FEARLESS

Revelation 3:14-17

Those who God loves, he disciplines through truth in love by giving us an honest picture of our lives. As we continue this series on the churches we see that in everything God says He is longing for intimacy with us. With the church of Laodicea He does commend them for their works but because they were a church that worked hard yet has chosen to be lukewarm, He ultimately rebukes them the most. God addresses the attitude in which they had succumbed to living their lives and implores them to become either hot or cold. Christianity is an all in the way of being, you cannot be halfway in and halfway out and please God. Those that please God through lip service have to have a change in their heart service eventually. The problem with being lukewarm is that God is not lukewarm, He is either healing like the fire or refreshing like a cool spring and that He how He longs for us to be. Here are some ways we can slip into lukewarmness: 1) By becoming disconnected from community we become apathetic and indifferent to people around us 2) By getting overwhelmed or burned we're either too far ahead or too far behind God. 3) By becoming complacent, we've allowed ourselves to become comfortable in life and nothing affects us Becoming lukewarm takes time, it happens over years if we keep going through the motions we end up neglected and dying. All we have been called to do is to tell the world of Jesus and if we can't do that, there really is no point in us playing the motions of church. We can have joy in the middle of difficult situations if we tune our minds to the words Heaven is speaking over us. Let the Lord redefine us and prune us so that we can become a church that is more zealous about protecting the gospel than protecting culture!

There is a spirit at work in our modern day culture that has led us into a false theology. We in the western world are not the persecuted church, however we can be a group of people that call Him Lord without submitting to Him in our hearts. There is no qualification in Christ Jesus besides Christ Jesus and we have been asked to practice the word of God that we hear. In order to become a true disciple of Christ there is a level of practice of this relationship that can only come when we are possessed by the will of God. Like the church of Thyatira we can so easily become a church that is great at love without truth and call it tolerance. This allows those inside attacks that destroy us from within to take root! The enemy doesn't mind us building, he just doesn't want us building on the truth which is the only way to change our lives for His glory. People allow the Jezebel spirit to rule because of Moral Relativism, which states that truth is subjective. We so easily let people believe a truth that they might perceive as absolute because they declare that it is their truth. But God says that He is the absolute truth and in order for us to become the Church of Christ we must display trust in the truth of His word. Here are some indications that we might not be okay with absolute truth: 1) We start looking to other being to justify how we feel listening to false prophets 2) We are unwilling to take the difficult questions up to God because we don't want to let go of our desires 3) We only give glory to God in moments of victory but we curse him in moments of defeat God is God of love but He is also a good Father and because of that there are some things He asks us to hate. It is for our protection that He asks us to be in the world but not of the world. The lust of the flesh and the pride of life come from the enemy and in order to win at life we need to walk away from things that we desire that are not beneficial to us. We are going to be a church that does the Will of the Father. God has called us to call out those things that are unbiblical and that is what we are going to go!

Our relationship with God is never about what He can do for us, it should always be about falling more in love with Him. Our earthly actions in attending church, doing ministry or giving to the poor will never get us into heaven, but true intimacy with Him will decide our trajectory. In the book of revelation, Jesus reminds us that it is so easy to become a group of people that are professional Christian's who maybe look the part, but nothing will matter if we don't allow ourselves to go back to the basics and to His first love. One of the churches that did do well in His eyes, was the church of Sardis and like that church, if we seek him first and pursue him with a pure heart we can come to a place we will be rich in our spirits. Our prayer needs to be to get back to a raw hunger we used to have for God so that we can give him back something of value at the end. Here are the crowns we can cast at his feet: The crown of life - perseverance The crown of righteousness - those who long for his return The crown of glory - ministering to his sheep Incorruptible crown - running the race with self control Crown of exaltation - winning souls We have to remember that it's the enemy that is constantly after our faith and our relationship with Christ. As we wrestle with these principalities we have to remain faithful even to the point of death.The Bible says that the righteous receive those crowns as a reward and as those who truly hunger for Him, this is all we should see. None of us want to go to him empty handed so let's keep that at the forefront of your mind as we continue to persevere in our faith.

Nowadays there is a lot of talk about auras and vibes and people are constantly complimenting those they meet, on good vibes. But as Christian's we know that good vibes don't break yolks the Holy Spirit does so we as a church want to be good stewards of our faith by looking at the Strengths, Weaknesses, Adjustments and Threats of relationship with the Lord. In the last days God reminds us that as pain increases, people are going to have the form of godliness but deny its power. We will have a Church that is trying to look right, sound right and feel right but deep down they are not right. But how are we to heed to this warning? How are we to become the mature church of Jesus Christ who will walk in all that He has for us? 1) We have to try to renew this lifestyle with His word, by putting in the time daily to receive that first hand revelation from Him. 2) We need to operate in real strength which only comes when we can submit to Him even when we don't understand. 3) We need to be a voice that believes in the future of people, calling them out of where they are to where they are called to be. 4) We need to be dedicated to both seeing people saved as well as discipling those that believe. In the book of revelation the Lord commends the church of Ephesus for being strong and powerful and for building a church in one of the darkest places. Yet in His S.W.A. T (Strengths, Weaknesses, Adjustments and Threats), He shows us that their weakness was that they forgot their first love. We have to be careful at getting so good at practicing the laws and following our dreams that we forget who gave the law and the dreams to begin with. Let's repent and do what we were called to do when we first met Him. The greatest way to stay in that place of humility is to constantly get around those who are receiving His love for the first time!

Light shines brightest in the dark and although there might be people that use God's name invain wanting to get their glory here on earth, there is a group of people who would rather be famous in hell than in anywhere else.Fame is about focusing on yourself whereas influence is about those around you. We should be seeking to help those in every sphere of our lives by pointing them to Jesus. Religion will make us afraid of hell but a relationship with God will make hell more afraid of us so here's some practical steps on how to walk this walk. 1. Proclaim the gospel boldly and regularly and intentionally. 2. Live out the gospel, let your actions line up with the word. 3. Support the gospel put all your time talent and resources into kingdom things. 4. Speak Truth in love in order to help those around us. 5. Be light in dark places, seek an opportunity to be the beacon of light everywhere you go. 6. Stand firm in your faith and trust god to fight your battles! 7. Confront apathy in your life. 8. Dont be afraid of small days because you never know what it will lead to. 9. Raise the next generation to fear the Lord. We have to realise that we need to stand in the gap for the people of this world. That is the only reason we are alive and in doing that we will end up being famous in Hell even if that means being infamous with those around us and in the world!

Sometimes our issues can get so big that it consumes who we are and we start to base our identity off of it. But we serve a God who is not only powerful but intentional and He walks slow through a crowd so that we may reach out for Him. Whatever we praise ends up getting magnified in our lives but we have the power to flip that and speak the things God has spoken over our lives! Desperate people do desperate things and when we want him to show up in our lives we have to go to him no matter the cost. 1 God will use desperation to push us into our destiny. 2 Desperation is the door that breakthrough walks through. 3 Desperation will open up doors that complacency will keep shut. 4 Faith is the only thing that activates the miraculous with God Faith needs to be exercised so the more weight we add to our faith, the stronger it grows. The things we go through will give us the strength to believe in something greater. Faith gives us confidence and empowers us to endure even when we want to quit. If faith moves mountains fear creates them but God reminds us that even the faith the size of a mustard seed is enough to move that mountain. Oftentimes God will allow us to watch people get their miracle before us but that waiting season is not a wasted season. If He's faithful to them He will be faithful to us! Both Jairus and the Woman needed a miracle and where the woman received a healing, Jairus ended up receiving something greater: a resurrection!

In part two of this sermon, Pastor Jeremy Johnson talks about how the enemy has taken out kings and monarchs so it is unwise to think that we could stand our ground without putting on the full armor of God daily. There is a day of evil coming and we have a ground to stand on, the ground God has given us specifically to fight for. We think that we are fighting the good fight of faith when we are advancing but sometimes it's a victory to just be standing. The very fact that we are not retreating means that we get to boldly declare that we are still here, in His presence trusting that we will make it through another day. All of us, no matter who we are, will have Goliath attacks: problems that seem to be there from when we wake up to when we go to sleep. The word "Goliath" means to remove or take away so maybe for some of us the enemy keeps taking away our peace or our finances or our future but whatever the spiritual battle looks like, the only way to conquer it is by doing the following: 1. Pick up Courage: the revelation that we have a problem but we are in it with God 2. Instead of looking at Goliath as an obstacle we can view him as an opportunity. 3. Be careful to sidestep the step that will lead to the moment of victory Our praise today validates that everything the enemy threw at us in the past had no effect on us, so we can shout in all freedom. Our praise might require some work as we have to till the dry ground in order to take, but before we plant any more hopes or dreams on that ground let's remove the thorns through surrender. Only then will we see the harvest we are looking for. Don't let the enemy take a stronger stand against you on your ground!

The christian life isn't a playground, it's a battleground and there is a constant spiritual warfare that is taking place. The attack on our lives is proof that we're going the right direction but the good news we can stand on is that the fight is not even, the enemy is no threat to our God and there is already a victory that has been won. In those moments there is only one place that strength comes from and that is being covered in the Lord. Know that if Satan is attacking us it's only because God's allowing it and that there is nothing that happens apart from God. But by facing the attack and overcoming the onslaught we get to help someone else do the same. There are three things required to face the battle: 1 Filling ourselves up with the word which is the Truth of God. 2 Standing firm in the peace of God which can only come when we pursue His presence 3 Picking up our Faith and linking it with someone else's. The armor of God isn't just a nice picture that Paul is trying to paint for us but he is reminding us that in order to win this fight we have to have a mindset of salvation, a heart that is righteous and have the truth of the written word holding us together. If you're not spending time with the word we will not get the Rhema or revelation that represents the sword of Spirit to cast down the demonic attack. Our faith at times can be a burden to bear but in order to stop the attack we need to link ourselves with someone else and stand together against whatever is coming towards us and it is the faith from someone else that will help lift you up when you feel surrounded by the enemy! Application: Where have you left your faith and how can you begin to pick it up again? Do you feel like you need to link up with someone else's faith in order to overcome what's coming against you?Prayer: Father, remind me that the fight is not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers of this world. As I run to you I know that you will throw down the enemy and help me overcome all that I face. Unite us in this body and help my faith be the shield that someone needs in a battle against their life. In Jesus name Amen!

Gentleness and Kindness might seem like obvious traits to operate in but there is something deeper in how God views these fruits. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. No matter how much we know about Jesus, it is not until we can look like Him, act like Him and be like Him that we will see them respond to Him through our lives. It is very common in our day and age to claim something and not live it but people are simply wanting us to live out what we are speaking about. The gentleness & kindness that we display in our relationships will truly determine how people view the love of God.Nothing the Lord does is accidental or unintentional so why does He ask us to walk in these attributes? God asks us to walk in meekness and humility (gentleness) and grace and integrity (kindness), because as a society we get so focused on having a right to do something but we need to be more concerned about doing what is right in the Lord's eyes. There are moments we think we have the right to be angry or the right to walk in our flesh but the bible encourages us to lay down our lives and pick up our crosses. 1) We can do the right things on paper but people discern if our hearts were joyful in the action. 2) If something is a part of our personalities, we have the power to change it. 3) Being kind and gentle will always give God all the glory. There is an aspect of living this life that God is calling us to give without expecting anything in return. The Fruit of the Spirit allows us to to live a life surrendered to the service of others, without manipulation or expectation. The world is often telling us that it's good to be nice but Jesus isn't just telling us to be nice to one another, He is asking us to ultimately love our enemy as an act of ultimate obedience to God. God has already paid the price for the broken people of this world, all He asks of us is to be a group of people that would tend to their wounds and help restore them back to who He calls them to be! Application: What are some ways that you can start to operate in gentleness and kindness in the relationships and human interactions you come across daily? Prayer: Father, I pray that I will be gentle and kind in all circumstances. I long to love on the broken people of this world as a service unto you. Break my heart for what breaks yours and allow me to be an open vessel of your love today!

Read Ezekiel 37:1-11 There are ministries that come and go as times pass by because the anointing oil, the outpouring of God's presence was something that was not sought after daily. If our lives have gotten boring, the beauty is that we can get that fire back in our bones by earnestly seeking His presence. Getting fresh oil in our life means getting a new attitude and positioning ourselves in a way that the Hand of God can come upon us, it's a constant posture of gratitude and worship instead of whining and complaining.All of us are always being updated by God as everytime we get plugged into Him we are not only getting recharged but we are getting renewed into the image of Him. However most of us are more interested in his hand than his face so instead of seeking him for his blessings it's when we seek Him for Him that we will experience fresh oil. The encounter happens when we realise that: 1] Prayer isn't about praying, it's about being in a relationship. 2] We won't be in control when God is moving 3] When you take steps towards Him, God moves in As Chrisitans we will end up either becoming fountains of living water or drains. We want to be a group of people that give life to those around us because we are called to be salt and light in this world. When we are carried away in the presence of the Lord we step back with more joy, love and a renewed sense of life! Maybe God will fill us up and drop us into a valley but it's only because He is now equipping us to be people that will prophesy life into dry bones! Application: Have you been satisfied with yesterdays oil? When was the last time you sought God's presence just to be with Him? Prayer: Lord here I am, to be still and know that you are God. I give this moment to you, without all distraction. Meet me and encounter me here and renew the fresh oil in this heart