Series on Keys to Empowerment to Begin Soon
This is Pastor Alan of Empowerment Church inviting you to join us for our important series outlining the vital keys to spirtual power and success in meeting every challenge we encounter in life. You will be surprised and enlightened as we discover the many tools God has put right under our feet to gain victory in every challenge, and amazed at how simple some of the remedies are. Too often we are overly distracted, or over complicate our problems to the point where we can no longer see the forest for the trees. We forget that Jesus taught that His burdern was easy and His yoke was light. Focus on the goal and simple concentration may seem like easy tasks to perform, but if you've ever been told to make your mind a blank and think about nothing, you know that your mind automatically races in all directions instead.
There is much that has been forgotten from the teachings of the apostles and the early church. As we go back to our favorite verses of the Bible, great jewels of wisdom from David, Paul, Peter, Isaiah, (and of course Jesus) are collecting dust on pages that we never turn to. We have ceased to be a thinking and reasoning church, and instead have become only an emotional and sensual church, but not in the sexual sense. Rather we are given over to the bombardment of the visual and audio senses of technology and a steady series of physical "rushes" from sporting events and the like.
Did I say many of the keys were "simple" and right under our noses ? Well here's an example of one of the keys that you may have thought you knew all about and had been doing all this time as a church member. That is the act of fellowship and community. If you're really honest with yourself, you'd probably have to admit that this is one thing the church does a lot of talking about, but seldom performs very well. Consequently, we've never know what it is like to truly be lifted up and supported as a member of the body of Christ in an active and enabling way. But there is enormous untapped power and freedom in doing this God's way, the way that God describes when He says "How good and how pleasant it is when the brethren dwell together in unity". Try to think of it this way.:Imagine a Sunday School class where everyone is trying to unite on what restaurant they will meet in after class or who will be in charge of next month's bake sale and car wash. Now picture a meeting where all the members come together to discern the Spirit's leading of a member who is in fear of violence and persecution from a rebellious child, or coming to the aid of a member who has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Normally, all would say a prayer, and that is good and helpful. But usually, it ends there with maybe a little follow up prayer. The apostle Paul went above and beyond that and it served as a great example of what a truly empowered church can be. He inquired earnestly over all the churches that were planted in Asia Minor and came to see and minister to their needs in active ways. It can involve a little financial help, but certainly most of us aren't rich in that way. But what if we could each pitch in a little to get someone out of a panic situation so they could rest easy for just a week or two or maybe a month. Or we could provide a ride here or there and share the duties of it, or lend our talents in some way or form. It was instructed that the gospel was to be preached "to the Jew first and also to the Greek" Spiritually interpreted, this means to the believer first and then to the unsaved. Sometimes in an effort to be "zealous in good works" the church neglects the health and well being of its member. We forget that not only judgment begins in the house of God, but also charity.
I welcome you to join us for this powerful series of messages to be commencing in April at our church. Please call either our main phone number or cell # or email address if you'd like to sign up
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Alan