Pray and Never Give Up – 5

 Pray and Never Give Up – 5

Subject: Vision Beyond Your Resources

By Rick Welborne

Joshua 6:1-5 (NKJV)
¹  Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.
²  And the LORD said to Joshua: "See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.
³  You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days.
⁴  And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
⁵  It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him." 

Numbers 11:31-32 (NLT)
³¹  Now the LORD sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall all around the camp. For miles in every direction there were quail flying about three feet above the ground.
³²  So the people went out and caught quail all that day and throughout the night and all the next day, too. No one gathered less than fifty bushels! They spread the quail all around the camp to dry. 

--We have been speaking about praying walls will come down and about dreaming big dreams. We want you to dream God-sized dreams that only God can do. Many times when we dream like this we will look foolish.

--Faith is the willingness to look foolish for God no matter what anyone else thinks. Noah looked foolish building a boat in the desert, Israel looked foolish marching around Jericho, David against Goliath…foolish!

--Peter looked foolish getting out of a boat and walking on water, the Magi looked foolish following a star, and I am sure Jesus looked foolish wearing a crown of thrones. 

--The results speak for themselves…Noah and family was saved from the flood, the walls of Jericho fell down flat, David killed Goliath, Peter walked on water, the Magi found the Messiah, Jesus was crowned King.

--Moses had a habit of looking foolish…standing before Pharaoh and demanding Israel’s release, raising his staff over the Red Sea, and reporting meat to eat for all of Israel. The bigger the dream…you feel foolish.

--You see, it is crazy enough to want to be a great missions church and to throw abundant resources toward that, but it can seem just a little crazy and foolish to talk about another campus…multiple campuses.

--Many times we sit back and look at our dreams and we have to simply say…this is crazy…this is too much! I am backing God into a corner that He cannot fulfill! Really? Was it a God dream or not!

1. To have vision beyond your resources you must be willing to take a risk.

--Imagine Peter getting out of the boat to walk on water…to have vision we must take risk. The greatest adventures you will have in your life will take risk but they will be the most unforgettable…sky diving.

--My wife decided to go for the best…typical sky divers jump from about 12,000 feet but that was not good enough for me…the highest a non-military person can do is 19,000 feet…that was what she got me.

--A couple years before she had my “death insurance” increased…I told my sons at that time that if anything happened to have their mom investigated. You hit the ground from 19,000 feet you are dead.

--The moments of training and the time waiting is only to build up your anticipation (my son Joshua went also). You board the plane with parachute on attached to another sky diver. The old plane climbs higher and higher.

--The look on Joshua’s face was priceless as I asked him was he ok and he said “No!” He jumped! My turn now. This is crazy, this is crazy, this crazy…Jump…This is wonderful! This is awesome! I might throw up!

--We fell for a minute and a half before we opened our chute…We could see the Atlantic Ocean, the Space Coast, and it was so exhilarating…if there is no “This is crazy” there may never be a “This is wonderful.” 

--If you are unwilling to take the risk of circling the city, stepping out of the boat, praying for the prodigal, starting the campus, increasing the Missions, you may just forfeit the miracle. 

Mark Batterson: The greatest chapters in history always begin with risk, and the same is true with the chapters in your life. If you’re unwilling to risk your reputation, you’ll never build a boat like Noah or get out of the boat like Peter. You cannot build God’s reputation if you are not willing to risk yours. There comes a moment when you need to make the call or make the move. Be a risk takers.

--How do we get to that point of taking Godly risk?

Vision, passion, discipline, and risk.

A. Vision - Godly vision is the power to see beyond our limitations.  

B.   Vision produces or results in passion. Passion is being empowered by what we see. If you see people with no passion - you know they have no vision. 

--Webster says passion is the intense, compelling emotion evidenced in decisive, courageous action. Carl Barth “Passion is fear that said its prayers” Paul’s passion - For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

C. Vision and passion produce or results in discipline. 

D. Vision, passion, and discipline give you the courage to take risks. Risk is spending your life making a difference that your dreams dared you to believe.

Vision – passion – discipline – risk. Risk without discipline is recklessness. Discipline without passion is legalism. Passion without vision is hype. Vision without Christ is meaningless.

--If Faith Promises seem to be taking a risk for you, maybe that should be where you start. Trust God with your Faith Promise and see what God will do…not really risky based on God’s Word.

2. To have vision beyond our resources we must understand that the math will not add up.

--I love the transparency of the Scriptures because not only do we have trouble doing the math but a man (Moses) who talked to God face to face had problems with it. Let’s back up a little.

--The Israelites were complaining…what a shock! Numbers 11 starts out with people in the camp complaining and fire coming down from Heaven and killing a few of them…that should be a deterrent but no!

--If I could never understand Israel’s complaining before…I really get it with this one. They wanted meat! They missed meat! They had ba-manna bread, ba-manna sandwiches, ba-manna stew…they wanted meat.

Numbers 11:4-6 (NIV)
⁴  The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat!
⁵  We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost--also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.
⁶  But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!" 

--What they forgot was that, even though their food was free, they were not. Many died. What a powerful message…you can go back to fulfill your out of control appetite but you will go back to bondage.  

--They cried at the doors of their houses but missed the miracle God sent every day for them thru the manna. We are guilty of the same thing…we forget the miracles of our bodies, our hearts, our lungs, our vision.

--We forget we are on a planet traveling 67,000 miles per hour and spinning on its axis at 1000 miles per hour. We are on a round rock but we can stand on the side, the top, the bottom, and not fall off…a miracle of gravity.

--We are surrounded by miracles yet we complain. We never have enough! Moses was a true pastor and he voiced what so many of us pastors feel at different times. Listen to him with these complainers:

Numbers 11:13-15 (NIV)
¹³  Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, 'Give us meat to eat!'
¹⁴  I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.
¹⁵  If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now--if I have found favor in your eyes--and do not let me face my own ruin."

--God hears the whining of the people and the burden of His servant Moses and promises one of the most unbelievable miracles ever heard of and the math does not add up.

--He promises them, not just meat for a day or two, not just meat for a week or two but so much meat for an entire month that the meat will be coming out their nostrils. Snot good! He wasn’t picking!

--Sounds like the kid with five pieces of bread and two pieces of fish…the math just not add up…not possible.

Numbers 11:21-24 (NIV)
²¹  But Moses said, "Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, 'I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!'
²²  Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?"
²³  The LORD answered Moses, "Is the LORD's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you."
²⁴  So Moses went out and told the people what the LORD had said.

--Can you relate to Moses? Take that job that pays less, but it doesn’t add up. Go on that Mission’s trip you can’t afford; it doesn’t add up. Adopt a child, it doesn’t add up. Do a Faith Promise, it doesn’t add up!

--Build a new sanctuary but make sure you give more to Missions while you are doing it…the math, our math just does not add up but God has different math.

--Moses had no earthly idea how God was going to keep His promise, but that isn’t our business anyway. That is God’s business. 

--Too often we let the how get in the way of what God wants us to do. We can’t figure out how to do what God calls us to do, so we don’t do it at all. 

3. To have vision beyond our means we must being willing to trust God and to trust the wind.

Numbers 11:31-32 (NIV)
³¹  Now a wind went out from the LORD and drove quail in from the sea. It brought them down all around the camp to about three feet above the ground, as far as a day's walk in any direction.
³²  All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers. Then they spread them out all around the camp.

--Israel had set up camp in the desert of Paran. OK, why is that significant? Paran was fifty miles from the Mediterranean Sea and fifty miles southwest of the dead sea. So? Quail tend to live close to water.

--Quail don’t fly long distances…so how did they get to the camp? God sent a wind, a supernatural wind to blow them in…Correct me if I am wrong, isn’t wind used as an illustration or type of Holy Spirit. Stay with me.

--There were quail hovering three feet deep a day’s walk in any direction (a day’s walk was approximately 15 miles). Square the radius and multiply by pi…you are talking of 700 sg. miles…Quail-mageddon!

--If we just count the 600,000 soldiers times 10 homers…6 million homers of quail. Let’s say the quail were of normal size…you are looking at around 105 million quail…and you are worried about a Faith Promise. 

--You see, when God wants to send a miracle and the math doesn’t add up…all He has to do is send a supernatural wind (Holy Spirit) and the miracle is done.

Acts 2:1-2 (NKJV)
¹  When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
²  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 

 

Revival Praying – 6

 Revival Praying – 6

Subject – Giving Thanks as a Big Part of Our Praying

By Rick Welborne

Philippians 4:4-9 (NKJV)
⁴  Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
⁵  Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
⁶  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
⁷  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
⁸  Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.
⁹  The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. 

--With thanksgiving…The Apostle Paul was exhorting us to not be afraid but to pray. How many of you know it is easy with what is going on in our world to be afraid?

--Paul was definitely telling the church at Philippi to pray but he wants them to understand one of the greatest keys to approaching God…approaching Him with thanksgiving.

--Many of us without doubt approach God with our list of things we want Him to do and unfortunately, many times, we forget to thank God in advance for what we are asking Him to do. 

--There is no telling how many times I have read our text and how many times I have preached these verses. But Holy Spirit is so faithful to highlight what we need to see when we need to see it. Verse 9.

Philippians 4:9 (NKJV)
⁹  The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. 

--The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do. These words jumped off the page as I considered our Revival Praying and I thought about us being thankful.

--No disciple of Christ, as far as I can tell, suffered more than Paul and he encourages us to emulate his life. Not necessarily all his pain, but his attitude toward it. 

--We, most of the time, pray for ourselves or others for God to deliver us or them from what we are suffering but not Paul. Consider when he was toward the end of his life.

Acts 20:22-25 (NKJV)
²²  And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there,
²³  except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me.
²⁴  But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
²⁵  And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more.

--Our human response to these things is to pray against them, rebuke them, not to submit ourselves to them like Paul. It goes against much of what the church has taught for years.

 Acts 21:12-14 (NKJV)
¹²  Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem.
¹³  Then Paul answered, "What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."
¹⁴  So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, "The will of the Lord be done."

1. The Lord’s will be done.

--What a concept! What an idea! When Paul wouldn’t listen to the saints they finally prayed, “The will of the Lord be done.”

--I have actually heard people say that praying that prayer is a lack of faith and a sign of weakness. What about Jesus? Didn’t He pray that prayer three times in the garden?

Matthew 26:42 (NKJV)
⁴² …He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."

--I personally do not believe it is a lack of faith but an act of submission. Jesus asked the Father, if it was possible, for Him to be delivered but when He understood it was not to be so…Your will be done.

--Could it be possible that we are praying the wrong prayer when we or our brothers or sisters are going through adversity? We may be working against the plan of God to pray they get delivered. What?

--If we would have been there when Joseph was thrown into a pit, falsely accused in Potiphar’s house, thrown in prison, we would have probably tried to rescue him.

--Let’s say we did rescue him. Who would have made it to the number two leadership in Egypt and ended up saving the then known world from starvation? Even God’s people.

--What about Paul, when he was shipwrecked, when he was being beaten, when he was being stoned, and when he was put in prison? Would we have the prison epistles? Two-thirds of the New Testament?

1 Peter 4:19 (NKJV)
¹⁹  Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

--What if, as soon as I got sick a few weeks ago, if I would have been immediately healed instead of spending three nights in the hospital? Would I have been blessed? Yes!

--But as it was with Joseph and with Paul, it is not always all about us. This new gospel seems to be that way. God is always thinking about the lost and we should be too.

--The next time you face a sickness, a trial, great adversity, just ask the Lord who does He want to touch, save, or encourage. Then, submit yourself to the will of God. He will take care of you when the time is right.

2. Pray in the Spirit (Holy Spirit).

Romans 8:26-28 (NIV)
²⁶  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
²⁷  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
²⁸  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

--I see five things in these three verses that are very important if we will do Revival Praying or spiritual battle as we intercede.

A. Holy Spirit is available to help us in our weakness, sickness, or adversity.

B. Holy Spirit is available to help us when we do not know what to pray. He intercedes for us.

C. Holy Spirit knows what is in our hearts and will work on our behalf.

D. Holy Spirit prays through us in accordance with God’s will. God, your will be done.

E. Holy Spirit is working with the Father to make sure things turn out for our good.

--Many times when I am praying for my family or you guys, I don’t know what to pray so I pray in the Spirit knowing that I am praying the will of God and knowing I am praying for your good. 

--Example: Pastor, pray for my son to get out of jail so he can get help. Well, I don’t know if God wants him out of jail. He may be where God’s wants him to get his attention. 

--So many times Holy Spirit wants to intervene in behalf of our loved ones but He can’t because we intervene for them according to our will and what we think is best. We don’t know. Holy Spirit does.

3. Prayer with thanksgiving. 

Philippians 4:6 (NKJV)
⁶  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

--What Paul is saying here is that at the same time you are asking, you should be thanking God even before the answer comes. Thanks to God sets you up for more opportunities to say thanks.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 (NKJV)
¹⁶  Rejoice always, ¹⁷  pray without ceasing, ¹⁸  in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit.

--These verses tie everything together. Your will be done. What’s His will? Rejoicing, praying continuously, giving thanks, and not quenching Holy Spirit. These are keys to bringing God glory.

--In everything not for everything, give thanks. I didn’t feel led to thank God for being in the hospital, but in my situation, in the hospital, in the harvest field, I felt the need to thank Him. To worship Him.

Psalm 105:1-4 (NKJV)
¹  Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!
²  Sing to Him, sing Psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!
³  Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!
⁴  Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! 

 Revival Praying – 5

Subject – We Must Pray and Stir Ourselves Again

By Rick Welborne

Isaiah 64:1-7 (NKJV)
¹  Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence--
²  As fire burns brushwood, As fire causes water to boil-- To make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence!
³  When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down, The mountains shook at Your presence.
⁴  For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.
⁵  You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned-- In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved.
⁶  But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.
⁷  And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us, And have consumed us because of our iniquities. 

--Let’s face it, America cannot fall because she has already fallen. She cannot go into slavery because she is already chained to self-chosen moral anarchy. Pastor, our team won. Are we winning?

--Sadly there are millions who are diseased morally with no desire for healing and many of them sit on pews or chairs every Sunday filling an obligation but hearts void of Who their Substance is.

--The hope I have for America is based on the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. God said He would spare the city if they could find ten righteous people. I believe we have millions who are crying out to God. 

--Evidently Isaiah lived in a day similar to ours. He is praying an awesome prayer that God would rend the heavens and come down. Join me in praying that prayer.

--Isaiah then says something so sad… there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us, And have consumed us because of our iniquities. 

--I believe he is doing Revival Praying…he is exhorting God’s people to call on God’s Name and for us to stir ourselves to take hold of God. It is the hope of the church and the world. 

--I know the Bible tells us that in the last days there will be a great falling away but it seems the devil is getting so many souls at bargain prices. Who or what has so brainwashed them?

Galatians 3:1-3 (NLT2)
¹  Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross.
²  Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.
³  How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 

1. We must stir ourselves and resist the desire to be lovers of pleasure. 

--The Apostle Paul gives a stern warning to Timothy that in the last day’s people will turn away from God to go after the things of this life. Be honest about these verses:

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NKJV)
¹  But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
²  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
³  unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
⁴  traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
⁵  having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 

--Life Church, we must stir ourselves away from such ungodliness. Pastor Rick, you should be saying this to the world. Really? So much is evident in the church. 

--This is why the church must stir herself and bring herself to a point of repentance and turning back to God. Facebook has great benefits but it also shows those who flaunt their desire to be like the world. No shame.

--Have you ever looked into the eyes of a believer (confessing) and tried to reason with them about doing what is biblical and godly, and then you realize, they have no intentions of doing what is right?

--You see that they are willing to take the chance that God understands why they have chosen the path they are on. God wants me happy. It’s my time to have fun. He wants you holy more than He wants you happy.

Lord Byron’s Lament – I now have ashes where I once had fire, the soul in my body is dead; the thing I once loved, I now merely admire, my heart is as gray as my head.

--Here is a lost man crying out because of the ravages of sin…his loose living, his uncontrolled drinking, and gambling has left him as a shell of a man. What does the church have to offer such a man?

--We need to stir ourselves again and realize that it is truly wonderful that our names are written in the Lambs Book of Life but there are multitudes of people lost without God. 

Leonard Ravenhill (1959) – Since in their freedom men will not heed God, will He have to enslave to Communism the mighty millions of America that they might have time to remember His day, His way, and His Son? Better to die bound in body and free in spirit than free in body and bound in soul!

--May this never happen to us because we are willing to do Revival Praying and we are willing to stir ourselves to take hold of the One Who has taken hold of us. 

Philippians 3:12 (NIV)
¹²  Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 

2. We need to stir ourselves to have hearts ablaze. 

--It is time for the church to have burning hearts, anointed lips, and eyes that are full of the glory of God. We have to shake ourselves so that the scales fall off our eyes. 

Acts 9:17-18 (NIV)
¹⁷  Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
¹⁸  Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,

--Stirring ourselves and getting on fire are just activity filled with futility if we leave out the power of Holy Spirit. Emotions can only take you so far. This is why Paul instructed young Timothy:

2 Timothy 1:6-7&14 (NKJV)
⁶  Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
⁷  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
¹⁴  That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. 

--What gift was Paul speaking about to Timothy? He was talking to Timothy and telling him to be stirred by Holy Spirit Who is dwelling inside of him. Pray in the Spirit.

--Welcoming Holy Spirit in everything we do here at Life Church is not just an exercise in futility. It is serious and real. We need to welcome Him everywhere all the time.

--Your pastor was constantly crying out to God, Holy Spirit while he was in the hospital, yes, for healing but more for God to stir me by His Spirit for the lost and hurting. 

--People do not naturally open their hearts to a complete stranger and confess their hurt and pain unless that person has stirred himself to take hold of God and to be filled with Holy Spirit power.

--Hear your pastor, I was not in the hospital looking for people’s pity, I was on a sent on a mission by God looking for the souls of men. 

--Just had a thought…Let’s say physically we are on our way out of this life headed for eternity and the last act on this earth was praying for someone or trying to lead them to Christ…oh, what glory.

Romans 8:16-18 (KJV)
¹⁶  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
¹⁷  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
¹⁸  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 

3. How can we not stir ourselves when we survey His wonderful cross. 

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸  For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

--We need to, as a church, once again climb up Calvary’s Hill on our knees and survey the wondrous cross in great humility and adoration. How can you consider the cross and not stir yourselves?

Ravenhill – The Church must first repent; then the world will break! The Church must first weep; then our altars will be filled with weeping penitents.

--In our text Isaiah says… there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You! As we consider the cross, let’s be the people who stir themselves.

-- Oh, Lord, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence! Stir yourselves, Life Church, stir yourselves!

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)
¹  Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
²  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Covenant Member’s Class – 2020

Covenant Member’s Class – 2020

Subject – Requirements for Covenant Membership

By Rick Welborne

1. Importance of being in Covenant.

–Many have resisted church membership because of a variety of reasons...they have been hurt at another church, they have seen the abuse of leadership, seen splits, and maybe have doubted if membership or being in covenant is biblical...hopefully we can answer these.

–If you have been in church any time at all you have probably been hurt or seen things that have not been Christian...things that have caused hurt and pain.

–Question: Have many of you who are married been hurt by your spouse and have thought...what in the world was I thinking when I married this person...Poor Tricia!

–We stood before a preacher or judge and made a vow (that is what they are called “wedding vows”) and promised for better or for worse, rich or poor, sickness and in health...until death do we part...it was a covenant before God. Sadly, broken!

 –Tricia and I committed to never allow the word “divorce” to be brought up even when we are angry...never thought of divorce...murder but not divorce.

–The marriages that have the most problems are those who entered into them with the thought of what can I get out of this relationship...not what can I give. Escape clause!

–When a couple comes to me and wants to get married...many are so goo goo eyed and can’t see reality because of their infatuation with each other...I just love him or her...!!!!

–When you entered into those vows or covenant you should be sober (in every sense of the word) and with your eyes wide open. Exp. - Was he that way when you met him?

–As covenant members we cleave to our local church (to each other) with the same kind of gravity (commitment) with which we cleave to our spouses or our families. How so?

Matthew 19:4‑6 (NLT) 

4 “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’ 

5 And he said, ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ 

6 Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.” 

–In v.5 the Greek verb kolloa refers to being joined in covenant commitment between husband and wife...let no one split apart what God has joined together.

–Jesus’ prayer for us before He left.

John 17:20‑23 (NIV) 

20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 

21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 

22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 

23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 

–Other places this Greek word kolloa can be a contractual labor agreement (Lu.15:15- Prodigal) and this word is also used to describe our relationship with the Lord.

1 Corinthians 6:17 (NLT) 

17 But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.  

–This verb (kolloa) is also used with reference to joining the local assembly even if one is already in the universal body of Christ. Exp. Paul after his conversion: already saved!

Acts 9:26 (NIV) 

26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.  

–Saul came to Jerusalem to join the assembly but could not until Barnabas gave him a good reference. Why we check references. You may be a persecutor of the church.

–After he was confirmed by Barnabas his relationship was described as “with them”. He became a member of that community (church) under the leadership there.

Acts 17:34 (NKJV) ³⁴  However, some men joined him and believed…

–When someone is joined to us...it is not when they fill out the application for membership...it is when they stand in front of the pastor and church and proclaim their covenant...yes, they are already saved. This should not be taken lightly.

–I agree that we may not be able to find in the Scriptures places where someone signed a piece of paper but there are many places people were joined to the local church (kolloa) or were encouraged to be joined in the same covenant as a husband and wife.

1 Corinthians 1:9‑10 (NKJV) 

9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 

–Paul is talking to the universal church in this verse but in the context here he is speaking to the local church at Corinth. Again listen to Paul speaking to the local church:

1 Corinthians 3:16‑17 (NLT) 

16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 

17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. 

2. Church Finances

--We expect those in Covenant Membership to be faithful in their giving. The tithe first but also missions. Pastor, I believe tithing is just an Old Testament teaching. Really?

--If you believe tithing is just OT and you want to be strictly New Testament, sell everything you have and bring your money to the pastors and let us distribute it. 

Acts 4:34-35 (NLT2)
³⁴  There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them
³⁵  and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.

--If that doesn’t help you, listen to what Jesus says about tithing.

Matthew 23:23 (NLT2)
²³  “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.

--We are a Mission’s Church (203 missionaries) and we expect everyone to help fulfill the Great Commission.

Mark 16:15 (NLT2) ¹⁵  And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.

3. Church Discipline 

Matthew 18:15-17 (NIV)
¹⁵  "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
¹⁶  But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'
¹⁷  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 

4. Secret Societies – Please see me after this teaching tonight or call me this week.

5. How to Leave a Church – The difference in leaving and being sent out.

A. Prayerfully – Make sure it is God’s will.

B. Respectfully – Consider the Kingdom of God.

C. Kindly – Communicate with your leadership your intentions. 

D. Gently – Careful not to hurt God’s little ones. Especially new converts.

6. Ministry Involvement. 

 1 Corinthians 12:12&27 (NIV)
¹²  The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
²⁷  Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 

7. Water Baptism

Romans 6:3-5 (NLT)
³  Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?
⁴  For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
⁵  Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 

Questions?

Revival Praying – 4

 Revival Praying – 4

Subject – Branded for Christ

By Rick Welborne

Galatians 6:14-17 (NKJV)
¹⁴  But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
¹⁵  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.
¹⁶  And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.    
¹⁷  From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. 

--We all think we know each other so well but none of us truly know each other deeply. How many times are we surprised when a spouse walks away and leaves a family after 20 or 30 years?

--We have a tendency to put on at church what we want people to see or what we want them to believe about us and we are shocked when we find it is not true. To a great degree, we are all hypocrites.

--To truly know someone you would have to know the influences of heredity and environment, and all the countless moral choices that have fashioned the person. 

--Even though we cannot know all the details about a person, we can often trace a person’s life and find the motivation that turned that person around or what marked that person for destiny. 

--Such a man, Saul of Tarsus, later to become Paul, was a marked or branded man. As we look into his life and see the total transformation, we can learn from his words…I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. 

--Whatever you think Paul meant by these words, one thing is very clear, he was acknowledging that Christ had ownership of him—body, soul, and spirit. He was branded for Christ from this day forward.

--Paul was not trying to say that he was like Jesus by the outward wounds he received in his body but was referring to an inward crucifixion that identified him with Christ.

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)
²⁰  I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

1. Branded for Christ – I have been crucified with Christ.

--Other than Jesus, has there ever been a man more branded to a task than the Apostle Paul. Jesus came with singleness of mind to fulfill God’s plan for His life, so did Paul after his conversion. 

--Even in his calling, he would learn his life was no longer his own. Listen to what Jesus told Ananias when he was to go and pray for Saul.

Acts 9:15-16 (NKJV)
¹⁵  But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
¹⁶  For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake."

Pray and Never Give Up – 4

 Pray and Never Give Up – 4

Subject: Dreaming for a Life Time

By Rick Welborne

Joshua 6:1-5 (NKJV)
¹  Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.
²  And the LORD said to Joshua: "See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.
³  You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days.
⁴  And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
⁵  It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him." 

Psalm 126:1-6 (NKJV)
¹  When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream.
²  Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
³  The LORD has done great things for us, And we are glad.
⁴  Bring back our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South.
⁵  Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy.
⁶  He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him. 

--Tonight we continue the series…Pray and Never Give Up! Do we have a lot of walls in our lives? Of course, 

But God is our wall smasher. 

--People who dream for God especially big dreams make a settled determination to pray and never give up. Are we ever tempted to quit? Of course, but dreamer keep pushing forward. 

--Is it possible to keep dreaming for a lifetime? In other words, can we keep dreaming large dreams for Jesus as we age and see them fulfilled before us as we trust God?

1. As we pray and never give up, let us choose to be like those who dream.

Psalm 126:1-3 (NKJV)
¹  When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream.
²  Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
³  The LORD has done great things for us, And we are glad. 

--We have all met people who have chosen, for whatever reason, to stop dreaming and have become complacent to live “back there” somewhere.

--Neuroimaging has shown that as we age, the center of cognitive gravity tends to shift from the imaginative right brain to the logical left brain. And this neurological tendency presents a grave spiritual danger. 

--At some point, most of us stop living out of imagination and start living out of memory. Instead of creating the future, we start repeating the past. Instead of living by faith, we live by logic. We stop going after our dreams, 

--Look at your neighbor and repeat this: It doesn’t have to be that way. We have a choice in the matter. We can choose to keep praying the walls will fall or be trapped behind them…our choice!

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NKJV)
¹⁹  I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
²⁰  that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."

--Harriet Doerr lived during a time when women did not go to college…lack of money and then, raising children kept her from her dreams…temporarily. She dreamed of writing books. At 74 she did!

Doerr: One of the best things about aging is being able to watch imagination overtake memory!

--Harriet sounded so much like Caleb in the Old Testament…even at 85 he was not willing to become complacent and he was determined to keep dreaming God sized dreams.

 Joshua 14:10-12 (NKJV)
¹⁰  And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old.
¹¹  As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.
¹²  Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said."

--I am so glad that I pastor a multi-generation church but I am so thankful that I pastor a bunch of seniors who have made the decision that it is not all about them and their past. 

--You have blessed our youth, our children’s ministries, our music, our missions giving because you understand that God is not finished with you yet. Bible Quiz is a great example. 

--You can go all over Central Florida and find churches who are filled with senior adults who believe church is all about them…no youth, no children, no growth…just watching each other die off one at a time.

--God give me a bunch of Harriets and Calebs who are willing to keep circling the walls before them. Seniors who are willing to see a campus in Fruitland Park and one in the Villages.

--People who say to your pastor, who is only a senior by age but not by his heart, give us this mountain! We are still strong and can do something great for the Kingdom of God…walls are going to fall.

--I do not want to be a pastor who sets his ministry and calling on cruise control just because of my age…I want my latter years to be greater than the former…I want to pass off the baton to a hungry pastor and church!

Kristina Torbet (Missionary to India) – If your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near. If your dreams exceed your memories, you pioneer.

2. As we pray and never give up, it is possible to keep dreaming for a lifetime.

--Maybe you are asking “Who is right? Harriet Doerr or the neurologist?” The answer is both. As we age, either imagination overtakes memory or memory overtakes imagination. 

--Imagination is the road less taken because it is the pathway of prayer. Prayer and imagination are directly proportional to each other.

--The more you pray the bigger your imagination becomes because the Holy Spirit super-sizes it with God sized dreams. Pray, Life Church, pray!

--The litmus test of spiritual maturity is whether your dreams are getting bigger or smaller. The older you get the more faith you should have!

--Because you have walked with God and have experienced more of His faithfulness, you trust Him for more …it is God’s faithfulness that increases our faith and enlarges our dreams. 

--Maybe you would say…Pastor, I am not dreaming for anything and truthfully I do not know what to dream for…then, get behind your pastor and let his dream be your dream. Follow God’s man in your life. His vision!

--When you do that you will realize that your pastor’s dreams are God’s dreams and they are biblical…reaching the world thru missions and reaching the world thru another campus. Our dreams are Jesus dreams:

Mark 16:14-15 (NKJV)
¹⁴  Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.
¹⁵  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

--If you can’t make yourself follow Pastor Rick’s dreams, then for the sake of the Kingdom of God, follow Jesus’ dreams. Have your stroll down memory lane but keep dreaming until the day you die. Age is irrelevant! 

3. As you pray and never give up, you can keep dreaming.

--What miracles have Jesus worked for you that were great enough to keep you praying for a lifetime…I am sure we have our list…especially if He saved us out of darkness into His wonderful light.

--If you keep praying, you’ll keep dreaming, and conversely, if you keep dreaming you will keep praying. Dreaming is a form of praying, and praying is a form of dreaming. 

--The more you pray the bigger your dreams will become. And the bigger your dreams become the more you will have to pray. In that process of dreaming big dreams causes the sphere of God’s glory to be expanded.

--The day of our death is not the date etched on our tombstone. The day we stop dreaming is the day we start dying. When logic overtakes imagination we rob God of glory that is due to Him.

--The death of a dream is subtle form of idolatry. We lose faith in the God Who gave us a big dream and settle for a small dream that we can accomplish without His help. 

--We go after dreams that do not require divine intervention. We go after dreams that do not require prayer. We let god take the place of God. Our left brain of logic overtakes our God Who can do anything.

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJV)
²⁰  Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
²¹  to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

--Nothing honors God more than a big dream that is way beyond our ability to accomplish. Why? There is no way we can take credit for it. Big dreams keep us on our knees. 

--Big dreams are not just methods whereby God does great things for us, but it is also a means whereby He does great things in us. Is it possible to keep dreaming for a lifetime? Yes…keep praying big dreams!