Gary Wayne Bible Teaching

Unrivaled Youth Hub Youth Leader - Bryce Smith

What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Isaiah 59:16-17,19-21, Ephesians 6:10-14a, 18 Eph.6:11 stand against the wiles = scheming, strategies, the deceits and tricks. 12 The evil one wants me to focus people / the individual as the problem. BUT! 13 Therefore = because of this … …. having done all that you can do, - in order to stand, stand by putting on the armor of God. Ver.14-17. Isa. 59 1-8 Talks about Conviction of sin. 9-15 Is about Confession of Sin. (Rom.10:9) 16-19 God’s answer - Jesus, Our Redeemer 20-21 God’s Covenant In ver.15a, God saw what was going on - truth has disappeared, and those who turn from evil become the next victim. 15b-16 So God answered man’s problem by sending Jesus our Redeemer. NIV – ver.16 He saw that there was no one, He was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so His own arm worked salvation for him, and His own righteousness sustained him. Ver.19 When you understand how our Bible came to us, and the differences between Hebrew and English, this verse can take on a WHOLE DIFFERENT understanding. Know that the punctuation that is in your bible is not in the Hebrew text. That means that the comma right after the word flood has been inserted by those translating it from Hebrew to English. So, it could read – “…when the enemy comes in, like a flood the Lord will lift up a standard against him.” The Lord is doing the flooding, not the enemy. The NIV & NASB doesn’t even talk about the enemy. The evil one is not the focus, GOD IS! NIV – “For HE will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along.” NASB - For He will come like a rushing stream Which the wind of the LORD drives. My favorite - in the sub-notes of the Passion Translation - “When the enemy comes in, the Spirit of Yahweh, like a flood, will lift up a standard against him.” Could it be that the flood mentioned here is talking about the Blood of Jesus that just as a natural flood changes the land it flows over, the Blood of Jesus changes whatever it touches. Look at the covenant God put into play Ver.21 When you don’t know what to do, recognize the operation – the strategies and deceits - of the enemy to blind your eyes of faith that God’s got this. The evil one wants to emphasize the hopelessness of your situation – nothing is changing – all this good God stuff is not working. Get into the Word of God that emphasizes His presence and activity. I have to know that He is more active and involved than I want Him to be. He is doing WAY more than I can see or imagine. Eph.6:18 “Pray in the Spirit”! Last week there are current situations that my heart was overwhelmed with, and when I came to the end of what words to use to pray for, I prayed in tongues – prayed in the Spirit. That term can mean different things to different people. There is room for different understandings, as long as I don’t harbor “prideful arrogance in my profound knowledge.” In 1Cor.14:14-15 “praying in the Spirit” is talking about praying in Tongues. But the main emphasis is for me to turn my attention while praying to the Holy Spirit. For me, when I pray in tongues, there is something about that activity that aligns my heart, mind, and spirit with the Holy Spirit. It’s my go to thing that lets me tap into His understanding, it causes my understanding to step back and practice “sensitivity” to the Holy Spirit. I believe in part this is what Heb 5:14 is talking about - “… by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Song - “In Jesus’ Name” – Katy Nichole Pray this: Eph 1:17-19 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; …. (that you may know) what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power…” We pray for every person who is battling against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph.6:12) that they would focus on You and Your promise of HOPE!

Issues of the Heart ~ Part 4 A Heart of Worship By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Matthew 15:7-9, Proverbs 4:23 In the 1990s Matt Redman was a worship leader for his church in England. The band was on the cutting edge of creating new songs, and influencing churches worldwide. But something was off. The pastor noticed a trend happening – worship time was more about good music and talent. The congregation had moved from being worshipers to consumers. The pastor asked the church: “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?” The next Sunday the pastor told the band not to do anything. They were to stand down with no organized music or organized worship. The way Matt tells the story, for a few weeks, the music time was more like embarrassing silence. But bit by bit, there would be spontaneous praise and singing, and heartfelt prayers offered as worship. And that grew. When the pastor started seeing worship re-instated in their church time, he let the musicians and worship leaders go back up front –the congregation had came into a true worship time. Matt in the privacy of his home sat down and wrote the song “The Heart of Worship.” How can going to church on Sunday move from being about honoring and worshiping God, to being about my comfort zone? A consumer mentality. The text Jesus was quoting from in Isa 29:13 "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, …” What did Jesus say to the church at Ephesus in Rev.2:4 "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” They were still doing church – and doing it really good. But worship is a heart thing, and once we understand how it works, we operate well in our ruts, formulas, and methods, not following His heart that runs on intimacy. Dick Iverson, founder of Bible Temple (now City Bible Church in Portland), as a young minister started by helping sick and crippled people onto the stage for healing (I think for Aimee Semple McPherson - maybe Kathryn Kuhlman) – at first, the wonder and awe of it all, after a while it turned into herding people. Even the dynamic and marvelous can turn into ordinary when we stop focusing on God. God is after my heart – my heart with Him as the center, not His toys, or His blessings, “HIM!” Mat.5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart they will see God.” But our heart can be cluttered with SOOOOOO MANY things and still love God. Rom.10:10 “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Faith comes from the heart, not the mind. The heart is that place where genuine worship comes from – the mind is where a form of worship originates. On the outside it can look the same, but like our text says, “… their heart is far from Me. In vain they worship Me…” Everything about our life is connected to my heart condition. So if this is true, what will be the primary target of the evil one? If the enemy wants to hurt my life, he will go after my heart as well. Mat:13:34 “…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” A person can be very disciplined in how they talk and speak at church. But under pressure, what is in my heart will end up coming out of my mouth. Under pressure, what is inside comes outside. Todd White - When you squeeze an orange, you get orange juice. When you squeeze a Christian, what do you get? It depends on what my heart worships. If I truly worship God, under pressure, you don’t get Gary. God is not narcissistic. He doesn't need my praise he doesn't need to be built up by my words. When I worship God it's changes me. It does something to my heart that God responds to. When the structure of my heart is not in order, and God isn't the first thing that I worship, it sends out signals to the demonic saying you can come play in this house. How I treat my family is an expression of My worship to God. How I treat those that I'm in conflict with, or how I treat people I don't like is a reflection of My worship to God. Prayer: God we don’t want to be like the people Isaiah talked about. We pray Eze 36:26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Ps 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Jer 24:7 “Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.”

Issues of the Heart ~ Part 3 By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Proverbs 4:23 What is the #1 thing God is after more than anything else in your life? Your heart. I want to do a short word study for the first part of this verse. “Keep your heart with all diligence…” The word Keep = to guard, to protect, to maintain. The word diligence = similar to posting a guard at strategic places and maintains alert attention. I want to focus on how to set a guard over my heart, and to maintain my heart the way God instructs me in scripture. Difficulties are going to happen in this life. They JUST DO! Most of those times you don’t feel the Lord’s presence or feel like He’s listening. It’s in those times when I have to be “militant” about guarding my heart. Protect / guard what you allow to access your heart / mind / soul. Be careful about what you allow through your eye gate, your ear gate. Read the internet, watch movies, listen to music with the dove of the Holy Spirit on your shoulder. If I want to live with a dove on my shoulder, I live carefully. I move different. When the dove starts getting fidgety, I pay attention and listen. Preach the Gospel to yourself Each Day. Pray Scripture over yourself / over your family Each Day.(Eph.1:17-19, 3:16-19, Phil 1:9, Col.1:9) Rom.12:2”…be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” In doing heart maintenance, often I need to quiet myself before God, and physically rest in His presence. Quiet music and meditate on His Word. Keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Cor.13:5 “It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” Guard against bitterness Heb 12:15 “…looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled…” The best defense is a good offense – the best offense is a good defense. Develop a Polar Bear Alert! 2Cor.10:3-5 When I recognize I am coming under attack, I use something called a: “Polar Bear Alert” as my battle plan. When I am being attacked from Satan or from Gary, I quote scripture. For me, the “yellow caution light” that flashes a warning on my mental dashboard is when I am having a heated conversation with someone and they are not there. In those times, my reasoning is flawless and powerful, I WIN! Here is how to do a Polar Bear Alert. Close your eyes and don’t think of a White Polar Bear. What did you think of? A White Polar Bear. Why? Mainly because you didn’t have anything else in your mind to think about. Also you were unprepared for this test and didn’t have a battle plan. This time, cause the thoughts of White Polar Bears to make you think of Pink Elephants. Now close your eyes and don’t think of White Polar Bears. What happened? First you thought of White Polar Bears, then you thought about Pink Elephants. White Polar Bears didn’t stay in your mind as long because you had something to substitute the White Polar Bears with. It’s called “The Principle of Substitute Thinking.” Without a spiritual battle plan, when our imagination comes in conflict with our will, it’s our imagination that will win. There is a difference between initial thoughts, and our imagination – what we allow our minds to dwell on. I will end up doing a variation of that which I think about the most. Pro. 23:7 “…as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” The word “thinks” = to open, to act as a gate-keeper. In order to take captive every thought, we need an alarm to go off, so when a flock of wild thoughts come flying over, we need an alarm to sound a “Polar Bear Alert!” This is the way to take captive our thought life and bring our thoughts into obedience with Christ. This is exactly how Jesus defeated Satan when Jesus was tempted. Jesus had a “Polar Bear Alert!” “It is written…” He quoted SCRIPTURE! Ps 119:11 “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!” Deut 11:18 "Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul…”

Issues of the Heart (Part 2) By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Matthew 15:1-20, Proverbs 4:23 What is the #1 thing God is after more than anything else in your life? Your heart. So He is in constant pursuit of my heart – not my religious activity, my heart. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Why did God tell us to keep our heart? Because we have issues. Heart issues. About 1000 years after Solomon wrote this, Jesus was speaking, and there was constantly a religious crowd trying to trap Him. Mat. 15 There is a lot here that goes over our head because we are removed from that culture. At hearing this story, we might first think to ourselves, washing before you eat is a REALLY good thing. (Make sure you sing happy birth day 2 times) Didn’t Jesus over-react just a bit? No, not when you understand the back story. In the OT law, the High Priest, and the other priests, anyone doing sacred work had to do ceremonially washings so they were always ready to do God’s work. If they had touched unclean things, then did sacred work God could kill them. This law from God for the Tabernacle Workers, had morphed into a tradition imposed on everybody, now thought of as a law. So Jesus countered with them in ver.3-6 What was this about? Jesus’ audience understood what He was talking about, but it is lost on us. These leaders had come up with a tradition loophole that allowed them to violate the 5th commandment. They had this rule that you could verbally say, “I dedicate all I have to the Temple.” But then you could use what you owned to support you and your family as long as you lived. But according to this tradition, there was a loophole – if someone asked you for financial help, they could drop back and show off how “religious they were – see how good I am, I have dedicated all I have to God” – so, I can’t help you. A major factor in that culture was that the children were to take care of their parents when the parents couldn’t care for themselves. But they could now say… “I would love to help you dad, but I have already dedicated what I have to God.” Jesus said: ver. 6-7 “Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. "Hypocrites!” They were more impressed by how they kept OT traditions then how they treated their family. I have watched this happen with church people my whole life. Myself included. I am impressed with my “religious activity” and justify my un-godly behavior towards others people, at home, on the job, in Missoula when no one is looking. As if keeping Biblical traditions were more important than how I treat others. Ver.8-9 “These people honor me only with their words, for their hearts are so very distant from me. They pretend to worship me but their worship is nothing more than the empty traditions of men.” (Passion Translation) Ver.10-11 Jesus wanted them to understand the main point. What is the point for us here in S.L – this group of people this morning? The issues of my heart that I don’t deal with are what cause problems for me with: God, spouse, children, co-workers, friends, myself, etc. We tend to be so impressed with our personal religious activities, and we think they are a statement of how much I am in love with God. But God is more interested in the content of my heart verses the religious activities I do. He is more interested in the un-dealt-with “issues” in my heart than what I say I believe. He is more interested in how I treat people then what I know about Him. I’m more impressed with my theology – what I believe about God and then I excuse my day to day behavior that’s not in line with God’s heart. I believe these heart issues are VERY common with church people – I identify with this “issue” - I have to work on a regular basis. I am so impressed with my love, dedication, theology, personal experience with God that I justify my negative actions – especially towards others in stressful situations. Jesus said these words / actions are what defile us – they come from heart issues. Ver.17-20 When we read the list in ver. 19, we tend to think, I don’t murder, fornicate, lie on the witness stand, I don’t use God’s name in vain – see this is talking to those “other” people in the room. Mark 7:21-22 give a bigger list – but the point is I am looking for a loophole instead of identifying that my heart needs to be examined by God, not me! Ps 139:23-24 “search me” Ps.51:10 “create a clean heart”

Issues of the Heart (Part 1) By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Luke 2:34-35, Luke 4:17-21, Proverbs 4:23 NIV – “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” NASB - Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. It’s all about the heart. It’s a heart thing. Our relationship with God – is a heart thing. Our response to pain – it’s a heart thing. Our response to forgiving – it’s a heart thing. Our response to money - it’s a heart thing. Our response to authority – it’s a heart thing. Our response to responsibility – it’s a heart thing. Our response to Church – it’s a heart thing. Our response to church people – it’s a heart thing. Our response in marriage – it’s a heart thing. Our heart is the well spring from where life flows. When it says to guard your heart, there is a “God way” of doing this and a “flesh way.” When I say that, what is the method my flesh uses to guard my heart? “Stay away,” “don’t touch me,” - we cover up and don’t let people in. How does God want me to “guard, or watch over” my heart? I open my heart to Him, and to those around me. What did Jesus say was part of His ministry – why He came? Luke 4:17-21 Ver.18 “to heal the brokenhearted.” Luke 2:34-35 “that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." Hearts = the most inward part of a person. Your hidden you. Revealed = to take off the cover. Jesus came to reveal our heart – the most inward part of our being. Why does Jesus seek to reveal our hearts? Because “out of the heart flows the issues of life.” - I have issues. He reveals hidden things in my heart in order to bring wholeness to you and me. It is those hidden wounds, those buried response to pain, that OFTEN manifests itself in bad behavior. That is why I frequently ask this question: “Where is this coming from?” Jesus doesn’t reveal my heart so He can expose us to those around us, but it’s for your sake. When Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar his hidden dream Daniel said: "… this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but … that you may know the thoughts of your heart. Dan 2:30 We OFTEN don’t know our own heart – so Jesus in healing our wounded places of our hearts needs to expose those hidden areas in order to bring healing. And until I let Jesus reveal them, and bring wholeness to my wounded broken, bruised heart, it stays hidden, and then surfaces in a number of uncomfortable ways. Fear, anger, insecurity, lack of trust, suspicion, arrogance, pride, selfishness, accusation, ETC! In marriage counseling – going to church can be the best on-going marriage counseling possible. Because on a given Sunday, when I open my heart to God, He reveals the issues that are causing or will be causing a problem. Jesus never reveals anything in my heart to shame me! Anytime He bring things to light, or to the surface is so the poison can be taken from my life well. Like a goldsmith that deals with the dross. What happens when we have issues we don’t deal with? They come out sideways, and often we don’t realize where it’s coming from. So we blame our spouse, our kids, our boss, our parents, our church, our pastor, our society, etc. What is the #1 thing God is after more than anything else in your life? Your heart. If He can have your heart, He gets your treasure, your time, your marriage, your influence, your occupation, your passions, etc. So He is in a constant pursuit of our heart. Prayer: Father I open my heart to You – come and reveal any hidden thing that is hindering my closeness with You. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. Ps 139:23-24 I give you permission to go into places I have closed to bring healing. Every area my heart has been wounded by others – I forgive.

Laying Up Treasure By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Matthew 6:19-21 Louie Giglio –Jn.14 building a mansion - Jesus may be building you a mansion, but you need to furnish it. (Joh.14:1-3) How do you “Lay up treasures in heaven? Ver.21 For your heart will always pursue what you value as your treasure. (PT) Jesus linked this command to the desire of our heart. So it’s a heart issue, but also a perspective issue. What does Heaven treasure? In talking to the rich young ruler: Mar 10:21 “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." But he walked away from Jesus sad. This young man was very religious, but Jesus exposed his heart. Every culture, every time setting, every generation, every ethnic group, etc. - seems to have different values. What is it that sets your foundation of what is valuable? It is set by what you expose your heart to. Treasure is linked to our heart. If our greatest treasure is Jesus, we will desire to put our time, money, resources and talent on pursuits that please Him. Once we become a follower of Jesus, there is a need to expose my heart to the heart of the Father to change what I value. I don’t have a simple answer to this question, but today I want you and the Holy Spirit to sit down with the question: How do I know that I value what Heaven values? Every one of us live in a culture that is opposite of Heaven’s. To desire the things of heaven, we need a transformed heart that values Jesus more than an abundance of wealth and possessions. Col 3:2 “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Eph 4:23 “… be renewed in the spirit of your mind…” Php 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…” Ro 12:2 “…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” St. Peter was sitting watch at the gate when a man struggling with a heavy duffel bag made it to Heaven’s gate. Peter asked what was in the bag, and the man very proudly said, “Take a look.” Peter looked in the bag to see several bars of gold. Puzzled, Peter looked at the man and asked, “You brought pavement?” You never see a hearse with a U-Hall hooked on behind. Preachers have used this old saying for years to explain – You can’t take anything with you when you die. So, how do you “Lay up treasures in heaven? It is very clear from Scripture and from what Jesus said, that God gives wages, and rewards to those who dedicate their life to serving Him. Who do you serve? When I wake up in the morning with a mind “SET” on God’s instruction for the day, then live that way, God rewards me. How I treat people around me is HUGE! How I treat people who are poor and in need is HUGE! How I live my life daily (not just Sunday morning) tells whether my words to God mean anything. Prayer: Holy Spirit How do I know that I value what Heaven values? Holy Spirit, open my eyes to what You see for me in this message. God at the beginning of this Calendar Year, I dedicate my life to you . Related scriptures: Mat.10:42, Mat 19:21, 27-30 Mar 10:21, Lk.14:13-14, Lk.18:22, Joh 14:1-3, 1Tim 6:6-11, 17-19,

The Goodness of God By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Romans 1:16-17, Exodus 34:5-8 Here we have God’s description of Himself. These verses are the first place where God Himself describes what He is like. This is one of the most quoted and reused passage of Scripture within Scripture. That tells me that the writers of the Bible considered this verse VERY significant. Context: God has just freed them from their oppression in Egypt. He split open the Red Sea and is leading them with a cloud by day, and a fiery pillar by night, through the wilderness to the Promised Land. He appears before them in a great cloud and with fire at Mount Sinai, and then calls Moses up to speak with Him. While Moses is up on the mountain, the people grow impatient and make a golden calf to worship, saying it was this god who led them out of Egypt. What a MAJOR slap in the face to God! God is angered by them and contemplates wiping them out and starting over. At this, Moses intercedes for the people, reminding God of His covenant. It is in response to the sin of the people and to the intercession of Moses that God reveals His name. God says: “Yahweh, Yahweh, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth…” Ex 34:6 NAS This is God’s answer to Israel’s sin. He reveals who He is. He will continue to show compassion and grace to His people. He will continue to be patient with them (slow to anger). This is an incredibly gracious response to an incredibly deep betrayal. You are God’s answer for our community! He picked you, and wrote His name on you and chooses you to represent, to re-present Him to the community around us. Based on our actions, and how we live on a daily basis, what do they know about God? Who do you intercede for? Rom.1:16-17 Ver.17 PT “This gospel unveils a continual revelation of God’s righteousness – a perfect righteousness given to us when we believe. And it moves us from receiving life through faith, to the power of living by faith. …” Rom.2:4c “…the goodness of God leads you to repentance.” God wants to reveal His name – Who He is through us to the people around us. We NEED the power of the Holy Spirit to live, to minister, to be the answer God wants me to be for my sphere of influence. I truly believe if we understood the importance of having the fullness of the Holy Spirit living in us we wouldn’t be passive about seeking Him more. Seek the Holy Spirit – ask for His gifts, but SEEK HIM! You will find Him when… Jer.29: 13 “… when you search for Me with all your heart. Ver. 14. I will be found by you, says the LORD Jer.29:11-14a I invite us to get to know Him all over again. If you have experienced receiving the Holy Spirit, then get aggressive in having more. If you haven’t experienced what the book of Acts explains about receiving the Holy Spirit, then SEEK HIM! (Rom.19:1-6) Prayer: God once again, give us revelation of Your righteousness - Of Your Goodness. Fill us with your Holy Spirit. Give us power to live by faith. Revive a HUNGER for Your presence.

Light of the World By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Luke 11:34-35, Matthew 5:14-16, John 8:12 Question – double answer – Who is the light of the world? The book of John is unique in how John covers a lot of what Jesus said and taught at the very end of His ministry. Just before Jesus went to the cross, you can see where Jesus amped up His message as to whom He was and His purpose. Last March on Resurrection Sunday, I started talking about the 7 feasts God. The last feast we looked was Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). At this Feast, Jesus stood up and cried out, that He was the living water. Joh.7:37-38 Joh 12:44-46 Then Jesus cried out and said, "…. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.” So He was making some major public statements. There is a lot that happened in these few chapters. A scripture I hadn’t noticed before is: John 10: 22 “Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.” The Feast of Tabernacles, and the Feast of Dedication had MAJOR light ceremonies. What is the “Feast of Dedication?” Josephus a historian called it "Feast of Lights." But you won’t find it mentioned or celebrated in the O.T. because the origin of this feast took place in between the OT and NT. It is what is known as Hanukkah – which means "dedication." In 165 BC, the Syrians defeated Jerusalem. They went into the temple and deconsecrated the alter by sacrificing pigs, - much more. 3 years later some people took Jerusalem back. They restored the temple and it’s alter. In the Temple, the priests would light the lamps using special oil that God had given them a recipe for. But when they went to light the lamps, they only had enough oil for one day. It would take at least 8 days to make a new batch. They lit the lamps any way, and a miracle happened in that that 1 day of oil lasted 8 days - long enough for the new oil to be prepared. Today that is the main emphasis Jewish people use to celebrate Hanukkah. It appears as though Jesus used what was physically being celebrated to emphasize that He was the light they were celebrating. Many believe that Jesus used Hanukkah occasion to reveal Himself as the Messiah.. This is fascinating, but what does this history have to do with you and me? Where does this becomes personal and relevant for today? As we started out, Jesus said He was the light of the world, and then He said that we also are the light of the world. Where I feel God wants to deal with is in Luke 11:34-35 Ver.35 “Watch out that you do not mistake your opinions for revelation-light.” Passion Translation Christmas Eve service - Have you ever been around a bunch of JH camping – each one having their own flash light? It’s blinding. I grew up with a lot of religious traditions passed on as scripture. Women can’t wear makeup - jewelry, can’t dance, can’t go to bowling allies because they sell booze, face cards were evil, movie theaters – etc.. When we take the light we have been given and begin to use it as a spotlight to look at each other’s problems, our light is darkness. If I represent God to my neighbors with my tainted opinions, that’s religion, and they really don’t want what I have. But if I represent God in the demonstration of His love, that’s life changing. In Mat.5 where Jesus says we are the light of the world, He also says we are the salt of the earth. There is a warning with this teaching – NASB “If the salt has become tasteless, how can it be restored?” In that last year, what have I done with the light Jesus gave me? Have I been like a JH playing with the light? Have I become tasteless to those around me?

Christmas Trivia Game Service With Pastors Gary & Heatherann Wayne

Christmas Expectations By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Jeremiah 29:11-14, Luke 1:28-38 I love Christmas time – it is such a beautiful and festive occasion. I love to drive around and look at the wonderful decorations. I think with Christmas time, there can be a kind of fantasy expectation as to how it should be - kind of a Norman Rockwell / Thomas Kinkade painting kind of thing with the settings just perfect. In our text, Mary was expecting. What was she expecting? A baby yes, but I think she must have expected more than just that. With everything the angel Gabriel told her, I’m sure her expectations were working overtime. She was going to give birth to the Son of God – this would be the greatest birth EVER! She had grown up with the prophetic voice that the Messiah would come and deliver them. This was going to be fantastic – after all this was God at work! Announced by an angel – BY AN ANGEL! This would be the greatest birth of All time. THIS IS EPPIC!!! She was God’s favorite – chosen above all other women. THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS! But the reality was probably far different from what she expected. What would you and I expect – given the angel visit – the Immaculate Conception – given the greatest event to happen in all history? How would we expect things to go? But the Christmas story seems to be just the opposite. Discomfort from the very start. MANY QUESTIONS! What is God up to? Did He really mean this? He wants me to what? Mary and Joseph had to travel about 90 miles with her being late term pregnant. When they got there, there was no room for them in a normal house. They had to lay the baby in an animal feeding trough. Then they had to run for their lives. Live in a pagan, foreign country. But I thought God would have ________. When we hear “God is up to something BIG in your life, what do we expect? We instantly have expectations of how this will go. Knowing that I am God’s favorite – I expect….. That God would reveal his whole plan to me – not keep me in the dark. Not allowing me to not understand. That God will seek my input and follow my opinions. I expect God to fulfill His plan quickly. I expect God to eliminate every problems, every rough place, with no oppositions in my life. Should we even talk about finances??? Isn’t that what most of us would expect God to do from a God who can do ANYTHING? When Mary says yes to God in ver. 38 I don’t think this was what she expected. But what she did get for Christmas was God’s best – for her and for the rest of humanity. THAT IS TRULY EPPIC! What can we expect for Christmas? What can we expect from God? I don’t want to paint a picture of pain and hopelessness, just the opposite! I want to take our eyes off the problem we are going through and identify with the presence of God that is with you. Immanuel = God With Us! Psalms 23:5 – look for the table of fellowship. Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” What the enemy meant for evil, God turns it around and brings GOOD! Gen. 50:20 Jer.29:11-14 When something happens and we don’t understand, there’s a huge tendency to move into living in a place of disappointment and loss of hope, mistrust towards God. I want the supernatural power of God’s Word to restore Hope and Faith inside. A fresh revelation of His table of fellowship. Where We live from God’s Word, not from my experiences or from my disappointment – not from my pain, but from Immanuel = God With Us!

I Will Live by Faith By Bill Campbell

Be Thankful ~ Part 3 By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: 1 Corinthians 10:6, 10-11, Psalms 116:16-17, Psalms 100:4 Saying thank you, and having a thankful heart are two different things. Maintaining a heart of thankfulness is an everyday thing. Thankfulness is a spiritual weapon. (2Cor.10:4-6) When Heatherann suffered through a very dark time, A MAJOR practice she repeated again and again was saying out loud over and over a list of the things she was thankful for. THANKFULNESS IS A SPIRITUAL WEAPON! We can think of ourselves as a person who is thankful because we say those words, yet often our list of what God hasn’t done for us plays louder in our hearts then our thanksgiving does. Thankfulness can be like a thermostat to set atmosphere. When I use Thanksgiving to adjust the thermostat of my heart, I live from a place of faith, from a place of victory, from a place with God’s perspective on the situation. Ps.116:16-17 How can saying thank you to God be a sacrifice? Two major places Christians open their lives to the enemy has to do with unforgiveness, and un-thankfulness. 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 root meanings for the word “deceived” is “caused me to forget.” One of the enemy’s tactics to get us to slip into an unbelieving, complaining heart and cause us to forget the goodness of God. 1 Corinthians 10:6, 10-11 Ver.10b There is a spirit who’s nature is a destroyer. When we begin to complain and grumble and mummer, we open ourselves up to destruction by the demonic. (Nu 11:1) But the consequence of expressing thanksgiving opens me up to the Giver of LIFE. Thanksgiving is a language of FAITH “Giving thanks is like a spiritual vaccine - an antitoxin, an antidepressant and an antiseptic working against spiritual infection.” Ps 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

Be Thankful! Part 2 By Pastor Gary Wayne Last week: There is a difference between saying “thank you” and having a thankful heart. One of the places I can open the door to the enemy in my life is when I’m not thankful – rather I complain. Maintaining a heart of thankfulness is an everyday thing. Thankfulness is a spiritual weapon. (2Cor.10:4-6) Text: Nehemiah 12:8, 24, {1 Thessalonians 5:18, Psalms 100:1-5 read back to back} Thankfulness can be like a thermostat to set atmosphere. The story in Nehemiah actually starts with the book of Ezra and is completed at the end of the book of Nehemiah. The High Priest Ezra helped to bring and awakening to the people in Jerusalem. The first part of Nehemiah deals with the wall. The second part talks about the people living inside the walls. This last part of the book is where Nehemiah helps restore people to living obedient to God’s Word. Neh.12:8, 24 I believe when people gather to worship God and focus on giving Him thanks, it creates an atmosphere - it changes the hearts of people that allow God’s presence to change them. 1Thess.5:18 We are often given a choice as to how we respond to pressure. When I’m driving and I find myself surrounded by idiot drivers, God is giving me a choice in how to respond. In those moments, God is letting me see there are things in my heart that should be dealt with. From the abundance of my heart my mouth speaks. (Mt.12:34, Luk.6:45) If there is bad fruit, it comes from a bad root. So when I find in me anger, frustration, fear etc, coming to the surface this is God giving me an opportunity to examine where that fruit is coming from – to go after the root! When I do that on a regular basis with normal everyday living, when real pressure comes, I have worked on my character to be able to handle the pressure needed to carry more of God’s blessings. Rom.8 tells us my carnal mind is hostile towards God. When I justify my negative, un-Christ-like behavior, I will never move into deeper things of God. 1 Thess.5:18 “In” everything give thanks – not “for” everything. We don’t thank God for a problem. But “IN everything.” When I engage in thanking God, I can move beyond where I feel stuck – “ESPECILLY WHEN I DON’T FEEL LIKE IT.” Saying “NO!” to self when you have an opportunity to operate in thanksgiving. Complaining is to the enemy what worship is to God. Complaining empowers the enemy to weaken my faith. It tells me I am more focused on the problem than on God. I think complaining is equal to bad-mouthing God. Nu 11:1 “Now when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused.” In the face of a problem, when I stop, focus, and give thanks, it is as if I just moved the setting on a thermostat to change the atmosphere. How many here have written out a prayer list to talk to God about? What about making a “Thanksgiving List?” Look at 1 Thess.5 again. Look at the context. Ver.1-6, 14, 16-18, 19. When I use Thanksgiving to adjust the thermostat of my heart, I pray from a place of faith, from a place of victory, from a place with God’s perspective on the situation.

Be Thankful (Part 1) By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Luke 7:40-48, Psalms 100:1-5 One of the reasons I love this chapter in Psalms is because the different forms of worship imbedded in these verses. The one I want to focus on today is ver.4 – “Thanksgiving.” “Be Thankful!” Last week I talked about places I can open the door to the enemy. I think the two major places Christians open their lives to the enemy has to do with unforgiveness, and un-thankfulness. I’m talking about someone who has walked through the steps to say, “I forgive.” And “I’m thankful.” I have gone through the motions, but this is a heart issue that requires regular attention. I can say the words, but the balance of my heart can be just opposite. I’m thankful – we say it every year. I want to look at the heart of a thankful person. Lk.7:40-48 Ver.47b 47 " But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." Ver.47b Passion Translation - “But those who assume they have very little to be forgiven will love me very little.” This woman understood how much God had forgiven, therefore she loved much. Whenever I begin to feel that the quality or quantity of my sin was not that great – “compared to others – it leads to the heart attitude of this Pharisee. Something I really don’t like is an attitude that can be attached to “I’m just “a sinner saved by Grace.” The heart belief that I’m just a worm, and I’m just lucky enough to hide behind Jesus, so the Father might not notice me. The truth I want to have dominating my heart is, “I’m God’s Favorite!” But there is a place of balance I want to look at. It seems for me, the farther / longer I move away from the time I understood my need for a Savior – that there is no WAY I can save myself. That the being a sinner is separation from God. From the realization of the high cost Jesus paid for me. The longer that conversion time has been, I can start feeling like: “I’m a pretty good person. God is fortunate to have me. I haven’t done anything “REAL” bad. Not like so and so.. When I begin to feel smug in my righteousness, then I am very much like this Pharisee. My righteousness is impressive to me – maybe to others. When we hear messages on “thanksgiving,” we usually think of ourselves as thankful people. But something that is way too common with us is that our list of what He hasn’t done for us plays louder in our hearts then our thanksgiving does. I can say the words, strike the worship pose, and in my heart still hold onto my list of how God should have treated me, what I feel God should have given to me. Remember the setting of our nation’s first thanks giving celebrations? It was a tough time. They came close to starving to death. So when they had those first years of yearly “Thanksgiving meals,” their expression of thanks was DEEPLY Heart Felt. Compared to the spread of food I have had all my life at thanksgiving, their meal was very plain and sparse. When they prayed before their meal, I believe their heart, not just their words, gave thanks to God. I am willing to bet that their prayer of thanks took longer than most of ours we say over a thanksgiving meal. When Heatherann suffered through a very dark time, A MAJOR practice she repeated again and again was saying out loud over and over the things she was thankful for. THANKFULNESS IS A SPIRITUAL WEAPON! Maintaining a heart of thankfulness is an everyday thing. I grew up with a tradition and still practice this every day – when I sit down to eat, just before we begin we bow our heads and: “Bless the Food” or “Give Thanks.” Where did this tradition come from? When Jesus fed the 5,000, He took the bread and fish and “gave thanks.” When He fed the 4,000, He took the bread and fish and “gave thanks.” When Jesus sat with His disciples for the last meal, he took the bread and the cup and “gave thanks.” Take Communion together.

What’s the Point By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Matthew 21:28-31, Matthew 25:31-46 Ver.45, then 40. Ver.40 Passion Translation - “And the King will answer them, ‘Don’t you know? When you cared for one of the least important of these my little ones, my true brothers and sisters, you demonstrated love for me.’ ” How do I demonstrate my love of God? What captured my attention is the picture I see of two different kinds of hearts towards God. I see these people as “church people.” Both go to church, pay their tithes & offerings. Both of them may or may not have an official title for ministry. One group live their lives serving God – especially in serving other people because they have an active heart towards God. Because they loved God, they love what God loves. They freely give themselves to that love. The other group live a self serving life. Church is about as deep as they get. Their service in ministry has to do with what they get out of it – a title, maybe prestige. One of convenience. They evaluate their involvement in ministry to others based on how much it will cost them. When an opportunity to help someone arises, they “think about it” first. How do I demonstrate my love of God? 1Cor.13:1-8 Read again. 1Co.13:5 “…keeps no record of wrongs.” (NIV) How much has serving people, who don’t deserve my service, cost me? Some are at this point: At one time, I gave myself to ministering to God and others, and I got hurt, so I justify not giving myself to ministry like that again. Whenever I give myself to ministry for people, if I do it for them, or myself, I will get hurt. But if I do it for God it’s my joy, even if it isn’t pleasant. Mt 21:28-31 Mt 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Lu 6:46 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? Jas 1:22-27 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious, (believes they have a relationship with God – Passion Translation) and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. What do I hope to accomplish when I’m done this morning? That we will evaluate our heart towards God in understanding He has called me to full time ministry, and I willingly press into ministry. Not waiting for God to single me out and give me a specific task, but if I am a child that understands the Father’s heart, I live my life like I know He wants me to – I give to someone because I know that’s what the Father would have done. I give of myself to the least of people. Questions I want us to ask ourselves: Am I actively involved in ministry? Doing what? Is it based on my schedule “being available?” What’s the point? Why study the Bible? Why grow in understanding? Why become spiritually strong? For what purpose? What’s the point? The dead sea doesn’t have an outlet. Mt 24:45 "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46 "Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 "Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. Passion – Ver.45 “Who is the one qualified to oversee the master’s house?” He will be a reliable servant who is wise and faithful, one he can depend on.” The one who has the heart of the Master. How they treat people under their care will be treated like the Master would have treated them if He was there. Holy Spirit, What are you saying to me personally in this message?

Shut the Door! By Pastor Gary Wayne Since October 31st falls on Sunday this year, I want to address some things we need to be mindful when it comes to the spiritual aspect of how our enemy the Devil brings bondage into people’s lives. 2Co 2:11 “…For we are not unaware of his schemes.” (NIV) Text: John 8:31-33, Genesis 4:3-7 At the beginning of man’s interaction with the spiritual, this verse points out a truth I want to look at today. There are doors into our lives, and when we open the door to our enemy, he will gain ground to harass, keep in bondage and fear, and oppress us. I can be a Christian, going to heaven when I die, and still have bondage in my life designed to keep me from living in the freedom that is my heritage, and my right. There are extremes in the way people think when it comes to this topic. I think both lead to bondage. 1. There are no such things as demons. Christians can’t be in bondage. 2. Demons are the source of anything wrong that happens – flat tires, stub toes, car wrecks, broken windows, etc. John 8:31-33 I’m not sure what these people were thinking when they said “We have never been in bondage to anyone.” Throughout the O.T. every time they turned away from God, He allowed them to go into bondage. Right there in Jerusalem as they were talking they were under the Roman control. When a lifestyle becomes “normal”, you don’t realize it’s not normal. If as a child my atmosphere is chaos and trauma, that is my norm. I believe the first step to being free from the bondage from the enemy is to recognize that I don’t have freedom. From there, I focus on different steps to living free. After bring His people out of bondage in Egypt, and God was bringing the Hebrew people into relationship and covenant, He clearly told them not to have anything to do with culture and practices of the people He was removing before them. "Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods?” Deu 12:30 Why? Because it’s possible for me to open a door to the enemy into my life, and ignorantly allow him access to me, my home atmosphere, my family, my children, my children’s children. And the whole time, I think this is normal living – “I’m not in bondage.” Dutch Sheets – “Give Him 15” Guard your heart – Oct.25. (You Tube) What I allow into my heart, I become. Then I live with that “normal” and wonder why life is hard. If I don’t deal with bondages in my life, it passes on to my family. – To My Children! (Num.14:18) Gal. 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” It is VERY possible to become entangled again with bondage. In Lu 9:54-55, Jesus and His disciples were being rejected by the Samaritans: “And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?" But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.” In Mt 16:22-23, Jesus started teaching bout His coming death: “Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." What are some doors that can be opened to the enemy? Unforgiveness. Saying no to the things of God. Occult practices –horoscope, playing with magic, watching satanic movies (any movie that induces fear), séances, casting spells, etc. Generational curses against my family line. On You Tube: Dutch Sheets – “Give Him 15” Guard your heart – Oct.25. Robert Morris – “Free Indeed” series (Gateway Church) Pray This: God would you show me any door I have opened to the enemy? Any place I live with bondage? What lie have I believed?

A Morbid Thought or Two. By Bill Campbell

Spiritual Blindness By Pastor Gary Wayne When I read the Bible, do I believe what I read, or do I read what I believe. When I approach scripture to get it to say what I want, then my mind is already closed to the truth that is there. Text: Mark 6:49-52, Luke 11:33-36 Lu 11:33 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. 33 No one would think of lighting a lamp and then hiding it in the basement where no one would benefit. A lamp belongs on a lampstand, where all who enter may see its light. 34 "The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 34 The eyes of your spirit allow revelation light to enter into your being. When your heart is open the light floods in. When your heart is hard and closed, the light cannot penetrate and darkness takes its place. 35 "Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 35 Open your heart and consider my words. Watch out that you do not mistake your opinions for revelation-light. 36 "If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light." (NKJV) 36 If your spirit burns with light, fully illuminated with no trace of darkness, you will be a shining lamp, reflecting rays of truth by the way you live. (Passion Translation) In ver. 34 The Jews used a phrase to describe someone who had bad character by saying “they had an evil eye.” Our attitudes flow out of our heart. Pr 4:23 “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.” Context of Luke 11- Jesus was speaking to a group of religious people who refused to even consider that He was the Messiah. Earlier in this passage, Jesus talks about them demanding a sign, when almost everything He did was a sign. It was as if there was a lit candle made available for them to see everything needed, and they put a covering on it and hid the light – then asked for light. The hardest time I have in learning is when I think I already know what someone is trying to teach me. My mind has already come to a conclusion. And when I have been in church the majority of my life, and when I have already studied this out, preached this, taught this – I can have a closed mind to what God is trying to communicate to me. My spiritual blindness is often self inflicted – my pride that “I already know this” closes my soul to the Holy Spirit’s truth. 35 Open your heart and consider my words. Watch out that you do not mistake your opinions for revelation-light. Sometimes the intensity of the moment can blind me to truth. Mark 6:49-52 Context - In Mark 6, the 12 were sent out and they witnessed signs and wonders (v.13) They saw the feeding of the five thousand.(ver,30) V.52 “For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.” What’s that saying – “It’s hard to teach an old dog a new trick?” Why? What I feel this morning is for us to take a moment and simply ask: Holy Spirit what are you saying to me right now? God, open the eyes of my heart. Reveal places of blindness I have induced. Holy Spirit let me not have “old dog” syndrome.

Faith Message By Tony

Spiritual Emphasis on Ministry By Pastor Gary Wayne I know we are past September where I encouraged that month to be “Spiritual Emphasis” month, but I want to emphasis one more area that I think has been downplayed and or ignored to “normal living.” I want to emphasize the need to understand every one of us have been called to fulltime ministry. Text: 1 Corinthians 16:15-16, Romans 12:4-8 Read in Passion Translation Ver.6 tells us God have given to each one – various gits and ministries that are unique to you. Then Paul gives some examples – but this is not a list of the different gifts, but rather examples of “some of the gifts” God has given different people. The point is God had given you & me different gifts to be used for Him in ministering to others. Loaded question, when Jesus gave the great commission, was He only referring to those who were there physically to receive His commission? Was He referring to people who would become clergy? No – that commission was to every person who is a follower of Jesus. Mat.28:16-20 Mrk.16:15-18 Great commission A problem I see that has crippled ministry is that ministry has been allocated to the “clergy.” There has been a wrong division between “ministers, and lay people.” I think most people in church can quote this as being wrong, yet it still seems to be played out in our every-day living. The meaning for ministry is simply “service given in the name of Jesus.” EVERY ONE OF US have been called to do that – every day – giving ourselves to “full-time ministry.” 1 Cor.16:15-16 They “devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints, - you also submit to such” NIV – They “devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge you, brothers, to submit to such as these…” The Hebrew people understood a major point – worship isn’t just what you do when you go to church, but it’s how I live my life – every day, knowing my life is an expression of worship to God. How I work on the job is my worship to God. How I treat my family at home is my worship to God. When I go to the post office, or grocery store, is where I have been CALLED BY GOD to minister. Col 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Col 3:23-24 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 1Co 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Spiritual Emphasis on Going to Church By Pastor Gary Wayne This month I have focused on the need for spiritual emphasis on things that truly matter – on prayer, reading the Bible, creating an atmosphere for you spirit man to lead. Today I want to talk about the need to emphasize the importance of going to church. Text: Ex 20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. The principal of a Sabbath day is all through scripture. In the O.T. that day was Saturday, and in the N.T. the disciples started to meet together on the first day of the week in remembering the resurrection of Jesus. In our text we see it is one of the 10 commandments that we know we STILL observe. In Joh 13:34 Jesus made it 11 commandments - love others as yourself. Jesus fulfilled and became our Sabbath, but He didn’t take away the principle of this command - one day set aside to honor God. Most of us know the emphasis God put on observing a day of rest. In the O.T. if someone didn’t honor God’s way of resting, they were to be put to death. (Ex.31:15) The point I feel God wants us to hear is in our culture, we have smoothed over the emphasis God placed on giving Him 1 day a weed to rest, to where we see gong to church as “optional – if it fits into my busy schedule.” We have taken this day as our “day off” or the day for myself instead of hearing the Heart of God in having Church as a priority. Many have their thinking upside down: If I have time in my busy schedule to fit church in, then I’ll go, but if it’s doesn’t fit in, church is set aside for my priorities. It NEEDS to be the other way around. Going to church NEEDs to be my priority – If I have time to fit other things into that day, fine, but if not they can’t be more important than honoring God. A MAJOR point is this is not just a day for us to “rest” but in that rest, we set the day as one day a week to Honor God. In times past, our culture would shut business down on Sunday – in Honor to God. My point isn’t we need to close stores on Sunday, but the NEED we have to understand from God’s heart the emphases we need to place on “this is His day – not just from 10:30-12:00 – but the principle of giving Him one day a week. Don’t take Pastor Gary’s word for this understanding, sit quietly with the Holy Spirit and ask Him where His heart is in this. Church was NOT invented by preachers! Why go to church? God’s presence. I know God is everywhere = omnipresence. There is His inner presence – where the Holy Spirit lives within us. Then there is His manifest presence – His made known presence that happens when we come together. Jesus said: Mt 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." It’s God’s house, not ours. It’s God’s day, not our day off. It’s God’s idea, not ours. My point is we need to emphasize the things God says are important, and downscale things in my life that we have placed over – more important than His. Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Notice the wording “assembling of ourselves together.” Church is about us, not ME. We NEED each other – others rely on you being there. My interaction with God is tight – I don’t need to be there today – MAYBE NOT, but others NEED you to be there. You create a much needed draft to bring others into His presence. I like the mental imagery of “assembling – putting pieces together – Just like a pile of building material is not a building until they are assembled, the “church” needs to fit together – with each other – to be “God’s called out ones.” WE NEED EACH OTHER.

Spiritual Emphasis on My Spirit Man By Pastor Gary Wayne This is Spiritual emphasis month - It’s my goal to influence us for this month of September to re-establish the foundational places God says we should live from. To create an atmosphere around us for our spiritual person to excel. Today I want emphasize the need to focus on the welfare of my spirit man. Text: Hebrews 4:12-13, James 1:21, Romans 8:5-8 When we were created, God created us Body, Soul, Spirit. My soul is made up of mind, will, emotions. My spirit man is what came alive when I became a Christian – God placed His Holy Spirit inside me, and I came alive to Him. When you were conceived in the womb, your body and soul came alive. When you were born again, you spirit came alive. For much of our life, we live with our soul in charge. We do what we want - what is best for me – my flesh tells me LOUDLY what it wants. But when we become a Christian, we are instructed to switch the order to where our spirit now tells our soul what to do. And given the new loving feeling we experience, our soul just says “ok” to what God wants. NOT without a fight. Last week as we emphasized the importance of reading the Word, a HUGE truth is the more I get into the Word of God, the easier it is to let my spirit man lead. The Word transforms my soul – mind, will, emotions. Rom.12:2 “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Jas 1:21 Save = wholeness of my soul. Not salvation, but transformation (Read in Passion Translation) With what I watch, listen to, or read, which do I feed the most? Soul or spirit? Do I read more on Facebook then I do in the Life-book? Which effects my outlook the most? Does Fox News influence my belief system more than the "Good News?" What I feed myself the most, that area is going to excel. There is a war between my soul and spirit. Hebrews 4:12-13 The Word gives a sharp distinction between what my soul wants - thinks is right, thinks is justified in action - and what my spirit should do. The end of v.12, thoughts = mind, intents = will, heart = emotions MY SOUL. ver.12 - word - (logos) = written word - (how does this relate to this message? I have to expose myself to the word "MYSELF" not just when I go to church.) God is not wanting my soul to get better, - NO He wants to kill it. Why? Ga 5:16-17 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts [wars] against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” Ver.24 “And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Ro 8:13 “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Read v.12-13 AGAIN! Ver.13 is a key to ver.12 The word “open” = trachelizo, trakh-ay-lid'-zo - to seize by the throat or neck, i.e. to expose the gullet of a victim for killing. To bend back the neck of a victim to be slain - to expose the gullet of a victim for killing. This is so graphic, because WAY TOO OFTEN we live out of our mind, will, and emotions rather than living out of my spirit man who's voice telling me to do it God's way is drown out by the volume of my "feelings", my “will”, and the “emotions” that tell my spirit man “no.” God wants me to think about myself the way He thinks about me, but my soul reasoning dominates. Most of us know what God wants, but our soul wars against it. That’s why we need a month of “spiritual emphasis.” To let my “spirit man” take the lead. What is the Holy Spirit saying to me in this message? Take 30 seconds and search your heart for the voice of God.

Spiritual Emphasis on Reading the Word By Pastor Gary Wayne The month of September has always been a transitional month. My hope is this month we will take a personal look at our lives, and focus on where we can create an atmosphere for our spiritual person to excel. I want to look at the importance of reading scripture, and to increase our involvement with the Word. Text: Psalms 119:9-11 Most of us if taking a test on the importance of the Bible will pass with the right answers. Yes the Bible is important. Yes we need to read it. Yes it is God’s word for us. But I am continually amazed by how many people only read on Sunday, and haven’t read the book from cover to cover. Most would die for this book they haven’t even read. My first time to read it all the way through had to do with me wanting to become a licensed minister. One of the questions I faced – “Have you read the whole Bible?” Here I wanted to become licensed to minister, and I hadn’t even read the whole book. So at age 23, I began and finished reading it for the first time. Up to that point, it was more like when I eat at a smorgasbord board restaurant. You only go to the places you like - and TOTALLY IGNORE EVERYTHING else. When I finished the Bible, I began to realize things I hadn’t understood before – it didn’t make sense, but as I read – EVEN the parts I didn’t understand, or enjoy, or couldn’t figure how why God would put those in His book – something changed inside, or I experienced spiritual strength I hadn’t had before. It changed me in ways I can explain – even to this day, I don’t get it, BUT I KNOW every time I read the whole book; I AM CHANGED for the good. Ps.119:9-11 Ver.9 / How does Ephesians tell us Jesus is cleansing His bride the church, making us ready for our wedding day? 5:26-27 “…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.” God’s word changes me from the inside out. 2Ti 3:16- 17 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, (teaching), for reproof for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Ps.119:11, 18, 24, 32, 33, 26-67, 73, 93, 104, 125, 130, 133 The most common response to someone not reading has to do with how hard it is to understand. There are more translations and tools available for us today than ever before. If you are struggling to read, start with an easy version to read and understand. The NKJV is my personal favorite. The NIV was written for someone reading at an 8th grade level. The Passion Translation is a great paraphrase. There are SOO MANY tools to help. Apps for our phone. Apps for our computers. I count listening as reading – I am wanting my soul exposed to truth. If you are new to this, read the first 4 books of the NT over and over. Reading the Bible is to my spirit man what food is to my physical man. When Jesus was asked to teach His disciples to pray, He said: Mt 6:9 "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 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. (Also Luke 11:2-4) Ver.11 Do we think Jesus was talking about physical daily bread only? When Jesus was tempted by the devil, (Mt.4, Lk.4) He quoted Deu.8:3 "So He (God) humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.” Joh 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” 14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” Jn.6:31-35, 48-51 "I am the bread" Ver.63 Jesus said, "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” When you read the Bible, you are taking in Jesus. Can I influence us for this month of September to begin again to read this Bible more? Just like last week with prayer, set a realistic amount of time to read. Get yourself on a daily bread schedule. Bible Charts, Listening schedule. Let’s be People Of The WORD!

Spiritual Emphasis on Prayer By Pastor Gary Wayne Text: Psalms 116:1-2 The month of September has always been a transitional month. It’s a time of seasonal change. Weather changes, school starts, summer activity changes, etc. So I want this month for us to take a personal look at our lives, and focus on where we can create an atmosphere for our spiritual person to excel. We usually focus on our natural man, or flesh, and soul. I want to look at the importance of prayer, and stimulate us (draw a circle on the floor) individually to increase our involvement with prayer. 1Th 5:17 “pray without ceasing,…” Jer 33:3 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' Php 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Eph 6:18 “…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…” Last week we spent time looking at the fact that we are the temple of God, we are God’s house with a gate. Isa 56:7 “…For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." Ro 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” 1Ti 2:1-4 “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Trick question – loaded question - Do you know the #1 reason our prayers are not answered. Because we don’t pray. We all believe prayer is important - We all believe there is power in prayer - yet prayer gatherings are the least attended meetings. Can we enter into a “GUILT FREE ZONE?” Why is it we don’t pray more? I think one of the biggest lies that we believe down deep in our heart is that prayer actually doesn’t do anything. After all, I’ve been praying and ….. So we un-internally base our belief system on our experience rather than on God’s truth. Sit down with Holy Spirit and ask this question: “Why don’t I pray more?” I think that with every important, powerful principal of scripture, Satan tries to twist what I believe – influence how I feel - so I will be ineffective in that area. Has the enemy influenced what I think / feel about prayer? What I want this morning is to emphases God’s perspective of what happens when you pray. God says prayer is important. YOUR prayer is important! God says prayer is effective. YOUR prayer is effective! God says _______ What I would like to accomplish in this message is that this month of spiritual emphasis on prayer, each one of us would adjust our basic belief system about prayer, adjusting to God’s opinion about prayer. And for the rest of this month we would daily dedicate some fresh time to pray. My caution is that we often go too extreme with what we want to do – “every day, I’m going to pray for 1 hour.” But it’s not realistic, and after a few times of blowing it, we just give up. Make some realistic commitments to prayer for this month. Set your timer on your phone to prompt you through the day. Maybe set your alarm to go off 5 min. early Set a date with a friend to pray – not talk just talk about a problem, but pray. Do some drive by praying for our community. Do some “listening prayer” time. – Where I ask, God, what’s on Your heart? What do You want me to pray about?