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What will you do with Jesus?
Earlier today I was reading through the Gospel of Matthew and ran into this passage…
“So everyone who acknowledges me (Jesus) before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33, ESV)
Jesus tells us we have to make a choice. We can either acknowledge Jesus with our lives, our words and our actions and be accepted into God’s kingdom or we can deny Jesus with our lives, our words and our actions and be denied from God’s kingdom.
What will you do with Jesus?
Real Faith: 21 Key Verses About Faith
On Sunday we began a new message series at Neel Road called Get Real. The series is based on 1 Corinthians 13:13 where Paul explains that when our Christian walk is authentic there are three things that will be present: Faith, Hope, and Love.
Sunday’s message was about real faith. Here are some of the key points and 21 key verses about faith.
A lot of people, Christian or not, have the wrong idea about what faith is…
Faith is not just a willingness to believe in God or concede that there may be a God. That’s not faith. Also, faith is not the amount of effort we put forward to believing in God. Faith cannot be measured our efforts to believe or be spiritual. Faith is not the same thing as hope. Sometimes we hear people say, “Well I don’t know what else I can do about this or that situation, so I’ll just have to have faith that everything will work out.” That’s not faith. That’s not even hope! (We’ll talk about hope in a couple of Sundays.) There is this idea today that as long as we have “faith” in something, whatever god or idea that may be, we’re going to be okay. That’s not true and it’s definitely not faith. That’s the relativistic idea that pervades our society and culture today that says, “I’m okay, you’re okay, so we’re both okay.”
So what is faith?
Here are 21 key verses in the New Testament about faith.
Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:6
This verse tells us that faith is something we have to have!
Ephesians 2:8-9
Here, Paul explains that faith is a gift from God.
Luke 7:50
Jesus tells us that faith is something that saves us.
James 1:2-4
Our faith can be challenged.
James 2:17
Faith without works is dead.
Matthew 17:20
Jesus explains that even if we have just a little faith, we can move mountains or obstacles in our lives.
Romans 10:17
Faith comes from hearing the gospel preached.
Romans 14:1
This verse reminds us that our faith can be weak at times.
2 Corinthians 5:7
Paul challenges us to close our eyes and walk by faith
Galatians 3:24
We are justified before God because of our faith or by our faith.
Galatians 3:26
Through our faith we become God’s children.
Ephesians 4:5
There is only one faith.
Ephesians 6:16
Our faith is a shield that protects us from Satan’s attacks.
2 Thessalonians 3:2
This verse warns us to be careful because not everyone has faith.
1 Timothy 1:5
Our faith should be sincere.
1 Timothy 5:8
Real faith impacts the way we live our lives on an everyday basis. (at home, at work, at school, etc.)
2 Timothy 1:5
Faith can be passed down from generation to generation. (or not)
Titus 2:10
This verse encourages us to have good faith. The Greek word used here for “good” is agathos meaning honorable and useful.
Hebrews 11:3
This verse explains that only by faith can we begin to understand how the universe was mysteriously designed and created by God.
1 Peter 5:9
This verse encourages us to stand firm in our faith.
So what is real faith?
Real Faith=Belief+Trust+Commitment
Join us this Sunday for Get Real: Real Love!
Upcoming Message Series
Who is winning the battle over the control of your life? You or Satan?
This year during Lent, we are going to Make War on the sin in our lives. We are going to claim the victory we have over sin through Jesus Christ. No longer will we allow sin to remain. We are going to Make War and launch a full-scale assault on personal sin.
Lent is the time of the year when we walk with Jesus through the wilderness and come face to face with Satan’s temptations. The battles we face may be different. But the victory over our sins is found only in Christ.
Join us beginning Sunday, February 26 at 11am or visit us on iTunes for this new message series
Make War: A Call to Personal Holiness
February 26
Make War: Man vs. Man
March 4
Make War: The Dangers of Sexual Sin
March 11
Make War: Fighting Satan and Growing Old
March 18
Make War: Take Control
March 25
Make War: Your Mind is a Battlefield
April 1
Make War: How Jesus Defeated Sin
April 8 (Easter) Free brunch at 9:45am and worship begins at 10:30am.
Make War
The last 72 hours have been incredible. Our Student Ministry has just returned from our 2012 Winter Retreat to Myrtle Beach, SC. We joined four other churches in the Salisbury area over MLK Weekend for an amazing adventure.
Although there were plenty of games and fun to be had, we spent our time in worship and small groups discussing a rather unfamiliar topic to most teenagers. Inspired by a message series by John Piper, entitled How to Kill Sin, we challenged students to examine their own lives and heart and begin to make war with “the deeds of the body” that prevent us all from growing into the maturity that Christ intended.
13For 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.
Romans 8:13
This was a rather difficult subject to tackle with teenagers. Too often, our society sends us the messages like “look out for #1,” while Jesus teaches that we are precisely what stands between us and the pursuit of holiness in Christ Jesus. Perhaps we should all listen to Paul’s words and live life by the spirit…let’s make war!
12 Scripture Verses for 2012
Starting off a new year is always exciting! It’s like driving down a long winding road with no end in sight! Making New Year’s resolutions and setting goals is a great way to start of a new year…and we can honor God at the same time! God’s word offers some great guidance and insights for how to get started.
For Making God A Priority in Your Life – Matthew 6:33
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
For Letting Go of the Past – 2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; and the new has come.
For Losing Weight or Living Healthier – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
For Managing Your Time Better – Psalm 90:12
Teach us to number our days that we may grow in wisdom.
For Getting Personal Finances in Order – Romans 13:8
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
For Getting Out of Debt – Proverbs 22:7
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
For Walking with God Daily – Psalm 105:4
Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually.
For Trusting God – Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
For Helping Others – Matthew 25:40
Jesus said, ‘Truly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these…you did it to me.’
To Stop Worrying About Things – 1 Peter 5:7
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
For Waiting on God (Patience) – James 1:12
God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.
For Keeping God First in Your Life – 1 John 5:21
Keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your heart.
NEW Kids’ Sunday School
Join us for KIDventure, our version of Sunday School for our elementary-aged children. Each week is a high-energy lesson from the Bible about life and what it means to follow Jesus in addition to knowing who he is. We begin each week with our large group teaching session before we divide into our small groups for maximum retention. We hope you’ll consider joining us for KIDventure. It is an amazing opportunity to make friends, learn about God, and have a great time.
KIDventure begins on Sunday, October 2 at 9:45a. Be there!
Mid-Week Activities
A few months back, we suspended our regular Wednesday Prayer Meeting because attendance was so low. We also suspended the Wednesday Prayer Luncheons due to staff schedules. Since then, I have been praying earnestly about our mid-week activities. The lunches were going great, but I still felt like we were missing an opportunity during the middle of the week to fellowship as a church family and have something for everyone to come together for Christian fellowship and spiritual nourishment.
After a lot of prayer and many discussions with the Church Council and the Deacons, we are prepared to offer a new Wednesday schedule that we believe is going to be great for our church family! Starting on Wednesday, September 14 we will offer two prayer services and a catered meal. The first prayer service will begin at 4:30 and last about 45 minutes. We will meet in the sanctuary. We will sing hymns, have a prayer lesson, and offer our praises and petitions to God. (We will plan to spend most of our time praying!) The Fellowship Meal will be served in the Multipurpose Room from 5:30pm-6:30pm. It will be catered and the cost will be $5/person with a $20 limit for families. After supper, we will have Overflow, our second prayer service. This service will be children, youth, and family friendly! We will sing together, pray together and have kids home before bedtime!
We hope to see you on Wednesday!
Intense Prayer
Right in the middle of the Book of Acts there is an amazing story about Peter, one of the twelve apostles. In the story, Peter is thrown into prison by king Herod. The night before Peter is scheduled to be executed an angel appears to him. Unknown to the multitude of guards surrounding Peter, the angel leads him out of the prison and away to a nearby house where believers are gathered to pray. It’s an action filled story that reminds us that when we are truly following Christ, life is definitely an adventure!
However, what is even more amazing is that beneath this story of an angel breaking Peter out of jail and leading him to safety is that there is another story, one that is often overlooked and untold.
You see, the moment Peter was taken away and thrown into the prison, the church came together, we are told in Acts 12:5, and prayed intensely for him. In other words, in this story we see the power of God revealed through the intense prayers made by the church!
Think with me about some of the wonderful implications of this story on our lives today.
First of all, we see that the early church was a praying church. They gathered frequently to pray and they especially prayed together during times of need or distress.
This should not surprise us because we know that Jesus frequently spent time alone in prayer and he taught the disciples to pray. Prayer was a significant part of Jesus’ ministry and it should be for believers today.
I am convinced that one of the reasons the early church prayed together so often and prayed with such intensity is because they clearly recognized their complete and utter dependence on God. We would do well to recover such a sense of dependence on God in our lives today!
Stanley Grenz, a theologian and author writes this in his book Prayer: The Cry for the Kingdom.
“The greatest challenge facing the church of Jesus Christ today, and therefore every local congregation, is motivating the people of God to engage in sincere, honest, fervent prayer.”
Another lesson that we can learn from this story is that the most powerful weapon we have for fighting evil in our lives and in the world is prayer.
Think about it… We can protest. We can vote. We can point fingers. We can feed the hungry and clothe the poor.
Or we can pray. Only in prayer do we call on God to act. Only through prayer is the kingdom of God ushered into our lives and the lives of others. Prayer is the most powerful weapon we have for fighting evil. The intense prayer made by the church to God for Peter was the cause behind God sending the angel to free Peter from Herod.
Ephesians 6:12 tells us clearly that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Finally, we have to recognize that Satan knows that prayer is the most powerful weapon we have, for fighting evil in ourselves and the evil in the world, and he’ll do anything he can to stop us from praying.
In the early 19th century, a pastor and Army chaplain named E M Bounds wrote this.
“One of Satan’s wiliest tricks is to destroy the best by the good. Business and other duties are good, but we are so filled with these that they crowd out and destroy the best. Prayer holds the citadel for God, and if Satan can by any means weaken prayer he is a gainer so far, and when prayer is dead the citadel is taken.”
Satan knows what prayer can do. He knows how powerful God is. Don’t let Satan stop you from praying. And let’s not let Satan stop us from being a praying church.
New Sunday Night Series: Christianity and Culture
We are beginning a new discipleship series at Neel Road for the summer called Christianity and Culture. Throughout the summer we will explore what the Bible says about some of the most controversial topics and current events in society today.
What’s the point? The point is to challenge some of our cultural assumptions about what we believe and to find out what the Bible really says about some of these sticky issues.
Join us all summer long at 6:30 pm in the Multipurpose Room for careful study of God’s Word and thoughtful discussion.
(Schedule may change.)
June
5 Are Christians too political? Should Christians participate in politics at all?
12 Many people believe in angels, but do we really know what they are?
19 Canceled – Father’s Day
26 What does the Bible really say about abortion and capital punishment?
July
3 Canceled – July 4 Holiday
10 What is homosexuality and what does the Bible say about it? How should Christians treat homosexuals?
17 What does the Bible say about drinking alcohol? Is it okay for Christians to consume alcohol or not? (Led by Graham Culbertson)
24 Is heaven real? Does it even matter if it is or not? If it’s real, what is it like?
31 Is hell real or just a trick used by the Church to make people be good? What does the Bible really say about hell?
August
7 Racism is a big problem in America. What does the Bible say about it?
14 What about Islam? Is it an evil religion? How should Christians treat Muslims?
21 Environmentalism is a big political issue, but is it an issue for Christians? Does the Bible say anything about it?
28 One of the biggest plagues of the 20th century is materialism and consumerism. Is what we do with our money any of God’s business?
Ladies’ Brunch
Mothers, bring your daughters! Daughters, bring your mothers! Ladies, bring your friends!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
10am – 12pm
Featuring: Alyce Kemp-DeWitt
“It’s All in the Way You Look At It!”
Alyce is a motivational speaker who will help us through all of life’s ups and downs in a humorous and entertaining way. She will encourage us all to take a new look at ourselves, our attitudes, and what we want in life.
If you have any questions, please call the church office.
*There is no charge, but donations are accepted.
**There will not be child care provided during this event.