10/19/08 SLFC Pastor Jeff 3rd service Sunday

Neh 2:20 God will give us success; therefore we his servants will
arise and build

We are his house

3 John 1:1
“Walk the walk”

3 John 1:4 walked in truth
Ps 40: 1-2
Brought me up out of pit, on miry clay, set feet on the rock

Eph 2:10
We are his workmanship which God prepared beforehand that we may be
fruitful

God has made our footsteps firm
Able to do all we could ask or think Read the rest of this entry »

10/17/08 Pastor Jeff SLFC fri night
Luke 24:49
Acts 1:8
We are not powerless, we have been empowered,
Jesus opens their mind to understand scriptures

I am sending forth the promise…
Stay until you are clothed with power from on high

Acts 1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s what I am struggling with: every week I take sermon notes at church on my iPhone. Usually they are pretty good, but let’s face it, I sometimes miss info, have typos, and whatnot, so I wouldn’t want to say they are a perfect representation of what was said. But for the most part, they are pretty good, and would probably be helpful to those who attend St. Louis Family Church. At the least, I catch most of the scripture references.

But here’s the dilemma. I simply don’t have enough time to edit all the notes and make them as perfect as I would like them to be and still post them on a timely basis. Not unless I make this my new full-time job.

So here’s what I am considering: if I post a disclaimer about the fact that these notes are not perfect and should not be taken as the “gospel” truth (ha, ha this play on words makes me laugh!), then perhaps it would be useful to people if I went ahead and posted them.

Thoughts, anyone?

Since I quit my job earlier this year and started working freelance from home, it’s been a big transition. But let’s face it: the biggest transition I’m still dealing with is losing my mom. Suffice it to say that it’s been a tough two years.

The good news is that with God, I have a good life. I’ve been blessed with some really cool writing and marketing opportunities, and Brett’s company is busy with work too. When you have to work hard for every dollar–no steady paycheck or raises–it brings us back to where we should be: dependent on God.

Lately, I’ve been working hard to get into the Word more; I know I need it. But more than just reading, I am working to ponder a verse or two and really get it in me.

I’ve had some difficulties with sickness this summer, so this is a verse that I am constantly reminding myself of: “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up.” James 5:15

The other verse I’ve been focusing on today is: “Grace and peace be yours in abundance.” 1 Peter 1:2b

SLFC 9/21/08 3rd service, Pastor Virgil

Fight to the center of the universe and shout I’ll live and not die

The Blessed Believer – part 2

God wants you blessed
Reason for the message
1 God loved you
2 God wants to bold the church through you and me
blessing so you can bless others

Gives wealth for his covenant
3 God wants to Reach the lost

World looking for a strong church – not broken, broke, busted

6 characteristics of blessed believer
1. Got to believe heb 11: faith is things Not seen
2 Need to know God’s ways
Sowing and reaping, why and how we give

4 blessed believers must work hard
Work is a gift of God
Ex God himself – Gen 1-2 God worked hard
Gen 2:1- worked 6 days and rested when he finished his work
Finish the job not just your shift

Keep moving forward
Do whatever I have to do to get the job done

Work won’t kill you but worry will
Rather work than worry

Neh 2:18
They set their hands to this good work

God blesses what you set your hands to

Pick a good work

People has a mind to work
Col 3:17 whatever you do, do it in the name of Jesus
Better attitude – got raises
Changed attitude & God blessed me

Neh 6:3
Doing a great work- don’t get distracted
Raise the bar

Neh 6:15 – finished the wall in 52 days
Finish the work

Prov 6
Go to the ant you sluggard, watch the ant, when will you rise?
Ants – lessons
1. Self motivated
Grow up get up and go to work

2. Long term perspective
Winter’s coming
God will satisfy you with long life
Store up, not hoard

3. Work hard during harvest
4. Took care of their own
Not workee, no eatee
Thess

Don’t work too hard

Worship, work, play – balance these three
Don’t worship your work
Don’t work at playing
don’t play at worship

Don’t work at worship
Don’t worship play

5.Walk in wisdom
Wisdom – Make best use of knowledge
Wisdom output
Knowledge input
Study for knowledge – can’t pray for that, like praying for muscles
Need to give wisdom something to work with

Prov 4:5-7
Get wisdom

Ways to get wisdom
1. Hearing and obeying the word
Deut 4:5
Knowing the statutes and judgement
And walkIng in obedience

2. Pray for it James 1:5
3. Study the ant – look at others who have wisdom
If you are the smartest, need new friends, need someone to challenge you

Matt 25
Wise and foolish virgins
Wise had some oil reserves
Trim their lamps – quit spending, cut costs
Bridegrooms – foolish no oil
Wise – said no
Learn how to say no

No to loan
Resolved in my heart that I wouldn’t ask for money

6. Blessed believers receive
John 14:24 that your joy may be full
Must believe when you ask
Matt 21:22
Ask in faith

Must have patience
Heb through faith and patience

Humble self
James 4:6
1 Peter 5:5
ask believe be humble

Submit to God and pastors

Sent from my iPhone

I am basically writing today’s post so I can remind myself later of this great promise. It’s easy to forget, to get hung up in the day’s troubles.

I was reading the Bible and this verse stuck out at me.

“Let us hold firmly to the hope that we have confessed, because we can trust God to do what he promised.” Hebrews 10:23

Isn’t it funny how you’ll be reading along… blah, blah, blah… and then a sentence or two stops you. That’s what happened to me. I read it again. Then I said, “I can trust God to do what he promised.”

I can trust God.

I’m not sure where I came across this quote, but I like it.

Never respond out of fear, and never fear to respond. Action attacks fear; inaction builds fear.

What action can we take? Cast all our cares on Jesus.

Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. (1 Pet. 5:7)

What? You can give up worry? How?

I think about when I was little… I don’t remember worry being a part of my life. I don’t remember having many concerns. I guess I just trusted my parents to take care of everything.

Is this what God means when he says childlike faith?

If only we could go outside and play all day. Maybe it would help?

To help me figure this out… I looked  up divine providence. The definition is the protective care of God. Trust the protective care of God.

Lord, help me to do that every moment of every day.

I liked this statement because it reminded me that complaining is on the same level with any other vice. People give up smoking. Sweets. Watching too much TV. Alcohol. Drugs.

But how many of us think about giving up complaining?

I’d like to give up complaining. I think I’ll work on it a bit harder.

I’ve never been a big fan of change.

I came across a good definition of change when I was reading an article from Joyce Meyer’s magazine (not sure who wrote it, since I ripped out the page).

It says: “Change means we stop doing something we’re doing and start doing something we aren’t doing. It’s letting go of something we like–to take hold of something we’re not sure about. This can also happen even if we haven’t enjoyed what we’ve been doing for the past 100 years. We can still be afraid to let go because even if we don’t like it, we at least know what it is. This fear of change can cause us to feel ripped apart and have a divided heart.

“Faith propels us to take a chance–to step out and find out. We need to be willing to try and risk being wrong–if that’s what it takes to find out what God has for us.”