Gary Wayne Bible Teaching

Filled with the Holy Spirit – #1 – There’s More Text: John 20:22, Luke 24:49 What is the “Promise of the Father? The Holy Spirit. Endued = clothed – NIV “until you have been clothed with” I want to note here that Jesus didn’t say, “until you speak in tongues, or until you shake, look drunk, or fall down. Etc. But until you are “clothed with power.” Why make this point? Growing up in a Pentecostal church I was taught that the evidence of the infilling, or baptism in the Holy Spirit was tongues. If you spoke in tongues, you had it. If no tongues, keep seeking. At this season of life I don’t believe “tongues” is the defining evidence. Tongues can be evidence, but I have come to see scripture differently than when I grew up with that teaching. I believe God is a diverse God! And much like when you study the methods Jesus used when he healed people, how a person receives the Holy Spirit can be different every time. I think tongues is an evidence, but I don’t think Luke in writing the book of Acts was trying to pin that down for us. Jn. 20:22 When Jesus breathed on them, what did they receive? The Holy Spirit. But this wasn’t the baptism in the Holy Spirit – that took place in Acts 2. This is one of my supporting scriptures that says when you ask Jesus in your heart and are born again, you receive the Holy Spirit. But there is another receiving of the Holy Spirit that is more. There’s More! The people Jesus breathed on received the Holy Spirit that is clear, but not the baptism of the Holy Spirit until Acts 2. Acts 1:5 baptized = immerse, submerge (not question you are wet). Acts 2:1-4 In Acts 4, Peter & John were arrested and the Sanhedrin ordered them not to preach Jesus an more, they threatened them and let them go. When they went back to the group of Christians and told them what had happened. As a result, they began to pray. Acts 4:23-31 Note v.31 “they were all filled the with the Holy Spirit.” But I thought they had already been filled in Acts 2? THATS MY POINT? THERE’S MORE!!! Eph.5:15-18 What is the will of the Lord? Be filled with the Spirit. Ver.18 The wording in the Greek is saying this is not a one time happening, but an ongoing filling. If you could translate this in exact wording it would be something like, “be you being filled with….” I can and should be filled again and again. The people I believe are the hardest to get to be hungry for more of God are people who have been in church for years. People who have had incredible encounters with God. They already bought the T-shirt. Heidi Baker – baptized at age 16, after giving herself to being a missionary, and almost being burnt out, then went to Toronto and was baptized again with new manifestations, a year later, another encounter with more power…. THERES MORE! What you receive is not indicated by what you manifest after you receive. Don’t be sidelined, distracted by that being your focus. Whether you speak in tongues, or operate in healing others, or have a gift to win people to Jesus is not the point. Let’s remove the pressure, the distraction of getting what I expect, or want, and place my focus on the Giver – on God. Our God encounters usually changes our view, our belief in what God can and will do. Our experiences usually change our theology - about healing, about gifts, about the moving of the Spirit. If we already have a theology about healing, yet haven’t seen anything happen when we pray for people, what do we tend to do? Stop praying for healing. To me that says what? I believe in my head that God heals, but in my heart where I think faith begins, I don’t. We NEED and encounter with God – with the Holy Sirit – to awaken me to truth. If we don’t know there is more, what do we do with all this? We stay where you are and have good church on Sunday. I think until my shadow heals the sick, there’s more!

Defeating Freedom Thieves By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Romans 85-9a, Galatians 5:1, 2 Timothy 2:4, Hebrews 12:1 “Lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us…” NIV -easily entangles us… What does this phrase imply? (Obvious Answer) 2Ti 2:4 Gal.5:1 Ver.16-17 v17 lusts = to set the heart upon, to long for. The word emphasizes the intensity of the desire rather than the object desired. Rom.8:5-9a V7 Passion T “… the mind-set focused on the flesh fights God’s plan and refuses to submit to His direction because it cannot!” Hosea 4:6 “My people are being destroyed for lack of knowledge.” What I want to ask myself is, “Are there things I am “willfully ignorant” of? There are several things God tells us not to have anything to do with because they will hurt you. For instance: Séance - talking to the dead, Ouija boards, fortune telling, magic, reading your horoscope. Wearing satanic or magic symbols in jewelry, tattoos, etc. Ps 101:3 “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;” Song: “Be careful little eyes what you see…” There can be a bunch of little things that don’t seem to be a big deal. Song of Solomon 2:15 “The little foxes that spoil the vines…” These “foxes“ are the compromises that are hidden in our hearts. These areas where we have not yet allowed God to have access. “God hasn’t convicted me.” Could it be because I won’t ask His opinion? We don’t tune into what He is saying, because ignorance is bliss. Ignorance also brings bondage and death. Take a spiritual shower. If I slip and fall into the swamp, and quickly get out, I may be messy, but the leaches in the swamp probably haven’t had time to attach. But the next time I “accidently” fell in, probably stayed a bit longer, then I got out… Then the next time, I tread water for a bit. HIGHLY PROBABLE something attached to me. When I have been around a swamp environment, I ask the Holy Spirit to shower everything off of me. 1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. “God I apply the blood of Jesus to my whole being. My mind, will, emotions. My Body, Soul Spirit. Freedom thieves I didn’t realize I allowed into my life. I think it’s good to take a spiritual shower for not reason at all – it just feels good. “God, I ask your Word to purify my mind.” (Jas 4:8) Walk around your property. Pray over your house. Re-dedicate it to God. Creating atmosphere. Be a thermostat, not a thermometer. Just before you get out of your car to go shopping, take 1-2 min and ask the Holy Spirit to help you change the atmosphere in that store. Walk into the grocery store and create atmosphere. How?

Guest speaker from the congregation - Andy

Guest Speaker Joash Ligami in Seeley Lake, Montana

Ministry by Jimmy Martinez God is with us in Life's Struggles

Worship Text: 1 Kings 3:1-3, John 4:23-24 God is seeking worshipers. Notice it doesn’t say He is seeking worship, but people who will worship Him in Truth & Spirit. In this text, when Solomon was sacrificing an offering, at this time it was NOT to a pagan god, it was to Jehovah God. The problem was God had told them not to sacrifice in the “high places.” (Lev.17:3-4, Deu.12:13-14. Jer.7:31, Eze.6:3-4, Hos.10:8) “High places” were where pagans would set up their altars. Probably with the idea that men were closer to the deity they were worshiping. But when the Israelites started sacrificing to their God, they started doing things like the people that God told them not to have anything to do with. This was a fragile time for Israel – the change of Leadership, and the time with no established place for worship. David brought the ark to Jerusalem and put it in a tent, but it wasn’t established as a place to worship for Israel yet. It wasn’t until Solomon built the temple that there was an main place. And as you read through Second Kings, there were actually a number of Kings that it says something like: 2Kin.14:3-4 “he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like his father David… However the high places were not taken away…” Our text is an interesting chapter. At the beginning it opens with major evidence that Solomon was dabbling with compromise. Marrying Pharo’s Daughter was a compromise. Sacrificing to God in the “High Places” - the way others were doing it was a compromise. Yet ver.3 plainly says Solomon loved the Lord. In just a few verses we have the famous account of God asking Solomon what he wanted God to do for him. What stands out to me is I see a mixture of wanting to worship God and sacrifice to honor Him but doing it the way he wanted to do it instead of how God asked to be worshiped. Close, but not conformed to God’s way. Whenever I mix self-will in worship, it is no longer worship, but it becomes man’s method, flesh, self-will, doing things the way I want – this is good enough. I think that was at the heart of the problem in Genesis 4 where Cain and Abel brought an offering to God. 4:4b “God respected Able and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering…” Able brought of the first born of his flock (firstfruits) and Cain brought what he thought of as good enough. Close, but not conformed to God’s way. What did Jesus say God was seeking? The Father is seeking those who worship Him in spirit and truth. Do I worship loudly or quietly? With my hands held high or kneeling on the floor with bowed head? Dancing like David, or laying prostrate? I don’t believe I can tell by the outward expression of someone’s worship whether they are doing things by their will or God’s. When it comes to my worship, it is not what and how I do things as much as before God I lay down my will of doing things and worship is spirit and truth. Why do we worship Him? In collage, when I studied personal evangelism, - how to lead someone Jesus, an Important question was: “If you were to die tonight and God asked you “Why should I allow you into my heaven.” The right answer has nothing to do with what I have done, but what Jesus has done. You Tube video: Alistair Begg – “The Man on the Middle Cross.” Think about the thief on the cross. When he got to the gates, the angels must have asked him, “what are you doing here?” He didn’t know anything about church membership. He didn’t pass the doctrinal quiz. He didn’t have any church attendance record. Yet he made it. Imagine the angels interviewing him - “Do you understand at all the issue of being justified by faith? After a frustrating examination, they asked him, why are you here? I don’t know, but the man on the middle cross said I could come. That is why I worship. Because of Who He is, and for What He has done for me. That is why I serve Him – because He said I could be here.

Tim Dennison shares Sunday morning message.

The Bride Has Made Herself Ready By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: James 1:21-25, Ephesians 5:25-27, Rev.19:7 “Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.” We pray more for our personal comfort than we do for our personal character. Jesus is making His bride ready using the Word. The Word of God is also a supernatural mirror. It shows me where I am, what needs to change, and what I should look like. Often I find myself more concerned with my theology – what I believe to be true about God – than how I treat people. I can be more consumed with the hearing / learning, than doing. Jam.1:21-25 Ver.21b “… with a sensitive spirit we absorb God’s Word, which has been implanted within our nature, for the Word of Life has power to continually deliver us.” (Passon Translation) Ver.24 “he observes himself…” in the mirror of God’s Word. PT “You perceive how Gods sees you in the mirror of the Word…” I believe how I treat people is far more important than what I believe to be true. If what God speaks to my heart doesn’t change my life style, that’s called religion, not relationship. There’s a balance here - 1 Corinthians 13 says how I treat people, how I love people is of far greater value than having all kinds of the gifts of the Spirit. Joh.13:35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." If I'm hard to live with, if I'm hard for people be around, maybe that's an indicator that I need a good dose of the love of God. Needing the water of the Word to wash me, for the Holy Spirit to highlight areas that need my attention. When I'm truly in love with someone, I don't demand they change to meet my expectations just the opposite I draw a circle on the floor and I change to meet their expectations. As a Christian if I say I love God yet I don't deal with my character flaws, what does that say about my love? Where's the evidence that I'm in love with Jesus? Is it because I go to church? Is it because I believe the right doctrine? The evidence is my interaction with Him. It’s my response to His heart. It’s my interaction with people. Especially with people I don’t like. My interaction with people who have done me wrong. What am I doing to develop intimacy with Jesus? Is Sunday morning church all that I do? One of the signs that I realized I loved Heatherann was I didn’t care how much money I spent on our dates. I wanted to spend time with her. Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. “His bride has made herself ready.”

Heart Issues – Part 8 How I See Me How you see yourself has a MAJOR impact on your life in Christ. The more you understand who God is, and the more time you spend in His presence, the more you realize who you really are. He created us, He knows who we really are, our true identity. How many here like to play “hide and seek? The problem is when we play hide and seek with God, but we don’t realize we are hiding. Text: Genesis 32:24-31, Genesis 3:8-10 Here in this scripture, we find God asking a question in ver.9 “Where are you?” I want to ask you the same question, because I believe God is still presenting Himself to be found, but too many times we end up hiding. Why did God ask this question? Was this question for God because He didn’t know where Adam was? This question is for us, to recognize where we are. Where are you with God? Most people get into trouble when they don’t know where they are, and or who they are. Adam had just fallen into sin, and the first thing sin does is to make us hide. Because sin makes us uncomfortable in the presence of God. Genesis 32:24-31 How long did the wrestling match go on with Jacob. All night long. Often people miss-quote this saying that Jacob wrestled with the angel. But in v.24 who wrestled with whom? The Angle was the aggressor. Ver.25 When “He” did not prevail against Jacob, He touched him in his hip and the socket of his hip went out of joint. In ver.27 God asked, “What is your name.” Was this question for God or Jacob? What does the name Jacob mean? Jacob = heel-catcher, supplanter, schemer, plotter, someone who gets ahead by deceiving others. Had Jacob lived up to the meaning of his name? Yes. God was saying, “Jacob, I want you do deal with who you are.” More specifically, who you think you are! And when He didn’t prevail, God caused a condition to take place to where Jacob was no longer wrestling but clinging. Now for the rest of his life, he couldn’t run from his problems. No longer could he rely on his scheming to get what he wanted – but now he had to rely on God to fulfill the promise God had placed in him. No longer could Jacob rely on Jacob to succeed. God touched him in his strength so no longer could Jacob stand in his strength. He had to rely on God in his weakness. Do I think I can manipulate God to fulfill His will in me? Do I think I can be smart enough? Disciplined enough? Good enough? Jacob said, “I’m not letting you go until you bless me.” He said OK and touched him in his hip and the socket of his hip went out of joint – for the rest of his life. What did you do – God said I blessed you. What does that mean? Now I’m crippled how am I to fulfill my destiny being a cripple? When do we have the most closeness of God in our lives? When we cling. Breakthrough comes through brokenness. But an exciting, powerful, major point is, it doesn’t have to take major trauma to have breakthrough. “Humble yourself before the Lord and He will lift you up.” James 4:10 We don’t have to be driven into God’s presence by trauma. “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jer 29:13 How did Jacob see Jacob? Heel-catcher, that is who they say I am. How did God see Jacob? Israel = “Prince with God!” In God’s original plan, where should we get our personal identity? From our Godly parents who having heard from God, tell us who we are as we grow up. But when sin entered into the picture, it had major effects in many areas – God’s plan for the family was damaged. Our earthly father should be the one to instill Godly identity. If that is missing, we will desperately seek someone to tell us who we are. We grow up seeking identity. If we are good at sports, if we are good at art, music, education, if we get involved with the wrong crowd, they will label us, give us identity, party animal, a drunk, an addict. You might have done the things they say you did, but that isn’t who you are. Only God can give you true identity and we learn that only from being in His presence, having Him speak into our lives.

Creating a Draft By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Isaiah 9:1-2, 6, John 1:1-13, 43-51 John 13:12-17 As I was working at Youth camp this week, I was contemplating the atmosphere of our church services and was thinking about the kind of happening our young people NEED to go to church in. In racing, and on the highway, a draft is what happens behind the car or truck in front of you. They break the wind that would drag your speed down, and if you tuck yourself in behind that rig, it takes less energy to keep your speed. What I want to visit about is the importance of each of us when we come to church on any given Sunday, we create a draft for those who are hurting, tiered, beat up, etc. for them to tuck themselves behind the draft we make so it is easier for them to encounter God’s presence. How to Create A Draft: 1. Come to church already fired up. 2. Be an owner, not a visitor. 3. Realize that Church isn't about you. Recognize the people around you that may be in need of your draft. And then be sensitive of them. Ga 6:2 “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Think with me of a place in your area that seems dark. If ever there needed to be a move of God, it is there! What city do you think of? Jesus' ministry began in dark places!!! 2 Chr.6:1 Then Solomon spoke: "The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. God is in the middle of your darkness. Ver.46 And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Nazareth was in the region of Galilea and was considered somewhat backward. Isaiah called that region the land of the gentile people those surrounded with great darkness. Yet this was where Jesus started His ministry. Isa.9:1-2, 6 In the place where devastation had robbed hope, Jesus came on that scene. He chooses the places in our lives where we have the most disgrace and shame, and where He shines His light. Past failures become prophecies of a future victory." “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” YES! Can anything good come out of the dark place in your life? YES! Pastor you don’t understand what I have done. You don’t understand the relationships I have messed up. The mistakes I have made – on purpose! Jesus comes into that dark place and Creates A Draft – and if I tuck myself into that draft, He bring healing, strength, and life to me and my family!

Heart Issues – Part 6b Inner Vows By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Matt.5:33-37, James 4:13-17 What is an inner vow? A promise I make to myself, like a foundation in my mind and heart then forgotten. Our inner being retains inner vows, like programming, and even when life changes, that inner vow stays programmed into us to behave a certain way under certain circumstances. A distinctive mark of an inner vow is that it resists the normal maturation process. They resist change, and we don’t outgrow them. Inner vows usually don’t manifest themselves immediately in behavior. They rest forgotten and dormant, until triggered by the right person or situation. Having forgotten them, we are unaware they exist or have any effect. Yet over time, they begin to manifest outwardly in several ways. Impulsive anger, hatred, guilt, compulsive behavior, resisting responsibility – can point to inner vows. They are like the armor we wear in the hope it will protect and empower us. But they were forged from judgments, it chafes constantly and attracts more hurt and abuse. That armor binds and hinders us even when we want to be free. Let me illustrate - A common happening for men is they learn as small boys that girls are the ones who tell on them. Sometimes they learn that mom has a memory like an elephant – and whatever you say can and will be used against you. When they allow their soft emotions to show, mom will use these as a source of control. What are people’s response to a boy when he cries - Big baby! So boys learn to hide from their mothers, from girls – the less they know the better. Often, he makes an inner vow – “Never share what you really feel….” Later on, when he starts dating, he may actually find it easy to communicate until he is married. Something about marriage puts one in a position that trigger our inner vows. Now her complaint is “He won’t tell me anything anymore.” Unknown to them, an earlier defense programming has kicked into action. Many men are unaware that they are not sharing themselves, gradually becoming more estranged from their wife and family. Lacking him, she may be emotionally wilting and dying and may eventually find other places like church or a club – or worse - to find sharing and fulfillment. In women, the most common inner vows actually have some of the very same roots - don’t share who you are – but manifest themselves differently. Little girls want to be the apple of their daddy’s eye. They somehow know they are God’s gift to ravish their daddy’s heart. In God’s design a father should builds confidence in what it is to be a woman. Often a wife fulfills her husband from her own sense of beauty and desirability. If she knows she is a precious gift of God to him, she can bless him. If she doesn’t and therefore requires constant stated approval and affirmation it wears them out. Unfortunately, all too many fathers are unaware of their value to the family. Too many times little girls have run into their daddy’s presence only to be ignored or pushed away. “I’m Busy! What do you want?” “Do you like my new dress?” “What did that cost?” Many have seen their mother’s heart crushed again and again. From repeated neglects and slights, little girls vow, “Don’t share.” “Don’t let anyone close enough to hurt you.” “Don’t let him really have or know all of you.” In frustration they vow …”See if I ever”…. Then throw in cases of molestation by some trusted man – father, grandfather, stepfather, brother, uncle… etc. From the moment of molestation she may fear to let the beauty of what she is shine. She may become either frigid or promiscuous, but behind both clings the same root – an inability to giver herself fully to the man of her life. Inner vows come in all shapes and sizes. OVERHEAD While inner vows do lie at the root, seldom are they the sole factor. They work in tandem with bitter roots, hidden resentment, fear, and lies my heart believes. How do we break inner vows? It helps, but is not necessary, to remember our vow. If the fruit is there, the root is there. Ask the Lord to bring to your memory any vows you have made that harmed you and may have been forgotten. If you know the vow, - They can be broken by the authority given us by Jesus. “In Jesus name I break this inner vow.” I sever all connections with every evil power attached to this vow – In Jesus’ name I break their hold, their power and effect in my life. Jesus help me to change the way I think in this area. Forgive – both those who have hurt us, and ourselves. Confess and repent for sinful reactions that led to us making wrong vows. We need the Holy Spirit to help us. INNER VOWS THAT PEOPLE COMMONLY SAY / MAKE: I WILL NEVER ________________ …let anyone love me … be weak …trust anyone …allow myself to depend on someone else … let them take anything away from me …allow anyone to touch me … share what is mine … allow anyone to give me money … write, read, understand … allow myself to be hit … go out at night … let you see who I am … let anyone know I hurt … let a man control me … be responsible for actions of others … receive a compliment … participate in life … allow a woman in my heart … be anything worthwhile … be sick … be violent or abusive … grow up I WILL ALWAYS ____________ … remain aloof, separate … be logical … be in control of my life Inner vows imprison us to think and act as they have set the mold.

Heart Issues – Part 5 Hearts of Stone By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Ezek.36:26-27, Col.3:1-10 (“v.5 in NIV “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature…” ) For us to have close fellowship with each other and with God, we need Him to break up our hearts of stone and cause us to be soft towards each other. What is a Heart of Stone? A defense mechanism which keeps us from being vulnerable or “seen”. It’s a hiding place we believe will protect us, but actually makes us lonely. A heart of stone keeps us from giving and receiving love from others. Let me illustrate the problem of a heart of stone by using our working knowledge of the “Star Ship Enterprise.” What are some unique aspects about this ship? The transporter – the ability to beam people out and beam people in. The ability to travel at warp speed – the speed of light. The electronic shields – when the Star Ship Enterprise is under attack, you raise the shields to protect it. Here’s how I want to use this illustration for us to understand the heart of stone. To raise the shields, you must divert power from the warp engines, you can no longer go the speed of light. It slows you down, and you can’t maneuver well. If I allow walls to go up, I am going to sacrifice ability and power. I now spend my time and energy trying to keep my walls up. What else can’t happen when the shields are up? You can’t use the transport – no one can get in and no one can get out while the shields are up. If my defenses are up, I can’t share who I am with people. I spend all my energy keeping others out, but it also keeps me captive. What happens when people throw temper tantrums? Everyone around them backs off – they get their way - they gain control. What about when I slip into my silent treatment? How is a Heart of Stone formed? Frequently it starts to form within the first six years of our lives, without realizing it – that is we don’t consciously realize we harden our hearts towards others. It develops out of our earliest experiences of frustration and disappointment. Because of my Adamic nature, I sinfully respond to frustration and disappointment, and painful experiences. I learn to harden off. Maybe a parent responds to our need in an angry frustrated way – a child cries, but no one helps - we learn to build a wall of protection around our heart. We all form stony hearts - But to the degree that there is affection, laughing, and prayer in a family, the heart of stone can be softened. To the degree these qualities are missing, the heart of stone hardens quickly and becomes closed off. The results are that within a family the heart of stone refuses love and intimacy. Inside relationships, it keeps people at a distance. In the Body of Christ, we don’t get close to anyone, it doesn’t allow unity to thrive. Then we suffer from physical problems, high blood pressure, ulcers, tension headaches, fibromyalgia, etc. We feel isolated, lonely, that no one cares, no one really knows me. Is it any wonder that the sins of the Fathers visit to the 3rd and 4th generation? Ps.95:8 “Do not harden your heart….” It’s interesting to me some of the most hard hearted people towards the things of God are people who have attended church most of their life. Mar. 6:52 “they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.” Mr 3:5 The man with a withered hand. “And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts…” Mr 16:14 “Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.” When my heart is hard, I CAN’T minister to others with the heart of the Father. It comes out as religion. 1Cor.13 How do we become free from a Heart of Stone? First we need to take a look back to see and understand how this stony heart was formed. Holy Spirit where is this coming from? Confession and Repentance: I need to confess and repent from my sinful reaction to frustration and disappointment. I need to confess and repent for wounding loved ones, and for wounding the heart of God. Forgiveness: I need to forgive my parents or whom-ever frustrated me, and I need to forgive myself for the damage I caused to others. Prayer time: God we ask for you to break our hearts of stone and to place that hart of flesh within us. Show us those places where we became hard hearted. Let the oil of your Spirit be poured out on us again. Continue to place Your Spirit within us – Baptize us in your Holy Spirit again. Help us not to allow ourselves to be ruled by our feelings and emotions. Help us yield to Your Spirit.

Heart Issues – Part 6 Do You Want to be Made Well? By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Matt.5:33-37, James 4:13-17, John 5:1-8 It is interesting to me when Jesus asked this man if he wanted to be made well, he didn’t say yes. Instead it’s almost as if he said, its not my fault. What is on my heart is to help us understand various places that I have heart issues and am stuck this way. “Oh no, not another issue I have to deal with.” Why don’t people want to be made whole? They are used to things the way they are, and it takes work. I already know what this looks like, and I have learned to live with it. Sometimes our issues have become such a part of our lives and identity that we have difficulty letting them go. I must decide what is more important to me – being made well or having a reason to say, "Woe is me."

Heart Issues – Part 4 Fruit to Root By Pastor Gary Wayne Luke 6:43-46 Matt.7:16-20 Every one of us produces fruit of in our lives of some sort. Rom.6:22 “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” When there is fruit being produced in our lives, it WILL ALWAYSE point to the root system. Remember the basic of a root system? The hidden underground way we drink from God and others that are usually hidden from our mind. A MAJOR system in our lives that we don’t realize is there. From the abundance of the heart – from the kind of root system – the mouth speaks. If I recognize a pattern of bad fruit, then there are roots that need to be dealt with. One instance of sin is not a pattern, but repeated behavior indicates a pattern from the past. And unless we deal with the root – the fruit will continue to grow. One of our tendencies is to try and deal with the fruit or the plant. But if the root system is allowed to stay – things will come back. It is very much like knap weed or dandelions – you can cut off the flowers, you can mow the plant short – you can even cut it off below the ground where it can’t be seen – but without dealing with the roots, it will come back and produce more weeds. But God wants to get to the root of the problem – not just destroy the fruit or the leaves. He doesn’t just want to change our behavior patterns, He wants to change our whole nature – and to do that, we must go to the roots. We tend to justify and defend our bad fruit – This is just the way I am. I’m just outspoken – I’m just not afraid to speak my mind – I have always been this way - It’s just my culture, my family is all this way. What is it Jesus is wanting to produce in us? Fruit of rightness. TOO OFTEN I am simply content to live with this flaw. Holy Spirit conviction. Christian living is simply a series of character tests – when we flunk our present test, we don’t move forward until we pass this test. When is it we tend to show bad fruit? When we are under stress. HALT - four risk states to be aware of. HALT = hungry, angry, lonely, tired. When I’m under stress, if there is bad fruit present what does it point to? So God allows us to undergo pressure from different places to do what? Identify and Deal with the roots I don’t even realize are there. Until I become Christ-like under pressure, I get to go through the test again. It usually has to do with my defense mechanisms. Through various circumstances, I have learned to defend myself in different ways. If those way are not Christ like, we don’t pass the test. We learn to defend ourselves in different ways, hoping to protect and empower us - We are in control – we are the source of our strength – protection. Remember, it’s not what happened to us that produces bad roots, it’s our sinful – ungodly response to what happened. God demands to be in control. And until I give in to His will – I go through character tests again. (Jam.1:2-4, Deut.8:1-3, 16) I love the illustration of the training animals – horses. When a horse is in a round coral, it depends on the horse as to how much useless work it must do before it gives in to the will of the trainer. The quicker the horse responds on a regular basis to the will of the trainer, the fewer times the horse has to run in circles. Until those character flaws are worked out – does the trainer stop? I believe the quicker I learn to respond to pressure like Christ would, the quicker I pass the test. It doesn’t mean that my life is going to be problem free now, but I will have the presence of God in a greater measure with a greater harvest of good fruit – multiplied back to me and those around me. Who benefits? I do, my family does, my community does, God does. Remember – if there is fruit – look for the root.

Heart Issues – Part 3 Sowing & Reaping By Pastor Gary Wayne Previously I talked about the root of bitterness that can grow in our lives & that bitterness produces expectations that come from a place of pain, & our knee-jerk reaction is to make judgements towards people. Here are 4 parts to help understand this root, how it works, & how to break its hold & power in our lives. 1. Bitter Root Expectations 2. Bitter Root Judgments 3. Sowing & Reaping – What you sow, you will reap. 4. Fruit to Root - If you have the fruit, you have the root. Roots of trees & plants are a hidden structure which is a conduit for nourishment. For us, roots are ways we drink nurture from God, others, & ourselves. Our roots also lay beneath the surface, usually hidden to our mind. Bitter roots start from our sinful reaction to hurts, or our condemning judgments of people, or our refusal or inability to forgive someone. These roots pollute us and cause us to drink poison instead of nourishment. Most often sowing & reaping of bitter root judgments & expectations happen in relation to parents & spouses, & sometimes primary people in our lives. Text: James 1:13-15, Galatians 6:7-9, Luke 6:43-49 When we break the law of God, it is like throwing a ball against a wall. At some point it is going to come back to us, & I have forgotten I threw the ball. If I take a ball & throw it against the wall & it hits me in the head, is God mad at me? Is He punishing me for my foolish action? No, it is a natural consequence of law. “For every action there is an opposite & equal reaction.” (Isaac Newton’s 3rd law) Judge not – least you be judged. You reap what you sow. The longer our sin goes unrepented for – undealt with - the larger it grows. Often by the time our sin returns it has grown to overwhelming proportions. Jam.1:13-15 When do you usually reap fruit? When it’s mature & ripe. Not after it has been sown. We don’t dig up the seed to see if it’s growing. Not after the plant begins to grow. Not after the plant grows leaves. Some noxious plants can actually look beautiful. Not even after the plant begins to produce fruit. When it’s ripe & mature. When fruit is ripe it is at its best – both good fruit & bad fruit. Usually, we forget we broke the law, so when the consequences begin to come, we are wondering what is going on. “I’ve been good lately – what’s up with that?” Remember that I said, most often sowing & reaping of bitter root judgments & bitter root expectations happen in relation to parents & spouses? We forget we bitterly judged our parents, then when the fruit of what we sowed starts showing up, we blame the ones closest to us. Instead of looking deep within ourselves to see what isn’t like Christ, we focus on the problems of our wife, husband &, closest friends. They are obviously the source of my problem. A husband will likely reap through his wife for what he judged his mother for. & the wife will likely reap through her husband the very thing for which she judged her father. If you are starting to look at someone to marry, take a careful look at how they treat their mother & father. Because a woman will treat her husband very much like she treats her father. And a man will treat his wife like he treats his mother. God will often use those close to us to let us see what needs dealt with. Often our mates are used by God to grind us & smooth out our rough edges – but they are not the problem. As we take our sin to the cross & deal with who we are inside, God will bless our relationships. If I refuse to walk through the doors to resolve conflict, whether in my marriage, in my relationships with Christians, or on the job, - if I don’t deal with it now – it will come back again & again. REALLY GOOD NEWS!!! God, unwilling that any should perish, sent Jesus to identify with us in all our sinfulness. In Matthew 5:17 Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but fulfill.” Jesus took our sin on Himself & died with it for us. Our sin was canceled, & the law of sowing & reaping fulfilled in Him. Prayer Time Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas in our hearts that He wants to deal with. Are there areas that He brought to your mind while I was going over this message? Let’s close our eyes for a moment & ask Holy Spirit to bring to our memory situations you went through that we should pray over this morning. Holy Spirit to let us see & recognize bitter roots. Is there any expectations we have? Holy Spirit help us see these wrong expectations we live with. Is there a lie I believe that You want to deal with? Are there Judgments I made? Holy Spirit bring back to our memory times we sowed seeds of Judgment. Pray for forgiveness: I forgive __ for __ Forgive me for seeds sown. Forgive me for forming expectations. Jesus thank You for taking my sin on Yourself, for canceling & fulfilling the laws against me. Holy Spirit be my alarm system – alerting me to seeds I sowed – the words I spoke.

Heart Issues – Part 1 Bitter Roots By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Galatians 6:7-8, Hebrews 12:15, Luke 4:16-21 I want to talk about the roots of bitterness that can grow in our lives. And when they are present, the results are that it defiles many. Me, my family (wife, kids), close friends, etc. So what are bitter roots? In plants, roots are the hidden structure which is a conduit for feeding the plant. Everyone has a root system we drink from. It is the way we drink nurture from God and others. The roots are below the surface and are usually hidden from our mind. How bitter roots from is when something hurtful happens and how we respond can then cause our root system we drink with to become bitter. So instead of drinking health to our system, bitter roots pass on bitterness. That is what Heb.12:15 is talking about. There are four elements to help understanding this root, how it works, and how to break its hold and power in our lives. 1. Bitter Root Expectations 2. Bitter Root Judgments 3. Sowing and Reaping – What you sow, you will reap. 4. Fruit to Root - If you have the fruit – you have the root. Bitter roots start by my sinful reaction to hurt, or my judgment of people, or my refusal to forgive someone. This root system developed from pain now causes me to drink poison instead of nourishment. Bitter roots are not the thing that happened to me, nor the sins of those who wronged me – they are the result of my sin. My fleshly response to pain. Let me try and explain the difference between “bitter root expectations”, and “bitter root judgments.” “Bitter root Expectations” are what I have come to believe will happen based on my experiences of pain. My expectations of how things will be. I can never trust people. Women will always be critical. Men will always let you down. No on ever listens to me. My expectations shaped by the pain I have experienced. “Bitter root Judgements” have to do with me breaking the natural laws of God – with sowing and reaping. Mt 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. Someone hurts me, and in my fleshly response, I judge them. Mom is stupid. Dad is weak. Dad is mean. I can’t please him. What a looser. Let me try and illustrate how Bitter root expectations are formed. Let’s say you are a little girl in the 2nd grade, and every time the class gets in trouble as a whole, who is usually the source of the trouble? The boys. So she develops an expectations that boys will always cause problems. Let’s say a man is brought up by a critical mother. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to please her. Feeling wounded and rejected, he learns to protect his heart by withdrawing. His experiences with his mother form his picture of “women” and how they are going to be. When he marries, and the newness starts to wear off, how does he expect his wife to be? He expects and fears criticism and consciously or unconsciously projects his expectations onto his wife, holding her at a distance to protect himself. If she appeals to him, confronting him with this problem, how is he going to interpret her action? She is being critical, and he pulls farther away. Add to that our enemy re-enforces the lie I now believe. Now this is just a small example of problems caused by bitter root expectations. Let’s look at the added problem of bitter root judgments. In the same scenario, underneath this man’s expectancy to be criticized is the fact that in early childhood he made a powerful, condemning judgment against his mother. Nothing I ever do is good enough for her. Mom is mean. Mom is stupid, - maybe he dishonors her by openly by yelling at her or treating her disrespectful. He soon forgets the judgments, but it has been sown as seed which will be reaped. He will often begin to reap through his wife and other women what he experienced with his mother. Because of the forgotten nature of the sowing, the reaping may come as a surprise to him. Often adding to his expectations that the woman is the source of the problem. Most often sowing and reaping of bitter root expectations and judgments happen in relation to parents and spouses, and sometimes primary people in our foundational years. Prayer time. I have learned, when something inside me isn’t right, I start by asking the Holy Spirit, “Where is this coming from?” And He begins the process of healing my wounded heart issues. Pray for the Holy Spirit to let us see and recognize bitter roots. Is there any expectations we have? Holy Spirit help us see these wrong expectations we live with. Is there a lie my heart believes as truth? Is there Judgments we made? Holy Spirit bring back to our memory times we sowed seeds of Judgment. Pray for forgiveness: I forgive ________ for ___________ Forgive me for seeds sown. Forgive me for forming expectations. Prayer for death of judgment and expectancy, habits, attitudes, reflexes. Prayer for restoration and resurrection of life. Lord reverse the old pattern and cause Your opposite to happen. Holy Spirit be our alarm system – alerting us to patterns we have developed from bitter root expectations and judgments.

Remember to Remember! By Pastor Gary Wayne Test: Deuteronomy 4:9, 6:4-14 All the way through the Bible, God set up special days, feasts, altars as memorials to help us remember. Today is actually a major memorial on the Hebrew calendar. Pentecost Sunday. Today marks 50 days since Resurrection Sunday. Some things are so important, we need memorials to remember, God said, so we don’t forget. Across our nation tomorrow we celebrate Memorial Day. What is that about? Memorial Day began as “Decoration Day” May 5, 1868, where the graves of those who died in war were decorated with flowers. Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6OS-gR-zqI Do you have people you want to remember? Let’s take a few moments and share your memories about them. God set up memorials all through the Bible. The Rainbow. When God parted the Jordan River, He told every tribe to take a stone from the middle of the riverbed and set up a memorial for them to remember. I want us to recall “memorial stones” that God has placed in our life. Let’s recall happenings God has done here in this congregation of Faith Chapel. One more memorial I want to visit about is “The Lord’s Supper.” Jesus said, “do this in remembrance of Me.”

Tithing – part 3 Breaking the Spirit of Mammon By Part 1 – It all belongs to Him Part 2 – Keeping the First things First Pr 3:9 “Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase…” Mal 3:10 “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows (floodgates) of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.” Text: 1 Timothy 6:6-12, Luke 16:10-13 What is mammon? Some say money, but it is WAY deeper than that. Why did Jesus use the word mammon? He didn’t just throw words around but was purposeful. He was not just saying money. In ver.11&13, some translations simply use “worldly wealth” or “money.” (NIV) But Jesus used this word on purpose because there is a spiritual aspect here that is way deeper than money. Mammon is an Aramaic word that means riches. It comes from the Syrian deity of riches. Jesus was talking about a false god His audience knew about. This god can be traced to Babylon. Babble means confusion. Then add the suffix “on” = sown or planted. Babylon = sown in confusion. Remember problem in Genesis 11 where God destroyed the tower of Babel? They were trying got reach heaven without God on their own. They didn’t need God to get to heaven. Jesus was referring to an entity, a demon worshiped as a false god. God is a Spirit, and mammon is a spirit. Everything the spirit of mammon did at the tower of Babel it still does today. Anything that is from God, mammon opposes - everything God stands for. Mammon tries to influence me to put other things before God. Not just money – occupation, education, family, things (cars, houses, property, my big boy toys, my recreation time etc.) M actually promises to give us everything only God can give us – identity, security, significance, happiness, joy - these only come from God. M says, if you had more money, you would have more influence, people would listen to you, respect your, look up to you – you would be happy. Ver. 13 “You can’t serve God and mammon” – mammon is looking for servants. M wants to rule your life. M wants to be worshiped. M wants you to look to it instead of God. Mammon wants to rule. Here is the problem – many of us grew up looking to mammon and we didn’t even realize it. Jesus said you will be loyal to one and despise the other. Here is one of the places this pops up showing me it’s influence. “Ok pastor, I’ll try this God principal of finances. Tithing, giving, being a good steward. Then 6 months into this, the water heater breaks down. Money tests where my heart is actually loyal to. What does the spirit of mammon whisper in my ear? See it doesn’t work. If God was a good God, why would He let me suffer financially? If God ….. then. If my heart is loyal to God, and my water heater breaks down, my heart says, “Ok God, You have a problem here, I’m curious what You are going to do about Your water heater breaking down? What is my next move?” A loyal heart anticipates my God is ACTIVELY working on any problem I face! Kind of like the difference between renting an apartment, and owning your house. If it’s all His anyway, when something breaks, renters call the person who owns the home. My water heater stopped working. You have a problem. A loyal heart is easily identified here. Most of us have had this thinking influencing my finances. I either need God to come through for me, or I need some money. If I had some money, I wouldn’t need to bug God for a favor. So is money evil? Here is what I believe. All money has a spirit attached to it. It either has the Spirit of God on it, or the spirit of mammon attached to it. The way I get the Spirit of God on it is to bring the first 10% to God and He redeems the rest out from under the spirit of this world. This principal of tithing is WAY DEEPER than money. 1 Tim.6:6-12 What did Jesus say choked out the Word - “the deceitfulness of riches” Mrk.4:19 And we walk around with stuff in our pockets the Bible calls “filthy Lucre.” 1Ti.3:8 What are we to do about this problem? How can we extend the Lordship of Christ be over our money also? The answer - we do what Able did, what Abraham did – we bring the first fruits – the tithe – to the Lord and He sanctifies what was once called filthy lucre. Romans 11:16 “For if the first fruit is holy, the lump is also holy….”

Tithing – Part 2 Keeping the First Thing First By Pastor Gary Wayne Loaded question: Is a test for the student or for the teacher? A test is simply to let the student know if I have learned the material. So money is simply a test so I can track where my heart is. God already knows, but I need tests to let me know if I am learning. Tithes and offerings are not about money, but about my heart. Bringing my tithes to God and how I give offerings is all about my heart. Text: Genesis 4:3-5, Proverbs 3:9-10 Firstfruits is a biblical way of saying that I tithe first—before I do anything else with my money. Remember the principal of first mention that I talked about last week – when a principal is introduced in scripture, it follows that principal from then on. Last week we looked at the first mention of a “tithe.” Abram gave Melchizedek tithe. Let’s look at the first time Scripture talks about the “principal of bringing God firstfruits”. Gen.4:3-5 Why did God accept Abel’s and not Cain’s offering? Here is what I think – ver.3 “Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground” And “Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock…” God is VERY detailed in His instructions with a purpose. Did you know Jericho was a firstfruits city? It was the first fortified city they conquered. Before they took the city, do you remember God’s instructions about the city? God gave them very specific instructions that all the loot they captured from Jericho belonged to Him. (Jos.6:18-19) All the other cities they concurred they could have, but God wanted this first one, so Jericho is a “firstfruits” city. Here is some fun information concerning the “feasts of Israel.” “Passover” is followed by the “Feast of Un-leavened bread,” followed by the “Feast of Firstfruits.” If you study the timing of the taking of this city, you will discover in chapter Jos.5, that this was the time of Passover, the barley harvest. Before God gave them victory, in ver.7 Joshua circumcised the sons that had not been circumcised, then they celebrated Passover, which is followed by the “Feast of Unleavened bread.” That places the falling of Jericho during the season of the “Feast of Firstfruits.” After the fall of Jericho, what event lets us know how serious God was about marking Jericho as His firstfruits city? What was the sin of Achan in Josh.7? He took a Babylonian garment, some silver and gold, and hid them in his tent. What was the result? The next battle Israel fought, they lost. When they asked God why, He said, Israel has sinned, taken the accursed things, stolen and deceived. All of Achan’s family and possessions were executed and burned. Did you know that Jesus was the Father’s firstfruits? 1Co 15:20 More Fun Facts - In Leviticus 23 we find the Feasts of the Lord introduced. In Ver.9 it talks about the feast of First Fruits. To set up this feast, the Priest would go out into the field at planting time and place 3 hoops on the ground in the field that had just been sown. At harvest time the priests would come back and gather the grain inside those hoops in his arms and stand ready with a sickle to cut it. While he is waiting, another priest stood watching the sun as it set so at the exact time the sun was setting, he began cutting the firstfruits. Then they return to the temple and take the sheaf of grain they harvested and do a wave offering before the Lord in the sign of a cross. Why all this detail? What happened at the moment Jesus died? The sun went dark. Jesus was crucified and buried at Passover, became the “unleavened bread” and rose from the dead on the third day, On the feast of First Fruits. Jesus was God’s tithe - His firstfruits. As you study this topic in Scripture, notice it says to “bring” the tithe, not give. "The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. Ex 23:19 I can’t give what doesn’t belong to me. It’s not mine. Let’s say my cars break down and someone loans me theirs for a while. When I bring it back, I say something like, “I feel God wants me to give you this car.” “THAT”S WEIRD Gary, because it wasn’t yours it’s mine, I just loaned it to you!” When I get paid, which is the first? In this electronic age, where the paycheck goes to the bank, then I distribute it electronically, which part of my income is the first, is the tithe? The first is. When I tithe before spending the rest of my money, I’m making it a priority instead of an afterthought. I’m bringing firstfruits instead of leftovers. I honor God, before I pay my bills, not waiting to see if I have anything left over. A tithe is a specific amount (10% of my increase) that I give first, and an offering is anything extra that I give beyond the tithe. Who is first in my life? "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Mt 6:21 Nothing speaks louder than money as to the answer to this question.

Tithing It All Belongs to Him By Pastor Gary Wayne My goal as a pastor / teacher is to share God’s Word / principals with us to cause us to live WAY ABOVE normal living. We were never called to be normal, but exceptional. Called to live WAY BLESSED. Money is a major topic in the Bible. Jesus spoke more about finances then any other subject. 50% of Jesus’ teaching had to do with the attitudes and actions concerning wealth. There is more said about money in the N.T. than about Heaven or Hell combined. The Bible talks 5 times more about money then about prayer. So I want to speak about finances - more specifically, I want to talk about tithing. Text: Luke16:10-12, Genesis 14:18-20, Malachi 3:10-11 The word tithe is simply given God 10% of your increase. But it must start with the understanding that all I am, all I have is His in the first place. So what I seem to have, in reality is His, and He has asked me to be a steward of His property. Ps.24:1 “The earth is the LORD'S, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.” He has made a covenant with me, in in this covenant agreement – (which is all His idea) – He says that in this partnership with Him, I don’t bring any assets, I don’t need any skills, He will supply both of those. I get to be in charge of what happens to the 100%, but in this agreement, the first 10% is His, leaving me with a cut of 90%. WOW, what a deal!!! Then on top of that incredible deal, He agrees to bless my 90% - He makes it prosper as well. Do I realize that having 90% blessed by God is a HUGE financial security. Some feel tithing as an Old Testament law that is not for today. But tithing did not start with law, but a heart response to God. Gen.14:18-20 This was 500 years before the law. It was a heart response that understood the principal of all I am is because of God – It’s all His anyway. What does the word “testament” mean? OT, NT = Covenant. Tithing is in the Old Testament, but it is in the New Testament as well. There are a lot of things in the OT law that we still believe. The OT ORDERED us not to commit adultery. So would that mean that because we are NT people, we can commit adultery? Murder? Steal? Etc. Just because it was under the old law didn’t make it bad. If it was right under the law, it is still right. God in our covenant partnership, askes me to be a steward of His things. What is a steward? Lk.16:10-12 Stewardship can only be happen when I know who the owner is. It all belongs to God. A non-Christian viewpoint is, I earned it, I get to spend it. I don’t have enough to give 10% off the top. But human reasoning should NEVER be our default way of thinking. Here is where the human mind does battle with God’s math. “You mean I am going to get ahead financially by giving away 10% of what I earned? I already have more month then I do money coming in.” God’s math principal: 90% of my income + God as my partner = open floodgates, and a rebuked devourer. Man’s math: 100% of my income with me in charge = opting out of God’s financial security and blessing in my life. It’s my way, not His. What is God’s economic principal? Give and you will receive. How? Pressed down, shaken together, and running over. With the same measure I use to figure out how much to give, it will be used to give back to me. (Luk.6:38) “DON’T LEAN ON YOUR UNDERSTANDING but in all your ways Acknowledge” God. Prov.3:5 A Christ centered understanding is what? The God of the universe under a blood covenant says to me, “I am your source, I want bless you with a SUPERNATURAL blessing of what you steward for Me.” What I want us to ask the Holy Spirit is who’s thinking am I ruled by when it comes to finances?

Motivational Gifts – Part 5 By Pastor Gary Wayne After spending 4 sessions looking at the motivational gifts, I want to draw our attention to the context where Paul wrote about these gifts. Let’s start with the context of the book of Romans. Have you ever encountered the tension that different views of Biblical doctrine can produce between different Churches? (Eternal security, Tongues, Baptism, Communion, Rapture, etc.) What was Paul's purpose in writing to the church at Rome? Up to this point, Paul had not been to Rome yet. But He was VERY aware of the people he was addressing. His heart in writing Romans was primarily pastoral. He was writing to churches made up of real people with real problems, real worries, real struggles, and real questions. There were two main groups of Christians in Rome: Jewish Christians, who observed Jewish ceremonial practices, and Gentile Christians who didn’t have that culture. They were organized into different house churches. Jewish Christians who had participated in the communion meal held in the Gentile Christian house had caused a tense relationship between the Jewish and the Gentile Christians. Paul understood the situation and wrote the letter to both the Jewish and the Gentile Christians in Rome to persuade them to build up a peaceful and close relationship between their house churches. Paul spends 11 chapters talking about man’s ruined condition with no hope and God’s incredible answer with Salvation. Text: Romans 12: 1, 4-6a, 9-21 Ver.1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, (NIV) I beseech you, I plead with you, I appeal to you, I exhort you… Ver.4-6a Right after talking about the motivational gifts, Paul launches into sharing urgent instructions from Paul’s heart for how to function as a part of the body of Christ. (BIGGER PICTURE) The great thing about this section is that whether we understand our unique gifting or not, this applies to you and me regardless. Paragraph Title: Behave Like a Christian Ver.9-21 Ver.9 - Let love be without hypocrisy. Love must be sincere. Don’t just pretend to love others. Let love be genuine. (Not a used car salesman.) We receive these gifts at conception, and they greatly steer our lives, but there are also other STRONG contributing factors that affect how we live. A HUGE one is whether I become a Christian, then allow the Holy Spirit to change me to become like Jesus. I believe that even if I have major flat spots with my gifting, and if I don’t even begin to understand how other giftings relate, the more like Jesus I become, the more balanced I become in my gifting, and He helps me to operate in the other giftings as well. Some of the Major things that can shape our giftings are: Parenting – Even though you might not be gifted in an area, if your parents are, they can shape how you think in that area. Your birth order. Your maturity, or immaturity. Your gender. The culture and time frame your grew up in. The one I want to visit the most is woundedness. Depending on your gifting, the depth and length of time you were wounded, it can greatly impact how you operate in your gifts. For instance - One of the weaknesses of the gift of mercy is that they can be easily wounded. So we now have a person gifted in mercy intended by God to bring the power of that gift to the body, now operates TOTALLY different from their giftings. They become hard and insensitive, looking down on “weak people” with disdain. Our enemy the devil does everything he can do to hurt you and cause you to operate independent from: your gifting, from being mature, from follow Jesus, from being an asset to the body, being plugged into ministry. For me as pastor, the #1 area I feel passionate about in ministry is to help see wounded people become free. My heart longs to see this body healed from brokenness and operate in this gathering body, in this city like what Paul is speaking about. To BE the church, not just attend church. The power of the Holy Spirit in you is more than enough to do the work all by yourself. But when we gather together in unity, His Kingdom comes, His will is done on earth as it is in Heaven. Ro 12:6 “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them…”

Motivational Gifts ~ Part 4 By Pastor Gary Wayne This is part four looking at the motivational gifts listed in Romans 12. Text: Romans 12:6b-8 Seven Motivational Gifts Basic Function Perceiver – are the eyes of the body. Service – the hands of the body. Teacher – the mind of the body. Giving – the arms of the body. Exhortation – the mouth. Leading – the head of the body. Mercy – the heart of the body of Christ. The third gift listed is Teacher – the mind of the body. Strengths: A person with this gifting could also be called a researcher because many are drawn into fields of research and may not be involved in what we think of as teaching. They love to study and do research, enjoying word studies to understand the building blocks of key words. Almost driven to understand different truths by checking the facts in a logical and systematic way. They check out the source of the facts other people use when they teach. Weakness: They tend not to apply practical application to the facts they give. This can frustrate other giftings such as an exhorter will focus on actual application of the facts they give, they teacher will say, “you have a brain, use it.” They are slow to accept the viewpoint of others until those viewpoints are sustained by facts. Can become prideful in their intellect and can tend to be legalistic and dogmatic. They are easily sidetracked by new interests to study. Exhortation – the mouth. Exhort = encourage someone to do something. Where teachers aim for your head, exhorters aim for your heart. It is not so much the content they want to impart as how the content can be applied in people’s lives. Strengths: Their goal is to encourage people to live up to their full potential. They prefer to apply truth rather than research it and want information that has practical application. Exhorters are people, people. They want to be around people doing things with or for them. Being the mouth of the body, they work on their communication skills, because people understand what they are saying is vital. Weakness: Since they are the mouth of the body, they have mouth problems. LOVE to talk. They have a lot to say and can tend to interrupt in eagerness to give their opinion or advice. Often not realizing they are interrupting. Is outspoken and opinionated. Their goal is to influence people, and can sway a crowd in the wrong direction. Giving – the arms of the body. When it comes to the use of resources, the giver is unique. Ver.8 says they are to give with simplicity, sincerity and liberality. Strengths: They give not only money, but possessions, time, energy and love. They enjoy giving without others knowing about it. They want to be a part of the ministry they contribute to. They love it when their gift is an answer to a need. You can’t talk a mature giver into giving, but simply when the Holy Spirit moves them. Givers are good at handling resources with wisdom and thriftiness. They have a strong healthy believe in tithing and give in addition to tithing. Weakness: They may try to control how their contributions are used and can have an ulterior motive. They can tend to pressure others to give “like them.” Sometimes they use giving to get out of other responsibilities. Think if they have given money, they have done their part. “I’m too busy to help, so I’ll give money.” Leading – the head of the body. Administrators are born leaders. Strengths: They are motivated to organize what they are involved in and dig in to make a difference. They tend to express ideas and communicate clearly. Administrators understand honor and respect for authority. If no one is doing anything about a problem, they quickly step in and take over. They are visionary and easily use resources and set people up to accomplish tasks. Will usually delegate tasks rather than doing it themselves. They want to see things completed quickly and efficiently as possible. Weakness: Leaders get upset when others don’t see their vision. And they can become calloused and start “using” people to get things done. Often they are so focused on a task, they are un-aware of other’s feelings. Mercy / compassion – the heart of the body of Christ. Strengths: This gift of mercy has tremendous capacity to show love. They ALWAYSE see the good in people. They are very sensitive to the spiritual and emotional condition and atmosphere of the group, or an individual. They are drawn to people who are hurting or in distress. They are careful with words and actions to avoid hurting others. People with this gift are ruled by their heart rather than the head. Weakness: Compassionate people tend to be indecisive. They are prone to take up another person's offense. Easily hurt - no one gets hurts as easily as the compassion person. Their affectionate nature is often misinterpreted as having an ulterior motive. Do a Google search for “Arthur Burk Redemptive Gifts.” Redemptive Gifts – Session 1-8 by Shara Collins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8nKzYhS-q8&t=2331s Arthur Burk 21 sessions on Redemptive gifts of Individuals by Sapphire Leadership Group https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLlJOwpqWdlLTsuDZKQhRhhJHfIrmJryr

This New is WAY Better! By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Luke 24:1-52 Many things changed on resurrection Sunday. Have you considered how many old things Jesus made new? What was the last feast / meal in Hebrew custom that Jesus ate with the disciples? Passover. What was Passover about? The whole happening – the original Passover, and the feast celebration all pointed to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. From a Christian viewpoint, what do we call this last meal that Jesus ate with His disciples? The Lord’s supper, last supper, or Communion. What is the meaning of communion? Koinonia = partnership, fellowship. At the moment of Jesus’ death, the vail in the temple was torn from top to bottom. That is significant. Not bottom to top but top to bottom signifying that it was God who tore the vail. Why? So we could access the presence of God. He didn’t want to live separated from His children any longer. We don’t worship Him at a distance, but go into His presence and have communion / fellowship. In Luk.22:20 Jesus said "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” Hebrews says it is a better covenant with better promises. 8:6 At the moment we receive Jesus into our lives, the Holy Spirit comes to abide, live, reside with us. That’s WAY better! I find it interesting that the first thing Jesus did when met with His followers was to sit down to a meal with them. At the Last Supper, Jesus instructed us to take communion together. Every time we have communion, we make a proclamation. What? 1Co.11:26 “…you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.” Communion has a three-fold aspect: It looks back and remembers the cross. It looks ahead in hope as we wait for the day we will eat with Jesus in Heaven. It centers on now – He is not just past, not just future, but present. His presence, His promises are NOW, TODAY! WAY BETTER!!! Communion Time. 1 Cor.11:23b-29 Luk.24:35 “He was known to them in the breaking of bread.” What made them believers? Personal experience with Jesus. The empty tomb and hearing the angelic message was enough to cause them to marvel, but it was the personal interaction with the risen Jesus that made the difference. Nothing can be more convincing than personally experiencing Jesus for yourself.

Motivational Gifts – Part 3 By Pastor Gary Wayne This is part three looking at the motivational gifts listed in Romans 12. Last week I pointed out a couple of reasons people don’t seem to fit at church. Its importance of knowing God places you with your gifts to function WITH the body of Jesus to fulfill His desire to cause the church to grow. We NEED your gifts. You NEED your gifts. Text: Romans 12:1-6a, 6b-8 It is important we understand how God has uniquely given us gifts to fit and function as a part of the body of Christ. When we realize our gifting, and don’t ignore using them, the body is strengthened by our participation. He has made you unique for a reason – no one else can have the positive impact that you can make. But with that designed by God, we are meant to be a part of – not alone. Too often when I feel I didn’t fit in, or I get hurt, I take my ball and go play by myself. Who suffers at my woundings or immaturity? I want to do a brief overview of the behavioral characteristics of the seven different gifts with their strengths and weaknesses. But just because you identify with a gift doesn't mean you will have all the strengths and weaknesses of that gift. There are SO MANY contributing factors, so it’s important to visit with God to how this applies to you. Seven Motivational Gifts Basic Function: Romans 12:6-8 Perceiver – are the eyes of the body. Service – the hands of the body. Teacher – the mind of the body. Giving – the arms of the body. Exhortation – the mouth. Leading – the head of the body. Mercy – the heart of the body of Christ. Prophesy – Perceiver – the eyes of the body. Ver.6b I want to spend a little more time on this because of the perception of most people about prophesy. There is a difference between the office of a prophet, and when someone prophesies. There are people who operate in the spiritual manifestation of prophesy on a regular basis that are different than a prophet. The Holy Spirit is the source of the manifestation gifts – so when you are baptized with the Holy Spirit, you can function in any of the gifts needed. Anyone baptised in the Holy Spirit can prophesy, but that doesn’t make them a prophet. In 1Cor.14:1, 39 Paul instructs all of us to “desire earnestly to prophesy.” That is because anyone who has the Holy Spirit can prophesy. But you can prophesy without seeing the bigger picture. In the context of Rom.12, I feel this list is speaking about gifting the Father weaves into our personality in the womb to be of this nature. I like using the synonym perceiver to not put people off. So when I refer to this gift prophesy / perceiver, I believe it is speaking of the “nature” this gift gives to see. See a bigger picture, or see through the smoke screen, to observe where the other gifting doesn’t seem to see. Strengths: A perceiver sees things in terms of black and white, right and wrong, good or bad. They are quick to form an opinion and have no problem expressing it with confidence whether their opinion was wanted or not. They are outspoken and don’t mince words. They have strict standards for themselves and others around them. Weakness: Perceivers can tend to judgmental, and blunt, and are often un-aware of other’s feelings and can “run over people” without even knowing it. They can be pushy to have other’s see things their way. Often, they are intolerant of other’s opinions and views if they differ from theirs. They can struggle with self-image problems and have such a high standard for themselves they can battle depression because they themselves often don’t measure up. Ministry (NKJV) – Service (NIV) – the hands of the body. Ver.7 Strengths: Servers easily recognize the practical needs and are quick to meet them. They enjoy hands on projects, jobs and functions. They can be meticulous and are detail oriented - sometimes OCD about things. They LOVE serving so hospitality is natural, and they like to stay with it to see things completed. They have a hard time saying no to helping others to the point they put the needs of others before their own needs. Their love language is doing things for others rather than words. Servers tend to do more than they are asked to do. They don’t want to lead the project, but they have the highest energy output. Weakness: Sometimes they are critical of others who are not “helping.” Sometimes they are so busy helping others, their own family’s needs go un-met. They find it hard to let others help them in their times of need. Servers can be easily hurt when they are unappreciated. They can sometimes “help” where help is not wanted. Pushy.

Motivational Gifts – Part 2 By Pastor Gary Wayne Last week I introduced a new series on motivational gifts, and I did a very basic overview of those gifts that are listed in Rom.12. I used a story scenario to help put them in context. Motivational gifts are given to us before we are born, with God weaving them into who we are. My actions are motivated by this gifting to where how I respond to life comes from that primary gift. Overall my goal is not only to help you understand and identify the gifting God places in us individually, but that we will be active in fulfilling our purpose and function that God intends for us when He gave us life. Text: Romans 12:4-8, 1 Peter 4:10 Seven Motivational Gifts Basic Function: Perceiver – are the eyes of the body. Service – the hands of the body. Teacher – the mind of the body. Giving – the arms of the body. Exhortation – the mouth. Leading – the head of the body. Mercy – the heart of the body of Christ. Last week I asked a question: So where do I fit? What is my part, my function? I think the church is like a giant jigsaw puzzle with LOTS of parts. It can take some time to figure out where some parts belong. BUT THEY DO BELONG! And a tendency is if I don’t understand a puzzle, I can in frustration throw the whole thing away. Why is it that some people never seem to fit in? I know there are lots of reasons, but I want to look at just a couple. Sometimes Church can be more like a club for like minded people, who gather together around their common ways of thinking. This can start to look like an exclusive club with requirements from its members to fit in. But I think too often the reason people don’t seem to find their fit is because of a classic misunderstanding of ministry, or service. Not understanding the church’s function. What is ministry? Anything I do as unto the Lord. What do most people see ministry as? Something that has to do with what happens on Sunday morning from 9:00 to 12:00. What we call church. What is church? A group of believers following Jesus. Not a building or a Sunday morning happening. Too often when people attend a Sunday morning church service, their understand of ministry is what flows from that morning gathering. On a typical Sunday morning, there is: preaching, song leading, playing an instrument, running the computer, children’s church, cookies (hospitality), greeter, servers, etc. But I want to impress on us that I believe service / ministry to Jesus takes place more importantly after we leave our Sunday morning gathering. Vernell Ingle’s Dad. He WANTED so bad to be in the ministry, but he was stuck at being a checker for a local grocery store. Then one day he realized that God has placed him there to represent God to people who would NEVER walk into a church. He started viewing his job as his service to God. Praying over his time, over the people that would come through his line. Something shifted, and his numbers for the amount of people that came through his line exploded. Movie – Chariots of Fire. Eric Liddell was born in China to Scottish missionary parents, now being raised in Scotland. He LOVED running, and felt it was a way to glorify God before returning to China as a missionary. One day he missed a church prayer meeting because of his running, and his sister accused him of no longer caring about God. He told her that he intends on returning to China, but he feels divinely inspired to run, and that not running would be to dishonor God. “I believe that God made me for a purpose. But He made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure.” His life greatly influenced people for God. But it wasn’t in a “church” setting. Nathan Tanner: Here in Seeley Lake, he loved skateboarding. His parents encouraged him to peruse his passion for skateboarding. So he has taken his skateboard all around the world. He personally has led thousands to the Lord. So what do I do if I don’t know what my gifts are? Easy – obey what you know is God’s word for you, and pursue that which gives you joy. Work as “unto the Lord.” If you are trying to do “ministry” and it is “chafing” you (rubbing you the wrong way), it probably wasn’t God who asked you to do it. Maybe a “well intended pastor” who needed a warm body to do what he thought needed done. Col. 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people. Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward what He has kept for His people. For Christ is the real Master you serve. Good News T Ro 12:6 “Having gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them…”