church important to God. I have only two goals in life:
1.
When
I lay my head down on my pillow at night, I want to know that I did something to
put a smile on God’s face that day.
2.
When
you enter the gates of heaven one day, I want to be standing close enough to hear
Jesus say to you, “Well done, My good and faithful servant!”
It
is God’s will for you that you:
1.
Increase in every good thing
2.
Win against the enemies of your life
I
challenge you this morning to live a life pleasing to God and do your best …
it’s your DNA!
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