A Transforming Word

Come to the Lord and others as you are. Today, Pastor Bill explains in his message that sometimes people will act overly spiritual to appear to others that they’re being used by the Lord. But once you understand that it’s by grace that you’re able to be used at all by God, you’ll want to lose that spiritual act real quick. Pastor Bill encourages you to be the person God created you to be. He desires for you to operate in the gifts and talents that He has given to you. Conduct yourself authentically through His Spirit.

Like any loving parent, God will chasten those whom He loves. In today’s message from Pastor Bill, he teaches you about the role that discipline must have in the life of every disciple. God isn’t out to get you and to ruin your fun. However, He does want you to be disciplined in Him and live a fruitful life for His Kingdom. Pastor Bill explains that God will offer discipline to you when He sees you going the wrong way or being on a path that will not bear fruit. Trust that God always desires good for your life.

God’s love for you knows no bounds! As you listen to today’s message from Pastor Bill, he shares with you the importance of regularly partaking in communion within your local church body. When you receive communion, you remember all Christ did for you and the world. Pastor Bill asks you to recall all the instances in your life where God has shown Himself faithfully. Remember, the communion is Jesus’ body broken and His blood poured out for you! There is no greater unconditional love than this.

As a follower of Christ, you are called to submit to the will of God. As Pastor Bill explains in today’s message, truly submitting to God’s will often means doing something you don’t want to. Sometimes that command is easy to follow, but other times you may struggle. For example, husbands are called to love their wives. On most days that won’t feel like submission, but sometimes he will have to love her when he doesn’t really feel it. If you can’t love your spouse when they aren’t happy you’re failing.

Have you ever had someone quote the Bible out of context to you as a way of confronting something you did? As Pastor Bill points out in today’s message, focusing on out-of-context details happens all too often. You have to be careful to consider the culture surrounding a verse before you make rules based on the norms of the day. You have to consider the context or you will miss the entire point of scripture. A person covering their head when they pray isn’t the important part, the coming to God in prayer is.

Have you ever had to confront someone about their actions? How did you do it? Did you get straight to the point, or did you kinda dance around the issue? In today’s message, Pastor Bill reminds us that when Jesus confronted people He would start by pointing out anything commendable before going into correction. It is healthy to challenge and question other Christians, and a good practice is to acknowledge what they are doing right before getting into the correction.

Consider your job, or your hobbies, or anything you do regularly, are you mindful of the image you portray while doing those things? Have you ever put any thought into it? In today’s message, Pastor Bill explains that you should be mindful that whatever you do it’s for the Glory of God. You don’t necessarily have to stop what you’re doing, just do it in such a way that it glorifies God. That means doing it to the best of your ability and with integrity and humility, show Jesus in your actions as much as in your words.

Have you ever known someone who did whatever they wanted all the time without any thought of the impact they would have? Maybe you’ve been that person who just does things for pleasure without considering the consequences or impact on others. In today’s message, Pastor Bill challenges you to consider the outcome of your actions. Try to consider if what you do is not only edifying for you but will it help or hurt others. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.

What’s important to you? Most people would say loved ones and friends, which is understandable, but what do you give most of your attention to? It could be a person, or maybe a hobby. Do you rearrange your schedule to see your team play? In today’s message, Pastor Bill warns of the dangers of having idols; or anything you give importance and weight to. It is ok to have hobbies or people and things you care about, but you have to be careful to not hold them in a higher place than God in your life.

Have you ever thought you could do something only to quickly learn that you in fact could not? Maybe you thought you could lift something alone and ended up hurting yourself. Maybe you thought you could defeat sadness alone, and as a result, now struggle with depression. In today’s message, Pastor Bill reminds you that you are not alone Christ is with you. When you stand in Christ that is your position of strength. As a believer, you are never alone and always strong in Christ!