A week in Tbilisi

Hi gang, so it's Wednesday now, and its been a few days since I could access the internet, things are not quite as 'wired' here as in the states! (I am actually sitting in my friend Dennis' apartment, tapping into his neighbors wireless connection! Works fine in this one room. If I move 10 feet, no connection. too funny!)

So our week here has been good. We started the week out with a four-session series called "The Bible - The Word of God". In these classes I taught the students where we got our bible, how it came to be in it's present form, and most importantly what our bible means to us personally. It was really cool, because most people here, even if they grew up in the orthodox church, know almost NOTHING about the bible. The church discourages them from reading the bible, and then tells them a bunch of stuff that is nowhere near biblical. You would not believe that questions. But thank the Lord that I had an opportunity to give them truth and point them to the Word of God for their information!

Today I started on our topic for the rest of this week - "Our Identitity in Christ". Again, even though the students are all Christians, they have a very limited understanding about what it means to be a Christian, and all that God has for us. We have been covering a lot of scripture!

It is so fulfilling to teach the students because they have a huge hunger for things of the Lord. They are all so teachable, with every truth becoming another amazing realization for them.

So we have two more days of classes, and then the weekend. We are scheduled to go to an orphanage on Friday night.

We love all you guys, and miss you, and look forward to seeing you soon!

Pastor Clay, Brent, Carmen, Chandler

We Made It!

Dear saints!

We made it to Tbilisi one one piece, praise the Lord! Carmen, Chandler, Brent and myself landed in Tbilisi at 4:10 am on Saturday morning (We left Thursday afternoon!) a bit tired, but not any worse for the wear!

We got checked into our quarters at the "Vasi" (the hotel-turned-into-a-school that we stay at), got a little sleep, then headed into town for some food and Turkish Coffee! After a day or so we should get our bodies re-tuned to the time difference (Tbilisi is 9 hours ahead of Wilmington).

Right now we are at Dennis's aprtment, and I am printing off my teaching for tomorrow, Carmen is checking her Facebook, Chandler is bugging me to hurry up because he wants to go back to the Vasi and sleep some more, and Brent stayed back to rest.

Tomorrow we start the DTS, and I'll be teaching the students a two day bible primer.

We love you guys, we miss you, and I'll keep posting here as the week progresses, which will be limited because they lost internet at the Vasi, so my access is restricted. VERY hard for a guy like me! Oh and did i mention that there is a 'hot water issue', which means very limited showers. I would complain but, the fact is, we in America are just spoiled! A little less showering never hurt anyone. Just ask my two boys... the'll tell ya.

Love and Peace,

Pastor Clay

I'll post some pictures on the next post.

Packed and ready...

So this is it, we are all packed and ready for our trip to Tbilisi, the Republic of Georgia. Today at 12:55 Carmen, Chandler, Brent and myself will board the plane, returning March 3rd. I really thought that I was going to have to bag the trip; several of my family came down with this terrible virus a few days ago, we've been sick as dogs for several days now. But thankfully we have some really good prayer warriors at our church, and they ave prayed us back to health! We are going to visit Dennis and Korine Holt and their kids, who oversee a Discipleship Training School in Tbilisi. Brent and i will be doing some teaching, Chandler will help with the worship, and Carmen will be there for the young ladies that attend the school. We are excited to see what God is going to do - please keep us in your prayers! I'll post some updates on the blog to let you all know how our trip is going Pastor Clay

Reaching the world around us

Simply put, as a church we need to ratchet up our outreach. And as the pastor, I am going to take the lead!

Our first step has already started; the Evangelism class that we held a few months ago has been completed and 10-20 people have come through it with a new knowledge and heart for sharing the gospel message. For those who took the class, there will be a follow up class. But more important are some things that we as a church are going to plan for the upcoming year.

This year CCW is going to organize some outreach opportunities to put what you have learned into action. Are you worried that you have never done anything like this before, or you won't know what to do? That’s OK, because the real key to outreach is SHOW UP and SPEAK UP! Maybe you are not yet comfortable sharing your faith one-on-one. Then just be a ‘support partner’, and be there to pray.

Here’s some simple things we can do right now:

First: invite someone to church. When was the last time you did? Don’t be intimidated, fact is if you love your church, so will they!

Second: When we hold an event – show up! Even if you are not yet comfortable talking, you can just go along and watch and pray. You can hand out door hangers, be a helper at one of the events – just smile and hand out coffee!

Part of the growth process is that after we come to Christ, God transforms our lives, and then we reach OUT to others. See, if we only focus on ourselves, our problems, our growth, then we are missing the great commission. We are missing a huge blessing of sharing the new life and victory that that we have through Christ with others who desperately need Him.

Bottom line – we are growing in the area of outreach, but we never want to rest on our laurels and not continue growing.

So – when the opportunity comes, SHOW UP! I guarantee you will be blessed, and you’ll do it again!


...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

to listen to the "Going Forward in 2008" message, CLICK HERE

Going Forward in 2008 - Prayer

Last week we finished up the book of Revelation. (here it comes, the big "so what") What does it mean to us?

It means – “Jesus is coming!” So, what are we doing??

Well, as I noted earlier, over the past few weeks I have spent time just seeking the Lord for direction and focus in the fellowship,and so starting today I am going to lay it our for you.

NOTE: We are not changing the purpose or vision of our church. The purpose of the church is clear:

Matt 28 tells us:

Matt 29:18 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you”

And Eph 4 tells us

Eph 4:11-13
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

Bottom line – our purpose as a church is to preach the gospel, baptize, teach and equip the saints for the work of the ministry. That will never change.

However within the framework of that – there some areas that I believe the Lord would like to grow us as a fellowship. This week we are going to start with… prayer.

Prayer

How much do we pray together as a church? Well, if we get honest… not enough! Every Sunday morning we have a prayer time before the first service, to pray for the service, and there are the same 2-3 people there every Sunday. Part of this is my fault – I have not put as much focus or brought it to your attention the way I could have. Well, good leadership is seeing where you are not hitting the mark, and doing something about it!

Starting this year several things are going to happen…

• Our leadership team is going to lead by example, and we are going to start meeting more regularly for prayer – for the church, our city, for the wisdom to lead the church.
• We are also going to start several prayer “cell groups” in the homes of people in the church. And we are going to strongly encourage the church to attend one of these – and I pray that they will expand greatly.
• We are also going to end our Wednesday night service a little earlier, and use the remaining time to come together fro prayer.
  

WHY? If we want to see God move in our lives, our church, our community, then we must start in prayer. Prayer is where the power of God is engaged into the things that we do for the Lord. Prayer is where we come to God and admit that whatever our situation, whatever our calling, whatever the task, WE NEED GOD!

Think about it, when we move into a situation without prayer, we are basically saying “I got it God, I’ll let you know how it turns out.” That’s a fine attitude to take… if we want to operate in our own strength. Personally, I have found that my strength works fine… to a point. But there is always a limit to how far I can take anything (IOW- I am human). Thing is, God is not limited. So if I want to operate beyond my strength, guess what, I need God. Why go on limited human power? Why not run the supernatural power of God in our lives, our ministry, our work, and watch God do incredible things!

We don’t have because we don’t ask (James 4:2) If we will only ask, Jesus promised us that He would work mighty things, if we would simple ask in faith. If we ask, God will move mountains:

Mark 11:22-24
"Have faith in God. 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. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

And more so – if we will come together, and agree in faith, God will answer our prayers

Matt 18:19-20
"Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

And I’m not talking about praying for a new Porsche. I am talking about having the power of God manifest in our lives.

• Picture yourself talking to a friend about God, and suddenly the power of God comes upon them, and they are suddenly open to the gospel.
• Picture yourself in a difficult situation, and the power of God comes upon you, giving you the direction and answers you need.
• Picture opportunities, and provision opening up in your life, things that you say “wow, where did that come from?”

It all starts – in prayer. If it starts anywhere else, then God is on the sideline.

So what you you do with this? Engage! If your prayer life has been lacking, restart it! Attend a prayer meeting, or join a prayer cell group. Come on Wednesday nights and pray with us. I'll even issue you a challenge - try it for a few weeks. Pray. Seek the Lord. And let me know what God has done, because I believe that if you pray, God will move in your life!

To listen to the message "Moving Forward in 2008", CLICK HERE

Next week... Reaching out.

Moving On

So, we have finally finished the book of Revelation! What a incredible ride it has been. It took nine months to go through this book, and I have to say that I learned more than anyone. I wonder sometimes if the Lord didn't put me into the ministry just to work on me. (We have put the entire Revelation teaching series on our web site, CLICK HERE)

Thing is, where do you go from here? After walking through the incredible things that the Lord has for us (I.E. Christians), and then it all tops of with being in heaven for, like, eternity with GOD... How do you top that?

You don't. You move on the the next book of God's word, as we systematically go through the bible. God will have awesome treasures of truth and wisdom for us!

In the interim I will be sharing some things that God has put on my heart regarding this next year. Areas that we can strengthen, and ways we can be more of a "light" to this city of Wilmington!

Stay tuned, cause I'll post the things that I share on this blog...

Pastor Clay

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