Archive for May, 2008|Monthly archive page
The Invitation
Leave a CommentTHE WORDS OF JESUS
The Invitation
Pastor Mark Johnson
May 25, 2008
Matthew 5:1-10
- JESUS CAME TO RESET NORMAL.
- JESUS CAME TO ESTABLISH THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
- JESUS COMES TO OFFER AN INVITATION.
Leave a Comment
The Words of Jesus
Leave a CommentTHE WORDS OF JESUS
Pastor Mark Johnson
May 18, 2008
Matthew 5:1-10
Blessed = Happy
It is not about doing; it is about being.
Do you have it?
The Indebted Life
THE INDEBTED LIFE
Pastor Mark Johnson
May 11, 2008
2 Timothy 3:14-17
The Bible gives instructions for a better life.
Many of these revelations run against the flesh and face opposition from the teaching in American culture.
THE INDEBTED LIFE
The Bible, our instruction manual for a better world, says that we have some debt.
Exodus 20:12
I. WE HAVE A DEBT TO OUR MOTHERS AND FATHERS.
The payment for that debt is honor.
What does it mean to honor them?
- Honor her righteous desire.
- Honor her righteous request.
- Honor her righteous position.
We carry a debt to their righteous position in our lives.
1. Honor their special days.
2. Honor them with appropriate words.
This is a life debt of honor and the world is a better place when it is paid.
II. WE OWE A DEBT OF LOVE TO OTHERS.
Romans 13:8
The Bible teaches us that we do have a responsibility to others. We have a debt of love.
This is marked by desires and actions that want the best for others.
This passage teaches us that we are our brother’s keeper.
The debt we owe is a debt of love. Capture the words, continuing debt.
III. WE OWE A DEBT TO JESUS.
John 3:16
We owe a debt to Jesus that is paid in our belief.
This belief plays out two ways:
- in our obedience to Him
- in our confidence in Him
The world becomes a better place when we live our lives as debtors.
Damian & Nancy McCrink Update 5.12.08
Email Update From Language School in Portugal:
Hello Everyone!
We wanted to give everyone a quick update about our life here in Portugal. We have been here for about 9 months now. Wow! The time has gone really quickly. Each day we are feeling more confident in our speaking and understanding. It really is amazing how long it takes to learn another language. Right now I am working on my first full sermon in Portuguese. I am learning to say what just needs to be said because it so much work so….. NO rambling! But I am really enjoying it.
We have been blessed to have some friends and family from home come spend some time with us. Also the Charest Family, one of the missionary families that we will be working with in Mozambique, come through Portugal for a three week refresher course in Portuguese. It was great hearing their heart and call to Mozambique and also getting to know each other. We are excited to start working with them there. God has not only provided a team, but also people that we now call friends. To learn more about their vision for reaching the children of Mozambique check out their website.
As you see in the picture above, Nancy is ready to have this baby any day now! We are as ready as we can be, at least we hope so. We visited the hospital where we plan on having the baby and we were really impressed with everything. Another blessing is that Nancy’s parents are coming for a visit right at the time the baby is due, so that will be a great help for those first couple of days. We will send you an email once she arrives. If you could pray for Levi’s adjustment, that would be great…he has a jealous streak 
Thank you once again for all of your prayers. They really do make a difference in our lives. And without your financial support we would not be able to do all that God has called us to do. The Body of Christ is beautiful when we are working together to fulfill His purposes in the world.
Prayer request:
Documents- we are learning about all the documents that we will need before we can leave for Mozambique. First we need a SS# for the baby here, then we are able to apply for a passport and then we can apply for our visas to Mozambique.
Language - I plan on preaching my first sermon in Portuguese here in Portugal before we leave. Pray all that we have learned so far would really come together.
The move- We plan on moving to Mozambique in late August. A lot has to come together for this to happen. We have heard that safe housing in Maputo (the capital city where we will live) has really jumped in price. In fact, more than our budget has planned. We believe that God can and will make a way to supply our needs.
The work- The work in Mozambique is already starting to come together. The national church as already started caring for orphans and has invited us to be apart! We will have more news once we get on the ground there.
Damian & Nancy McCrink
Missionaries to Mozambique, Africa
Acknowledging His Presence
WORSHIP MATTERS
Acknowledging His Presence
Pastor Mark Johnson
May 4, 2008
2 Corinthians 3:1-18
- Worship of God is an acknowledgment of God’s rightful place in our lives by submitting our lives to Him in every way.
- The person of true worship will have the mark of God on every area of their life.
- This submission is not a matter of feeling; it is a decision to bow our lives to God.
- That decision is based on the fact that God is worthy.
1. His awesomeness is demonstrated in creation.
2. His awesome love is demonstrated on Calvary.
- When a man’s mind truly grasps these two truths, he joyfully bows his life to God.
- This truth gives me a foundation for every circumstance. No matter what happens, the great God of creation loves me.
- Love for God is the spontaneous combustion that takes place when man fully gets this.
- God has given us reachable and acceptable ways to express our love and thanks to Him.
- God’s will for our lives becomes backed up by God’s power, and our actions experience the anointing of God to accomplish His purpose.
- We have to ask ourselves if there is evidence of the weight of God in our lives.
- As you continually bow your will, His abiding presence grows.
- God’s plan is ever-increasing glory and ever- increasing weight. Your life becomes more and more empowered of God.
Acknowledging His Power
WORSHIP MATTERS
Acknowledging His Power
Pastor Mark Johnson
April 27, 2008
1 Samuel 4:10, Psalm 91:14
In Eli’s day, they were so far from God’s will that they did not even recognize that God was gone.
The word glory in this passage means “weight”. It refers to the weight and influence of God.
The power of God had departed.
Why had the anointing of God departed? It departed because of a lack of worship. Not a lack of religious expression, but a true lack of bowing their will to God and accepting Him as rightful Lord.
This is why so much of the Church today is without the power of the weight of God.
The sad thing is we get so used to Him being gone that we don’t even notice it until disaster hits and then we wonder, “Where is God?”
Let’s get serious. Is there power in our lives?
Power to:
1. Do effective service
A. Evangelism
B. Ministry
2. Have bold faith
A. What happens in your life when faced with trouble? Is there faith? Is there confidence in God? Don’t sit around and live a life where the glory has departed.
B. Boldly apply the rules of the Kingdom of
God. Get real with yourself. How much do
you pray?
Jeremiah 29:13
