Church of the Word Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Texts: 2 Corinthians 5:7 and Proverbs 3:5, 6. We are to walk by faith, not by sight, and to trust in the Lord and not lean on our own understanding. [Apostle Dale had a word for Jon Fike.] There is the role of the heart and the role of our understanding, and sometimes they conflict. We do not ignore the understanding, but we must factor in God and what He says. Which do you go with - your heart or your understanding (mind)? You can always trust in the Lord with all your heart. Knowledge can lead to pride. Understanding needs to submit to faith. James 4:13, 14. You do not know what tomorrow holds, but you can live according to God's will. Apostle Dale told of how he started the church here in Lancaster, and how if he had chosen what seemed to make more sense, it would hindered him in what he is doing now. Obey God. Following God's will brings grace, favor, and freedom. God wants us to do something specifically for Him. He puts desires in us. Acknowledge Him in all your ways. Apostle Dale told of divine connections in the Ukraine. God has a plan for you. Understanding can either bless or hinder your faith. Romans 12:1, 2 tell us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds and not to be conformed to this world. We should be a people who listen, follow, and obey God more than following our understanding. God will use you wherever you go. See the simplicity of your lives and acknowledge God in all your ways.

The Holy Spirit shows us things to come. Pray for the eyes of the Muslims to be opened and for workers to be sent to minister and witness of the Gospel to the refugees, wherever they go. Pray for your neighbors and our cities. Be a witness. Are you willing to be used by God? Text: Acts 1:3-8. The disciples were to wait for the immersion, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They had gone from disappointment to joy when they saw Him after His death and burial. They expected Him to physically restore the kingdom of God to Israel. It is not for us to know the times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. There are many pieces of the puzzle of the times we are in, but the important thing is DO NOT GET INTO FEAR! GET INTO PREPARATION, and do not let the enemy in by being in fear. Ask God how you should get ready to be prepared. Jesus told the disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit had come upon them. What was the reason for needing the power? It was (and is for us) so that they would be witnesses of Jesus Christ locally and around the world. What is your witness? It is what you have experienced of Jesus' working in your life. When you witness, the power will go from you into the ones you are witnessing to. Make an agreement that you will operate in His power. Be bold. Boldness is a manifestation of His power. He can reveal Himself to others through you. The power will meet you as you step out.

Pre-sermon notes: Words of edification, exhortation, and comfort, revelations, and a message in song were given by members of the church. The theme of the words was to walk in love, not to fear, and to be comforters of our land, because we have true love and the true Comforter. Offering message: Jesus gave boat-sinking increase to Peter. God's goodness leads us to repentance. His goodness to you is showing His love to you. We are humbled by His goodness. Sermon message: Matthew 12:25-29 states that no city or house (family) which is divided against itself can stand or survive. God releases great power through a married couple's unity, but there is an enemy of that unity. The devil cannot break your marriage. Only you can do that, but Satan will try to bring strife and division and present opportunities for you to be selfish. The devil must first bind up the strongman before he can plunder you. What is the strongman of your marriage? It is the unity of the two of you. In 1 Corinthians 7:28 we are told that married people will have trouble in the flesh. When you marry, you become one flesh, not one spirit. The flesh realm is where there is selfishness with the possible result of divorce. If you walk in love in your home, you can walk in love anywhere. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit (Proverbs 18:21). Most problems in a marriage stem from selfishness and from the words we speak to each other. The words we speak can release victory if we speak with: 1) love, 2) faith, and 3) truth (the Word of God). Love never fails means that love never ends, stops, or gives up. God brings us out to rich fulfillment (Psalm 66:12), and this can be true of your marriage.

Pre-sermon notes: When the Israelites became unthankful, snakes were biting people. God told Moses to make a brass (judgment) serpent on a pole, and if the people looked on it, they would be healed, similar to Jesus taking our sin by hanging on the cross. How much of the blood of Jesus did it take to forgive your sin? It took all of it. Jesus paid the debt. He gave His all to save and to keep us. May we have a greater understanding of the length Jesus Christ went to, to save us. A testimony is the result of overcoming a test. A great need is an opportunity for a great miracle. Do not confuse laziness with faith. Sermon: In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul tells us that the believer should stay with an unbelieving spouse so the other one is sanctified (set apart unto God). The believer becomes the open door for the Lord to keep knocking on the spouse's heart door. The purpose of marriage is to have and raise godly children. It is NOT to make you happy, fulfilled, or contented. Marriage actually multiplies your problems, because you have to think about the other person, and you cannot be selfish. If you think marriage will make you happy, after a while you will become bitter and hate your spouse. The only sure cure for your life is your relationship with God. In Genesis 2, we are told that God created Eve to help Adam. (See Ecclesiastes 4:9.) Another main reason God created marriage was so that He could release power through the unity of the husband and wife. There is a lot more strength in two becoming one flesh in a marriage. One can put a thousand to flight, but two can put ten thousand to flight. Genesis 11 tells about negative unity when the people tried to build the Tower of Babel. God said that nothing they plan to do would be impossible. The authority and power of a husband and wife is why Satan tries so hard to break the unity of marriage. Psalm 133 compares unity with the anointing of God. (Also Matthew 18:18-20.) Out of unity comes authority and dominion.A purpose of marriage is for unity and power to multiply our effectiveness.

What does it mean to be family? It is caring for each other, loving, checking in with one another, showing hospitality. When someone is grieving, we mourn with them. We know that the person who has passed into heaven is gain, but those left here deal with grief for a time. God is the God of all comfort: Isaiah 61:1-3 and 2 Corinthians 1:3-6. Christ died for our sins. It is because of His resurrection that we know we will be resurrected (1 Corinthians 15). We will leave this earth and body of corruption and mortality, and it will come to pass, "Death is swallowed up in victory." Death is an enemy. Jesus and our loved ones who are born-again are in our future (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We can know that we will have the hope of eternity with Jesus and God if we confess and believe, making Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives (Romans 8:8-10). Make Jesus not just your Savior, but also your Lord.

The youth did a skit to demonstrate Jesus' saving power, and then they shared their testimonies of how the mission trip to Peru changed them. Chester and Samantha Petersheim preached about engaging God by getting into His presence. Moses, Noah, Paul, Peter, Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego all experienced the presence of God. When we engage God, He can give us dreams, directions, healing, deliverance, prophecy, love, freedom, peace, grace, strength, protection, and more. Know God. Encounter His presence and see what will happen.

Second Timothy 3:12-17 begins by stating that all who live godly lives in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. The world is getting darker with deception, but as the dark gets darker, the light gets brighter. Hard times can show you the true value of hope. People are realizing that society has failed. We need to go to the foundation of the Scriptures. Scripture is profitable. There is a profit factor in spending time in the Word: joy, victory, and blessings. It is profitable for doctrine (teaching which way to go), for reproof (when you get off the road), for correction (to get you back on the road), and for instruction in righteousness (to stay on the road). When you reach you destiny, you should be prepared for it (2 Timothy 3:17). The Bible is transformational. It will change who you are. Life may scar you, but there is something more transformational in your life than your experiences. The Word of God is personally transformational. Apostle Dale told of a man who broke his back, lost his job, had no insurance, and experienced his finance breaking up with him, but when the Word of God took root in him, he came into victory. Some people's hearts have been scarred. They feel trapped and in fear. Even more powerful than negative experiences is the power of God's Word and the New Birth. Apostle Dale also told of a former abused child who became a Hell's Angel. He was gloriously saved, but he felt like something still needed to be fixed. His soul, his emotions and mind, needed to be renewed with the Word. Romans 12:1 and 2 tell about the renewing of the mind, which brings about a metamorphosis. People should not intimidate you. You are a child of the King. Joshua 1:5-8 tells us to be strong and of good courage. You will experience every promise that is coming to you. All the commandments are fulfilled in one word - love. Good success and prosperity come after meditating in the Word. Come face to face with God's Word day and night. It will transform you. How you respond brings transformation. Be scarred the right way and do what is right. Meditate in the Word. Meditation comes before giving. Second Timothy3:17 says that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. First, become a man of God, and then you can experience success. Transformation is on a personal level before circumstances change. Meditate on the Word of God so it can transform you.

(We declared the manifest presence, power, and goodness of our Lord and God over those people and jobs that impact our lives.) In 1 Kings 17:1-4 Elijah boldly said to the king of Israel that there would not be dew or rain except at his word. When we have the Word in us, we need to be powerful to speak it out as God's Word. God promised to feed Elijah with ravens, because He had commanded the ravens, and to supply water for him by the Brook Cherith. If you are not willing to obey what God has already told you, he will not give you any more responsibility. Have you done what He has already told you to do?  1) Believe the Word of God. 2) Trust that God has your best interest in mind. 3) Provision is not necessarily where you are. It is where He has told you to be. Jay shared a testimony of the Lord's preparing him to sell his business when it looked like the church (in Colorado) was so small and unable to support him. In order to walk on the water, you need to step out of your boat. To get a miracle, you have to be in a tight fix. Be obedient to the Lord. Every blessing carries a responsibility. Be at your "there". If you are not, you will not be sustained. Face things. Obedience matters. When you hear something that does not line up with the Word, do not receive it. Let the boldness that is in you come out of you. Are you at your there? There is where your provision is.08.02.15    Sunday AM Jay Stoltzfus       "Are You at Your 'There'?"

(We declared the manifest presence, power, and goodness of our Lord and God over those people and jobs that impact our lives.) In 1 Kings 17:1-4 Elijah boldly said to the king of Israel that there would not be dew or rain except at his word. When we have the Word in us, we need to be powerful to speak it out as God's Word. God promised to feed Elijah with ravens, because He had commanded the ravens, and to supply water for him by the Brook Cherith. If you are not willing to obey what God has already told you, he will not give you any more responsibility. Have you done what He has already told you to do?  1) Believe the Word of God. 2) Trust that God has your best interest in mind. 3) Provision is not necessarily where you are. It is where He has told you to be. Jay shared a testimony of the Lord's preparing him to sell his business when it looked like the church (in Colorado) was so small and unable to support him. In order to walk on the water, you need to step out of your boat. To get a miracle, you have to be in a tight fix. Be obedient to the Lord. Every blessing carries a responsibility. Be at your "there". If you are not, you will not be sustained. Face things. Obedience matters. When you hear something that does not line up with the Word, do not receive it. Let the boldness that is in you come out of you. Are you at your there? There is where your provision is.

Sermon: Romans 12:1, 2 tells us to be transformed continuously. God created marriage and His manual for it, the Bible. Why should a couple get married? A piece of paper does not make or break a marriage, since it is just a legal document with the state. Marriage is a public commitment and covenant with God. It is a covenant of oneness. What is the purpose of marriage? It is for reproduction and to raise godly children (Malachi 2:13-15). The world sees and experiences broken homes, which distorts their view of marriage. Marriage is NOT to make you happy (1 Corinthians 7:39, 40). The Apostle Paul's thoughts were that you would be happier if you remained single. Marriage is NOT to keep you from being lonely. If your spouse does not meet your needs according to your expectations, you separate from your spouse and eventually from God. When man was sinless, before The Fall, God told Adam that it was not good for man to be alone. Wrong expectations and demands bring disappointment. Any problem you had before you were married are amplified after you are married. Marriage cannot substitute what God is meant to fulfill. A husband and wife are two spirits but one flesh (Genesis 1:18-24). Offering message: God established the law of sowing and reaping in Genesis 1:29. His plan was to bring multiplication to the earth through Adam and Eve. God is "I Am", the God of increase, and when we give to Him, we can apply the law of sowing and reaping to our finances.

Text: James 4:6, 7, 10. When you submit in marriage and in other relationships, God's grace is released. Satan hates submission, because that was the area in which he fell. God's grace makes it possible for us to walk in His plan. Submission is not agreement. You submit to someone else's will when you do not agree with it. If we don't submit to the one God has put us under, we will not submit to God. Who should submit to whom? We should submit our flesh to our born again spirit (1 Corinthians 9:27); children to their parents; the wife to her own husband; the younger to the elder (1 Peter 5:5); employees to employers (Titus 2:9, 10); and citizens to their governing authority (Romans 13). The head of every man is Christ, the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God (1 Corinthians 11:3). It is not the husband's job to make the wife submit. Your job is not to make the other spouse submit. The wife decides to submit. Ephesians 5:22-24 tells about the wife and 5:25-30 tells about the husband. Wives, submit to your own husband in everything. The husband's role is to love his wife and to be constant. Her role is to submit to her husband, even if he is being ugly or mean. Your role is your role to the end of time. Colossians 3:18 tells the wife to submit to her own husband. Submission and obedience are not the same thing. Obey God. Peter submitted to the authorities, but he obeyed God when he was told to not preach in the name of Jesus. Marriage is a God-ordained relationship. Slaves are to submit to their masters, even if they are harsh (1 Peter 18-25). Submission brings grace. In the same way that slaves are to submit to their masters, so the wife is to submit to her own husband, even if he does not obey the word, so that those without the word, may be won by their wife's conduct (1 Peter 3:1, 2). If your husband is abusive, and you can stay by faith, God's grace will come to you. If you are not in faith, you may need to get out. A husband is to live with his wife with understanding, giving honor to his wife (1 Peter 3:7). Jesus became obedient to the point of death. Because He submitted, God gave Him grace (Philippians 2:8-15). Submit in your relationships. It allows God's grace to work for you.