Gary Wayne Bible Teaching

Hardwired to Hear God’s Voice ~ Part 1 By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: John 10:1-5, 27 Shepherding in Jesus’ day was much different than in our American culture. The shepherd basically lived with the sheep, to the place he knew them on sight, individually. Me – one sheep looks just like another. The sheep were so familiar with the shepherd, that two or three different herds could come together in a pasture, and when it was time to go, the shepherd would call to his sheep, and they would separate and follow him. God wants to have that kind of relationship with us. He wants open and intimate communication. And the foundation for any good relationship is two-way communication, not just one way. Often I find we frequently dismiss the voice of God because we think we are “making this up,” or we are unaware of the many ways God uses to speak to us. Sometimes people wrongly believe that hearing God speak to them is a unique gift for a select few. But I believe every person has been hardwired can hear God speak, but Christians, have the Holy Spirit living inside us. We have Him speak to our spirit, soul and body, to regularly and consistently connect with God. To me this phrase hardwired means that this is built with you when we were created by God, it was not an afterthought, or added later, after you became a Christian. Becomeing a Christian awakens this within us. Seldom does God use an audible voice to talk to us. What are some of the ways you know God uses to speak to us? The Bible, Thoughts, Impressions, Dreams, Sermons, Circumstances, Another person (your spouse), …. Ro 8:16 “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,…” He communicates Spirit with spirit. Ver.27 Jesus said His sheep DO hear His voice. So we can hear, but I think the #1 problem is we discount the voice, because of lack of experience, or I don’t recognize what or how we are hearing as being the voice of God. The mistake we usually make is thinking His voice is just my own thoughts. Heb 5:14 “… those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Listening to God requires practice. Just like learning a new skill, it takes time to get better at hearing and recognizing His voice. I believe we need to “EXERCISE” listening. And the more I exercise and practice, I develop my sensitivity to distinguish His voice from other voices. What other voices are there? There are four options. God’s voice, my voice, other people’s voice, and the enemy’s voice. How do you know the difference? I don’t always know, so here are a couple rules to test the message. God will NEVER speak something different than His word – the Bible. So when I have an impression, thought, or word from somewhere: I test it against Scripture. Does this align to the Bible? I ask God to confirm this some way. I ask a trusted Christian friend or spiritual leader. What does God’s voice inside me sound like? Close your eyes, and not using your outside voice, inside your mind, recite your phone number. That is usually how He sounds. Can a person make a mistake and get it wrong? Absolutely! Know this, God doesn’t get frustrated when I “try” to exercise faith and end up missing it. THAT’S NORMAL! I think it’s the person who doesn’t try from fear of making mistakes that shuts His voice down the most. I want to challenge us, in spending time loving Jeus, simply ask: “God I want to become more sensitive to hearing Your voice. Help me know how to “exercise” my senses to discern Your voice.” God’s Phone # Jer 33:3 “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

Say What He Says to Say By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Luke 4:18, Isaiah 35:1-7 In scripture, when you see phrases like this where the desert is blooming, and waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. Its prophetically speaking about a move of the Holy Spirit. When a land is dry spiritual – seemingly dead, only the presence of water, the presence of the Holy Spirit can cause the desert to bloom, and streams in the desert. Ver.4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted, "Be strong, do not fear!” How many know that when you’re afraid, someone telling you not to be afraid doesn’t seem to pull you out of fear? This only works when we “say” what God says to “say.” When we speak, an say what He tell us, that prophetic obedience, draws the hand of God into a broken situation. He said, “Say to those who are fearful, don’t be afraid..” NIV ver. 4 God will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." God is going to have the last word over this situation. We can say to one another, “I don’t know what He is going to do, I don’t know how He is going do it, but I’m confident because of who He is, and what He has promised towards us, something good is about to happen. Don’t fear. Then what? Ver.5-6 Encouragement always creates an atmosphere of hope. Saying what He says to say in unique situations ALWAYS draws His presence. I feel just like stinking words draw the demonic, words of His promise draw the angelic, His word draws His presence. How do you develop a culture and an atmosphere of hope in your home? By saying what He says to say. NOT the opposite! Theres a book - Shifting Atmospheres – its about discerning and displacing the spiritual forces around you – by Dawna De Silva The atmosphere around us is alive with unseen spiritual activity—a battle of darkness and light. This book helps you to recognize and take dominion over the supernatural environment. It helps give different strategies for winning over the enemy’s schemes. In our text, we have two people speaking to one another, and just like how our natural body shares nutrition with the other parts of my body, when I share with you God’s Word there is something released in me, and inside you that destroys fear. There are times when God is wanting to move in a situation, but He is waiting for us to give Him our attention and say what He says to say - Make a decree. He is looking for an agreement from those He has assigned positions and function to declare – prophesy to one another His Word. 1 Co.14:26 says that when we come together with a song, a scripture, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation, - let each one contribute something that strengthens others. We come ready to deposit something into others’ lives. This spiritual movement - this dance - a flowing together, creates an atmosphere for the blind to see, ears unstopped, lame leap, waters burst forth, and streams flow in the desert. What excites me is this is not about Pastor Gary being on today, or his message is so good. When we come together in the name of the Lord, and we say what He says to say. Mal 3:16 “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name.” Luke 4:18 (context) Last night, I kept waking up feeling like we as a church body – we were to speak nourishment to each other – speaking His declaration to the atmosphere in Seeley Lake - that we are to say, declare the words Jesus used. Let’s say This together: (I’ll say the first phrase and as a congregation, we repeat.) The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me - repeat He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor - repeat He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted - repeat He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives - repeat He has anointed me to recovery sight to the blind - repeat I have been anointed to set at liberty those who are oppressed - repeat

Loving Jesus – Part 3 By Pastor Gary Wayne Two weeks ago, I introduced a simple tool to help us develop a closer intimate connection to love Jesus. It’s simple – set your phone alarm to go off at random times and cause you to simply pause and focus on Jesus for a few moments and say the words, “Jesus, I Love you.” Last week we looked at the prayer of Jesus to His Father that you and I would experience the same joining of hearts – total oneness – with the Father that Jesus had. (Jn.17: 20-26) Text: Revelation 3:21, Ephesians 3:14-19 What I want to draw our attention to, is when God fulfills this prayer in us, it is going to take place in our: v.16 - “inner man.” v.17- in our “hearts.” v.18 –our “comprehension.” v.19 – in our “knower.” (P. Gary’s paraphrase) Where would that be? So the answer to this prayer, is going to take place deep inside me, with the Father doing something supernatural inside me. Question. Think of your normal prayer life – as you turn to prayer, where is the Jesus you are praying to located? When you think about where Jesus is, when you spend time praying to Him, where do you think of Him being at? Are you praying to the Lord way up in heaven seated beside the Father? Do you pray with a sense of Jesus is by your side with you in the room? If Christ lives in our hearts, doesn’t it make sense that we would learn to commune with Him there, within us, in the very depths of our own being. One aspect I love to understand is that Jesus is right in the middle of any problem I face. He is keenly, supernaturally aware of any issue I have in me, in my personality, in my will problems, in my obedience issues. He is not there to be a cop – to enforce behavior, but there to strengthen, empower, equip …. to do all that I want to do in Him. Re 3:20 I love the mental imagery different people have tried to paint with Jesus standing knocking on the door of my heart. What I want to point out is this this is the heart of a believer, not an unbeliever. This implies, I can know Jesus for salvation, and yet be denying Him access to various places in my heart. Notice this is a request, an invitation not a demand. What is the invitation of this verse? “I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” This is not a drive-in, fast-food thing, but a sit-down meal. The invitation is to spend quality time as friends, enjoy one another’s company. I want to influence us to exercise a way of praying that turns my attention to Jesus who dwells in our hearts. When I pray, I focus my attention to Him, inside my being. To Gary, this is much more intimate than addressing God from a distance in the courts of the Heavenlies. For me, this has made prayer not just a time to fix things – not just a time to tell God what I want Him to do. For me, the practice of focusing my prayer inward gives me a fresh sense of His being involved in all aspects of me. My thought process, my reasoning, my doubts, my frustrations, the anger I experience, my hurt, my disappointments, my questions, ….. As I pause to say the words, “I Love You,” my goal is to simply “Love Jesus.” Pray This: Holy Spirit, we ask you to help us, help me to tune my attention, my heart to the presence of Jesus withing me. I ask we will come to a revelation of Your indwelling, Your desire for closeness to be intertwined with my soul and spirit. I pray we will come to a revelation of Your presence living inside our hearts.

Loving Jesus – Part 2 By Pastor Gary Wayne As an illustration, last week I talked about the need to kindle and re-kindle our love for our spouse, so we don’t drift apart, and become stagnated in our relationship. Something I think is vital for each of us, is to make sure we say to each other the words “I Love You” frequently. When you have been married for a length of time, and when we have been a Christian for a length of time, there can be a tendance to take our spouse for granted – to take my relationship with Jesus for granted. So it is imperative that I kindle and re-kindle my love for Jesus. Last week I gave what I believe is an excellent tool we can use at home. Set your alarm to go off at random times of the day to remind you to spend a few moments “loving Jesus.” When my alarm goes off, I simply say, “Jesus, I love you.” As I walked through this exercise for myself, I made some observations I want to visit. When I was busy and the alarm went off, I tended to say the words, without any real meaning behind them. After I realized I was doing this, I noticed that when I would say those words without any real feeling included with them, they would almost stick in my throat. What is the answer to this problem? Mean what you say. And I need a fresh revelation of God’s love for me. Text: John 17:20-26, Colossians 1:26-27, Ephesians 3:14-19 What did Paul pray for? We talked about this last week. That we would be given a revelation of the Love of God for us. Rooted and grounded in that love. POWERFUL!!! Ver.19c “…filled with the fullness of God.” What a mystery. Col.1:26-27 What is the “mystery” this text talks about? (hint it is in 2 parts) 26.This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. 27. For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. New Living Translation But not only does God want to live in each one of us, the Father wants to have a relationship with you as close as He did with His Son Jesus when Jesus lived here on Earth. John 17:20-26 (This is the Lord’s Prayer.) Read in NIV New International Version John 17:20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." Jesus prayed that we would experience the same union - joining together - with Father God that Jesus has with His Father. Total Oneness. Our soul was designed for union with God. Not just faith in God, not merely obedience, but union. Put your hands together palm pressed together, now intertwined your fingers. Union – Intertwining – Joining together – Total oneness Today I pray Paul’s prayer, for revelation of the Love of God for us - Rooted and Grounded in that love. I pray we will come to a revelation of His indwelling, His desire for closeness to intertwined with my soul and spirit. Question: What breaks down that union? What builds it up? God I want - need union with You. My soul is made for union with You. I give myself to You now to be one with You in everything. I pray for union. I pray for oneness – heal my union with You.

Loving Jesus By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Ephesians 3:14-19, Revelation 2:1-5, 1 John 4:19 “We love Him, Because He first loved us”. – What does this mean? How many married couples here have been married for at least 20 years? Knowing longevity takes blood sweat and tears, what are the steps you have taken at different seasons to kindle and re-kindle your love for each other? I want to use this information and focus on our individual love for Jesus. To emphasize my need to kindle and re-kindle my love for Him. Rev.2:1-5 One of the major points this verse has always impacted me with is that this was written to a Christian church, fully active in doing good church things. Yet void of the intimate relationship God wanted with His people. A fact out of the OT that serves to be a scary warning to me is the different times God’s presence left the tabernacle, yet the priests went on with their religious activity without realizing God’s presences wasn’t there. How many here have followed Jesus for over 20 years? My goal today is to place some simple tools in your hands to kindle and re-kindle your love for Jesus. Eph.3:14-19 Paul prays that we would each be given a revelation of the love of God for us. That each one of us would be able to “comprehend… the love of Christ which passes knowledge…” But here is a problem I have experienced MANY times in my walk with God. I go to an event where it is obvious the Spirit is moving and I don’t get from God what I was hoping for, or I pray for a situation and nothing seems to happen. I walk away from those encounters with God wondering….. Then there is the MAJOR factor we have an enemy who frequently whispers in my ear, “If God loved you He would…”. Life’s pain and disappointments can attack my confidence that God is love. And Satan uses the heartaches and doubts I face to question God’s intentions. “Does God love you?” “Does He see you?” “Does He care that that little girl I prayed for still died?” “If God was a God of love wouldn’t He….” Romans 5:8 answers these questions VERY clearly. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Christianity is a walk of faith – when things don’t make sense, I believe what God says is true in spite of what I see and feel. If my evaluation of the goodness of God is based on my interpretation of events, I am constantly looking for a new set of facts to prove He loves me. I then evaluate these facts based on “my” understanding of events. “My evaluation.” “My interpretation.” “My mood.” An emotional rollercoaster of looking for “proof” of God’s love in the next turn of events. So based on my reasoning, my feelings then, I want a god of my own understanding. God proved His love beyond all doubts and for all time at the cross. This is why Paul prayed for us to have a revelation of the love of God. Let’s ask for that revelation and the help we need. “Father, I want to be rooted and grounded in Your love.” “I need to be rooted and grounded in Your love for me.” “Grant me Your power, to enabling me to grasp how big Your love is for me.” “I want to experience the love of Jesus for me again.” Eph.3:19c-20 Take Communion Together “Father, I ask You for a revelation of Your love for me.” Now I want us to take a moment and love Jesus back. Use your words, your voice, close your eyes and focus on Him and simply tell Him you love Him. “I love You, Jesus.” “I love You, Lord.” “ I love You, God.” Here is a MAJOR tool for you to take home. Set your alarm to go off at different times of the day and simply take a moment to say these words to Him. “Jesus I Love You.”

A Consecrated Mind – Part 4 Everyone has a story. Who is writing your story? The theme of our camp last weeks was “Stories Rewritten” All last week as a leadership team, we tried to communicate that God re-writes our story. Song – Father’s House – “Failure won't define me 'cause that's what my Father does.” – “The story isn't over, if the story isn't good, Failure's never final when the Father is in the room.” A story narrative is how we communicate – As events happen around us, our brains organize information in narrative form to explain things to make sense of what is happening throughout our life and this forms our reality. There is a whole bunch of science with this that I don’t have time to go into. As kids, when we tried to tell mom what happened, they would often say something like, “start at the beginning.” We believe the story we tell ourselves. (What does that mean?) So the question I want to ask is: Does our story we believe align with God’s Story? Does the story we tell ourselves have God’s reality at its center? Text: Ephesians 1:17-23 Eph 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (NIV) Eph.1:19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself. (NLT) Eph.1:20-:22 “…God raised Jesus from the death and set Him on a throne in deep heaven , in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power is except from His rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything….” (Message Bible) Is my heart confidence that Jesus is absolute Lord of everything – in the galaxy - on earth – with governments – in my life? What is the story my that heart thinks is unfolding? What narrative has my attention? Is it a political narrative? Social justice narrative? Is it about economy? Mostly important, is it the story God is telling? Am I confident that “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose…” Rom 8:28 Am I confident that my life - my future is orchestrated by the God that hold the universe in the center of His hand? Is Jesus Christ absolutely central to the narrative I believe? Rember a few messages back we talked about Scripture warns us that we live in a battle for the truth – who gets to determine the narrative for you? Every time we check the news, social media, or simply open our email, we are bombarded with competing narratives. I often talk about faith-based imagination. What other bases are there? Fear based, flesh based, pessimistic based, optimistic based, Am I willing to consecrate my “imagination” to God? Father I consecrate my mind to You. I give You my thoughts, my focus, and attention. I give you my memory and recall, my understanding and imagination. I consecrate to you my interpretation of events in my life. I give to you the narrative of my story. Holy Spirit target places I need to renew Your truth in me.

Guest speaker ~ District Bishop Elisa Johnson

A Consecrated Mind – Part 3 By Pastor Gary Wayne Recently, I have been enjoying listening to “The Pause” app by John Eldredge. I have been talking about consecrating our mind to God. Two weeks ago, we talked about consecrating my interpretation of the events in my life. Last week, we delt with not allowing our minds to speculate about events. Rom.8:6 “…letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” (NLT) Rom.12:2 “Let God transform you into a new person by helping you change the way you think.” (NLT) 2Cor.10:5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (NIV) Today, I want to look at how to break the power of core lies that may be controlling our lives. Text: John 8:31-32, Psalms 51:6, 10, 16-17 Ver.6 inward parts, hidden part – other translations – inner most being. The Hebrew wording means something like - secret, closed up, hidden, the "shut" place or the "locked" place. If I hold to something that is not truth, where is that located in me? We all have beliefs deep within us which we might not be conscious of, but which control our lives nonetheless. An important part is for us to allow Holy Spirit to shine His truth on those hidden, secret, closed up places and let us see anything I am holding on to that is actually a core lie that battles God’s truth. I want to look at how to uncover those places and replace them with truth. Joh.8:31-32 “If you abide in My word …” NKJV “If you hold to my teaching…” NIV The word Jesus chooses for “hold” is a word which means to dwell in, make our home within. Earlier in John the disciples asked Jesus where He lives – same word. What does it mean to abide - live in His word? So what’s our game plan? First, we simply pay attention to where our thoughts have already begun to wander. Where have your thoughts been going lately? This morning? Even now as I’m speaking let’s ask Holy Spirit – Where have my thought been wandering?” Where have I been worrying or speculating about the future? Next, we invite the Holy Spirit to search our thoughts and reveal the lies we are living by. We are not trying to uncover everything at once, but to take it in God’s timing as He reveals core roots that are not from Him. We simply ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what He wants to reveal today. Ps 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me,…” (NKJV) NIV “… test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me…” Holy Spirit, reveal to me the agreements I have been making with lies in my life. Show me, Lord, either the lies which I’ve been entertaining recently, or show me the lies which have their roots deep in my past. There are many ways to surface these lies. Simply notice – what do you say to yourself when things go badly? When you get mad? And what do you say to yourself when you make a mistake, mess things up, when you feel like you’ve failed? Or what do you say to yourself when you see yourself in the mirror? Do you see yourself as God describes you, or in light of your failures and flaws? In order to break free, we renounce (reject, surrender) these lies. We break agreements with them. Take them one by one. Holy Spirit, come help me do this. Lord, I renounce these lies. I break my agreement with them. I remove them from my life – thinking – vocabulary. This practice of asking the Spirit to reveal the agreements we are making with the lies of our enemy is something you can do often, especially when you find yourself struggling in a particular relationship or temptation. Father I consecrate my mind to You. I give You my thoughts, my focus, and attention. I give you my memory and recall, my understanding and imagination. “Search me, God, and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

A Consecrated Mind – Part 2 By Pastor Gary Wayne Recently, I have been enjoying listening to “The Pause” app by John Eldredge. In this series, I’ve been focusing on consecrating our mind to God. To consecrate something means to give it to God, to present it to Him to be especially His. When we consecrate something to Jesus it allows those things to come under His protection and provision. Last week we looked specifically at “consecrating my interpretation of the events in my life.” We live in a battle for truth that is mainly fought in our minds. So if we are in a battle, or are going to be in a battle, we should prepare and strengthen ourselves for the battle that is being waged against us. What can we do about that? We consecrate our mind to God. Text: Matthew 6:25-34, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Romans 8:5-8 “…letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” {New Living Translation} Today I want to focus on ruling over our tendency to speculate. Speculation = the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence. If I don’t have a game plan in place, and the enemy drops by to harass me, I will be subject to my human nature that allows my mind to wander from place to place without any boundaries to secure God’s truth in my heart. Speculation, worry, un-restrained indignations, play out in your mind in all sorts of scenarios and is mentally, emotionally, and spiritually draining. I believe the demonic takes advantage of those moments to re-write a different truth than what God tells us. 2 Cor.10:3-5 Ver.5 casting down arguments in different translations: demolish arguments - casting down imaginations - every high-minded thing - we pull down reasonings - tear down speculations. Speculation = I guess at a conclusion without any facts. Illustration – backpacking in the wilderness – night noises induce my imagination. Jesus has a lot to say about reining in our speculation. Mat.6:25-34 Ver.34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” NIV Book - “The Practice of the Presence of God” - by Brother Lawrence (he served as a brother in a monastery in Paris in 1620) The basic theme of the book is to develop an awareness of the presence of God. Our part in practicing the presence of God is to direct and redirect our minds constantly to him. What’s the game plan? When I recognize my mind is in a battle, I set my alarm to remind me to redirect my mind to truth. When I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t shut my mind off - I listen to “The Pause.” I re-enforce different scriptures that speak to that exact truth God gives me. An exercise / a practice to establish as normal in my everyday thinking is to use one word to focus this whole revelation into one focal point. "Jesus." Simply us the name Jesus as a prayer to turn your thoughts back towards Him. Let's practice that right now. Close your eyes and say out loud: “Jesus..., Jesus...., Jesus....” Jesus - Where have my thoughts begun to wander recently? Where have I been worrying or speculating about the future? Forgive me, and I consecrate my mind to You again. I renounce speculation. I take captive my wandering thinking. I surrender the future to You, Lord. Teach me to rein in my wandering thoughts - imaginations.

A Consecrated Mind – Part 1 By Pastor Gary Wayne Recently, I have been enjoying listening to “The Pause.” It’s an app on my phone for me to pause 2 times a day and spend about 10 minutes with God, re-focusing my perception of reality to match His. From those paused moments, I keep feeling God would like us to focus on consecrating our minds to Him. So in the next few messages, I am going to use a lot of the material John Eldredge uses in “The Pause.” John Eldredge, the New York Times Best Selling Author of Wild at Heart Three weeks ago, in the part 1 message “How Far Is Too Far?” at the end of that message, we prayed over our minds – specifically to consecrate our minds to God. Let’s re-visit the topic of a consecrated mind. Text: Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:5-8 5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. {New Living Translation} Would you consider consecrating your mental thought process to God? To consecrate something means to give it to God, to present it to Him to be especially His. When we consecrate something to Jesus it allows those things to come under His protection and provision. We truly want all our life – our mental life in all its fullness – to be under the influence of the Spirit of God, governed by the Spirit. Scripture warns us that we live in a battle for truth. That battle usually takes place in our mind. A battlefield is a place where battles are won and lost. Everyday – every moment – there is a battle going on in our minds between right and wrong, good and bad, God’s way, Satan’s way, between the Spirit and my will / flesh. One of the things we prayed 3 weeks ago is: “I consecrate to you my interpretation of the events in my life.” Ge 50:20 “… you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, …” Consider Joseph and the events of his life. (Gen.37, 38-50) Rejected by his brothers, he became the focus of their anger at their dad, misunderstood by everyone in his family, violently abducted and thrown into a pit, sold to slave-traders, finely catches a break at the house of Potiphar and becomes the head of his household, only to be lied about, and thrown into prison. Gen.39:2 “The Lord was with Joseph…” Once in prison, he catches another break and becomes overseer of the prisoners. He is used by God with dreams and interpretations, only to be forgotten until one day…. I don’t think Joseph had the same perspective in chapters 37-41 as he did in chapter 50. Even with the dreams God gave him when he was young, I think Joseph must have struggled with questions – “Has the God I serve forgotten me?” A major part of the battle our enemy wages with us is: Do we actually believe what God says about us, or do we allow circumstances – our negative experiences, the voices of those against us, my own feelings of insecurities, the voice of our enemy – to tell me what truth is? Here is some TRUTH God speaks over you! Ro 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Jer 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” NIV – “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. We usually believe the story we tell ourselves. An event happens, and our mind comes up with a narrative. This morning, will you be willing to consecrate to God the interpretation of the events of your life? Will you be willing to set down your pre-conceived evaluation of truth and allow God’s truth to not just influence you, but to change your beliefs? Rom.12:2 “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” “Let God transform you into a new person by helping you change the way you think.” (NLT) I NEED God’s Word to wash my dirty mind. (Eph.5:26) TAKE COMMUNION TOGETHER Father I consecrate my mind to You. I give You my thoughts, my focus, and attention. I give you my memory and recall, my understanding and imagination. I consecrate to you my interpretation of events in my life. Holy Spirit target places I need to renew Your truth in me.

How Far is Too Far? ~ Part 2 By Pastor Gary Wayne What is the difference between giving a man a fish, or teaching a person to fish? That is my goal for this message. Not to give a list of things we shouldn’t do. But to teach us to take every activity into the light of God’s presence and ask Him, “God, what’s going to glorify You in this?” A HUGE problem is that on many activities in question, we have already made up our minds what we want God to say, so we live with our pre-conceived believes of what we think is ok with God. When culture tells us over & over something is ok, the tendency is to think it’s not that bad. So I go to church, read my bible once in a while, yet live with things in my life that give the enemy legal right to harass me. Then I wonder, “why is this God stuff not working?” Text: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, 1 Corinthians 5:6-7, 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 A question I want to work towards an answer, is “How Far Is Too Far?” When I was growing up in the “church world” I could give you a list of sin, that today seems ok to do - so ??? What’s the standard – How do you know how far you can go before something become sin?? Depending on the intention of my heart when I ask this question, it’s not likely I will get an answer. Asking how close can I get to the line before it’s sin is like asking, how bad can I be and still go to heaven, or how good do I have to be to just barely get in? When I ask this question this way, I won’t hear an answer, BUT if I ask “God, what’s going to glorify You in this?” I will hear His voice every time! So how do we know God’s standard for sin? How far is too far? 1Co.6:12-20 Paul has just established a rule for absolute and variable sin. What is an absolute sin? Take a gun and kill someone – is it a sin? Yes. Who said so? God’s Word - The absolutes are spelled out. So what about areas that seem variable? How do I answer that question? Ver. 12 "Everything is permissible for me"- (unless the Bible says no) but not everything is beneficial. (even if it’s legal) "Everything is permissible for me"- but I will not be mastered by anything.” NIV What are some variable illustrations? Movies, Cloths, Parties, Music, Alcohol, What else? Everything is ok for me to do - unless it takes mastery, or enslaves, or it takes over. Keep in mind that mastery is a key – and God talks about two things that take mastery like nothing else in the next 9 verses. The first one… Food. Food is tough – but compared to sex, food’s a piece of cake. (pun intended) The Bible says sexual intercourse with someone you are not marred to is adultery / fornication. (Adultery if one person is married, fornication if you are not married) Is it an absolute? Yes! It doesn’t vary according to the circumstances. Ver.18-20 Sexual sin has the greatest potential for mastery than any other sin. And God treats it differently than other sin. He says it’s an internal violation of the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Every other sin is considered external. Why? My guess - we are made in His image. He created us Body, Soul, Spirit. Our body is what we see and feel – Sour soul is our intellect, emotions, reasoning, feelings, etc. – Our spirit is that part that is born again and comes alive to God. He puts His Spirit within us and He lives and dwells within you and me. I believe when you have sex with someone, the three parts of us are involved. The physical is obvious, but it’s like your soul and spirits intertwine and you “become one flesh.” (Gen.2:24) You create a soul tie. But let’s say two people start making out. How far can you go before its sin? Tough question. I believe it depends on the age of a person, their personal experiences, and their relationship with Jesus. Some say, lighten up, but the Bible says tighten up – to a Godly level – And according to 1 Cor.8:11-13, the level of your weaker brother or sister. Especially in sexual areas when you add what Jesus said – if you look at someone with lust in your heart, you have committed adultery. (Mt 5:28) I want to conclude with this MAJOR POINT. Because I am a follower of Jesus, my overall passion is to please Him, so I bring everything I do into the light of His presence and ask, “Jesus will this glorify you in my life?” There might be things I set down that are not even sin. But in my desire to love Him, those things are irrelevant. 1 Cor.6:19-20 Because I’m a Christian, Paul is asking us to make pleasing Jesus the standard by which I measure everything and anything I do.

How Far is Too Far? Part 1 By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 1 Corinthians 6:12 1Co 6:12 "Everything is permissible for me"-- but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"-- but I will not be mastered by anything.” NIV A question I want to work towards an answer for us, is “How Far Is Too Far?” How far can I go before something become sin? What’s the standard – How do you know how far you can go? It’s one of the most asked questions – How far can I go before its sin? Guess What? I will never find out when I ask the question that way. It’s like asking, how bad can I be and still go to heaven, or how good do I have to be to just barely get in? When I ask this question this way, I won’t hear an answer, BUT if I ask “God, what’s going to glorify You in this?” I will hear His voice every time! Recently I read some statistics released by Dr. George Barna. (The founder of a research firm specializing in studying the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans) Today nearly 92% of Americans today embrace Syncretism = a customized blend of philosophies of life pieced together for their own satisfaction. The typical American adult adopts beliefs and behaviors from an average of nine distinct worldviews / religions. Philosophies and practices that feel good, work for them, or seem popular in order to help them make choices throughout the day. A hodge-podge of worldview options. Determining right from wrong is based on reason and emotions. Situation ethics. (Contextualism) The right thing to do depends on the situation. Too often, this overall belief system flavors what people who claim to follow Jesus believe and practice. Then when someone explains God’s Word that we hold as the foundation for what we believe, many reject sound teaching because they don’t want the church telling what to do. I relate to that! A major problem has been when the church preaches someone’s personal convictions as God’s standard for sin. Name something. 2 Cor.11:3-4 Much of this message has been bouncing around in my heart with that same valid fear for us. So how do we know God’s standard for sin? How far is too far? Here is a truth for everyone in this room. The world we live in assaults our mental life every day. It’s a battle for my mind – a battle for what I believe to be true. Every time we watch TV, social media, etc – we are being bombarded with competing narratives of what truth is. Scripture warns us that we live in a battle for truth. And any time I compromise to live in a way that God says not to, I open up my life to the enemy. The enemy watches for an opportunity to take legal advantage to come into my life to steal, kill, and destroy. When culture tells you over & over something is ok, we have a tendency to water down what I think is “ok” in activity. So I go to church, read my bible, yet live with things in my life that gives the enemy legal right to harass me. Then wonder, “why is this God stuff not working?” What is the answer we need for the question, “How far is too far?” I start by asking: “God, what’s going to glorify You in this? Rom.12: 2 tells us we can be “transformed by the renewing of our minds.” Am I willing to bring what I currently believe about something into the light of His opinion / Lordship, about? Let His truth renew my mind. Would you consider consecrating your mental thought process to God? To consecrate something means to give it to God, to present it to Him to be especially His. When we consecrate something to Jesus it allows those things to come under His protection and provision. We truly want all our life – our mental life in all its fullness – to be under the influence of the Spirit of God, governed by the Spirit. Let’s consecrate our mind and our mental life to God: Father I consecrate my mind to You. I give You my thoughts, my focus, and attention. I give you my memory and recall, my understanding and imagination. I consecrate to you my interpretation of events in my life. Holy Spirit target places I need to renew Your truth in me.

Guest Speaker Tegan Mauldin

What do I Choose to Remember? By Pastor Gary Wayne Context for our text: This account happened just after Israel had lost the “ark of covenant” to the Philistines, and God devastated any place the Philistines tried to set it up as a trophy. So the Philistines sent it back to Israel. Text:1 Samuel 7:1-13 Where Samuel set up this “Ebenezer stone” is the same battle site where the Philistines had defeated Israel and captured the ark. The word Ebenezer = “Stone of Help.” How important is our memory? How important is what we choose to remember? Losing our memory can be tragic, but not as tragic as misusing our memory. Years ago, Don Johnson preached a message about altars we build to remember. All of us have good and bad memories that are significant in our lives. When I talk about misusing our memory, I am referring to which altar of memories I choose to worship at. I believe God gives every one of us “Ebenezer Stones.” But on the opposite side of the issue there are memories we can retain that are negative, harmful, and create doubt towards God. Which altar do we worship at? Sometimes those memories have helped us remain safe – helped us be cautious at the right times. But too often those memories have embedded themselves into my identity. I come from a dysfunctional family. This is the reason I can’t ….. Last week in preparation for this message, my mind kept cycling back to some statements I said about our memories in last Sunday’s sermon. The devil wants to control what I remember - what I dwell on - he wants to control my perspective, my perception of truth / reality. This being memorial weekend, there are things we SHOULD remember. And there are things we are told NOT to remember! Phil 3:13-14 “… one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press…” Psa.77:11-12 “I will remember the works of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds.” I want to end with taking this opportunity to recall “Ebenezer stone.” Something you look back to as a reminder of God’s faithfulness. I feel like I am to stress in our text – this was the exact same place where Israel had experienced a HUGE defeat. The loosing of God’s presence. This is an exact place where God wants to “help” us taste VICTORY! Are there memories that have pledged your life? Places where the enemy wants you to go and worship? Today is a time where God wants to deliver His people from the occupation, domination, threat, fear of the enemy. Ver.13

Communion By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, 29 Ver.23 -24 Jesus took bread and gave thanks. Pause for a moment and think about all the mental things He was going through in that moment. At the table was someone that was going to betray Him, at the table was all His close followers that were going to abandon Him. In the face of all the trauma of the cross, in the face of the Father rejecting Him when He became our sin, Jesus stopped and gave thanks. Thankful hearts attract breakthrough. A heart that focuses on thanksgiving attracts His presence, and Hs blessing. Much like stinking thinking that tracks the demonic. When we take communion this is not a trivial moment of religious activity. The devil wants to control what I remember - what I dwell on - he wants to control my perspective, my perception of truth / reality. When you take the bread, use your mouth & vice to confess His truth. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” (Isa53:5) “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him …” – “He was punished so that we could have peace...” (GOD'S WORD® Translation) I don't use this as a prayer request, but a statement of my faith in His promise. A confession of faith. I confess His desire to heal relationships. I sit with Him for a moment and thank Him for healing any strained relationship that is a part of my life. Ver.25 New covenant - in His blood. What does the Bible tells the Jesus’ blood is for? Rom. 5:9 “…justified by His blood..” Eph.1:7 “…redemption through His blood…” Eph.2:13 “…brought near by the blood of Christ.” Col.1:20 “…peace through the blood…” 1 Jn. 1:7 “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Rev.7:14 “…made them white in the blood of the Lamb….” Rev.12:11 “…overcame him by the blood of the Lamb…” While I sit in His presence just before I drink, I say out loud from my lips, people I know need salvation. Ver.26 what does the first part mean? “As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup…” I think we should do this at home by ourselves – with our family, with friends, etc. If we don’t do this as often as you would like, guess what? You can do this any time you want and have His presence anointing your time with Him. Take the bread: Break it, and let’s give thanks. Do you need healing in your body? Quote HIS Word. Do you need peace? Do you need healing in relationships? Thank Him for healing relationships. Take the cup: Thank Him for salvation. Thank Him for the salvation of people you know He puts on your heart. Use your voice to say out loud His truth for them.

A Mother’s Day Card from God By Pastor Gary Wayne Have you ever heard of people like the college graduate who has a master’s degree in parenting, yet has never been married or had kids, yet still teaches classes on parenting. That’s how I sometimes feel when I try to preach a Mother’s Day message. Any time I got a card for my mom on Mother’s day, what was printed inside was very important. I wanted to say something more than “I love you.” If I bought a card from a store, I took time to read the selection, then choose the one closest to what I wanted to say. Then I would personalize it. As we read this text, I want you to hear these scriptures from the Father who is personalizing a Mother’s Day card for you. Text: Proverbs 31:30-31 Down through the years, mothers have been a stabilizing factor in the shaping of history. Nobody has more potential to shape a culture or a society, as does a mother. Her influence is greater than that of colleges and universities. The greatest thing you can give your family – to your husband, to your children, to your friends and the people around you – it’s your Faith In Who God Is! Belief that demonstrates faith is of far greater value then religious statements we make with our words. Maybe you have never given birth to a child, but if you have mothered children, I want you to realize that it wasn’t just fate that you become a mother, but God placed you in that position to minister for Him, it will change your outlook as you love the kids God placed there. What I want to emphasize this morning is how personal God is when He communicates His affirmation, love, and blessing over you. This morning I want to read a Mother’s Day card from God to you. Jer 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained you…” Isa.43:1” "…. Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.” Ps.139:1-2, 13-18 1. I have searched you and know you. 2. I know when you sit and when you rise; I perceive your thoughts from afar. 3. I comprehend your going out and your lying down; I are familiar with all your ways. 4. Before a word is on your tongue I know it completely. 5. You have encircled You, behind and in front; I have laid My hand upon You. I go before you and follow you. I place my hand of blessing on your head. 7. Where can you go from My presence? 8. Wherever you go, heaven, to hell, I am there with you. 13. I formed your inward parts, and covered you in your mother’s womb. 14. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. My creating of you was marvelous! 15. I watched you as I fashioned your hidden frame. I skillfully created you. 16. As I put together your substance, I closely observed every detail to make sure everything was as I wanted. In My book I recorded ever detail about you, and have fashioned every day of your life. 17. I think precious thoughts about you. There are so many good thoughts about you, 18. if you could count them, they would be more in number than the sand. Jer.29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Now I would like us as a congregation, to speak over every lady in this room a blessing from God. In Num.6 God told Moses to have His representative, Aaron and his sons, speak this out loud over the people, to “put My name on them and bless them.” So today, as God’s appointed representatives together we say: The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you The Lord be gracious to you; The Lord turn His face toward you The Lord give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26

Fine-Tuning Your Life - Part 8 Making Your Community A Better Place to Live - F In fine tuning your life. Making you Home a better place to be. Making your Church a better place to go. Making your Community a better place to live. Last week: The question, “How can I make my Community a better place to live?” can only be answered after I have been in God’s presence and have His heart for my community. If we want S.L. to be a better place, we need to learn to serve like Jesus did when He washed the disciples feet. For years I've noticed in volleyball, the team that serves well wins. In Tennes, if you don't serve well, you never win. We are an ambassador for Jesus who have answered His call – “Here I am Lord Send me!” (Isa.6:8) We are called by God to be involved in making our community a better place to live. In Mat.25, on Judgment Day, God will say to those on the left hand “I was hungry, thirsty, naked,” etc. and you did nothing about it. “Depart from Me.” Notice how much emphasis is placed on our concern for our fellow man, not how much Sunday morning services I attended. Text: John 20:19-29 V.21 “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” The question I want to ask is: Where did the Father send Jesus? To Sunday morning services, or to the community? So where was Jesus sending His followers? Often pastors are trying to get people to commit their lives to going to church once a week for 2 hours, and Jesus is wanting His followers to commit their lives to what? If we understand: What on earth am I here for? – and understand what Jesus is asking, committing to going to Sunday morning services will never be an issue. Joh 14:12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” Was this just hype? Or did Jesus really mean that each one of us personally can…? Jn.20:24-29 “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." I don’t want to diss on Thomas – but I believe our churches are FULL of what he was dealing with. “Unless I see / understand / have scripture for / I will not believe.” I think a major part of the problem why S.L. is not a MAJOR source of burning revival is because the “Church” is full of un-believing believers. (Todd White – when you squeeze an orange, what do you get? When you squeeze a Christian what do you get?) I believe what I /we need is a Holy Spirit induced paradigm shift. Paradigm shift = a major change in how we think and get things done to replace our prior methods. Unlike other religions, why we join community projects is not for Christians to take over, but to demonstrate how good God is. It’s an ambassador thing. Ultimately, by engaging in our community, we make a meaningful and positive impact on the lives around us. It is a fact that new Christians witness to people more then those who have been in the church for many years. Why? (many reasons) Most of us only have a certain number of people we can remain close to. Once your individual quota is reached, we seldom extend beyond that circle of friends. Part of that is because new believers still have close friends that are not Christians. But after years of developing close relationships with people I attend Service with, my circle of friends are usually made up of Christians. So Without realizing it, I’m not as affective witnessing, or bring people to Christ because I haven’t continued to socialize with non-believers. “God, how do I make my community a better place to live?”

The Journey of a Disciple of Jesus ~ #2 By Dale Stamper

The Journey of a Disciple of Jesus By Dale Stamper On a journey you would need a map; our map is the word of God. You might need a compass; our compass is God's definition and design of words and concepts. The Tower of Babel illustrates what happens when people can't communicate: Speak the same words: Language or meaning. On a journey there is a starting point and a final destination: spiritual maturity is our goal. Our map is: Inerrant. 2 Peter 1:20-21, Trustworthy. Psalms 119:104-105, Useful. 2 Timothy 3:16-17. It reveals that His message came from the Father. ‭‬ John 12:49 NKJV For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. ‬ It reveals that His methods came from the Father. ‭John 5:19 NKJV “Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”‬ Matthew ‭4:18‭-‬22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ 18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and‭‭ followed him. ‬‬‬‬‬ What is a disciple of Jesus? Identify. Who is a disciple of Jesus? Imitate. What does a disciple of Jesus do? Inspiration. Matthew ‭28:18‭-‬20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age amen. authority: go make disciples, baptizing, teaching commandments. inspiration the Father, administration the Son, operation the Holy Spirit. ‭‭‬‬‬‬‬ John ‭13:34‭-‬35‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another ,‬‬‬ 7 essentials of a disciple-making church: 1 Abiding in Chris. 2 Reach the lost. 3 Connect the unconnected. 4 Chase the strays. 5 Shepherd toward spiritual maturity. 6 Identify equip release leaders. 7 Function as a team.‭‭‬‬ John 15:7-8 NKJV‬‬ 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

FINE-TUNING YOUR LIFE Part 6 Making Your Church A Better Place to Go – D By Pastor Gary Wayne In fine tuning your life. Making you Home a better place to be. Making your Church a better place to go. Making your Community a better place to live. “If I wanted my Sunday morning services to be a better place for visitors, I would _____.” Text: Hebrews 13:2 How many of you grew up with your parents telling you, “Don’t talk to strangers?” Well for children that’s important, but for adults wanting to make visitors feel welcome, this is a terrible saying. So today, we want to change that message and say, “Do Talk To Strangers!” Why don’t we? Sometimes we have such important things to say to our friends, that we can’t wait. Sometimes we are consumed with our own problems, we can’t handle anyone else’s. Sometimes we come to church so rarely ourselves we can’t tell who the visitors are. “Hi, are you a visitor? No, I’m a deacon.” But I think for the most part, we get distracted, and I think most people don’t know how to talk to someone we don’t know, and it’s so awkward we don’t even try. This morning, I want us to develop good FORM in talking to new people. Just remember the acronym for the word FORM. F = Friends – Do you have any friends that come here? Or that live here in town? O = Occupation – What do you do for a living? R = Recreation – What do you do for fun in this area? M = Marriage – Do you have any family? Go down this list, and by the time you go through this, you will have spent at least 30 seconds in quality conversation with someone that will help make them more comfortable. In the survey “If I wanted my Sunday morning services to be a better place for visitors, I would _____.” Some people responded as if they had my notes from this message already. ********************** Meet them as they come in and seek to be genuinely interested in them and make sure they know that. Smile at them, welcoming them, remember their names and ask questions about them and listen to them. I would take up the attitude in Phil 2:3 -in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Let them know they are important to me and to God. Also, I’d give them a hug if they seem open to do so. ************************** Be friendly and welcoming, introduce yourself, if they have children tell them about the nursery and children's church and toddler care. Point out the sermon notes. Continue to be friendly after church if given the opportunity and invite them to come back. ********************* Make sure no one came without leaving with at least one new friend. ***************** Come ready to serve as well as receive by praying for the service, the pastor, the worship team, and the spirit of God to move. Be available to respond to their needs. ********************** I want to look at what I think is an important “To Do List” in greeting visitors. 1. Come to the service praying for visitors who will be there. I covered this a lot of this last week. “God, I pray for any visitors at our service today. Help them find the healing God that you are.” Let this paradigm shift be our normal thinking. 2. Come bringing visitors. #1 reason people come to church is invitation. When there is no invitation from someone here, most choose a church based on its convenience or comfort level, not because of its doctrine. We know doctrine is VERY important, but comfort usually surpasses. 3. Come early. Why? Because visitors come early. When you go somewhere new, remember how awkward it can be to be there before most people arrive. Those of you that have attended here for a while, the awkward stage is over. But to go and be early, (actually on time) and watch people come in and be friendly with each other but ignore me is ugly. Why come back if I am not wanted? 4. Come and take the worst seat. Why? So my guests can have the best seats in the building. Where do visitors want to sit when they come? In the back, and on the outside, so if things get weird, they can make a break for the door. 5. I would make sure visitors didn’t sit by themselves. (unless they want to) When you see someone come in and start to look for a place to sit, go introduce yourself, use your best FORM, then ask them if they would like to sit with you, or if you can sit with them. Be there to answer questions like, where do my children go for service? Where are the restrooms? Where can I take my crying baby? 6. I would come to church. We might think, it doesn’t matter if I go or not today, nobody will miss me. If you are not at service, then you can’t reach out to minister to visitors. We don’t go to service to get, but to give, to minister.

Fine-Tuning Your Life ~ Part 5 Making Your Church A Better Place to Go – C By Pastor Gary Wayne I want to cover three areas in this series on fine tuning your life. • Making you Home a better place to be. • Making your Church a better place to go. • Making your Community a better place to live. Review: Who invented Church? When Jesus said, “I will build My church,” was He referring to what takes place on Sunday mornings? (Mt.16:18) “We don't go to church; We are the church!” We spent a couple of weeks looking at how many view “doing church” as what takes place on a Sunday morning. Yet making my home a better place is where church should be the strongest. We talked about the difference between having the heart of a servant or son – having His heart changes how I do church. We sent out a survey: If I wanted my church to be a better place to go, I would ___. This was not to tell Pastor Gary what needs to change on a Sunday morning, but this is for self-reflection – God what do You want me to do? – How can I make church a better place to go? This morning, I want to look at how we can make what we do on a Sunday morning a better place to go. Text:1 Corinthians 16:13-16, Psalms 127:1 Ver. 14 At the end of my message 2 weeks ago, I broke the question If I wanted Sunday mornings … into different categories. Better for Children? or teens? or visitors?, for hurting people?, - there are a bunch of different directions you can run with that question. If you have attended church long enough to know the ropes, one of our personal responsibilities is to help make each church service a success. How? I would: • Show up. • Don’t just show up when church starts, come early enough you have time to minister to people. Come early enough to lint roll, or vacuum, using that time to intercede for Father’s heart to be fulfilled. • Be a thermostat instead of a thermometer for your community. Don’t come under the current atmosphere, create atmosphere. • Come prayed up – Spend time before each service praying for God to move. For years I have fantasized about what could happen if the church came early to create spiritual atmosphere over the daily schedule. Over S.L. • Come expecting to touch someone else. Ask Holy Spirit to ramp up your spiritual gifts and perception. • Come asking this question with the heart of a Son or Daughter. “God, how can I make this morning a better place to go?” Consider the different moving parts of a morning service. How can I minister to God today? Start thinking from the moment you turn into the driveway. Where do I park? Is there snow that needs to be dealt with? Should I be a parking lot greeter? Do the children’s ministry team need help today? (But I don’t want to work with tots. Is that coming from the heart of a servant or child of the Father?) 1Co 16:14 “Let all that you do be done with love.” If I do any churchy stuff – children’s ministry, youth, music, greeting, snacks, decorating, – outside of love, it takes on a religious smell, and people pick up on that, and don’t want anything to do with it. Going to Sunday morning service is not about me – it’s about my relation to Father God. When I make it about me, it’s like picking up stinking grave clothes wrapping myself up to do religious activities. Next week: “If I wanted my Sunday morning services to be a better place for visitors, I would _____.”

If There Were No Easter By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: 1 Corinthians 15:13-19, 20-22, 51-58 Ver.13 If there is no resurrection, then Christ is not risen. What we celebrate at Easier time is the single most important event in all of History. Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection speaks more than any other happening. Jesus’ birth is radically important, but it is only as significant as the events surrounding Easter give it validity. If there were no resurrection, then all of what the Bible is about, All of what we do in Christianity, What we do every Sunday mornings is just mere religious activity. It has some social value, but it would only be like a club for likeminded people. Paul says, if there were no resurrection: 1. Our message is powerless: ver.12-15 2. Our faith is useless: ver.14 3. Our salvation is pointless: ver.17-18 4. Our life would be hopeless: ver.19 BUT Easter Is True!!! Christ has risen! Paul did not leave us standing at the side grave without hope. He went on to write the rest of this chapter. V.20-22 Notice Paul moves from “if” to “is.” Christ IS risen! The resurrection clearly demonstrates that God is who He says He is. If God is who He says He is, then I need to hold what He says in the highest regard. How I live places His instructions as the highest of importance. When He says, don’t sin because it will hurt you – I need to understand that takes in every area He has explained regardless of whether social norms say something is ok. Because it’s legal by the laws of the land is irrelevant. We get so accustomed by our culture that sin is normal and it’s not that bad. Rom. 12:9 “… Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” But Jesus’ death on the cross sets us free from the power of sin to rule us. And the Resurrection puts in perspective God’s values system. Because God is who He says He is, I give my life to Him - my present and future. I make Him the Lord of my life. (What does that mean?) Not only when it’s convenient, or when the mood hits me. De 5:33 “You shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.” De 12:28 “Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.” Because Easter is real, I dedicate my life to serving Him. I follow hard after fulfilling His heart – for me, my family, my city. 2 Cor.3 Paul says our lives are a living epistle that other people read. How we live tells them who Christ is. Is He alive? How we serve Him lets others know! Ver.58 “With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for Him is a waste of time or effort.” Message Bible

Fine-Tuning Your Life Part 2 Making Your Home A Better Place to Be – B By Pastor Gary Wayne This Morning I want to continue a series of messages on fine tuning your life. I want to cover three areas: 1. Making you Home a better place to be. 2. Making your Church a better place to go. 3. Making your community a better place to live. Last week we talked about starting with yourself at home. Draw a circle and start there. To make your home a better place to be, start by working on who you are. Text: Joshua 1:6-9, Deuteronomy 6:4-9 In Josh.1, notice in ver.8 how important it is to have the Word of God as a centerpiece in our homes. Our homes should be a place where the presence of God is comfortable. Take look at what takes place in our home that is conducive to the presence of God thriving where I live. In 2 Samuel 6 we find the story of the Ark of the Covenant being temporarily left by King David at the house of Obed-Edom’s house. It is probably an understatement that Obed’s home had an instant atmosphere change overnight. How he treated his wife, his kids, what kind of TV programs he chose to watch. What kind of language he used. If God came to your house to hang out for a few weeks, what wound change? Be mindful and purposeful about remembering that Jesus lives in our home, every room; kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and living room. He’s not only in our hearts but in our home! This is the attitude where we should live REGULARLY. Create an atmosphere where the presence of God is comfortable. Take more time to read study material that has helps me respond quicker to the Spirit's correction. The lord builds the homes, we as his children fill the home. Be quick to listen and slow to speak. Praying and Giving thanks in all circumstances making melody and worshipping the Lord thru every season in our life. Make quality time for praise and worship - Dedicate more time to talk & listen to Jesus Make more room in my heart for Jesus Listen to more Christian music Watch more Christian ministries Re-dedicate my life to God Love and pray for my neighbors more often Remember that if you're not joyful, you're doing something wrong. When the joy leaves, make the necessary changes to bring it back ASAP. Pride is usually the reason. Play the bible in the background of your home. Create Atmosphere! If I wanted to make my home a better place to be, I would be serious about working on the relationships in my home. “I am crucified with Christ and I no longer live. Jesus Christ now lives in me.” “I esteem others better than myself”. I quit thinking everything revolves around self and put God and others first! This is what I am working on but I can’t do it by myself, oh wretched woman that I am. I need to surrender to the Spirit more and more - completely - to work in me cause I’m a failure of trying to do so in my own fleshly effort. Our relationships with those closest to us is our teaching grounds for learning to be Christlike. Also praying together as a family and teaching kids to love and be comfortable in a praying relationship with God. Start with your marriage. Husbands – Wives, focus on your task to be the right kind of spouse. Sit down and make a list of priorities in marriage, then you work on those priorities yourself. If you see areas your partner needs to work on – pray about it. Let God change them, then spend time talking to Him about you. For my home to be a better place to live, I need to make the most important relationships I have become better, and then move to excellent. I would set a specific time for reading the Bible, in my case the morning when I’m most alert, to set the tone for the day. Spend quality time asking God, “How can I make my home a better place to be.” Next week’s survey: If I were to make my church a better place to go, I would _______?

Fine-Tuning Your Life ~ Part 1 Making Your Home A Better Place to Be part – A By Pastor Gary Wayne This Morning I want to start a series of messages on fine tuning your life. Taking time to re-examine our priorities in life, and making sure we are walking out how we know we should live. In the course of an important journey, there are essential moments when you take time to see where you have been, where you are now, and where you need to go. I believe it is critical in a person’s spiritual life to set aside quality time to do this. For years, I have dedicated September to spiritual emphasis month, but last September I felt we needed to talk about being filled with the Holy Spirit. I want to take the next few weeks to cover: Making you Home a better place to be. Making your Church a better place to go. Making your community a better place to live. I want to attempt to do an interactive survey of different questions around these topics. So Pastor Heatherann and I have put our heads together to try and glean your points of view around these topics. There are 3 different ways you can contribute. 1 the question in your bulletin. 2. In text form – Heatherann will text people this question, and you can comment back. 3. Email form – there will be a web address for you to click on and you can submit your answers on a survey. Name optional. Text: Deuteronomy 11:18-21, Joshua 1:1-9 Let’s take a hard look at our home life and focus on making where we live a better place to be. A place where the presence of God can thrive. Set aside some quality time with God and ask Him some basic questions about our home life. Maybe set down as a family – at least husband and wives and pray this question: “God, how can our home be a better place to live?” Take time to work on yourself – not the other people in your home – just you. Focus on what needs to change in your personal life. Make a list, and then pray the list. (What are some practical examples.) When was the last time you set aside quality time to talk to God about who you are? Re-establish daily personal devotions. Go for quality, not quantity. Human tendency is to launch into a good thing and do too much, then it gets too hard and we quit. Keep It SIMPLE! This is a time where you set aside quality time alone with God DAILY. • Re-listen to the app – “The Pause.” This is about a 10 min pause time for you to set aside for Father to speak into your life. Go to the app store on your phone, download, sign up, then twice a day, pause and spend quality time with God. • Maybe take the book of Proverbs and read one chapter a day. • Have a personal Bible reading plan. • Find a Christian book that will challenge you. • Replace some of your TV time – or fill in the blank ______ with 15 min. of Spiritual Emphasis. How can we take this message past “Good Intentions?”

Sunday morning message at Faith Chapel by Dave Rowell