Gary Wayne Bible Teaching

Soul Maintenance ~ Part 3 By Pastor Gary Wayne We were created by God with a body, a soul, and a spirit. Our soul is that inward part of us where our mind, will and emotions reside. That is where our personality comes from. Our memories and our feelings. Our souls need a checkup, let’s spend some time on the topic of soul maintenance. 3Jo 1:2 “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” God wants your “soul” to prosper, to thrive! Ps 23 “The LORD is my shepherd; …. He restores my soul…” Eph 3:16-17 “…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…” Text: Luke 4:14-21 I want you to notice the inner healing Jesus said He was to do. Not just the outside physical, but to heal the brokenhearted, to set at liberty those who are oppressed. Much of this healing has to do with the wounds of my soul. One of my favorite Christmas scriptures is: Mt 4:16 “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned." I want to pray about 3 different types of memories that can cause me problems. 1. Painful memories I have of traumatic events I know cause me problems. 2. Memories I have where I did wrong things, sometimes on purpose, that I am ashamed I did – I have asked God to forgive me, but too often those memories of my actions bring me shame and identity. 3. Implicit memories I don’t realize are causing me problems. This morning I want to invite Jesus into those memories. For the first two memory types, I intentionally recall various details about those events and then ask Jesus to step into the middle of the event and I ask Him for healing. This isn’t a formula, but a principal I use to invite Jesus into my memories. 1. Painful memories of traumatic events. (You don’t have to, but I like to close my eyes.) Lord I give everyone and everything to You God. (Repeat.) Jesus I ask You to restore my soul. I give You my memory and recall, my understanding and imagination. I consecrate to You, Lord, my interpretation of events in my life. Bring healing - wholeness – “sozo” to my body, my soul and my spirit. Jesus I invite you to come into the middle of my memories. When you settle on a specific memory, try and identify the main feeling and invite Jesus into the memory. Give Jesus permission to go anywhere He knows needs healing. What is the main feelings attached to this part of the memory? Lets ask Jesus to heal that part of my heart / soul / memory. Jesus I ask You to heal that part of me that has been damaged. Restore my soul. [This is a place to use faith based imagination.] In your mind’s eye, What do you see Jesus doing? Is He holding you? Is He placing His hands on those painful areas? If things just seem blank, ask Holy Spirit to open my eyes to what Jesus wants to do. If I don't see Jesus doing anything - ask "Can you imagine Jesus speaking healing into you? Can You imagine Jesus laying His hand on you? Arms around you? Can you imagine Jesus saying He did not want you to be betrayed / abandoned / abused? What happened was wrong and brought pain that He wants to heal? Are there people I should forgive, but my heart doesn’t want to? Jesus I forgive ______. I simply give my will to obey what You ask. 2. Memories I have where I did wrong things. Most likely, you have already asked God to forgive and cleanse you. AND HE HAS! If not, just ask – say: God forgive me for ____. But even though I have been forgiven, and the Bible says God NEVER sees me in light of those wrong choices, I see me in that light – our enemy, the accuser steps in and reminds me of what I have done. Shame, disappointment, wrong identity can be attached to those painful memories. Jesus I invite you to come into the middle of my memory. Heal my heart, my memories. Remove any shame, disappointment I carry. Remove wrong identity my heart holds onto. Are there people I should forgive, but my heart doesn’t want to? Jesus I forgive myself. Holy Spirit, what lie has my heart believed? Become aggressive with renewing your mind with God’s word, His identity. We are not our temptations, or the wrong things I have done. Find scripture that pertains to those areas and “renew your mind” with God’s Word. 3. Implicit memories. Jesus I invite you to come into the middle of my memories. Are there memories that are creating problems in my life that have been buried that You want to deal with? Questions I ask the Holy Spirit: Where is this coming from? What lie has my heart believed? Do I have bitter root expectations? Are there people I need to forgive, but I have repressed those memories?

Thanksgiving Fruit By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Hebrews 13:15, Psalms 116:17 What is a sacrifice? Something that costs you something. God values a sacrifice of thanksgiving. When in the middle of conflict, in a wilderness experience, when I bow my heart / my will to Him in worship, something comes from that, that God values. Your worship is never more precious to God than in the middle of a wilderness. It is only in those places and time that I can offer this kind of sacrifice. When nothing makes sense, and I turn my focus to God’s goodness. Once I get to Haven, there will be no opportunity to give this as a sacrifice. “Fruit of our lips…” Often the praise that comes from my mouth can be just words – I don’t mean to, but when this becomes routine, those words can be just words. But when I offer a sacrifice of praise, it goes way past words. That fruit comes from my soul. Mt 12:33 “… a tree is known by its fruit.” When Eve was explaining to God why she ate the forbidden fruit, she said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." Gen.3:13 One of the meanings for the word “deceived” is “caused me to forget.” One of the enemy’s tactics to get me to slip into an unbelieving, complaining heart is cause me to forget the goodness of God. What does complaining empower? What does thanksgiving empower? Let’s take a moment and talk about what we are thankful for. 1. Let’s give thanks to God for our nation. 2. Let’s give thanks to God for our city, our area. 3. Let’s give thanks for those who have blessed our lives. 4. Let’s give thanks for ourGod. Ps 69:30 “I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” Ps 107:22 “Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing.” Php 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…” Re 7:11 “All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen."

Soul Maintenance ~ Part 1 By Pastor Gary Wayne We were created by God with a body, a soul, and a spirit. The body is easy to understand because that is what we can see and touch. Our soul is that inward part of us where our mind, will and emotions reside. That is where our personality comes from. Our memories and our feelings. Our spirit is that part of that comes alive when we are born again. That part of us that interacts with God. We understand the need to keep our bodies in health by exercise and eating right. We see the need to go to a doctor for regular physicals. But often we don’t understand the need to make sure my soul gets a checkup. So I would like to spend some time on the topic of soul maintenance. Text: 3 John 1:2 God wants your “soul” to prosper, to thrive! There are a lot of areas that affect prosperity, the health and the maintenance of my soul. The more I interact with Jesus, the easier it is to navigate the places that cause me “soul problems.” The more I “do it myself,” build my own armor to protect myself, the more those “soul problems” affect me and those around me. While I believe there are certain steps to correct some of the soul damage that occurs as I go through life, I believe the more I stay in His presence, that damage is taken care of without me even knowing about it. Ps 23:1-3 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul…” There are OBVIOUS ways / things to do soul maintenance. Read our Bible. Memorize Scripture. Godly mediation. Attend Church. Be a part of a small group bible study. When my car starts making a “punkety, punkety” sound, what do I do? I call “Glen’s Automotive” and have them do “car maintenance.” THERE IS NO EMBARISIMENT involved with this – just the opposite. When my soul starts making some “punkety, punkety” sounds, I find spiritual people who know how to do “soul maintenance.” Sometimes the maintenance is stuff I can do myself. Sometimes it is cheaper and better to take it to Glen’s Automotive. In the next couple of weeks, I want to focus on ways you can work with Holy Spirit to do “soul maintenance.” I want to strongly suggest a personal prayer / mediation App. that I have talked about recently. “The Pause” app. The One Minute Pause is a simple way to reconnect with God in the midst of your very busy day. Created by John Eldredge’s Team, the app allows you to set up daily popup reminders to take a break and give your worries and essentially your heart over to God. 30 Days to Resilient – twice a day for about 10 min. Today we are going to listen to “Day 16 – Morning. What I hope we take away from this is how “PRESENT” Jesus is with us. He LIVES right inside me – I don’t have to call and make an appointment, but in nanoseconds I can have a private consultation with my creator. When my soul starts making a “punkety, punkety” sound, I just visit with Him. Jer 33:3 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'

The Salt of the Earth By Pastor Gary Wayne We have spent time recently talking about the need for us to find the heart of the Father. In the last two studies we have done on Sunday afternoons, - Revival Breakthrough - something that has highlighted itself to me is the need to intercede for people with tears in my eyes. Not just praying from my head, but from my heart – His heart. Too many times a church, a group of people have an “us and them” attitude towards people in our community. Text: Matthew 5:13-16, John 13:12-17 What is the HUGE point Jesus was making? We serve with the heart of the Father. Matthew 5:13-16 Most of my life, I interpreted ver.13 as salt is a preservative. In biblical days salt was used to preserve meat. So believers are to preserve moral values and that kind of things in culture. And while this is a truth, it’s not the main truth from this passage. You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor… its good for nothing… Jesus didn’t talk about preserving anything, He talked about adding flavor. I love to cook, and salt enhances the flavor of food. Growing up with the “preservative idea” is like, dumping the saltshaker onto the plate. Which has done nothing to enhance the flavor of the food. You only enhance the flavor when you are lightly, or evenly sprinkled into community. When God sprinkles His people into the mix of a community, it is to enhance the community. They don’t make it salty. That’s hard for anyone to swallow. Different people – churches with this mindset think that we have to become the leader, to kind of to take over. Thinking we have to be the top person to bring influence to the community. But look at different biblical examples where people in servant positions influenced communities. Joseph, Easter, Daniel, RADICALLY shaped history. They served the one in charge. If the only way we bring influence is to be in charge, then we misunderstood the role of salt. Salt is not the substance of the meal, it enhances what is already there. God doesn’t need us to be in charge of our city, but evenly sprinkled into the culture to enhance what God has already placed there to fulfill His purpose for the city. I don’t have to be the chairman of the school board to make a difference. I make a difference by “serving with my heart towards God.” Loaded question – How do you do church when you are not in this room? Church is not what we do here, but after we leave and go home where God has sprinkled us into a community to minister to Him. Ministry is to Him first, then to others. If I get this backwards, then I represent to God those “stinking rotten people.” If I don’t have the heart of the Father towards people, then I represent a distant angry God to people who just don’t deserve to be saved. “Turn or burn you scum bag!” In God’s kingdom principles, “the towel is stronger than the sword.”

A Consecrated Mind By Pastor Gary Wayne We have spent at least 3 weeks talking about repentance – changing the way we think. “How do you do that?” Last week I looked at some “How to’s.” Col 3:2 “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” We looked at “setting our minds” on Jesus. “Polar bear alerts.” Today I would like to continue with practical steps to “Changing the way you think” by consecrating our mind. Text: Matthew 11:28-30, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Mat.11:28-30 “…find rest for your souls.” Most of us carry a heavy soul. Our soul is where we store our memories. We carry stress, fear, frustration, disappointment and often anger. The evil one uses the pain and confusion we go through to question, and cast a shadow of doubt over God’s goodness. “If God love you, He would…” In Eph.3, Paul prayed that they would “be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.” Rom.12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,…” Our society, the atmosphere we live in, assaults our minds every day. Every time we check the news, social media, we are bombarded with information that fights against renewing my mind to be like Jesus. There is a battle to conform our thinking to be like this society. We live in a battle for the truth. Let God Transform you by changing the way think. In our text - we take control of our thought life – purposely setting how my mind deals with God’s truth to be what my heart focuses on. What about me needs transformed? What part of my thinking? Attitudes? Thought patterns? What my mind dwells on? What fears do I give my faith to? Where I go when my mind wanders? Ro 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. NKJV For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set controlled by the Spirit finds life and peace. PT “For to be carnally minded is death, the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace…” NIV Focusing on myself, is opposite of focusing on God – it opposes God. I want to spend time on “Consecrating Our Minds.” Allowing the Holy Spirit to control my mind leads to life and peace. We are seeking alliance, agreement, union with God in our mental life. I consecrate my mental life to Jesus. Lev 11:44 'For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. To consecrate something means to give it to God, to present it to Him to be especially His. To set it aside for His use, to sanctify. When we consecrate something to Jesus, it allows those things to come under His protection and provision. This is beautiful when we think about consecrating our mental life to Him. We don’t want our thoughts to just wander here and there. We want our mental life to be under the influence of the Spirit of God, governed by the Spirit, not governed by my flesh. Let’s pray this right now! Father, I consecrate my mind to you. All of my mental life. I give you my thoughts, my focus, and attention. I give you my memory and recall, my understand and imagination. I consecrate to you, Lord, my interpretation of events in my life. I dedicate the life of my mind to You, and to you ALONE. There is a truth about memory recall I want to visit about. We believe the story – facts - events - we tell ourselves. OFTEN our memory of events are totally different then the other people that were there. Usually my NEED to be right drives me to hold onto my interpretation of events. Jesus, where have my thoughts begun to wander? Where have I been worrying or speculating about the future? Forgive me Lord, I consecrate my mind to you – I renounce speculation. I surrender the future to you Lord. Teach me to rein in my wondering thoughts. You can keep Jesus at the forefront of your mind with one simple prayer, and one simple word. “Jesus!” As you go through your day, simply use the name Jesus as a prayer to turn your thoughts back towards Him. Let’s practice that before we go. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

Faith Chapel message by Bill Campbell

Repent, The Kingdom of God is at Hand! ~ Part 3 Change The Way You Think, For The Kingdom of God Is Here Now! By Pastor Gary Wayne I have been using as a text Mat. 3:1-2, 4:17 where at the beginning of John’s ministry, then at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, they preached, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The word Repent = To change your mind. Not merely an intellectual change, but a spiritual, supernatural change. Repent – change your mind. Text: John 5:2-9, Colossians 3:2 This man had been sick for a LONG TIME. In ver.6, when Jesus asked him: "Do you want to be made well?" Instead of saying an obvious “yes,” he answered Jesus out of his identity and disappointment. This man explained why he couldn’t be healed. His environment had shaped his outlook. His environment had shaped his mindset. This wasn’t a character flaw, it is just how it is. He had taken on identity that had to do with his illness and surroundings. Our environment usually shapes our thinking to be like minded. Some of the hardest people to have faith in what God says are those of us who have been raised in church. It’s the weirdest thing – people come to Christ, and as new Christians, they are winning people to Jesus, praying and seeing miracles happen, but the longer they blend into an church environment, the less passionate they seem to become. Does God want my neighbor to be saved? Instead of saying yes, I explain why he is an impossible case. Does God want to move in my city? Let me tell you how dark it is here. Does God want to have revival in America? Let me tell you about how bad sin has gripped our nation. Does God want to flow through me with signs and wonders? Let me tell you why it doesn’t happen. Ask God to reveal to you what mindsets you need to REPENT – change the way you think about? I believe our enemy does kind of dive-by drop off of different demonic harassments to see if any of them stick. Sometimes the symptoms are so close to what we think is ours that we allow them to stay. “My family has always had fibromyalgia, so this is just the way life is for me. The Dr. said…” We start to speak of it as “my carpal tunnel, my high blood pressure, my arthritis, my cancer, etc.” It’s not mine, don’t claim it as mine. REPENT! Similarly we do this with our emotions as well. I feel so alone, I feel so hopeless, I feel so rejected. These emotions can be projected on us from our enemy because he is alone, hopeless, rejected. But they feel so close to how we feel we accept them as our own. That’s the time to “repent – change the way you think.” BUT HOW? Col 3:2 “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” This is not mind over matter, - or a psychological method to deal with mental wellness. I’m referring to a supernatural weapons God gives us to overcome strongholds. 2Cor.10:4-5 “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 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.” (YouTube: Faith Chapel Seeley Lake MT This is a good place for a “Polar Bear Alert.” Issues of the heart part 3 1-30-22) We don’t fight thought with thought. We fight thoughts with the Word of God. Ps 119:11 “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!” Memorize scripture so you have a pink elephant to replace the polar bears with. Memorize any scripture – but for more affective warfare, memorize scripture for the topic you deal with. Ro 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. “The Pause” app. The One Minute Pause is a simple to reconnect with God in the midst of your very busy day. Created by John Eldredge’s Team, the app allows you to set up daily popup reminders to take a break and give your worries and essentially your heart over to God. 30 Days to Resilient – twice a day for about 10 min.

Repent, the Kingdom of God is at Hand ~ Part 2 By Pastor Gary Wayne Change The Way You Think, For The Kingdom of God Is Here Now! Text: Matthew 13:3-9, 19-23, Matthew 3:1-2 Right after Jesus came out of the wilderness experience where He was tested by the enemy, Mat.4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The church has used the message of repentance to be like: You had better watch out, Jesus is coming back, He is making a list and checking it twice, He is coming back – get right or get left. The word Repent = met-a-noeo = To change your mind. Not merely an intellectual change, but a transformation of your goals and attitude toward life. It implies turning from sin with a HUGE emphasis on submission to God – your New LORD of your New Life. Ro 2:4 “…the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” When I have an encounter with God’s goodness, it causes me to change the way I think. Today I want to challenge us to: Change The Way You Think About Serving God! Change your mind about your part in the Kingdom. We have an opportunity to partner with God to fulfill His dreams about the Kingdom of God being here now. Bill Johnson quote - "If God is your servant, He will always frustrate you, if you are His servant, you will always be amazed." Every one of us have been called to full time ministry. But we usually think ministry is: preaching, teaching, - upfront pulpit ministry. Ministry – Greek word diakonia = service given in the name of Jesus 1Co 16:15 “I urge you, brethren--you know the household of Stephanas, … that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints.” The people I get excited to see embracing ministry are those in the “market place” – where they realize God has placed them in their job to minister. God has placed them in a neighborhood, on a volunteer committee, etc. Yes we need people to minister at church, but I think as important are people to minister at the saw mill, at the grocery store, ministers to teach at school, to teach tennis, to coach soccer, etc. We can partner with God to build His Kingdom. Recently, I have felt the invitation for us to build God’s Kingdom here in this valley with prayer. I have been given two different books on prayer, and what captured my attention is in Acts, where the Disciples in Acts 6 said v.2, “we shouldn’t leave the word of God and serve tables,” but they found “Spirit Filled” men to minister in that area, but as leaders their responsibility was to v.4 give themselves to facilitate corporate prayer. There is something unlocked in the heavenlies as we get together and pray. When you pray by yourself at home, you are a force to be reckoned with. I believe that’s why the enemy works so hard to convince us that prayer isn’t that important. We don’t actually say that with our words, but actions speak louder than words. I think when believes get together and come into agreement with the heart of God, then we touch each other in agreement, the spiritual world is shaken. I want to ask you, when opportunities make it available for you to gather and pray with other believers, why do we find something more important to do? Why is this not a HUGE priority for us? I think in part because our enemy steals God’s Word on this topic from our hearts to where it falls into our “optional - mild in importance box.” Mat.13: 3-9, 19-23 Ver.19 – the “kingdom word” can be stolen from our hearts. The last thing I want as Pastor of this church is for you to go to a prayer meeting out of obligation – that actually affects the atmosphere in a negative way. But I LONG FOR the day when people gather out of passion to “minister to God, to serve” God in prayer. We actually have this happening here on our Sunday afternoon prayer time. Can I repeat the title of this message? Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand. Allow supernatural revelation to Change The Way You Think About Serving God!

Repent, the Kingdom of God is at Hand By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Matthew 3:1-2 Mat.4:17, Mat.10:5-8 Most of the time when we hear the word repent, and how it is used in sermons it seems to mean something like, turn away from your sin and turn towards God. When a person repents, that does happen – that’s in its meaning. The word repent = metanoeo, two words put together. Meta – “after,” and Noeo – “to think” = think differently or reconsider – Change the way you think. John, Jesus, and the Disciples were telling the people: Change the way you think because the Kingdom of God is close at hand, or is here now. That generation had grown up knowing that someday Messiah would come but when he finally arrived the majority couldn't see it because of their mindset was stuck on religious activity. When I change the way I think to match what God says it true, my life changes and becomes the way God intended. Are there warnings for us about problems that would be in the church in the last days? 2Ti 3:1 “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:…” 2. “For men will be lovers of themselves,…” 4. “… traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,…” 5. “… having a form of godliness but denying its power.” Unfortunately, this describes much of the church world in America - stuck on religious activity. I feel God speaking this message to us today - Repent - change the way you think about the times and the seasons we are in, because the Kingdom of God is at hand. There's seems to be a mental dullness, a lethargy, narcissism that causes people to be moved away from Kingdom thinking. We should be like the sons of Issachar in 1Chr.13:32 “..the sons of Issachar … had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…” – They understood public affairs, the atmosphere of the nation, and the importance of the present events. How focused are we on the reality that the Kingdom of God is now? How does that affect how we live? A while back Bishop Don Johnson preached a message about growing up on a ranch / farm. The harvest was ALWAYSE in the back of their minds for why they were doing every job they did. If you lose sight of that, what you are doing in this season loses its significance. I feel God prompting us to be awake to the season we are in. To use a band analogy, even though you know the music, in this season, understanding the warnings given to the church, TODAY is the time to watch the conductor as He is orchestrating events and it is imperative I’m awake to His promptings. Last year from 4-11-21 to 6-6-21 I talked about the feasts God instructed Israel to observe. The Hebrew, calendar is a lunar/solar calendar (months are based on lunar months but years are based on solar years) and is the official calendar in Israel. It’s fascinating that most of the significant events in history fall on the Hebrew calendar. That's a huge point of interest. Pay attention to where we're at. On September 25th (two weeks ago) we just entered a new year on the Hebrew calendar. I believe signs and wonders are designed to get our attention so I can sharpen my focus on the Heart of the Father. {Today} Two Hebrew Holidays this month: Yom Kippur, (Day of Atonement) Began sunset Tuesday, October 4, 2022 Sukkot, (The Feast of Tabernacles) Begins sunset Sunday, October 9, 2022 The Feast of Tabernacles summed up in one statement – This feast anticipates the time when God will dwell with us. Isn’t that what the whole of scripture points to? What is God up to in this season? What is God up to in our community? What is God up to in your life? Change the way you think, for the Kingdom of God is here now.

Find Out What Pleases the Lord ~ Part 4 Keep Your Head in the Game By Pastor Gary Wayne We have been emphasizing the month of September as transition month where we re-focus on the priorities of our relationship with God Spiritual Emphasis Month. And even though this is the first of October, I want to take one more crack at emphasizing the need to have our focus on the Heart of the Father. Eph.5:8c,10 “…Live as children of light and - find out what pleases the Lord.” NIV Text: Galatians 5:1,7 Yesterday, I was one of the speakers to talk about Norm & Rose Baier. I talked about a recent experience I had while working at the cemetery. Recently I needed to write down the information of the Headstones to compare with the records we have. As I spent that time reading names and dates, what impacted me was how much of the importance of those lives were represented by the dash between the date of birth, and the date of death. So much of what that person had accomplished could not be recorded. The date we are born and the date we die are in the hands of God, but what we do in between – the dash between the dates – are for us to fill in. And if we lose sight of why we live our life, we get distracted and live for ourselves. Christianity is not actually a religion – it has been classified as that, but it is a relationship, not religious activity. Although it can become mere religious activity instead of a relationship. Gal.5:1,7 They had started out in their Christian walk in a relationship with Jesus, but as time went by, life at church began to be about church religious traditions and not about relationship. Ro 13:11 “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” Is this speaking about Christians being asleep or people who don’t know God? So it is possible to be a follower of Jesus, yet asleep. 1Th 5:1 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, [What others? Is this speaking about Christians being asleep or people who don’t know God?] but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 1Co 6:19-20 “… do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.” In a message I preached a back in June I asked: In any sport, how critical is the 4th quarter? What happens when players get distracted in a game? How does the enemy want to distract us from emphasizing the spiritual? If he can distract me for why and how I live, he may not cause me to go to hell, but what about people around me I might influence as I live my life focused on what pleases the Lord? Eph.5:8c,10 “…Live as children of light and - find out what pleases the Lord.” NIV

Guest Speaker Kelly Lineberry at Faith Chapel

By Pastor Gary Wayne We have been emphasizing that this month of September is a transition month where we need to re-focus on the priorities of our relationship with God Spiritual Emphasis Month. Text: Luke 18:1-8, Ephesians 5:8-10 Ver.10 “…and find out what pleases the Lord. NIV I want to emphasize the importance of prayer. Luk.18:1-8 “..they should always pray and not give up.…” NIV Is it important that every one of us pray? Not just over the meal, but is it important we know how to spend quality time with God in prayer? I doubt anyone would answer no; it’s not that big of a deal. But the truth is our actions answer that question rather then what we say with my words this morning as Pastor asks a loaded question. What is the #1 reason our prayers are not answered? We don’t pray. Why do we quit praying? A lot of reasons, but I believe often it is because we start to view what we believe about prayer from our experience rather than God’s truth. For example, the times people press into prayer, and spend time, but in the end, they can be left with a feeling it was a waste of time. It didn’t seem anything happened, so….. I want us to view the importance of prayer from God’s perspective. From His view do you think He thinks your prayers are important? Jer 33:3 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' 1Ti 2:1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; If our enemy understands the value of prayer, how would he keep us from praying? If he could get us to believe wrong things about prayer. - Its value - its purpose - its effectiveness - What is intercession? The act of intervening on behalf of another. What is intercession prayer? Praying on behalf of others. Ezekiel 22:30 “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.” What a sad scripture. I want each one of us to pause for a moment and ask ourselves: How do I measure up to this scripture? If God is looking for His people to stand in the gap for Seeley Lake, am I available to pray His heart for my city? S.D. Gordon quote: “You can do more for God and for man than pray, but you can’t do more than pray until you’ve prayed.” James Goll quote: “Declaration is like a light switch that releases the power to begin to flow where it has been directed.” God is looking for people to go between, to go from the natural to the supernatural, and paint targets that give Him an invitation to act. In Seeley Lake, where should we paint targets? What people groups do you feel the Holy Spirit asking you to paint a target on? Read : Intercessory Declaration for Seeley Lake Valley We declare a new embedded operating system for Seeley Lake. A system created, ordained & controlled by the Holy Spirit of God. Written in the book of destiny. A system that operates under the banner of God’s love & our testimony causing this land to be of that Love. A place of Reconciliation. A place of Refreshing. A place of Restoration. A place of Unity & Community. A place of Healing. A place that Nurtures Families. A place where the broken are made whole and the spiritually dead are brought to life. where the weak are made strong. A place of creative provision, A place that is a seed bed of life springing up, A place of passion for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Find Out What Pleases the Lord ~ Part 2 By Pastor Gary Wayne Times of transition are important for me to sharpen my focus on the things of God. September has seemed for me to be a month of transition, of season change. So I see this month as Spiritual Emphasis Month. As we transition from summer to fall, I think this is a good time to re-focus on the priorities of my relationship with God. Text: Mathew 25:1-13, 1 Samuel 2:35, Ephesians 5:8-10 Ver.10 “…and find out what pleases the Lord. NIV Ver.10 “…trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. NASB Ver.10 “…trying to learn [by experience] what is pleasing to the Lord [and letting your lifestyles be examples of what is most acceptable to Him…”. Amplified I believe that requires a single focus. Sole purpose. The center of my attention. 1Sam.2:35 1Pe 2:9 “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…” God calls us to be His royal priests – not for just pastors or preachers, but His followers to represent who He is to those around us. Putting these two scriptures together – God is raising up faithful priests who have their priority on following what is in His heart, not just priestly duties. What happens when His royal priests trade intimacy for routine? What happens when the very ones who have been called by God to represent His heart to those around them continue to do “good God things”, religious activity, but don’t maintain an intimate heart connection with the one they gave themselves to serve? What happens when the people appointed by God, His royal priests, lose sight of His heart and begin to live their lives in view of their heart? Not giving into sinful living, still going to church, but their Christianity is for their benefit. Living in Godly principals just makes sense. I’m not opening the door for the demonic to mess with my life. I live inside the blessings of God. I get to go to heaven when I die. But if I don’t pursue His heart, my Christianity is about me. Do you remember in the OT the different times the ark of God that represented His presences was taken away? What happened at the tent of meeting while the ark was gone? The priests continued to do their worship routine – without the presence of God. Is it possible to do church without the oil of the Holy Spirit? Mat.24:3, 25:1-13. The things that I want to point out is that 5 of them had the oil they needed. And Jesus called them “wise” because they had maintained preparedness. We need the fire of God in our lives. Everyone wants to experience signs and wonders, the fire of God manifest where we see EVIDENCE of His presence. But if we have fire without oil, it is just a flash, a happening, not a lifestyle. In order to have His fire on a regular basis, we have to have the oil of the Holy Spirit filling our lives on a regular basis to sustain God’s fire. Where do we get that oil? From the Holy Spirit – submitting, presenting ourselves to His presence on a regular basis. The problem is we are like a vessel with holes. We are filled, but we leak. So we have to present ourselves frequently to be filled. Eph.5:15-21 “…be filled with the Spirit…” This is not a onetime thing, but on going. If you read this in the Greek, it would read something like: “be you being filled…” This more than a Sunday morning church thing. God is raising up faithful priests who out of relationship with Him, seek His heart and “…and find out what pleases the Lord.” What is the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart this morning? What is He saying to you personally?

Find Out What Pleases the Lord (Part 1) By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: 1 Samuel 2:12,35 Ephesians 5:8-10 Ver. 10 “…and find out what pleases the Lord.” NIV 1Th 5:5 “You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.” I want to do some follow up after last week’s service. When it comes to talking about our enemy the devil and his demons, I don’t like to give much time about him because we are not children of the dark but of the light. If we focus on the dark, we crash. But as we focus on the light, we can navigate though dark places. But Paul says: 2Cor.2:11 “…for we are not ignorant of his devices.” So we do need to understand some of how he works. There are two out of balance ways to deal with this topic. 1. Ignore demonic activity – often where the church in America lives. 2. Become demon focused – a demon behind every negative event. Demons don’t need more focus and credit than they deserve. I believe that over various regions and cities there is a demonic entity assigned over that area and it has an agenda. (Mr. 5:10) Often that agenda opposes the purpose of God for that area. That agenda against a city has different aspects to it. In other words, it is different depending on the city. Across our nation, different cities are known for their specific darkness. Greed, murder, witchcraft, drug abuse, etc. - places of specific bondage. And inside that agenda, the enemy targets certain groups of people. What does that have to do with us and this area? It is imperative that our focus in on the heart of the Father, not the strong man over this area. As we peruse the heart of God, He will direct how to navigate through any darkness and find those fields that are ripe for harvest. He will direct when and how to tear down the enemy’s territory. My heart asks questions like: What is God’s purpose for Seeley Lake? Why has there been no city wide revival in Seeley Lake? Why are the young adults in our area not serving God? Why for the last 5-10 years had there been no spiritual influence to High School students? “God, how do we win our city for Jesus?” “God what are the needs of our area that You want us to be involved in?” Pray with me: “God put an ache in our heat to want more of You. God open our eyes to see You. Put a fire in my soul, in my heart, make me passionate for Your Heart. Help me know in this season what Your heart longs for.” September is a transitional month – a season change. In those times of transitions, I see it vital, critical, essential to re-establish the emphasis of God’s priority for my life. To make sure I’m not just being religious, but Spirit led. We want the fire of God, but fire is just a flash moment without the oil of the Spirit to sustain that fire. WE NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT!!! In 1Sam.2 There was a problem going at church. 1Sam.2:12, 35. Explain what Eli’s sons wore doing – They were demanding the people give the sacrificial meet before it was cooked that had the fat in it. The fat parts belonged. (13-17) They demanded the part that belonged to God. They wanted what belonged to God. They had all this going on in their lives yet they served as priests. You can go to church, even serve in leadership without making God your Lord. Am I doing that with my life? Am I wanting for myself what God says is His? What am I giving my time and energy to as I live here in SL? Even if I have a God experience that rocks my world, unless it changes the way I live, it was just a religious experience. Doesn’t the NT tell us we are the priests of God? 1Pe 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; Ver.35 What is the cry of God’s heart? What is the cry of God’s heart for Seeley Lake? God was longing for His priests to honor Him, to stand before people and represent Him, represent His heart.

Faith Chapel Guest Speaker Gloire Ndongala

Living Grace #2 By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: 1 John 1:, Ephesians 2:4-10 I think we know about saving grace – “for by grace are you saved…” – but what about living grace? Living life by grace? Romans 7 says the Law of God was given to show us what sin was. But we don’t live according to the law, we live according to grace. What does it look like to live according to the Law? The way I see it, I have a list of things I should do, and a list I shouldn’t do. The problem is that when I focus on not doing something wrong, what do I end up doing? When you tell a child, “Don’t touch this,” what do they now want to do? They hadn’t even been aware that “this” was there to be touched. But the law, “Don’t touch this,” awakened sin in me. It is very similar with trying to control your thoughts by fighting thoughts with thoughts - by saying, don’t think of this. What you then think of is “this,” and the Law, don’t think of this,” actually re-enforces “this” in my mind. Rom.8:5 “…those who live according to the Spirit, sets their mind on the things of the Spirit.” So I don’t fight thought with thought, I replace it with the Word of God. I don’t resist sin by sin management; I focus on being who God says I am. A “churchy” mindset says God is really honored when we give Him our best. And we think in terms of, if I’m good, God likes me better. So I make pleasing God my goal in life. (Doesn’t that sound noble?) If I do all these good things, and stay away from evil, sinful things, then when I need Him, His presence, His power, His favor, I will have attained His attention. So in our own strength, we try to manage our sin. How does that work out? When Adam and Eve first sinned, they used fig leaves to cover their sin. The first act of sin management. The problem is my fig leaves don’t cover as much as I think they do. Sin management is thinking I can do something about my sin by working on it. I do good God things to make me presentable to God, so I can come into His presence. So what is the answer to my dilemma? What would happen in my life if I simply believed what God says is true? Grace brings me into relationship – and that is the only base, that place, that position that I can deal with my sin. Heb.13:5 “…."I will never leave you nor forsake you." EVEN when I am sinning – He is right there. 1Jn.1:7-2:2 I want to point out that this is written to Christians. Christians who sin. What breaks the power of sin? Bringing it into the light. If my sin can be managed apart from the cross, then I don’t need Jesus. Jesus died for EVERY sin, because it is IMPOSSIBLE for us to manage ANY sin. The miracle of grace is that God forgives my sin, and makes me new. In grace I live out who God says I am. What would happen in my life if I simply believed what God says is true? I have His favor. I have His attention. I have excellent standing with Him. There is nothing more I can do to have a better standing with Him. I am already His favorite! Well then??? If I’m already forgiven, and I’m not supposed to work at not sinning, ??? then do I just live any way I want? Ro 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Of course not! There is a tension between grace and personal effort. Grace is a supernatural work, but if you don’t do something, then nothing will happen. Jn.15:5 “… for without Me you can do nothing.” It is also true that if you do nothing, it will be without Him. Grace is not opposed to effort; it is opposed to earning. Effort is action, earning is attitude. God doesn’t heal you because He wants to use you. He heals you because He is a GOOD GOD and loves you, and wants to be a part of your life. 1 John 2:1-2 Advocate = helper, one who comes along side. Propitiation = atoning sacrifice. If I sin – Am I still a son? YES! I look to His grace, not my energy to stop. I behave like a son – “I don’t know why I did that, because that is not who I am, God forgive me, God help me not do that again….”

Living Grace By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: 1 John 1:, Ephesians 2:4-10 I think we know about saving grace – “for by grace are you saved…” – but what about living grace? Living life by grace? Romans 7 says the Law of God was given to show us what sin was. But we don’t live according to the law, we live according to grace. What does look like to live according to the Law? The way I see it, I have a list of things I should do, and a list I shouldn’t do. The problem is that when I focus on not doing something wrong, what do I end up doing? When you tell a child, “Don’t touch this,” what do they now want to do? They hadn’t even been aware that “this” was there to be touched. But the law, “Don’t touch this,” awakened sin in me. It is very similar with trying to control your thoughts by fighting thoughts with thoughts - by saying, don’t think of this. What you then think of is “this,” and the Law, don’t think of this,” actually re-enforces “this” in my mind. Rom.8:5 “…those who live according to the Spirit, sets their mind on the things of the Spirit.” So I don’t fight thought with thought, I replace it with the Word of God. I don’t resist sin by sin management; I focus on being who God says I am. A “churchy” mindset says God is really honored when we give Him our best. And we think in terms of, if I’m good, God likes me better. So I make pleasing God my goal in life. (Doesn’t that sound noble?) If I do all these good things, and stay away from evil, sinful things, then when I need Him, His presence, His power, His favor, I will have attained His attention. So in our own strength, we try to manage our sin. How does that work out? When Adam and Eve first sinned, they used fig leaves to cover their sin. The first act of sin management. The problem is my fig leaves don’t cover as much as I think they do. Sin management is thinking I can do something about my sin by working on it. I do good God things to make me presentable to God, so I can come into His presence. So what is the answer to my dilemma? What would happen in my life if I simply believed what God says is true? Grace brings me into relationship – and that is the only base, that place, that position that I can deal with my sin. Heb.13:5 “…."I will never leave you nor forsake you." EVEN when I am sinning – He is right there. 1Jn.1:7-2:2 I want to point out that this is written to Christians. Christians who sin. What breaks the power of sin? Bringing it into the light. If my sin can be managed apart from the cross, then I don’t need Jesus. Jesus died for EVERY sin, because it is IMPOSSIBLE for us to manage ANY sin. The miracle of grace is that God forgives my sin, and makes me new. In grace I live out who God says I am. What would happen in my life if I simply believed what God says is true? I have His favor. I have His attention. I have excellent standing with Him. There is nothing more I can do to have a better standing with Him. I am already His favorite! Well then??? If I’m already forgiven, and I’m not supposed to work at not sinning, ??? then do I just live any way I want? Ro 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Of course not! There is a tension between grace and personal effort. Grace is a supernatural work, but if you don’t do something, then nothing will happen. Jn.15:5 “… for without Me you can do nothing.” It is also true that if you do nothing, it will be without Him. Grace is not opposed to effort; it is opposed to earning. Effort is action, earning is attitude. God doesn’t heal you because He wants to use you. He heals you because He is a GOOD GOD and loves you, and wants to be a part of your life. 1 John 2:1-2 Advocate = helper, one who comes along side. Propitiation = atoning sacrifice. If I sin – Am I still a son? YES! I look to His grace, not my energy to stop. I behave like a son – “I don’t know why I did that, because that is not who I am, God forgive me, God help me not do that again….”

Busyness versus Intimacy In June I talked about one of God’s highest priority for our lives is to have intimacy with us. We can have an inward drive to have God as my highest priority for my life and yet it looks different on me. Years ago, as a pastor, I realized I had fallen into a wrong thinking that if I was busy doing God’s stuff, that would be what be what measured my success. I equated business with Godliness, which is WAY inaccurate. In fact, Business Destroys Intimacy. There is a crazy cycle that begins. I’m exhausted by all this good God stuff I am doing and wonder why I can’t seem to hear from God and feel His presence. So what is my answer? I try harder, become more busy. After all – isn’t that what God wants from me? To use me for His glory? Text: Isaiah 30:15 Wrongly I can equate rest and quietness with laziness and weakness. But this invitation from our Father into His presence is probably the greatest productivity for my life that I can actually experience. Often we get so much of our identity from what we do – what we believe we are good at, we miss the true understanding of our identity because it doesn’t come from Father. So if our enemy can’t get me to wrong things, he will twist my thinking about this subject and I end up overextending myself in being busy with good things. Then what happens is I get tired. Exhausted. Fatigue can result in not believing God. Because when I’m tired, my heart gets hardened to being sensitive to the Holy Spirit. And I begin to be more vulnerable to the lies of my enemy and the lies of my heart being disappointed when I don’t see God moving in the activities I have given myself to. In ver.18 Blessed are all those who wait for Him. Isa 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Ver.21 “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.” I think I can’t have this happening if I don’t listen to ver.15 – “…in returning and rest, in quietness and confidence…” We love the scripture in Ex.14:13 where Moses told the people - "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD…” 14 "The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." Hold your peace = be quiet – stop talking! I think for myself, business causes friction to my heart and soul and that results in a callous that causes me to lose sensitivity to His presence or hear His voice. Ps 23:2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; Ps 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; Mt 11:28-30"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Pierce My Ear By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Exodus 21:1-6, Philippians 2:5-11 There is so many ways I could preach about ver.5 – “Let this mind be in you…” In the context of this chapter, it’s talking about Jesus humbling Himself – even thought He was God, He took on the form of a human. And not just a human, but the kind of human most of society thinks of as the lowest in importance. Ver.7 Says He took on the form of a bondservant. The mindset of Heaven is totally opposite from ours. We tend to revere Kings and Presidents, the head leader as the most important, but in God’s Kingdom principals, servants are the ones to be admired and honored. For an understanding of a bondservant, let’s go to Exo.21. Right after God gave Moses the 10 commandments, Moses also began laying out the ordinances of practical living in community. For the next few chapters, he gives instruction for different situations. Ex.21:1-6 Sometimes life was unfair, and a person wound up being a slave not by choice - but to become a bondslave like we are talking about, the only way was for you to make a choice to serve. So it was a matter of your will that created the bond-slave. What would happen to a servant that didn’t want to leave? They would take him to the judges, then bring him to the door post of his master’s house and pierce his ear. They would usually then take an ear ring and for the rest of his life he would marked as a bondslave. Ver. 6 “…and he shall serve him forever.” Why the door post? When Moses gave this instruction, these people understood the importance of doing this at the doorpost. In their very recent past, what was placed on the doorpost? Blood. This was a covenant time between this household and God. I could spend an hour talking about the understanding of the doorpost, and that culture – the whole surrounding regions placed major significance on the doorpost of a house – a portal into your life. No wonder the servant was taken here to pierce his ear. The way the blood was placed on the top, the two sides and the bottom formed a cross. This is a complete picture of Christ. In different OT scriptures about the coming Messiah, they frequently point to Jesus. Heb.10 tells us Ps.40 is speaking about Jesus – Ver.6 “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened…” “my ears you have pierced…” NIV Isa.50:5 “The Lord GOD has opened My ear…” (pierced) Jesus was taken to the cross and His body pierced – the only scars in Heaven. Jesus loved His Master, Jesus loves His wife, His children and chooses to serve them FOREVER. Now let’s talk about you and me. For us the choice is not do I want to be a slave or not, but the choice is, Who do I want to serve? Song by Bob Dylan – “Gotta Serve Somebody.” No one is totally free, we are either a slave to our enemy, or the Lord. There is no middle ground. If I try and play the natural card, I have already made a choice to go different than God’s will for me. Often people know Jesus as savior, but not Lord. Saved if they die, but still in charge of their own life, their own time, their own decisions in life. Their ear hasn’t been pierced. They are the one in control of their life. They make out their own calendar for the Year, Month, day, without consulting God for His direction, opinions for what they should do, how they should live. Pr 3:6 “In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Does my level of commitment to the Kingdom of God go farther than my Sunday morning? Some recognize the importance of honoring God on the “Lord’s Day,” so I give Him 2 hours of my week. Then how I live throughout your week is not that different than someone who doesn’t know anything about the Love of God. My question to you is, has your ear been pierced? “Let this mind be in you…” What does it look for God to be 1st in my life?

Lead Us Not into Temptation By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: James 1:12-17, Matthew 6:9-13 Why pray ver.13 when Jas 1:13 says it is impossible for God to tempt me? Jam.1:12-17 Ver.12 when we endure temptation, we are blessed and rewarded. Ver.13-14 When we are tempted it is because we are drawn away by our fleshly desires. Often the original desire can be ok, but the enemy turns it into temptation. When something captures our focus, often the enemy uses that moment to tempt us. God doesn’t tempt us the enemy does, and in scripture Satan is called the tempter. Mat.4:3 “Now when the tempter came to Him…” 1 Thess.3:5 “Least by some means the tempter had tempt you…” Throughout the NT, the word temptation in other translations is often translated using other words – such as testing or trials. Jam.1:2-3 The word for trials, and testing is the same Greek word for temptation. Would God ever lead us into a trial or a test? Yes. Why? Because the trying, testing of my faith produces patience. V.4 “Perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” But God only does this for my good – to build my character to handle the blessings He wants to give into my life. If my character is not strong enough, His blessings would hurt me. But our enemy the devil is an opportunist, and when we are weak, he is there at times of trial to turn it into a moment of temptation to hurt us. I think this prayer could be prayed: “God protect me from the evil one during times of trials.” Mat.4:1 “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Who was leading Jesus? The Spirit of God. Where did He lead Him? Into the wilderness. Why did He lead Him into the wilderness? To be tempted by the devil. How I see this is that God led His own Son into a time of trials and testing, and Satan took advantage of the moment when Jesus was physically tired, and hungry and began to tempt Him to sin. Why did God do this to Jesus? I think - because Jesus was human and He also needed His personal character to be strengthened through testing like we do. God didn’t lead Jesus into a place to fail, but to succeed. God allowed this for our good. Jesus succeeding is a benefit to us. Lk.4:14 “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit.” Jesus came out stronger after this time of testing. Hebrews 4:15-16 Heb 2:18 “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” NIV Jesus can help me when I face temptation and trials. When you are being tempted by the enemy to fail, ask Jesus for help. Ask, “What did You do when you faced this? He was tempted with lust, He was tempted with pride. He was tempted with fear and doubt. He was tempted with unforgiveness, He was tempted in all points. Promise Scriptures for us concerning temptation: 1Co 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 2Ti 4:18 “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom….” 2Pe 2:9 “… the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations…” The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, and I think Jesus knowing how the enemy takes advantage of us in times of weakness and testing, has us ask the Father for His help in times when we face temptation. Mt 6:13 “And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

I Agree #3 By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Matthew 6:9-13, Matthew 18:19-20 We first touch His heart and come into agreement with Him, then each other. Praying with Him links our hearts to His dream. . God clearly emphasizes in scripture the importance of praying together. When together we touch God’s heart, pray His dreams, what is possible? I believe God is waiting for FC to pray together for His dreams for SL. ------------------------------------------------ This morning I want to take a quick look at what is known as the Lord’s Prayer. Matthew 6:9-13 This prayer has MANY layers – one message can’t begin to cover its depth. In Luk.11’s account of this prayer, when Jesus introduced this prayer, He said, “When you pray, say…” So even though I think this is more an outline to be filled in, I think it is also important to “say / quote” this prayer. Out loud, and together. For me, what I think is a major understanding this prayer teaches is: anytime I start praying, I begin with worship to God, and end with worship. Ver.9 “Our Father in heaven Hollowed be Thy Name.” Something I don’t remember being emphasized before this time of study is how much this prayer is for “us.” It might be that I strongly believe God is speaking to FC about the NEED to come together to pray. I feel God emphasizing our need to not just get along with each other, but to join our hearts together with God’s to see change. But NOTE this says “Our” Father, not “my Father.” Something our church society has a problem with is how much we are to join our hearts with each other. When Cain asked God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer is? Yes. That hasn’t changed. Ro 12:5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Ro 15:1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” Ga 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Heb 12:12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,…” My choices of how I live – in church and at home – affect everyone in this room. There are certain aspects of this Christian life that is TOTALLY dependent on one another. So this “Lord’s Prayer” is not just for me, but for us. Ver.10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Jack Taylor – (A bible scholar) explains how this is a decree we make. The verb tense is more like, “Kingdome of God, come. Will of God, be done.” A command, a decree that after joining my heart with God, we join with Him and His heart to change history. Loaded question: What is the #1 reasons my pray is not answered? I don’t pray. What is the #1 reason I don’t see sick people healed when I pray? I don’t pray. Ver.11 Give us this day our daily bread. AGAIN notice “us” – this is not just a prayer for my needs, but ours. This is a prayer for “our” provision. I think it is more probable that when I pray for provision, it is more about what I am facing rather then what we are facing. A major point is that I come asking God as “my loving Father.” Ver.8 If God knows what I need before I ask, then why ask? We NEED to develop a relationship of dependency on Him. Ver.12. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. The issues of my constant need to forgive others is HUGE! I think it is one of the #1 sins we don’t recognize as sin. #1 reason we don’t have healing in our bodies. This prayer is to be a lifestyle of daily heart response to God. Ver.14-15 Ver.13a “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” James 1:13 says it is impossible for God to tempt me. So why pray this kind of prayer? God is not the one leading me into temptation – I go there willfully or ignorantly. NOTE the “us. A prayer I pray for us, not just me. Ver.13b “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” I see the instruction here for me to end my time with praise and adoration.

I Agree Part 1 By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Acts 12:1-5, Matthew 18:19-20 Who are we coming into agreement with? It is not uncommon for us to search for those who agree with me – then we start a church with “like minded” people we can get along with, because we agree. That’s what unity is all about, right? Agreeing? That’s not how it should be. We are to gather in His name, not ours. Not in the name of “Faith Chapel. Not in the name of “The Pentecostal Church of God.” What does it mean to come into agreement? The Greek word for agree = “sumphoneo” – where we get the word symphony. To sound together, be in a cord, be in harmony. You take individual people, put them together, and the conductor begins to orchestrate a sound that is harmony. I purpose the first person we come into agreement with is not each other, but in agreement with Jesus. First we adjust our hearts with His, then each other. We all come together with different agenda’s. The reason we attend FC. The reason for Sunday morning service time. For prayer time. But we NEED to be moved by His agenda. Too many times we “pray to God” instead of “with God.” What’s the difference? Sometimes pressure around us moves us to pray, and the prayer that comes from that time has little to do with praying with God. We bring our prayer list to make sure we don’t forget what we need to tell God to do. Our time is spent talking instead of conversing. I think prayer should be a mixture of talking, conversing, listening. When we begin to pray, we need to start out by finding His heart and pray with Him. Remember from last week’s message, what is God’s priority with us? Intimacy! We target getting to know God’s heart, and in the process, we get to know one another’s heart as well. Coming into agreement with God is a prerequisite to coming into agreement with each other. That’s where unity begins. The value of coming together in agreement can’t be over-stated. In the book of Acts, praying together changed the world. Acts 2:42 “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Something happens when God’s people get together to pray. God invites us into the secret place to converse with Him so certain events / things will change because of our conversation. Acts 12:1-5 James was killed and Peter wasn’t. A major difference mentioned in this happening is that the church went to prayer after Peter was arrested. Gary’s speculation - What might have happened had they went to prayer when James was arrested? The prayer of the church wasn’t just saying the “Lord’s Prayer” together. Together they took time to touch the heart of God. God wants to co-labor with us. In the Lord’s prayer, why did Jesus say to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven?” Is this prayer even possible? YES!!! Because that is His heart for where we live. Can you imagine God saying, “Pray this prayer, but don’t expect anything to happen. This will give you something to do.” Praying with Him links my heart to His dream. As I interact with Him, He places things in my heart that become a heart cry. Heart cry = I think about it often, wake up in the night, meditate on it. Prayer is an invitation to “join my heart to His” to affect an outcome. Prayer is not to persuade God, to get Him to finely see what is going on and do something about it. Prayer is not to give us smoothing to do. Praying together changes the world. Do you agree?

Can I Have Your Heart? By Pastor Gary Wayne Heb 10:22 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith…” Jas 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you….” God is after my heart. He wants intimacy with me. HOW INCREADABLE! “Our intimacy with God – His highest priority for our lives – determines the impact of our lives.” Test: Ezekiel 14:1-5, Song of Solomon 1:4 Brian Simmons is the Bible scholar who translated the Passion Translation. In his commentary about the book of Song of Solomon, he translates this book as a letter from the King to the bride of Christ. Jesus writing to the church. Ver.4 “Draw me into your heart. We will run away together into the king’s cloud-filled chamber.” (PT) The whole book helps us to see the desire, the passion, the longing of God to be personally intimate with each one of us. Last week at CFO, one of my favorite parts of the day starts out with “Morning Mediations.” In good weather we go sit by the lake and someone reads scripture out loud, pausing at different times for personal reflection. It really is worth going just for that time with God. Before going to CFO this passage was on my heart, and I was looking forward to times I would be able to sit with God and have intimate moments. So here I am in the perfect setting, with the perfect Word adjusting my heart for intimacy, and what I found was a constant pull from within me to check my phone, to look at what time it was, to look up a scripture. I find with most men, that intimacy isn’t something we are good at. We are wondering: “How long is this going to take?” “Let me know what the main points are so I can check back in to know what is going on.” “I really want to be intimate, but can we be quick about it?” Often our goal is to get our needs met. As John was writing 1 John, a dominate theme runs through all 3 of his last books about loving God and God loving us. As he was finishing this first letter in 5:21, he closes this letter with a tag: “Little children keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” Why close with this? Because idolatry is so easy for us. What is idolatry of the heart? Anything that draws my attention, my energy, my passion more than God does. Idolatry can take on many forms. It can even be a “good-God-type-of-thing” - like ministry, or church work, etc. Where do I turn when I’m under pressure, when things go hard, where I’m frustrated – where does my heart turn for comfort and relief? What are the things, the places I go to, the things I cling onto, the things I give my heart to? Where do I go to fulfill a longing in my heart? Idolatry can be so subtle that it will keep me from God’s life and will counterfeit God’s love for things my soul longs for. The issue is not the thing that can become idolatry, but the function I give it, over God’s presence, over God’s principals. What do I give my heart to other than God? Is there an area in my life that tries to replace God’s position? What stands in the way of me pressing into God more? Ezekiel 14:1-5 Ver.5 I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.' (NIV) God is after my heart. He wants intimacy with me. Does God need to shout at me in order for intimacy to be a priority? What is wrong with that picture? If He is my priority, do I require Him to demand my attention - to allow life to be so difficult I finally go into His presence? Isa 30:15 “For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: "In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." But you would not,..” We can make idols of anything good - our family, our wife, our occupation, etc. The idol is not the focus, the pursuit of my heart is. My heart is what God is battling for. This morning, can you hear God asking: “Can I have your heart?”

Awake, Awake Barak! By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Judges 5:12, Judges 4:4-9, 13-16 Think about life during Barak’s time. Jg 2:10 “When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.” A theme verse for Judges could be: 17:6 “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Every time a leader would die, people would revert to living how ever it was convenient to live. Kind of reminds me of this generation. What causes people – men – to be passive in leading like this? I imagine everyone thinks someone else will step up and set the standards for living. Including Barak. This is normal for humans. That’s why in 1st aid training you don’t say: Someone “call 911.” Everyone thinks some else will do it. The whole time we can actually make a difference, yet many will stand still and watch people die. Who am I that I should step up? I’m outside of my expertise or experience. I don’t know what I’m doing. Someone else will do it, right? Edmund Burke – The only thing necessary for the Triumph of Evil is for good men to do Nothing. But when Barak received the word of God and he was moved to action. Pick your favorite sport – how critical is the 4th quarter? Some feel it’s the most significant time where the game is decided. I feel this morning I want to especially address men in the 4th quarter of life. For many in a blink they go from being immersed in the game to being in the 4th quarter of life. Many feel this is the time to throttle down to super slow speed. Men get so much of their identity from their occupation, or what they can do. Then all of a sudden they find themselves retired from their career, and now doing what? Our world seems to value the new and shiny and now that man finds himself not good at much of anything he took pride in, and if he still is good, no one seems to want what he has to offer - what does that do to his thinking about how important the 4th quarter is? Then the enemy – the accuser of the brethren does what to men? In our society, maturity and understanding doesn’t hold the value it once did. The world has REALLY shaped our perspective. I think all this stacks up and I allowing that thinking to alter my understanding for my value in ministry GOD PLACES on me. - This needs to be talked about! In the kingdom of God, the best of life isn’t in the rear-view-mirror. Ps 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” What is God saying in the season you are in? Not your evaluation based on life-past. NOT our society that require bling to count success. What is on God’s heart for you today? How you do life right now in the 4th quarter has EXTREME value. Could it be that the most significant part of your life is right now and the enemy wants you to think differently? Why would the enemy do that? You have heard people say something like: On my death bed I’m not going to say, “I wish I had spent more time at work.” Put a “Kingdom of God” frame work on the value of your life. For those in the 4th quarter, what is God saying is significant for you now? What is He asking of you? Ps.101:2 “I’m trying my best to walk in the way of integrity, especially in my own home. But I need Your help! I’m wondering, Lord, when will you appear?” I want to pray a fresh anointing on you as a man. I especially feel to pray for anyone who feels frustrated, hopeless, inadequate, unable to be a Godly voice and influence. Have you blown it? Is your track record sketchy? Then start right now by doing the next right thing.