Good News for Everyone

By Tom Shanklin

Have you ever wished that your local church was on-fire, winning souls, seeing miracles and leading the charge in your community for the Kingdom of God? Have you ever wondered what you can do to help that come to pass? "How to Pray for Your Church"  is a message I preached at the local church in Mankato during a time of special need.

This message will stir you up to prayer and give you a practical and biblical way to help your church move forward. You will learn:

* How to pray for the believers in your church.

* How to pray for the outreach of your church.

* How to pray for the pastor of your church.

The sermon notes are here as well. Print them out and use them as a prayer guide in your personal devotional life, family prayer, home groups, prayer meetings and church services. This message will help you to pray God's Word, which cannot fail, over your church.

Great blessings!

Tom Shanklin

Sermon Notes: How to Pray for Your Church

Main Text: Mt. 16:13-19

Main thought: Jesus will build His church as you pray God’s Word!

Pray the Word: Sometimes we try to reap a harvest in prayer without the planting of the seed, the Word of God. (Mark 4:1-20)

When we pray God’s Word…

* We are praying in agreement with God’s will. (1 Jn. 5:14-15)

* We are praying in agreement with one another. (Mt. 18:19)

* We are praying prayers that are more powerful than the devil. (Luke 4:1-13)

PRAY FOR THE BELIEVERS IN OUR CHURCH

That we would honor our Father in heaven and do His will. (Mt. 6:9-13)

That we would have a revelation of our authority and use it. (Eph 1:15-23, 2:6)

That we would be strengthened by the Holy Spirit and know God’s love. (Eph. 3:14-21)

That we would grow in walking in love and glorifying God. (Phil 1:9-11)

That we would walk in healing and divine protection. (Ps. 91, 3 Jn 2)

That we would walk in unity in our church and in our families. (John 17:21, Eph. 4:1-3, Eph. 5:17-6:4)

PRAY FOR THE OUTREACH OF OUR CHURCH

That we all would grow in compassion for people who are away from God and be sent by the Lord to the harvest. (Mt. 9:35-38)

That people would be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim. 2:1-6)

That we would be filled with the Holy Spirit to be witnesses. (Acts 1:8)

That we would be bold and God would stretch forth His hand to heal in the name of His Holy Child Jesus. (Acts 4:23-33)

PRAY FOR THE PASTOR OF OUR CHURCH

That the church may prevail against the enemy as we hold up the arms of our pastor and his family. (Exodus 17:8-16)

That our pastor may open his mouth boldly to make know the mystery of the Gospel.  (Ephesians 6:10-19)

That our pastor will be empowered to equip God’s people for the work of the ministry. (Eph. 4:11-12)

That God’s people will esteem our pastor highly in love for his work sake. (1 Thes. 5:12-13)

LET US pray God’s Word for our church in our personal times of prayer, family prayer, small groups, and church services.

Here's a PDF of the notes. Print them out for your church and use them as prayer guide.

Recent Podcasts

No posts found.

Lake Bled, Solvenia (Photo by Artem Sapegin)

The first step for your local church to touch the world is to believe that it can. Faith is the key that unlocks all the blessings on God, including success in ministry.

God has a bigger vision for your church that you do! He sent Jesus to open the door to reach the nations through you! He has plans that are beyond your wildest dreams. Catch the vision of God in your spirit so that you can run with it. Isaiah 54 speaks to this vision. Your eyes may be upon your abilities, your budget, your past experiences, or the number of people that are setting in your sanctuary each Sunday morning. But God sees the potential that is there because of your relationship with Him.

“SING, O barren one, you who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who did not travail with child! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of the married wife, says the Lord. Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; spare not; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes, For you will spread abroad to the right hand and to the left; and your offspring will possess the nations and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.” Isaiah 54:1-3, Amplified.

In this podcast you will learn:

* The spiritual application of enlarging your tent.

* How small thinking throttles down your ability to reach others

* That your past is not an accurate representation of your future.

* How hearing God's voice is essential to fulfilling your mission.

God has awesome things planned for you and your church. We are praying that you will fulfill your destiny and that your church will touch the world.

God bless you!

Sermon  Notes: Your Church Can Touch the World

Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; (Isaiah 54:1-2, KJV).

lengthen—expansion of the Gospel (Mk. 16:15

strengthen—building up of the church (Eph 4:11-12)

MAIN THOUGHT: Get rid of small thinking and religioius [thinking which keeps you from flowing in God’s best as the body of Christ.

Things that keep us back: Religious tradition, Control Systems, Small thinking , Fear

THE LOCAL CHURCH is called to be a training center to terrorize the devil, a strategic war base to invade society, an operations center for world missions. Every church is called to be a missions organization to reach their area and to reach the world.

We must renew our minds, in order to fulfill our destiny as the people of God. As Christians, our main problem in many areas is that we are more religiously brainwashed than biblically taught. Let make up our mind to be biblically taught and receive the truth of God’s Word.

WE NEED A SPIRIT OF FAITH

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. (Mark 9:23, KJV).

For with God nothing shall be impossible. (Luke 1:37, KJV).

For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. (Hebrews 4:2, KJV).

When God gives a vision, we must run with it. . .

And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me,

Enjoy this audio podcast! There's healing in the presence of the Lord! Through Jesus Christ the way has been made for you to enter God's presence and receive healing spirit, soul and body. This message was preached at Two Rivers Vineyard Church in Mankato, Minnesota.

We enjoyed a wonderful presence of the Lord. Several people came forward to receive the greatest miracle—a healing in their relationship with the Lord. Many others testified of an immediate manifestation of God's healing power in their bodies. In this podcast, you will learn:

* Several keys to receiving healing from the Lord.

* How the Bible is the story of man's exit and eventual return into the presence of the Lord.

* That Jesus is the door into he presence of the Lord.

Enjoy the podcast. The sermon notes are below.

Notes: There's Healing in the Presence of the Lord

Reading: Luke 5:12-26

“And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.” Luke 5:17, KJV.

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalms 16:11, KJV.

Truths from verses 12-16

* The leper worshipped Jesus

* Jesus not only CAN but WANTS TO heal you.

* Jesus ministered by commands. So did the disciples.

* They came both to HEAR and BE HEALED.

* Jesus needed to pray. We need to pray.

I. The Bible is the story of man's journey away from the presence of God, and his eventual return through Jesus Christ.

Garden: Clothed with glory, in fellowship with God, Temptation came. Rebellion. Their fellowship was broken. Spiritual death. Hid themselves. Cherubim guarded the way to the tree of life.

Romans 5:12 sin and death passed on the human race.

II. That's why Jesus came.

John 14:6 way, truth, the life.

John 10 Jesus is the door

Heb. 10:19-20 enter in by the blood

John 1:12 As many as received him.

III. Tom's experience.

9 yrs. old.

Age 27—turn from the things of the world.

* Precious is the blood of the lamb.

* I give you a new life, free from the bonds of iniquity.

* Live a holy life.

"He's still here."

Man healed of colon tumor.

* Exodus 15:26

* Ps. 103:1-5

* Gal 3:13-14

* 1 Pet. 2:24

The Glory of His Presence. The command. The results.

IV. The Paralytic Man. v18-26

He saw THEIR faith.

Forgiveness and healing is linked. Ps. 103:1-5, James 5:14-15.

Healing is a physical demonstration of God's mercy.

CONCLUSION: The greatest healing is when your spirit is re-united to God.

3 Keys to entering His presence.

* Repent.

* Honor the blood.

* Worship.

If you are a Christian, you are not your own! You belong to Jesus! The Church in Corinth had a genuine experience with God, but they had allowed the influence of the world to creep in. Corinth was influencing the church more than the church was influencing Corinth. Similarly, today we have a Church that is being influenced by the world and as a result has become ineffective in her witness. It's time to repent and come back to the message of holiness and total consecration to the Lord. There's something about surrendering to the Lord that makes everything right and brings rest to your soul!

Notes: You Belong to Jesus!

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-20, KJV.

IN HIS KINGDOM, HE'S THE KING, REPENT

“Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” Mark 1:14-17, KJV.

THY KINGDOM COME, IN ME!

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Matthew 6:9-13, KJV.

WHEN YOU SEE HIM AS HE IS, IT WILL SHAKE YOUR TIMBERS

“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me,

The love of the Father changes everything!

When you know your Father's love, you have peace. You know that your father values you and sees you as beautiful and He cares for you as a child. He is on your side. He is your daddy and you are in His family. Oh, what a glorious truth!

Enjoy your relationship with your heavenly Father!

Sermon Notes: THE LOVE OF THE FATHER

READING: Luke 15:11-24, deceitfulness of sin.

MAIN THOUGHT: The Father loves you and has called you to live in the blessings on His household as a son.

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32, KJV.

“And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.” Luke 11:2, KJV.

-Bunkhouse mentality or Kings Kids.

Ephesians 3:14-15Amplified Bible (AMP)

14 For this reason [grasping the greatness of this plan by which Jews and Gentiles are joined together in Christ] I bow my knees [in reverence] before the Father [of our Lord Jesus Christ], 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth [a]derives its name [God—the first and ultimate Father].

Pater—from a root word meaning nourisher, protector, upholder

* He loves you. 1 John 3.1

* He longs for His children. He values his children. He sees you a beautiful. Luke 15

* He has compassion Psa 103:13

* He rewards us Mt. 6:1

* He disciplines us. Heb. 12.7-9

* He gives us good gifts. Mt. 7:11,

* He gives us the Holy Spirit Luk 11:13, John 15.26

* He gives us the Kingdom Luke 12:32

* He is accessible Heb. 4:16

“Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” John 4:22, 23, KJV.

JESUS DIED TO BRING US TO THE FATHER

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16, KJV.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8, KJV.  (Rom 3:23, 6:23, John 1:12, Jn. 14:1-6)

“And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.” John 16:23-29, KJV.

“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, AS thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory,

Many people have problems in their lives because of generational curses through their family background. Under the New Covenant, we no longer need to live under generational curses. The Gospel has set us free of the curse, that we might have the blessings of Abraham.

This audio message will help you identify generational curses and give you God’s message of freedom from them. All the sermon notes are here as well.

It this message you will learn:

•    The root causes of generational curses.

•    The results of generational curses.

•    How to break the power of generational curses.

•    How to pass on family blessings on to your children and grandchildren.

God bless you!

Note: This message was preached while Tom was a local church pastor in the early 2000s.

SERMON NOTES: FREEDOM FROM GENERATIONAL CURSES

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (Galatians 3:13, KJV).

UNDERSTANDING GENERATIONAL CURSES

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; (Exodus 20:5, KJV).

Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; (Deuteronomoy 7:9, KJV).

MAIN THOUGHT: The power of generational curses are broken through Jesus Christ.

UNDERSTANDING THE LAWS OF GOD

ILLUSTRATION: Don’t touch the wood stove or you’ll get burned. It is not mean to teach your children such lessons. Likewise there are things that you do, the will effect your generations. It doesn’t mean God is unfair. When you do wrong and rebel against God, you can cause your children to inherit curses that they don’t deserve. When you do right and and submit to God, you can cause your children to inherit blessings that they don’t deserve. Idolatry, greediness, cruelty, sexual sin, alcohol abuse, witchcraft all bring a curse upon generations. Jonathan Edwards and Max Jukes

HOUSEHOLD BLESSINGS

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31, KJV).

Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. (Genesis 18:18-19, KJV).

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15, KJV).

And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. (1 Corinthians 7:13-14, KJV).

Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. (Deuteronomy 28:4, KJV).

Jacob imparted a success spirit to Joseph. . .

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. (Genesis 37:3, KJV).

This message is a part of the Online Believers School of Ministry.

NOTES: YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT THE WORLD NEEDS

“Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.” Acts 3:1-8, KJV.

MT: Christian, you have something to give people that will change their lives.

Peter had:

* Love and Compassion

* The Gospel

* The Name of Jesus

* The Power of the Holy Spirit

Testimony of man with high triglycerides and later a tumor, who was healed.

LOVE AND COMPASSION

THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST. (1 Pet 2.24)

THE NAME OF JESUS

THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

“To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” Acts 1:3-5, KJV.

God keeps His promises.

Wait before you go.

Baptism of the Holy Spirit (to dip) Immersion of the Holy Ghost for power. Filled to overflowing.

Holy Ghost and fire.

Power (dunamis) dynamic wonder-working power.

THE DAY OF PENTECOST, OUTPOURING

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:1-4, KJV.

Visible manifestation of the glory of God.

This is where Peter got the power to do what he did.

Pillar of fire. A consuming fire.

“But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass,

Tom the young preacher, about 1983.

I can think of no greater joy than to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to lead men and women and boys and girls into the saving knowledge of Him.

Our Father’s heart beats for the lost. Before Jesus left this earth, He enlisted us to take His message to the world. It was His final instructions to HIs followers. That tells me that all of us should make it our business to learn How to Preach the Gospel.

This podcast is focused on training you to use the tools that God has given you to win souls for Him. You can do it if you try! Experience is the best teacher. In this podcast you will learn:

* How to prepare your heart to preach the Gospel.

* A simple outline for presenting the Gospel.

* How to give an effective invitation to call people to faith and repentance.

I pray this podcast will be a blessing to you and will help you to fulfill a desire in your heart to win others for him.

This message is a part of the Online Believers School of Ministry.

Other posts…

* Article: Preaching the Evangelistic Message

* Tom's Book: You Can Touch the World

Notes…

How to Preach the Gospel

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15, KJV. “And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” Mark 16:20, KJV.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:13-17, KJV.

Mark 16:15-20, preach the Gospel to every creature

Preach—“to be a herald, to proclaim, make a public proclamation of truth, to publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.” The evangelistic message expresses the heart of God towards the person who is without God and without hope in this world. It proclaims the Good News of salvation and explains how to obtain it. Some think it is speaking with fervor and strong emotion. It may or may not be emotional, but by definition it MUST have Gospel content. (Acts 11:14, who will tell you WORDS, whereby you may be saved) Preach Christ—born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, was buried, rose again, ascended to heaven, poured out the Holy Spirit, and it coming again.

“For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” 1 Corinthians 1:17-21, KJV.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto s...

By Tom Shanklin

What kind of love is it that would cause a man to hang on a cross and die for people that hated Him? What kind of love would motivate someone to pray for those who crucified him? “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

That is God’s love, which we see in the person of Jesus. The Scripture says that God’s love “surpasses knowledge.” It goes beyond anything we can comprehend. You just can’t figure it out! It is incomprehensible love.

Grasping the truth of God’s love requires spiritual knowledge. It requires revelation.

In this podcast, we explore God’s love:

* God’s love for us.

* God’s love in us.

* God’s love through us.

Each of these three elements are necessary for us to comprehend God’s love. We must receive God’s love, experience God’s love, and walk in God’s love. Only as we love others with this miraculous love, can we explore the reality of the love of God.

In the world today, the love of many is waxing cold. God’s people must manifest the opposite spirit. The devil wants the Church angry. The devil wants the Church grumpy. The devil wants the Church in the spirit of the world. It’s time to choose to walk in the love and find the joy of loving and serving people with God’s love.

Enjoy these precious truths today!

Sermon Notes…

Incomprehensible Love: A Love that You Can't Figure Out

“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21, KJV.

MAIN THOUGHT: By comprehending God's love for you, in you, and through you, you can fulfill all that He plans for you in your life.

I. INCOMPREHENSIBLE LOVE FOR YOU

“To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” Ephesians 1:6, KJV.

“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” Ephesians 2:1-6, KJV.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16, KJV.

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” 1 John 3:16, KJV.

Put your roots down in love. Get grounded in love.

Illustration: When you keep moving plants they fail to get rooted and fail to grow.

Illustration: He loves me: He loves me not. NO, He loves me!

The North Shore of Lake Superior.

By Tom Shanklin

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” Isaiah 26:3, KJV.

In the midst of a turbulent world, peace seems to be a commodity that is in very short supply. But I want to encourage you today. You can have peace!

All around us, there is turmoil—in the political system, in the streets of our cities, and in the nations of the world. Some of the turmoil may be even closer to home—in your family, on the job, in your finances and health, or you may be experiencing the pain of rejection because of your faith in Jesus. Jesus put it this way, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33, KJV.

God’s Word tells us that He will keep us in perfect and constant peace, a peace that we can have in spite of the circumstances. Let me share three thoughts with you concerning the peace of God.

* Peace comes from knowing Jesus Christ. The Scripture says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” Romans 5:1, KJV. When Jesus died on Calvary, He died to give us peace. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. (Is. 53:5) He took the punishment so that we could be reconciled to God and have peace. When we turn to God in faith through Jesus Christ, He removes our transgressions and gives us His peace. What a wonderful gift that peace is in our lives!

* We must maintain that peace. Even though peace has been given to us as a gift, we are in charge of maintaining it in our lives. Our minds must be “stayed” on the Lord. We must steadfastly look at the cross and the resurrection. We must constantly “see” what Jesus has done for us. Instead of focusing our attention on all the problems in this world and our own personal challenges of life, we must put our trust in the Lord. In other words, we must have faith. To maintain peace, we must maintain faith. This requires living in God's Word and putting it into practice in your daily life.

* You can carry God’s peace to others in this troubled world. “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” John 20:21, KJV. Jesus came to bring peace. You, too, are called to bring peace to a troubled world. Because Jesus lives in us, we literally carry God’s peace wherever we go. We are not called to exude anger and judgement to others, we are commissioned to take the peace of God to an anxious and troubled world. Peace is an actual spiritual substance that you can release to others in your daily life. You can communicate peace through your words and release it through your spirit.

There is much more about God's peace in our new podcast. The sermon notes are here, too, so check it out. I believe that it will minister to your need right now.

I want you to know that Susan and I are praying for you. You have a great treasure from the God of Peace! May His peace be released in your life today, as your mind is stayed upon the Lord and you trust in Him.

Sermon Notes…

HOW TO WALK IN PERFECT PEACE

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” Isaiah 26:3, KJV.

Main Thought: By receiving Jesus Christ and abiding in Him, you can walk in perfect peace and bring peace a troubled world.

OT—Shalom—conveys the image of wholeness, unity and harmony relationally, also prosperity, health and fulfillment. It is often spoken of as coming as a result of the presence of God.

NT—Eirene—first meant the prosperity life possible when there is no war. Later, was extended to mean inward personal peace. In the NT,