Humility…

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Lifestyle Evangelism!

Achieving the following goals is the heartbeat of the Leadership and staff of New Hope @ the Cornerstone.

Walk in the Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24)

Worship regularly. “For where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there I am in the midst of them”. (Matthew 18:20)

Grow in Christ. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

Share Christ. “let the redeemed of the Lord say so,whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy”. (Psalm 107:2)

Care for others. “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”. (Matthew 25:37-40)

Travel heavenward. “Be thou faithful until death, and I will give thee the crown of life”. (Revelation 2:10)

The goal we should keep in mind is to help people within our influence more clearly understand the message of the gospel so they can make their own decisions based upon truth.

1. Be Consistent: we witness by what we say and what we don’t say. Speaking well of others, always being truthful, not complaining or gossiping — all these make a powerful impact on others. The negative person who constantly complains is making an impression too, but it is the wrong impression.

2. Be Helpful: little kindnesses done for other will make a favorable impression on them.

3. Use your testimony. This will always be better than trying to stand on a soap box and tell a bunch of dos and don’ts.

4. Don’t argue. Paul instructed Timothy, “Remind your people of these great facts, and command them in the name of the Lord not to argue over unimportant things. Such arguments are confusing and useless, and even harmful”. (2 Timothy 2:14)

5. Learn to Listen. People are looking for those who care enough to listen to them without JUDGING or giving advice. If you are a good listener, you will know when a person is hurting and you will be able to minister to their needs.

Lifestyle Evangelism is a good and natural thing; and because it is a long term process, we can develop meaningful relationships with those who need Christ. Once others learn you are a Christian they will be watching every day to see if your walk is as good as your talk!

Albert Schweitzer said it best: “Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing”

Have we looked at the Harvest before us? Have we been moved by what we have seen? Are we ready to embrace those around us who need Christ? The early church looked out and lived within the Harvest, and thankfully their efforts are still producing results around the world, why not get involved in this life giving perpetuating of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

It may seem dramatic to the reader, however I truly believe this is our churches final and finest hour! What we are moving into will happen through our evangelist fervor, our doctrinal purity, our spiritual balance, our breadth and our correctness of vision! Our thought patterns, our operational procedures, our communication tools, our openness to change and suggestions and our willingness to adapt will have a tremendous impact upon a new generation, therefore we must strive to make the impact positive and worthy of our Kingdom Heritage,

As a church we desperately need MATURE believers, men and women who understand the realities of spiritual warfare and who boldly stand forth to engage the enemy. We need praying partners to hold up the arms of our leaders. We need strong families to undergird the moral values that we hold dear. We need to be a growing church that inspires our community. We need as never before a concerted effort to win the lost; and we believe it can be done through personal discipleship guided by the Holy Spirit.

We truly believe that New Hope @ the Cornerstone has a divine mandate from the Lord. We believe this church was called, structured and raised up for a purpose and that the role we have played up until this moment has been significant but pales in comparison the the mighty Pentecostal revival that is and is about to sweep the entire world.

Most importantly than anything it is my conviction that the best years of the church and Spiritual outpouring are still yet ahead of us. There are greater victories to be won. This is more, much more, to be done; and we are determined to be faithful to “that heavenly vision” that God has entrusted to us!

A TRUE HEART FOR DISCIPLESHIP!

In this world we are living in trying to really understand the heartbeat of Jesus and the mission of the Church is at times very tough! We have to literally at times bring things to a screeching sudden stop to really look at what we are doing and evaluate if it is a work of the Spirit or the flesh. I am convinced that if we really took a look, much of what we do and the energy we exude is for no effect and purpose because at times it is just us going through the motions. I would like us to pause for a few moments and really look and evaluate our discipleship, our discipline and the reason behind everything we do…

Today Discipleship is being discussed on many Facebook conversations and people I talk to these days, and that is great news! I have been passionate and active in making disciples for over two decades, and it touches me deeply to see so much discipleship discussion happening in the today. However I do believe that many people discussing discipleship actually lack a complete understanding of what it is! Most believers have a genuine desire to participate in the Great Commission; however they aren’t really sure what to do and where to start. I pray that these words will be helpful to the reader, no matter what stage of life you are in, as you pray about what God is calling you to do in the area of discipling or even your own personal discipleship process.

Often, if we don’t know what to do, we do nothing at all. We may see the problem, but if we don’t know how to practically solve it, we avoid it. Discipleship starts with integrity, how do people view you and the way you speak love and treat others?

For many years we have thought discipleship is just learning as much information that we can about Jesus. Filling our heads with knowledge about Him. While growing in our knowledge of Jesus is certainly part of discipleship, it’s not all of it. Many of us are good at articulating and sharing the gospel, but we’re not good at sharing our lives. Yes, we learn information but if we never pass that on we merely become a gospel consumer and not a coworker. The truth is that the gospel came to you because it was heading to someone else.

We live in a society where we were taught that the pastors and elders of the church do all the ministry instead of equipping the saints for the work of ministry. Looking at Jesus as our example, we don’t see Him constantly inviting everyone to the synagogues to hear the Rabbi preach or teach that weekend; we see Him being the guide to a group of disciples on a daily basis and living life with them. He was teaching the disciples to follow after Him as He followed after God. That is discipleship, learning to emulate the love and kind gentle spirit of the one we follow!

Looking at Jesus as our model for the method of making disciples, we see that He was intentional in how He led them. He was always teaching them His Word. He taught them how to minister to others. He let them assist Him in doing the work of ministry until they were ready to be sent out to do ministry on their own. They weren’t “assisting” Him anymore; they were on the front lines themselves! Imagine the conversations that took place when they all returned and shared what God had done on their trips! Discipleship changes the “come and see” mentality to a “go and tell” one. True discipleship teaches you to live out your faith.

It will be helpful to define some disciple-making terms before we discuss practical tips. Discipleship is intentionally equipping believers with the Word of God through accountable relationships, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in order to replicate faithful followers of Christ. You don’t point fingers, judge use critical conversation to challenge or change others you live it out daily in front of them……they will know you are a disciple by your love!!!!!

What is most important to consider is that you cannot make disciples if you aren’t one yourself. You have to be teachable and be able to yourself receive discipline. Discipleship is a lifestyle, not something we turn on and off one time a week when we sit around a table with a group of others, or are posting or sharing pious statements on Facebook! On a side note, discipleship happens around tables, not in rows. It’s not a lecture but a dialogue/discussion. A disciple is who we are every day, all day and using the overflow of our own relationship with the Lord to invest that into others. If I am not spending time with the Lord, I have nothing to draw from in order to pour into someone else. My spiritual well would be empty and dry. However, if I am saturating myself with Scripture, I will not be able to help myself as I share that with others because my cup is full and overflowing!

I believe there are three major sources to draw from when investing in the lives of others—God’s Word, God’s Work, and God’s Wonder (the Holy Spirit living inside of us). God’s Word is the centerpiece of all that discipleship is! His Word is where we learn knowledge, wisdom, and truth. His Work is where we apply and live out the knowledge, wisdom, and truth we learn. And we do all this through depending on His Spirit living inside of us.

The power of His Holy Word is amazing! I tell everyone that I have the privilege of meeting with that God’s Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). I want to drive this home—it is living and breathing and it is doing something! It never returns void and always accomplishes it purpose and shall succeed in the thing for which God sent it (Isaiah 55:11).

Let’s consider His work in our life. God has given you a lifetime of lessons and experiences that only you can share. Nothing has happened by chance in our lives. God is very intentional and doesn’t make mistakes. If He has allowed something in your life, it wasn’t only meant for you to learn and grow but it was meant for others, too. Remember what God has done, reflect on that, remind yourself if you need to and retell it.

The Holy Spirit is our constant companion and guide in the Christian life. Acts 1:8 says that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us to be His witnesses. John 14:26 tells us that the Holy Spirit is our Counselor sent to us by God who will teach us all things and remind us of everything Jesus has said. Making disciples requires a dependence on the Holy Spirit. You need His wisdom and discernment throughout the entire process, and Jesus has fully equipped us to be coworkers in reaching the ends of the earth by sending us His Spirit.

When I preach or share with others, my mouth may be moving but my head and heart are praying for wisdom to address whatever is being asked or shared! Living as a disciple means living with a constant dependence on Jesus. A verse that I literally pray every day is Psalm 119:18-19 “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. I am a sojourner on the earth, hide not your commandments from me!”

Use the Word and the Work and depend on the Holy Spirit daily to invest in others!

A few tips as you get started.

1. Pray. Jesus prayed all night in Luke 6:12-13 before He called the disciples to Himself. Think about your areas of influence, where you are currently involved, people in your Sunday school, small group, exercise class, your coworkers, etc. Write their names down on a list and pray over them and see if God would have you speak to them.

2. Plan your process. It is essential to have a Bible reading plan to go through. Determine the time frame that you will meet (12-18 months). Learn to live by this saying—if you fail to plan you can plan to fail. You need a plan in discipleship. What do you want to accomplish in the time you have with your family and others!

3. Daily speak, live and walk out the love of Jesus Christ in your Life and you will have many opportunities to share and live our your discipleship practically. If you are negative, critical, judgmental, arrogant or proud you will never be able to reproduce your faith in anyone!

4. Keep a Positive attitude! Always remember Philippians 4:8 and live by it! “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” This is the attitude that will help you reproduce and be a strong disciple but also a tremendous discipler!

Keep your eyes open a tremendous Discipleship group program is starting @New Hope, January 2018

The threshold!

I am not even certain how long it’s been since I last penned my thoughts and was actually able to freely write down what was happening on the inside of me, however over the past Month, and even months I have been going through a metamorphosis of sorts. I find that certain ideas are evolving, the sense of who John actually is, apart from all of the mundane things of life are beginning to be uncovered and I am starting to like what I am seeing.

I have thought about this one word “threshold” for quite some time because it is apparent to me that there is something significant with this term threshold. I had to look up the word just to see if my sense of understanding was correct and what I found out totally stretched me. 1.The door; stone, or plank under a door, 2. the boundary of an end or a beginning, 3. Endurance, what a person can physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually tolerate.

As I began to reflect on that one word and put into introspection all of the events of my life I began to see a natural recurring pattern and believe that it is true for every human person that today lives. Wow what an eye opener every day of my life I step across a threshold to get from one place to another without ever fully understanding it’s significance. So much of life happens on the fly and we truly miss it, we can drive the same direction and on the same road for years and miss houses, building and even nature that has been there the whole time or was it not there because we failed to notice it? We walk through this life and I often wonder at the end of the day what did i miss? Chance encounters? Awesome people that I could add to my beautiful assorment of accessories, or even just the adventure of seeing things through different eyes and with a different perspective.

It’s awesome how two people can see, feel and experience something and come away with a totally differing perspective from the other. I look at this threshold and for my own life see a great significance and authoritative statement. A Boundary is a form of containment, it can either keep you in or out and without the proper opening that threshold will limit your access and or exit. So many people walk through this life and never cross the threshold into their future because of fear, pain hurt and anxiety. People from everywhere today are calling for authenticity and trust and because of a lack of trust the threshold is never breached.

Also the threshold of our endurance and understanding is often never pushed. Today is a new day, there are new ideas and thoughts with unlimited potential and opportunities but we must be willing to allow our thresholds to be breached and even realigned so that we may feel, and experience things that we would never have felt or experienced before. The Australian climber George Finch, decided after disastrous failures that he would go literally where no one had ever gone before placing his feet where no feet had been expanding the boundaries and threshold of endurance for his own life and would be the first to climb all the way to the top of the treacherous Mt. Everest.

What an exhilarating thought, to go where no one has ever been before, to feel what no one has ever felt and from the top to see what no one had ever seen. This could only take place at the crossing of a threshold and moving forward and the expanding of a threshold that said even though it’s never been done before it’s still possible.

For me I am tired of the threshold being a barrier keeping me from what I have only dreamed of and am determined to make strides towards those things that are impossible and to internally increase my tolerance and quest for trust. It is worth the effort, the toil and the struggle, just cross the threshold and don’t look back! What about you, are you being contained? Are you on the verge of something wonderful but to afraid to experience what you have never experienced before? Or are you so single minded that you cannot broaden your horizons.

I am ready for the adventure to truly begin in my life for the first time! Love you all!

A New Season?!?

Wow has it ever been a long time since I have use this blog, maybe its just what the Dr. ordered.  I have been mulling over this term that has become so frequently used, “It’s a new season”  My question is whats wrong with the old one?  Yea I know that Ecclesiastes declares to every thing there is a season….signifying and declaring that things come and go, but hey maybe the problem isn’t my season or even where I am, maybe the problem is me?

So many people are looking for ways to cope these days, maybe your still in the right season, maybe it’s not time to dash away the old like trash, the same scriptures are true concerning not forgetting the old and nt turning your back on where you came from.  I guess today I would like to submit the thought maybe its time to hold on, hang on right in there where you are now work on becoming a new you in your Present season so that you can truly get out of where you are exactly what God has for you.

just saying……

Making the Grade!

Have you ever wondered how you stack up as it pertains to where you are in God and where you should be?  I realize that the word of God is like a mirror, when we read it we see our reflection and how we stack up to God’s requirements.  I don’t like mirrors, because I do not like the reflection I see so I tend to stay away from them!  Many people are exactly the same as it pertains to the word of the Lord, and so they stay away from a daily devotional life for fear that they might have to make a change.

As I go forward I realize that I cannot avoid my reflection in the light of His Glory and Grace and it makes me strive to make the Grade and to reach the mark of the high calling of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  So today I make a decision to allow my image to shine through the daily reading of the word of God and allow my flaws and mistakes to shine through because as the probes of Heaven shine we come to the place of repentance and CHANGE!

So as we go through life it’s ok to ask the question am I making the grade as it pertains to God’s word?  God’s word is the standard to which we measure our success!  My prayer is Lord please help me do better and reach toward the mark and the prize of the high calling which is in Christ Jesus!

Blessings!

A Move to New Jersey!

Because of a recent Pastoral change and move to New Jersey I have not been as faithful to this blog as I had originally intentioned, so as of Monday I promise to do better.  Please keep us in prayer and the congregation that the Lord has made us overseers of.  Love all of you.

Let the Adventure Continue? or Begin?

Well as we know an adventure is defined as the following.

1 a : an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks b : the encountering of risks <the spirit of adventure>
2 : an exciting or remarkable experience
3 : an enterprise involving financial risk

As I wrote in an earlier article concerning open doors, it looks as if I have decided to walk through the open door and trust God for His help and guidance.  With a full heart and an overwhelming feeling I resigned as the Pastor of the congregation that I have labored so intensely these past years in order to walk by Faith through an open door that I believe God opened for my family and I.

I talked to the Church on Wed. evening about continuing the adventure not allowing the downs to outweigh the ups and to understand that as it is so sweetly written in ecclesiastics chapter 3 there is a season for everything under the son.  I stressed the importance of keeping our eyes on Jesus and not on any other things in this world, and when we do the things of this world grow strangely dim in the light of his Glory and Grace.  So with that I shared the fact that we were leaving and it honestly was the most difficult thing that I have ever done in my life.  People cried and squalled and you could sense a fear of the unknown among the people.  Honestly I left the platform and went and sat down in the dirt outside the Church and asked God for clarity and direction.

I guess without the unknown there could be no such thing as an adventure!  I honestly have no idea what tomorrow holds but truthfully I do not care, I have re focused my attention upon Jesus Christ and without a doubt I know that He knows what lies ahead and I have no fear of the unknown.  It maybe unknown to me, but He surely knows and His plans are to bless me and not to harm me, to give me a hope and a future, and I stand on that promise.

So let the Adventure continue and honestly begin again, I am ready for the ride that is ahead!

Football season has officially begun!!!

It is official!  College, and Pro football seasons have begun, are you ready for a tailgate party?  The crowds are huge, the fans are screaming money is being made by the millions and people are just having some good fun!  In every arena and stadium across the Nation whether College or Pro people are ready for some football.  Skinny people, Large people, multi-racial people, people from every walk of life converge on one place to shout scream, spend their money and cheer on their team, what could be better?

If it’s college for me I love the Gators and am not a bandwagon fan, I am from Ohio and after we moved to Florida as you know the Buckeyes faced the Gators, I thought the Buckeyes would win, and unfortunately I was wrong.  During all the hype and talking about that Game I was so convinced that i promised my Elder that if the Gators did win I would be a die hard Gator fan for the rest of my life.  Needless to say on Sunday Brother Frank had a new Florida Gators key for my office and the rest is History!  So although it’s a weird story it’s the truth and I’m sticking to it because I am a man of my word.  I know the following picture may not be entirely decent it does reflect my sentiments.

The opening Night of the NFL has brought a black and yellow team to my tv set that I absolutely hate, I am not sure if it’s because my Aunt loves them or not, but I would rather anyone win a game over the Steelers!  I am a New England Patriots fan and am looking forward to their first game, this season appears to have some great things in store, so sit back get the family close and have some fun!

I think that God wants His people to enjoy their lives and to spend time with their family.  Make a commitment to God and to your family and stick with it!  We are better Christians when there is peace at home and that comes through spending quality time with the ones you love the most.  May God help us to be a family and let those that mean the most to us know how we feel!  Should we be any less excited about the Church of God?  We are a family, we are all on the same side and headed in the same direction!  So let the Sunday Morning Worship Tailgate parties BEGIN!

Are you Ready for some football?

Getting ready for a Flight!

Well, my wife and I are preparing for a flight that leaves in the early am.  As we prepare we have so many things to do, packing, making sure the kids will be taken care of, making sure Church will be taking care of, the feeling of not wanting to be away from the kids, and everything that goes along with a 4 day trip.  Probably the hardest part of any trip has to do with the children, boy am I gonna miss and worry about how they are doing and if they are alright, if I haven’t said this before let me say it now; MAN I LOVE THOSE KIDS!

As you go through all this preparation of what you can take, and what you can’t and oh Lord please don’t let us forget anything we need, and please let there be a drug store near the hotel for toiletries, there is an uneasiness.  When you leave there is always a feeling in the pit of your stomach that you have forgotten something, but it soon goes away.  When you begin boarding you pray Lord don’t let me get stuck between to healthy people, but this trip will be my wife and I and we will be fine.

As I thought about all of that I began to think about a Flight that each of us is preparing to take in the near future we hope.  The scriptures tell us that “the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the arch angel and the trumpet of God will sound, and those that are dead in Christ will rise first and we that are alive and remain will be caught up together with the Lord in the air and there shall we ever be with the Lord.”  We are not sure when but we are sure this will soon take place, and as it is with earthly flights and all the preparation that must be done to leave, the same must take place for our final flight that will take us from this earth.

We don’t have time for preparation, we must be and stay ready for this Heavenly flight.  The same concerns over children are there concerning their eternal soul and final destination.  That same uneasiness about if they are prepared to meet the Lord, and if as a parent I have done everything to get them ready, and make sure that they are ready should today be our last.

I guess as a parent all we can do is our best, and trust that the Lord will fulfill His word and keep that which we commit unto him against that day.  So without fear we prepare and stay ready for our Flight that could take place any day now.  As for now I am ready to go!