Stepping OUT and Stepping UP

Last night we covered Joshua chapters 4 & 5 at our midweek service, and one of the points that really hit home was the fact that Joshua was a man that not only stepped OUT, but he also stepped UP! In other words, he was not only obedient to the task that God had called him to, but he stepped up to the role that God had called him to.

An interesting thing happened right after all the men were circumcised in Joshua chapter 5. God told them "This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." In other words, the shame and disgrace of being slaves and being in bondage was OVER, and the Israelites were being brought into a new phase of their relationship with God – from being slaves to being FREE! Jesus spoke of this in John 8:

John 8:34 "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Joshua and the Israelites were in a place that they not only were to obey the task God had put before them, but they were to begin seeing themselves as a people who had been delivered – who had been redeemed! They not only were to step OUT to obey God, there were to step UP to be the people God called them to be. Joshua was not only to step OUT to obey God, he was to step UP to be the leader God called him to be, to walk fully in the role that God had called him to.

And what was the key to his success? His complete submission to God! When confronted with the Commander of the Lords army, a pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, …Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?" (Josh 5:19)

To listen to the Joshua series, CLICK HERE.

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

What Makes the World Go Round...

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God…
2 Cor 6:14-16

Last week we talked about “commercial Babylon” in the tribulation period, the system that will be the ‘mother-of-all-globally-encompassing-economic-systems’, that the Anti-Christ will utilize to enslave the world through commerce and wealth. While that might seem far-fetched, we can see the underpinnings of this system at work today. Stop and give some thought as to the messages that come to us from a thousand different sources; TV, radio, magazines, internet, newspapers… all of them telling you “you can have it all, the “American Dream”, if you only buy their product or use their service.

Truly, “money is what makes the world go round”, so to speak. That would be “this world”. Yet we are still faced with a dilemma. Certain things are needed to live in our culture, such as food, clothing, living space, transportation. Tthe dilemma that many Christians face is “where do I draw the line?” How much is “OK?” When does “it” become “too much?”

Perhaps a good indicator is this: What occupies the throne of my life? What do I dwell on? What do I yearn for? You see, if we are always thinking about the next thing (house, car, promotion, just fill in the blank), that is a good indicator that I am caught up in the trap of the world system. It indicates that I believe that some fulfillment will come from that next objective being met, or item being acquired.

The fact is – we will always act on our core beliefs. If I believe that the things of the world will fulfill me, I will act towards that end. If I believe that there is an eternity waiting for me on the other side of this physical existence, and that the things I do in the Lords Kingdom will be rewarded in that kingdom, then guess what – I will act on that belief!

It seems to me that is exactly what the book of Revelation is communicating to us. This world will pass away. Another kingdom is coming, the Kingdom of God. It’s one thing to build a life here. It takes a good, solid, dose of this thing we call faith to look past all of this and see into the eternal Kingdom of God that is coming!

Pastor Clay

Give Thanks!

Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness. Ps 107:8-9

Thanksgiving is here, a day when we eat, fellowship, sleep, and maybe watch football! But is there more to the holiday than just eating turkey?

The first Thanksgiving is taught as a "harvest festival" at Plymouth, in 1621. In this time of "religious eradication", there is a sense of trying to distance the event from any religious significance. But actually, the first thanksgiving occurred two years earlier...

Two years before the Pilgrims on December 4, 1619, a group of 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Plantation in what is now Charles City, Virginia. The group's charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a day of thanksgiving to God.

Captain John Woodleaf held the service of thanksgiving. Here is the section of the Charter of Berkeley Plantation which specifies the thanksgiving service:

"We ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty god."

Now, I feel we should be careful that we don't become possessive and 'stake our claim' on the day, as the bible teaches us "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind."

And yet we as Christians can make the day a day that we observe "to the Lord" (He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord Rom 14:5-6 NKJV).

We can take this day that the Lord has given us, a day when we take off from work, invite family and friends over, and fellowship over food, and truly "give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness"

Let the Lord satisfy your longing soul, and fill your soul with goodness!

May the Lord bless you all, and "Happy Thanksgiving... in the Lord!"

Pastor Clay

"The Golden Compass is skillfully designed to get kids lost."

The following note came across my email, it originated from Pastor Bob Botsford of Horizon Christian Fellowship:

In our four services this past weekend I referenced the release of an upcoming movie starring Nichole Kidman coming out this December called, "The Golden Compass."

The movie is designed to introduce children to an "anti-Narnia" trilogy of books written by Phillip Pullman in which God is killed. Pullman is a secular humanist and proclaimed atheist whose works recently were accurately described by ABC news as, "atheism for kids." Clearly, Pullman's motivation is to attack the symbolism of Christ that is beautifully portrayed in the Chronicles of Narnia series written by C.S. Lewis.

Pullman has publicly stated that he wants to "kill God in the minds of children". And it has been said of Pullman that he is "the writer the atheists would be praying for, if atheists prayed."

To some "The Golden Compass" movie itself will seem mild and innocent, and they will draw the conclusion that I and the Christian community have once again over-reacted. However, the books upon which the movie is based portray a much darker story than meets the eye. The plot thickens over time resulting in a "frog in the kettle" reading experience that is meant to draw your young readers in unsuspectingly. There are characters in the book series that blatantly describe Christianity as "a very powerful and convincing mistake." In fact, in the final book, characters representing Adam and Eve eventually kill God, who at times is called YAHWEH. Each book in the trilogy progressively becomes more wicked, graphic and bold.

I have received many phone calls of concern, articles and emails, and I believe based on the information I have received that this could possibly be the most dangerous film, to date, ever made for children. At its core, The Golden Compass is about killing God and is skillfully designed to get kids spiritually off course and ultimately leave them lost! I believe we have a "golden" opportunity to stand up in opposition to this assault aimed directly at the heart of our faith and the heart of our families.

Humbly, with the heart of a shepherd, my aim simply is to warn the flock of pending danger and advise that we steer clear of grazing in this patch of poisoned grass.

May God bless you as you raise your families and build your homes upon the Truth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the Glory Forever,

In the Power of His Love,

Pastor Bob Botsford
Horizon Christian Fellowship
Rancho Santa Fe, CA

Grace that changes

The topic of GRACE seems to be coming up quite often in the last several weeks! Perhaps God is weaving it in for a purpose… as I find that He often does!

The topic of grace is so vast – 1 Peter 4:10 speaks of the manifold (or multi-faceted) grace of God in our lives. It can cover almost any area, in any situation.

On the basics of it, we all know that grace is a foundation of our salvation, as Romans 3 tells us:

…But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Rom 3:21-24

And later on in Romans 5, we see that we have grace as something that we have access to in which to stand:

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand Rom 5:1-2

And yet, there are times when certain aspects of grace seem to come through in our lives. For me recently, it has been the grace of God that manifests through His love for us, and our love for one another:

But as you abound in everything -- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us -- see that you abound in this grace also 2 Cor 8:7

To me when we see the bible as a ‘rule book’ and God as the ‘rule keeper’ we miss something that God has for us – RELATIONSHIP. When we begin to really understand the love and grace that God has for us and towards us, something happens.

• We stop looking at our Christian walk and wondering “how much can I get away with before God gets angry and punishes me”, and we start to see how beautiful life is when we are at peace with God and each other.
• We begin to experience fellowship with God based on His love for us, not our performance for Him.
• And that fellowship begins to seep into our other relationships, in that we begin to have fellowship with others based on our genuine love for them, not their performance.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen 2 Cor 13:14

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

God is Faithful!

I have to share this account with you all! Last week the elders met at our regular monthly meeting after the Wed night study, and we reviewed our church finances. I have to tell you that the outlook was not positive! Over the course of the summer, offerings were down, and our ‘cash reserve’ was dwindling at an alarming rate. Some hard decisions might be in order soon. Not only that, we had just obtained the permits to proceed with Holy Grounds, and yet we had not met our financial target for funds to proceed.

After much discussion, we settled on the ‘bottom line’.

• We know God has ordained this work at CCW
• We believe God opened the door for us to proceed with Holy Grounds
• We believe we are to go forward
• So… we keep on keeping on, and we trust God, even when the numbers tell us otherwise!
• We decided to pray, seek the Lord, and trust Him.

Well, this past Sunday we had the largest offering that our church has EVER had! God blew our socks off! Just when we felt we had no where else to turn, God provided through His people!

I tell you this for several reasons…

1. To encourage you – if you are in a place where you feel that you have no where else to turn, then its time to pray and trust God!
2. To build your faith – where God guides, He provides!
3. To give you purpose – Get involved with what God is doing. Don’t be a bystander.

In Nehemiah 2, we read: And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king's words that he had spoken to me. So they said, "Let us rise up and build." Then they set their hands to this good work. Neh 2:18

Nehemiah was a man who knew the God he served, and he believed the God he served, and he acted on what God gave him to do! Let us do the same!

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Follow up from Sunday...

Greeting Saints!

Last Sunday i made mention of several situations relating to biblical prophecy that are out in the news, and I though it would be good to follow up with the actual news accounts.
--------------------------

Temple Mount Destruction by Muslim overseers
Here is the most recent article, reported by Worldnet Daily, that gives the latest update on the destruction of evidence of the previous Jewish Temples on Mt Moriah: CLICK HERE

also...
Israel to Cede Control of Temple Mt to Palestinians
Also, I noted that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is holding discussions with Palestinian leaders to cede full control of the Temple Mount to Grand Mufti Muhammad Hussein: CLICK HERE

For a more detailed look at this action by Bill Konig, including an interesting link to prophecies in Zech 12:2 and Rev 6:12, CLICK HERE.

If you are interested in the history and truth behind the "Israeli-Palestian Issue", CLICK HERE for a short synopsis of the Palestinian myth.
--------------------
Oh, and if we wanted to add one more thing to "watch", Turkey has just elected it's new president... who is a dedicated Muslim. "Why is this a problem" you ask?

Because while Turkey may be populated with Muslims, Turkey has a secular government, with a secular constitution. The Turkish military sees it as it's duty to ensure that the secular nature of the country is retained, and that is does not come to be ruled by Islamic law (which is a good thing as they have nukes!)

The military is watching Abdullah Gul very closely, and will possible remove his government if they feel he is leaning the country in a religious direction (they have done this in the past). CLICK HERE for the full story.

Peace and Love through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Pastor Clay

If a judge does it...

I ran across an article recently, where a federal judge got into hot water when the details of his personal life came out via his divorce court proceedings. Apparently this judge had spent quite a bit of time and money in a ‘gentlemen’s club’ (why they call them ‘gentlemen’s club’ is beyond me – are there any gentlemen in there?? – anyway, I digress).

My point is not to rail against the ‘dens of iniquity’ (we’ll save that for a later lesson!), but rather how one of the news reports printed an excerpt from the US Federal Judges Code of Conduct. It reads:

"Public confidence in the judiciary is eroded by irresponsible or improper conduct by judges. A judge must avoid all impropriety and appearance of impropriety. A judge must expect to be the subject of constant public scrutiny. A judge must therefore accept restrictions that might be viewed as burdensome by the ordinary citizen and should do so freely and willingly. The prohibition against behaving with impropriety or the appearance of impropriety applies to both the professional and personal conduct of a judge."

I couldn’t help but think, that if a secular judge is asked to accept a limit of personal freedoms, in light of the honor and responsibility that they carry with regard to the public, how much more should we, as ambassadors for Christ, willingly accept restrictions that might be viewed as burdensome by the ordinary citizen, in order that our ministry of the gospel might not be hindered? Kinda makes you think…

Anyway – we have a lot of really exciting things that are starting up very soon – a new Women’s Study, an Evangelism training class, a worship and communion service WITH a meal available!

I also want to remind you that coming up THIS SUNDAY we will be having our monthly special offering for the Holy Grounds coffee shop upfit! I heard from our landlord this week that things are moving forward with the repairs they are going to be making to the building, and Lord willing we can pull our permits within the next few weeks. So the time is coming where we will begin purchasing materials and paying contractors! Pray for PROVISION! Pray for what the Lord might allow you to give.

pastor Clay

The blessed church!

I received a call this week from the missionary family that had just left our church. Dennis called just to say what a blessing it had been to be with our fellowship last week, and how on his next trip (they come to the US every other year), he wanted to allocate more time to spend in Wilmington with YOU – the church of CCW!

I am reminded of the Apostle Paul, as he closed his letter to the church at Philippi:

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; …

… Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Phil 4:10-20 NKJV

I can’t speak for everyone, but I know that my heart is filled to think that our church can be a blessing and provision for a fellow worker in the Lord, and that their time with us is refreshing! To me, it shows that the love of Christ is evident in our fellowship! “Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen”

This Saturday my family and I will be leaving for a week of vacation with family, a little “R&R” and family time. My good friend and Pastor Ron Dozler from Calvary Chapel Myrtle Beach will be here Sunday to feed you the word. Welcome him with love and fellowship! You will be in our prayers, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday July 1^st!

Oh, and don’t forget – Lift up the July 4^th outreach in your prayers these next few weeks. There is a lot of work to be done between now and the 4^th, and we could always use a few more volunteers (contact Kurt Christian at beachfest2007@calvaryofwilmington.org ). But even more important, we want to reach people with the love of Christ, and so pray for:

• God to go before us and prepare the hearts of the people at the park!
• Pray for a good turnout of people
• Good weather!
• Favor with the city and residents of the Beach
• That we would have an open door to share Christ!

Have a blessed week,

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Worship in the Throne Room

This Sunday we will venture into uncharted territory – the Throne Room of Heaven, Revelation chapter four. I say this is ‘uncharted territory’ because though we might read about it or think about it, we cannot personally visit the Throne Room of God until we depart from this earth.

The apostle John had the privilege of being taken there, of personally experiencing the majesty and magnificence of the Throne Room of Heaven. Seeing God sitting on the throne, watching as the twenty four elders and the four creatures declare worship to the Living God. Dr. John F. Walvoord, considered perhaps the world’s foremost interpreter of biblical prophecy, says of this experience “Here is the true picture of the universe as being subject to the dominion of an omnipotent God”.

What strikes me immediately about this scene is the fact that the pre-eminent activity that is occurring in the Throne Room is worship. All of those present are singing praises to God:

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come!
(Rev 4:8b)

Now, on Sunday we might not be able to go into the Throne Room of God and join in with the heavenly host praising God, but we CAN come into the assemble of saints and enter into the presence of God, bringing our offering of praise!

And because we know that (1) God dwells in the presence of His people, and (2) We are the tabernacle of the Holy Spirit of God …when we enter into praise as a congregation, our Heavenly Father hears and receives our praises, just as if we were in the Throne Room.

One day we will praise God in the Throne Room of Heaven. Today we can praise Him in the congregation of His saints, worshipping Him in spirit and truth. Remember this when you come to worship God in the congregation!

Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
And His praise in the assembly of saints.
Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
Let them praise His name with the dance;
Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.
For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the humble with salvation.
Ps 149:1-4 NKJV

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Are You Convinced?

As we are inching towards the month of June, it is hard to believe that summer is…. HERE! And as we head into the summer of 2007, we here in the office are preparing for several events that God has put on our hearts! Starting construction of Holy Grounds, holding a Missions Dinner on June 16^th, holding an outreach at Wrightsville Beach on July 4^th, and hold an End Times Prophecy Conference July 20-22. Throw in vacations, kids activities, and we have a full summer!

But… are these just things to fill the days, or is there something more? Sometimes that depends on our perspective. We can have these events, and just get through them… or we can see God at work and engage in what He is doing!

Our Missions Dinner will be an awesome opportunity to be a blessing to a family who has surrendered their life to serving the Lord wherever He sends them (currently Georgia!), hear what God is doing in that place, and engage in what God is doing!

Our July 4^th outreach will be an opportunity to mingle with the world outside our church, share the gospel message through music and testimonies, and connect with people who come through, touching them with the love of Christ.

Our Prophecy Conference will be an opportunity to expand our understanding of the end times, and how we can see the prophecies of the bible literally unfold before our eyes!

The Holy Grounds will be a place that we can touch the people in our community in a very practical way.

What is God doing here? He is expanding our borders! He is drawing us out of the church, and into the community. He is making it possible to reach people that might have never come through our doors. He is working in our midst. I am amazed daily at how God is working in our body, and each day I am convinced all the more, just as Abraham was:

Abraham “…did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Rom 4:20-22)

Are you convinced that god is working in your life? Are you convinced that God is working in our body? Are you convinced that God will perform that which He has promised? For Abraham, is was accounted to him for righteousness.

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

This week i heard a radio show about the immigration bill - and an 'off topic' caller made a statement that “more blood has been shed in the name of the bible than any other book in history”.

First I would have to dispute the numbers, in that most estimates of people killed as a result of the crusades, etc, would be in the neighborhood of 1.5 – 2.5 million. Granted, not a pretty number, but it pales in comparison to Hitler.

Second, I would have to note that the deaths and carnage as a result of “Christianity” were in fact committed “on behalf of God” by government and church leaders who were in fact NOT following the teachings of the bible or Christ. Nowhere in the bible are we commanded to kill or invade. Nowhere are we commanded to take the world for God by force. We are commanded to love and love our neighbor…

For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Rom 13:9-10

Teaching of the bible in schools or anywhere else, would never lead to Christians to go out and commit violence or murder against those of other faiths or beliefs. The problems of Christianity in the past and present are the result of man using God in order to further his own agenda. Now that IS something to rail about!

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
Eccl 12:13-14 NKJV

Boundaries

Last week I shared about how out little dog Angel was hit by the Fed Ex truck. It was a sad week for our family, but we are adjusting to life without our little white furry Angel!

This week I want to explore another truth that is revealed by this incident: Boundaries, and why we need them!

We had in our yard one of those invisible fences. A small wire that circumvents the yard, and when Angel came within a certain distance of the wire, about five feet, her collar would start beeping. It was a warning to her that she was getting too close to the boundary. If she came any closer, say three feet, her collar would give her a little ‘shock’. Nothing harmful, but certainly an attention getter! Within a few days, she knew the boundaries, and she would go right up to the ‘beeping boundary’, and stop.

Yet once in a while, the battery would go dead, or the wire would break. We would be alerted to this fact because Angel would start to wander outside of the boundary. Now Angel did not have an evil ‘wandering heart’, she just wanted to explore the wide world beyond our yard. But, as we saw so clearly last week, it is a dangerous world out there. There are Fed trucks, and other things that could harm her.

My point it this… God has given us boundaries. Very clear ones. They are contained in His word, the bible. I can look at those boundaries from two perspectives… (1) They CONFINE ME, or (2) They protect me.

I have found that when I cross one of God’s boundaries – trespass if you will – it brings me nothing but trouble: Guilt and shame before God and man, and on top of that pain and trouble. I have found that God’s boundaries are given to me to protect me from the consequences of sin. God has placed boundaries in our life because He loves us, and He wants what is best for us. He has also given us a “warning”, which it the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Its that little unction in our heart that goes off before we sin.

You see my view of God’s word must be based on the premise that God loves me, and that He cares for me! It must be based on the understanding that God created me, and He knows what is best for me. When I see God’s word in this context, I am willing to abide in His word, and to stay within His boundaries. I trust that He will keep me safe inside the fence of His grace, and I will be protected from the consequences of wandering outside of those boundaries. I won’t get hit by the Fed Ex truck!

Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
Who walk in the law of the LORD!
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!
They also do no iniquity;
They walk in His ways.
Ps 119:1-3 NKJV

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

This week a beloved member of our family passed away. Our little dog of thirteen years, Angel, passed away from complications stemming from an altercation with the FedEx truck. This family event was further complicated by the fact that "Dad" (I.E. - me!) had been remiss in fixing the 'invisible fence' that kept our little angel in the protective confines of our yard. Echo's of "Dad, Angel's going to get run over" ring in my ears!



Thankfully, my wife and kids are the epitome of grace, and upon arrival last night (their mom gave them the bad news while I was at an elders meeting), I was greeted with "we love you dad, and we don't blame you for Angel's death". Bless you my children!



I share this with you not to elicit sympathy cards, but to share with you a truth... Putting off what needs to be done ALWAYS carries a price. I knew Angel was wandering. I knew I needed to set aside a few hours to fix the fence. I just put it off - plain and simple. I didn't want her to get run over, I didn't think she would get run over (I assumed dogs know when to back off?).

We can apply this principle to changing the oil in our car, painting our house... but do we see this principle in our spiritual lives? Am I able to see things that need to be 'fixed' in my spiritual life... yet put them off because of one reason or another?

• Am I neglecting time in prayer, in the word, and just communing with God?
• Is there an area of my life that I need to "clean up", and I just keep putting it off?
• Is there some sin I am allowing myself to remain in?
• Is there something that God is calling me to that I am procrastinating?

As sad as it is to lose our little Angel, there are things that occur due to inattention to our spiritual lives that are far worse. What if I am not strong in my walk with the Lord, in the full armor of God, and I fall into a sin that jeopardizes my family? Or what if I slowly lead my kids into compromise through my example? What will be the ramifications of "not doing what needs to be done" in these areas of my life? Lord, help me to stay diligent in these areas!

Stay tuned next week for part 2... "Boundaries"

Till the whole world hears...

Pastor Clay

This Friday finds my wife and the ladies back from the Pastors Wives Conference that they attended this week. Praise God for safe travel, and a time of refreshing for them! I know that when I pull away for a few days at a conference, that I am refreshed and encouraged in the Lord.

Unfortunately we cannot always hop in the car and take off for a conference! But we CAN pull away to a place of quiet, and just be with the Lord. To be honest, this can be hard to do… there is always more to do than there is time to do it.

But I find that when I do pull away and just be with the Lord, that the time that is left is somehow becomes more productive. That somehow I am more relaxed, more focused, more able to do the things that I need to do!

I want to encourage you all – take a few minutes each day… read the Word, pray, allow God to speak to you in the inner chambers of your heart. You’ll be glad you did!

You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine increased. I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Ps 4:7-8 NKJV

Where Can We Turn?

Have you read or seen the news lately? It seems as though every week that goes by, some horrific deed is reported, or some terrible corruption is exposed. This past week is no exception, with the shooting deaths of 32 people at VA Tech, including the assailant who took his own life.

There is contention and strife everywhere we turn, from the top levels of our government to the people we meet in the street. There are deep concerns worldwide over terrorism, nuclear proliferation, disease, and environmental decay. Even the church is not immune, from pastors admitting homosexual affairs, to pastor's wives shooting their husbands!

Where can we turn for answers in this difficult time that we live in? I give you the Word of God...

...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chron 7:14)

If there has ever been a time in our country's history that prayer is needed, that time is now! God promises in His word that if WE, His people, will humble ourselves and pray and SEEK HIM - HE will hear! HE will forgive! HE will HEAL!

Won't you join us as we join together in prayer during the upcoming National Day of Prayer, Thursday May 3rd, 2007.

Our church will be coming together individually and in groups to pray during the day. We are asking people to sign-up to take a 'prayer slot" of one hour, and our goal is to have the equivalent of 24 hours of prayer for that day (not consecutive hours, but 24 hours total!)

You can click below to obtain more information, or come by the Info Desk during any service! I look forward to what the Lord will do on this day!


...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

As we have finished up the book of 1 John, I think it would be good to go back and revisit the theme: Fellowship... or as the Greek puts it, koinonia.

The idea of fellowship is one of the key aspects of our Christian life. The ancient Greek word koinonia speaks of a sharing, a communion, a common bond of life. It speaks of a living, breathing, sharing, loving relationship with another person. It is the kind of the kind of relationship that most people long for. What a cool thing that it is the kind of relationship we can experience among Christians. But even greater, it is the kind relationship that the Christian can experience with God on a daily basis.

It still moves me deeply to think that we – mere humans – could experience a fellowship relationship with the God of the universe. And even more so, it is not something that we earn, or work our way up to, or achieve once we reach a certain level of ‘holiness’. None of these things can bring us into fellowship with God... no ... once we believed... it became available to us.

The question for us is this: Am I nurturing my relationship with God? Am I spending time with Him just as I would desire to spend time with a person whom I loved deeply?

Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! 1 Chron 16:8-11

I pray that this week, that as we reflect on what we have been taught through God’s word over the past several months, we will pursue God will a determined heart, that we will seek His face evermore!

“...that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ 1 John 1:3

Till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Prayer - Do we believe?

The Lord has brought the subject of prayer to our church family mind quite a bit lately. From Pastor David’s School of Prayer, the Andrew Murray “God’s Best Secret” prayer devotional, our study last week of 1 John 5:14-15, and finally our study last night on Deuteronomy 9. Do you get the idea God sending us a message? I do!

I believe God is challenging us – all of us – to join Him in what He wants to do in and through this church body. I Believe God has great things planned for us, to be a light in the community, to reach people for Christ, but even more specifically and personal – to change lives and set people free!

And the fact is, we cannot do this on our own power. It is too great for us. It is a task too large. Just like when Moses told the Israelites “You are to cross over the Jordan today, and go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and fortified up to heaven” (Deut 9:1), we are being told to go and do things that are mightier and greater than what we can accomplish on our own.

God is putting several things in our path this year

• Expanding into the space next door
• Opening a coffee shop in that space
• Holding outreaches in the city
• Starting a recovery ministry
• Planting a church in the republic of Georgia
• Sending a team to India to minister

All of this is simply too much for us to do in our own strength, but not God’s!

For who is God, except the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength,
And makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places.
Ps 18:31-33

So we as individuals and as a church must press in, and lift up our prayers to the Lord, that He might arm us with strength, and go before us and prepare the path that He has set.

Mark 11:22 "Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

Pastor Clay

Whispers in the Wind

Today my son Chandler handed me a poem that he wrote in his class at church a few months ago - i thought it deserved publishing!


Whispers in the Wind
Oh God, how powerful you are,
You make the sun and moon shine;
Oh God, how wonderful you are,
You keep the world on its axis;
Oh Jesus You are so merciful,
You forgive me every time I sin;
Oh God, Your voice whispers in the wind.

So thats it - Chandler Ritters first poem about His God... I cant wait to see what comes next!

The Rise of Islam

On Sunday I shared at great length my take on many of the world events that are taking place, specifically zeroing in on the rise in Islamic adherence to Jihad. There are many that believe that the Islamic faith is a peaceful faith, and that we should respect it as so. As well many people would claim that terrible things have been done “In the name of God” by Christians, specifically the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, etc.

I suppose the only problem I have with this line of thought is this: These events were done by “presumed Christians”, and in my opinion the things that were done were in direct opposition to what the bible teaches. In other words, if those people had truly followed the teachings of Jesus, or even the commandments of how God told the Israelites to live, those things would NOT have been done.

Jesus commands us to “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, (Matt 5:44)

This is not the case with Islam. While true the Christian objective is to win the world to Christ, the bible NEVER tells us to do so by the sword, or to kill those who refuse to convert. Quite simply, the Koran does.

So it is my opinion that the rise in Islamic Jihad is not an anomaly to Islam, or an “extreme offshoot”, it is to Islam what true evangelical Christians are to the church. They are simply following their ‘bible’.

Christians can live in peace with Muslims (as evidenced by the fact that they thrive here in the US – the worst they might encounter is some racial stereotyping, which is illegal by our laws), but the same is not true with Christians who live in a Muslim country – you might want to have an exit strategy!

This is not a slam against Muslim people – God loves ALL THE WORLD, even those who hate Jews and Christians. John 3:16 is for everyone! And this is the answer to all the problems and violence and hate – Jesus Christ!