By Faith we are Healed.

Matthew 8:5-13  Jesus went to the city of Capernaum. When he entered the city, an army officer came to him and begged for help.  (6)  The officer said, "Lord, my servant is very sick at home in bed. He can't move his body and has much pain."  (7)  Jesus said to the officer, "I will go and heal him."  (8)  The officer answered, "Lord, I am not good enough for you to come into my house. You need only to give the order, and my servant will be healed.  (9)  I know this, because I understand authority. There are people who have authority over me, and I have soldiers under my authority. I tell one soldier, 'Go,' and he goes. I tell another soldier, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and my servant obeys me."  (10)  When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were with him, "The truth is, this man has more faith than anyone I have found, even in Israel.  (11)  Many people will come from the east and from the west. These people will sit and eat with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in God's kingdom.  (12)  And those who should have the kingdom will be thrown out. They will be thrown outside into the darkness, where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain."  (13)  Then Jesus said to the officer, "Go home. Your servant will be healed the way you believed he would." Right then his servant was healed.

As many of you know I injured my back in January 2012. My back reached a point where none of the drugs they gave me or treatments they tried would help my back. I had to us a cane everywhere I went and the back problems had caused problems with my knee and I was wearing a knee brace. Each doctor I saw had a different ideal of what was causing my pain and how it needed to be treated. I knew there was really only one way to repair the damage to my back. So I went to church and was prayed over I was asking got for relief from the pain. I received what I asked from God. I improved to the point where my pain was under control as long as took the Morphine they were giving. I kind of accepted the fact that this may be as good as it will get. Then the other day I was at Church when the pastor said we had to have faith that God is healing us when we ask it and if we don't we need other that do. When I began to accept that it was not all about me being a man of great faith that through the faith of others I could be healed I really began to feel God's healing touch. As in the story above it was not the sick mans faith that healed him but the faith of another.

I have been off of the morphine for a week now and I feel my back getting stronger and better each day. This is thanks to those around me that have the faith to keep praying for my healing.. Thank you all.

CALL FOR COMPASSION!!!

CALL FOR COMPASSION!!!

Typhoon "Bopha" ( locally known as Typhoon Pablo ) had left New Bataan, Compostela Valley province in our Region almost 75% devastated with hundreds dead and hundreds missing. 

The living were in a ghost town without power, without water and very scarse food with some illness now lingering in the evacuation center.

I BEG FOR HELP!!!

Rovers Philippines was there in the past 3 days, I saw the dead and the living, their miserable conditions. We delivered our limited assistance which only helped an evacuation center of about 85 families. We are still soliciting for HELP!

Please send your DONATIONS in cash ( Western Union ) or in kind ( what ever ) and address it to:

ROVERS PHILIPPINES/HENRY S. HUTALLE
Toril, Davao City, Philippines

A Christmas Story

This is the story of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ it is taken directly from Bible(ERV)












Matthew 1:18-25  This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah happened. His mother Mary was engaged to marry Joseph. But before they married, he learned that she was expecting a baby. (She was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit.)  (19)  Mary's husband, Joseph, was a good man. He did not want to cause her public disgrace, so he planned to divorce her secretly.  (20)  But after Joseph thought about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to accept Mary to be your wife. The baby inside her is from the Holy Spirit.  (21)  She will give birth to a son. You will name him Jesus. Give him that name because he will save his people from their sins."  (22)  All this happened to make clear the full meaning of what the Lord said through the prophet:  (23)  "The virgin will be pregnant and will give birth to a son. They will name him Immanuel." (Immanuel means "God with us.")  (24)  When Joseph woke up, he did what the Lord's angel told him to do. He married Mary.  (25)  But Joseph did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And he named him Jesus.

Matthew 2:1-23  Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea during the time when Herod was king. After Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem.  (2)  They asked people, "Where is the child who has been born to be the king of the Jews? We saw the star that shows he was born. We saw it rise in the sky in the east and have come to worship him."  (3)  When King Herod heard about this, it upset him as well as everyone else in Jerusalem.  (4)  Herod called a meeting of all the leading Jewish priests and teachers of the law. He asked them where the Messiah would be born.  (5)  They answered, "In the town of Bethlehem in Judea, just as the prophet wrote:  (6)  'Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are important among the rulers of Judah. Yes, a ruler will come from you, and that ruler will lead Israel, my people.'"  (7)  Then Herod had a private meeting with the wise men from the east. He learned from them the exact time they first saw the star.  (8)  Then he sent them to Bethlehem. He said, "Go and look carefully for the child. When you find him, come tell me. Then I can go worship him too."  (9)  After the wise men heard the king, they left. They saw the same star they had seen in the east, and they followed it. The star went before them until it stopped above the place where the child was.  (10)  They were very happy and excited to see the star.  (11)  The wise men came to the house where the child was with his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened the boxes of gifts they had brought for him. They gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  (12)  But God warned the wise men in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they went home to their own country a different way.  (13)  After the wise men left, an angel from the Lord came to Joseph in a dream. The angel said, "Get up! Take the child with his mother and escape to Egypt. Herod wants to kill the child and will soon start looking for him. Stay in Egypt until I tell you to come back."  (14)  So Joseph got ready and left for Egypt with the child and the mother. They left during the night.  (15)  Joseph stayed in Egypt until Herod died. This gave full meaning to what the Lord said through the prophet: "I called my son to come out of Egypt."  (16)  Herod saw that the wise men had fooled him, and he was very angry. So he gave an order to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and the whole area around Bethlehem. Herod had learned from the wise men the time the baby was born. It was now two years from that time. So he said to kill all the boys who were two years old and younger.  (17)  This gave full meaning to what God said through the prophet Jeremiah:  (18)  "A sound was heard in Ramah-- bitter crying and great sadness. Rachel cries for her children, and she cannot be comforted, because her children are gone."  (19)  While Joseph was in Egypt, Herod died. An angel from the Lord came to Joseph in a dream  (20)  and said, "Get up! Take the child with his mother and go to Israel. Those who were trying to kill the child are now dead."  (21)  So Joseph took the child and the mother and went to Israel.  (22)  But he heard that Archelaus was now king in Judea. Archelaus became king when his father Herod died. So Joseph was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he went away to the area of Galilee.  (23)  He went to a town called Nazareth and lived there. This gave full meaning to what God said through the prophets. God said the Messiah would be called a Nazarene.

I Love You

I was just sitting around thinking after leaving a message for my brother. I ended the call with "I Love You" and it got me thinking how many times a day do i say that to a family member. I then realized I only use that with the people I consider family. In life we meet many people that we should be saying "I love you" to. When we think that God Loves everyone of us In John 3:16 it says Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life. Its a deep and profound Love Jesus goes on to say later in the book of John " John 13:34  "I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you."  So I think that we should start saying to to one another "God Loves you, and so do I" you never know that person may really needed to hear that.

Big daddy Weave concert

Loving church online sponsored a child

Defended by God

This is the transcript from my last live broadcast

Psalms 109:1-4  Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;  (2)  For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.  (3)  They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.  (4)  For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.

In this verse David pleads with God to Hold not thy peace which means Be not silent or arise and defend my cause. David goes on to say I did good things to them, but they are doing bad things to me. I loved them, but they hated me. David felt like nothing he could say or do was good enough so David did the only thing he knew to do he went to God. He said to God stand in my defense. No matter what I say or do they accuse me of bad things. Sometimes we feel as if others are not believing us when we say we are Christians. We will all be in a position sometime in our life where are beliefs at challenged. What can we do when this happens? I know there are Atheists that can quote the bible better than I can. They often reach for verses in the bible to try to prove that the bible is wrong and they are right. I was recently faced with a message from a old friend it said “Religion is for a person who is afraid of hell, Spirituality is for the person who has gone through hell” I had to think hard about that statement. The answer that came to me from God is this.

I'm not afraid of going to hell. I have a deeper relationship with God than I ever have before in my life I want to share the love peace and understanding I have found with anyone who will listen. I think there is enough evil in the world that we could fight against it for a life time and very few people would even notice what we did. I wouldn't have to look far I could start with allot of people who call themselves Christians.

That's not a battle I think I could win. I'm just trying to get a few people to look at life and God the way I do so that they can experience the Love and peace I have found.

No matter what battles we face if we seek the defense of God in Proverbs 18:10 it says

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe." God has a plan for all of us. That plan is part of the greater plan God has for all mankind When we surrender our free will to God, God will guide us along the path of that plan. He will be our strength and defense along the path.

When you are in a place where you feel you are suffering ask yourself “Are you following God's will or your own will?” If you are following God's will then God has a purpose for your suffering? It may not be that the reason you are going through is for you it may be for another.

Psalms 84:11  The LORD God is our protector and glorious king. He blesses us with kindness and honor. The LORD freely gives every good thing to those who do what is right.

I suffer from Constant pain in my lower back. Back in may I walked with a cane and was in so much pain that it sometimes had me in tears. I had problems just getting out of bed. When I finally got down on my knees at an alter. I asked God to help me. From that time on I have not used the cane. My pain is more of a nuisance, It does not stop me from doing anything as long as I take my Meds.  The pain I do suffer reminds me of where I came from and how the Lord carried me to where I am. Everyday the pain gives me compassion for the suffering of others. It reminds of how much more must have been the pain that Jesus suffered for all of us. Jesus took our defense through his death. In John 3:16-18 it says  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  (17)  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  (18)  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

So even at the end of our mortal Lives, Jesus provides us with defense from Death and Judgment by his sacrifice on the cross.

Caring For Others

Today I did allot of things, thanks to my brother Paul and his church Newlife It started with Lunch with Big Daddy Weave and Aaron Shust at St. Matthews House. After lunch we were given a tour of St. Matthews House. Its amazing the way they help other and touch the lives of so many in the Collier county community. At this point my heart was reaching out to help in some way and it was only the beginning of the day. Our next stop was the park where the concert was. During the concert Big Daddy Weave talked about the world vision program and how he had made a difference in a child's life. It was then that God told me what to do so I made a commitment for Loving Church Online to sponsor a child. through the donations given.

The First Child is Precious. She is a 7 year old child living in Zambia.
You can sponsor a child too by visiting www.worldvision.org

Don't Crap in My Camp

In Deuteronomy 23:12-14 ERV it says; (12)  "You also must have a place outside the camp where people can go to relieve themselves.  (13)  Among your weapons, you must also carry a stick to dig with. Then, when you relieve yourself, you must dig a hole and cover it up.  (14)  This is because the LORD your God is there with you in your camp to save you and to help you defeat your enemies. So the camp must be holy. Then he will not see something disgusting and leave you. 

God tells us "Don't crap in my camp" think about it don't crap where the lord dwells. People are in arms about being forced to care about one another. For too long our country has been controlled by hate and greed. And if you ask me them are the 2 biggest pieces of crap in this country. Why do we put conditions on the help we are willing to give another person. How is it that we care more about the amount of profit we make that the conditions of life of our employees? If a man comes up to you and robs you on the street; do you think about the revenge you want on him or do you ask yourself what brought him to a place in life that he feels that he has to take from other to survive? If greed and hate are acceptable in our society in any form then people begin to start to accept that it is acceptable in all forms. What are you giving back to our community? Who did you help today? Do you care about the troubles of those around you? How much is enough? Are you crapping in the camp or are you helping to keep it clean and holy? If we want the Lord to dwell in our Nation we have to stop Crapping in it and start cleaning it up. Only through a loving, caring and generous heart can we clean up this camp.

Free Concert

Free Concert Check it out http://www.newlifegg.com/about-us/big-daddy-weave--aaron-shust-concert.html 

Did I help enough?

This question is one we all ask of ourselves sometimes. Today I was Going to the store with my better half, Melissa. As we turned into the parking lot of Walmart there was a woman with two boys standing at the curb of the parking lot holding up a sign that said “help I have 2 kids need money for food and rent”. I had Melissa turn the car around so that I could give her some money from what little we had. After I gave her the money I asked myself should I have given her more? We did our shopping and left. On our way our we passed the same woman. She waved at us and Said “ Thank you and God bless you” and her two boys were eating food from McDonald's. Its nice when you can see the impact that your kindness has had on someone's life. Sometimes we get to help people and see the direct effect of our help, other times we don't. With the recent devastation caused by #Hurricane Sandy the only help some of us may be able to provide is our prayers and that is enough. But if you can help more I would contact your church and see what they are doing and if they don't have a plan help get one started.

Laws

The other day “Well its not our problem” was said as we passed several police officers with a car pulled over and they were searching the car. We said how it looked like a drug bust and that’s when it was said. It was after that when the thought came to me that yes it is our problem. As we are all one society it becomes a problem with Society when people begin to think that breaking the law is ok. Everyday we pick and choose which laws we will obey and which we will ignore. I think there are two things that lead to this behavior. The first is that we get the attitude that if we don’t get caught we are not breaking the law. As adults our children often pickup on that attitude. With the access to movies, music and other copyrighted material easily downloaded illegally the temptation is greater.

The second thing that often has us breaking the law is not knowing the law. There are so many laws that you have to abide by. You start with Local City and County laws, then State and Federal laws. Some of the laws are crazy for instance in Cape Coral, Fl it is against City ordnance to hang cloths outside on a Clothesline. So what does the bible tell us to do? Well in Romans 13:1-2 ESV it says “ Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (2) Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” In 1Peter 2:12-15 ESV it goes further and Says “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (13) Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, (14) or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. (15) For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.” Only when man's laws conflict with God's as when early Christians were ordered by Jewish and Roman courts to stop preaching about Christ did they refuse. (Acts 5:41). Finally we turn a blind eye when we see other breaking the law. We see our friend downloading a movie off the internet that is still in the theater and we don’t say anything about it. I’m not saying that you should call the police about it. But We should say something to our friend about it.

Sins?

Sometime its hard to tell what is a sin and what isn't and on somethings you won't find a bible verse about what your wondering about. For instance I find it OK for me to have a drink every now and then while others believe it is a sin and you shouldn't do it. So who's right? Well we both are in away.  Paul describes it this way in the book of Romans.
Romans 14:11-17 ERV  Yes, the Scriptures say, "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'Everyone will bow before me; everyone will say that I am God.'"  (12)  So each of us will have to explain to God about the things we do.  (13)  So we should stop judging each other. Let's decide not to do anything that will cause a problem for a brother or sister or hurt their faith.  (14)  I know that there is no food that is wrong to eat. The Lord Jesus is the one who convinced me of that. But if someone believes that something is wrong, then it is wrong for that person.  (15)  If you hurt the faith of your brother or sister because of something you eat, you are not really following the way of love. Don't destroy anyone's faith by eating something they think is wrong. Christ died for them.  (16)  Don't allow what is good for you to become something they say is evil.  (17)  In God's kingdom, what we eat and drink is not important. Here is what is important: a right way of life, peace, and joy--all from the Holy Spirit.

So if someone I know has received the conviction from God that drinking is wrong and if by drinking around them it causes them to question their faith, then I have sinned by drinking.  Not all things that are wrong for one person is wrong for another. There are direct behaviors that are wrong for everyone. Evil is Evil. Lying cheating and stealing will always be wrong. If I watched a lot of TV and God put it in my heart that I am watching too much TV at that time I should stop watching so much TV because it is now a sin for me to do so. Anything that hinders your relationship with God is a sin for you.

Oh Lord Why Do You Punish Me So?

Many times I have heard people say " Oh Lord Why Do You Punish Me So?" This brings me to two thoughts. The first is is this a punishment from God or the results of our own actions. The second is why does a loving God punish us? So I am going to start with the first. Often when things aren't going right in our life we are quick to blame it on God. For instance a few weeks ago my A/C broke down we ended up without it for 4 nights before it was finally fixed. When you live in a place that during this time of year it is always about 90° with a 99% humidity. When you step out your door you begin to sweat. It would have been  realyl easy for me to blame God and to say God was punishing me. Instead of blaming God I thanked him for the wisdom we were able to gain from the experience. To begin the 2 boys learned about the suffering some people go through everyday because they have no A/C. We all learned patience while we waited for the problem to be solved. When I think of being punished by God I believe there will be a clear and concise punishment that is relevant to the act that you did to warrant God's punishment. You will also know why you are punished. Jesus says (Rev 3:19)  "I correct and punish the people I love. So show that nothing is more important to you than living right. Change your hearts and lives." When we receive punishment we should not reject it.

In the book of proverbs it says
Pro 3:11-13  "My son, don't reject the LORD'S discipline, and don't be angry when he corrects you.  (12)  The LORD corrects the one he loves, just as a father corrects a child he cares about.  (13)  Those who find wisdom are fortunate; they will be blessed when they gain understanding."

So if it is true punishment from God we should accept it and not be angry because when we do accept it we will gain wisdom.

Putting God First.

I woke up this morning with several things on my list to do today.  My to do list went like this:

1. Fast and pray (when I fast it is liquids only)
2. Work on next online teaching
3. Write on blog
4. Update Calendar
5. Work on computers
6. Do Laundry
7. Touch bases with a few friends
8. Go to gym
9 Make dinner

My morning started out a little differently than the list did. I got up started my fast and went into the computer I checked my e-mails and Facebook then I began playing a video game. I was on the game for about 30min then the game shut down. So I restarted it it got to the point where I was just about to play again and it shut down again. So thinking as a computer tech I restarted the computer and tried to play it again. I got to the point where I got off on sentence to my friend in the game before my computer flashed over to a Blue Screen of Death. As I was watching the computer reboot I understood what my problem was. It wasn't a problem with the game or my computer. It was a problem with me. I woke up today on a day of fasting and prayer dedicated to God. and I didn't start it by doing God work.


Mat 6:9-13  After this manner therefore pray ye: 
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread.  
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: 
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. 
Amen.

The lords prayer starts out  Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.  Today I had forgot a very important thing and that is to always put god first and God had reminded me of that.

A talk with God

Lord, why does my heart cry out for those who suffer so?

Why does it bring a tear to my eye when I see those who have lost their homes in a storm?

Why does the hate and greed of the world make me angry?

I can no longer stand by and watch the world go by around me and do nothing.

I want help those in need, find those who are lost and defend those who are being persecuted.

My Heart and soul scream out NO MORE!

I reach my hand out to help another up

Don't worry I say, God loves you and so do I.

Don't mind what other may say, it's their word not Gods.

I want to save them all.

Is this the way you felt when you walked the earth?

When you said “Don't worry this is there way not mine”

I know this is why you gave your live to save us all.

Wrestling with God

Gen 32:24-31  Jacob was left alone, and a man came and wrestled with him. The man fought with him until the sun came up.  (25)  When the man saw that he could not defeat Jacob, he touched Jacob's leg and put it out of joint.  (26)  Then the man said to Jacob, "Let me go. The sun is coming up." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go. You must bless me."  (27)  And the man said to him, "What is your name?" And Jacob said, "My name is Jacob."  (28)  Then the man said, "Your name will not be Jacob. Your name will now be Israel. I give you this name because you have fought with God and with men, and you have won."  (29)  Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But the man said, "Why do you ask my name?" Then the man blessed Jacob at that place.  (30)  So Jacob named that place Peniel. He said, "At this place, I saw God face to face, but my life was spared."  (31)  Then the sun came up as Jacob left Peniel. He was limping because of his leg.

There comes a time in all of our lives when we face making a choice of following God's will or doing what we want to do. When we stop wrestling with God and Do as he wants us to do God will bless us. sometime we may struggle and those struggles will leave an everlasting mark on our life just as was with Jacob's leg.  Sometimes I find myself thinking that my way would be easier than God's way.  But I always discover that God had a purpose for making me do things his way. The hardships I endure Allow me to testify in a way that will touch someone that I may not have touched if I had not done things God's way. We have to stop wrestling with God to receive the blessing god has for us. We can never let go of God.

Life of a Servant of God

I often wonder if church goiers understand the work a ministor does. Its not an easy path that God puts before you. In most cases you are a father and a husband also. Lets start with the basics first you have 3 or 4 sermons to preach a week for each of those you my spend 6-10 house studing, praying and writing to prepare for each of those sermons only for God to sometimes change the message he wants you to deliver the day before. Next there is the home bible studies, couples counciling, Hospital visitions and providing support for those with lost love one. This I think may be the hardest things to do the people you are visiting or that have passed away may have been a member of your flock, someone who was part of your family and it can be as hard on you as it is on there family. You have to be strong and control your emotions until you have time alone to greve. Sometime it may all become overwelming. You just want to say to God "If this isnt really what you want me doing Im ok with working at Mc Donalds"  God answer is always " Im not done with you yet, there will be pleanty of time for rest when you joing me in Haven" . To be a pastor or ministor you have to have an all powering will to do Gods work because there is no time when you are not working. You dont get to take a day off. You can go on vacation and expect to not do Gods work. You can't go somewhere and someone say "Are you Pastor Paul?" and you reply " not today I am off call me tomorrow when I am working"
But along with the job does come the pride and honor of being able to say "Yes I am God's faithfull servent I would be so greatly honored that you have asked my to tell you about him". Yet het to help people find there place in God's service. You get to witness Micrales that God preforms through you and other. You get to share the love of god with others. In Job 1:8 ERV  Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you noticed my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him. He is a good, faithful man. He respects God and refuses to do evil." There is no other feeiling than to know God is saying the same about you as he did Job. So to my brother, My cousin and all those who are doing the work of god. Thank you and may God forever hold you in his arms and bless you.

Long suffering

Today I read the book of Job today. I read about the  suffering he went through. It started with him losing his wealth, then his crops and his herds of animals that he owned.  I thought how would I feel if I lost everything I owned. how would that make me feel. would I have the faith in God to not turn away from him? What would do? Then Job lost his children. A wind came along and blew down the house they all were in and killed them all. Still Job did not turn away from God he stayed true to God.  sit and think of the pain he felt losing all his children. What would you do? Would you blame Gad? Well the story continues next Job got sick. He became an outcast people thought "What has Job done to anger god?" His friends came to him and said " You have to repent for the evil you have done and pray for got to forgive you" Still Job remained faithful to God he told them that he wished he had never been born and that he has done nothing to bring God's anger upon myself.

What would you do? Could you remain faithful to go through if you lost everything and your friend turned against you? I asked myself the same questions. Could I say "My life is not my own it belongs to God I am not wise enough to know God's plan. Even through the times of hardship I may face in life I will continue to be a servant of God and do his will" Well Job did and the Lord spoke to him and told him you have been faithful to me and I will bless you with more than you ever had. He told Job's friends that they must pay a tribute to job for the wrongs they said against him. Although sometimes we feel the whole world is against us we must remember that God is with us.

Be a Cheerful Giver

Today I am going to talk about Giving to God through Tithes and Offering. How it can effect you and effect the church. I will try to overcome some obstacles that we all have to giving that we all may have or that we all may face.Our Bible verse today comes from 2Co 9:7-8 ESV  Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  (8)  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

Why do you give to the church or others?
Or
Why don't you Give?

I know we all have intent to give our Tithes to the church at the 10%  we have been taught but sometimes we fall short of that amount. Sometime that is out of fear. We think if I give 10% I won't have money for gas at the end of the week. Sometimes we don’t give out of greed. We say “If I give 10% I won't be able to get that new something I want.

Mal 3:8-10 ERV  "People should not steal things from God, but you stole things from me. "You say, 'What did we steal from you?' "You should have given me one-tenth of your things. You should have given me special gifts.  (9)  In this way your whole nation has stolen things from me, so bad things are happening to you."  (10)  The LORD All-Powerful says, "Try this test. Bring one-tenth of your things to me. Put them in the treasury. Bring food to my house. Test me! If you do these things, I will surely bless you. Good things will come to you like rain falling from the sky. You will have more than enough of everything.

God was speaking to the people of Israel. He said “Test me” If you give 10% Like I ask you will be blessed. We must have faith that God knows the problems we face and would not let us suffer by giving to the church. God does not want us to give because we feel we must give or we are not a good Christian or because the pastor is making you feel every time he talks about how the church needs your tithes and offerings.Each of us must decide in our hearts how much we give. We must be cheerful givers. God does not want us going home worried about if you gave too much, or if you are going to be able to pay a bill.

I know there are times in our life where we find that we feel that we cannot give without putting extreme hardship on our family. So what do we do during these times. We should go to our Pastor explain what is going on in your life and seek his guidance and through fasting and prayer God will provide an answer.
We are all human and all are not perfect we should look at not paying tithes like not paying a bill. We do not just ignore the fact that we don’t have the money to pay our mortgage. We call the bank and try to make arrangements to make it up. The church does plan its budget according to how much they receive in tithing.
We should keep this in mind when there are changes to our income that effects how much we are able to give for tithing whether it is an increase or decrease.

coming back to god

I wrote this some time ago just thought I would share this again 

At some point in your life it all comes to a crashing halt. You realize you can’t do it on your own. No matter how much others try they can’t help you either and the more you let them try the more you hurt them. Nothing you do will fill the emptiness you feel inside you. This in when people turn to things of the world to try to hide the pain they feel and the pain they are causing the ones they love. Drugs, alcohol, porn, money, partying, or maybe you'll try just being a good person with shallow jesters of kindness and helping others but not because it’s the right thing to do but because you want other to look at you and say “look he's a good person, he must be really happy” but none of it will make the pain go away. Sure you may fool some people in to believing the face you wear on the outside and you may even fool yourself for a while as you start to wear blinders to the real world around you. Then one day you wake up and it’s all gone not only the fake stuff but the real stuff too. Maybe it’s in that moment that you think “life is not worth living and you just want to end it all, you want the pain to stop” you’re looking for someone to help you but your also looking for someone to blame for your loss, your pain and your suffering. So often we begin to blame God for what we are going through we say “God why have you done this to me I've been a good person I don’t deserve this” I sometimes here God saying to me “ Really?”, “ You denied me to others, and yet I still came to you with open arms, remember all the times you pushed away your family and I brought them back to you, I have always been here for you and I always will be just believe in me and trust in me” It’s in that time of darkness that God sent an angel to lift me up and tell me it would be OK. Its then that God said let go of your pain and anger; let me fill your heart with love and joy. “But God I don’t know if I have the strength to do as you ask”, I replied. “You still don’t understand and you still don’t believe” he said. “Faith is so hard for me, I want to have faith and believe but I don’t know how.” I said. “Open your eyes and heart and I will show you I am God.” he said. There is a difference between taking something on faith and knowing that it is so. When God began to show himself to be, I didn’t become a faithful Christian I became a knowing follower of God. The journey I now take with God is not an easy one, it’s not always a one moving forward I sometime slip and fall and have the ways of my past start to drag me back but now I know God is with me and he is a loving and forgiving God and will be there to help me back onto the proper trail should I become lost.

08/16/2012 Broadcast Notes

08/16/2012Broadcast Notes 

you can watch the video at the link above

Good evening and welcome. Tonight I will talk about accepting Jesus but first let us open in prayer.

     Lord Jesus please give us the wisdom and understanding to receive the message you have for us so we may grow in the knowledge and share that knowledge with others

- Amen

There is a path to everlasting life set before us. The first step to following that path is the hardest. You must accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. I know some of you may say that's easy well its not. Well its not that easy for over come the ways you may have been taught or to over come the suffering and pain you may be in. Maybe its the negativity that others have directed at you. Sometimes other people may judge you based on the way you look, an addiction you may have, or the lifestyle you live. And you must be prepared for the things people you knew before you found Christ may say. Sometimes we judge ourselves and think we are unworthy of Gods grace. No were in the Bible does God exclude any from the gift of Jesus Christ.

Joh 3:16-17 KJV For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

God said all the world not just those of us that fit into the mold of what some people believe would make a good christian. There are many obstacles and types of negativity that we must overcome. When I think about the struggles we must face as Christians the song that come to mind is by dc Talk  Jesus Freak

I saw a man with tat on his big fat belly 
It wiggled around like marmalade jelly 
It took me a while to catch what it said 
Cause I had to match the rhythm of his belly with my head 
'Jesus Saves' is what it raved in a typical tattoo green 
He stood on a box in the middle of the city 
And claimed he had a dream 

What will people think 
When they hear that I'm a Jesus freak 
What will people do when they find that it's true 
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak 
There ain't no disguising the truth 
[There ain't no disguising the truth] 
[I don't need to hide it... The truth] 

We must each find our own way to push past them and not let them take what is rightfully ours away from us and that is the love of Jesus Christ. We must pray; Jesus I accept that you have died for my sins and that you are my lord and savior, please forgive me of my sins and Prepare me for walking a path without sin as best I can. Amen

1Pe 3:13-15 ERV If you are always trying to do good, no one can really harm you. (14) But you may suffer for doing right. If that happens, you have God's blessing. "Don't be afraid of the people who make you suffer; don't be worried." (15) But keep the Lord Christ holy in your hearts. Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have.

I faced allot of hardships in my life and have had to learn to not here what people said to me. I was once told by a woman that I was not christian enough for us to go out because of the things I did in my past. I told her it is my past experiences that make me a better christian. Because of the dark path I walked before coming to Christ I am able to look at people and say if Jesus will take me he will take anyone. I can testify that I walked that I thought I would never be able to do what I am doing now. I thought Jesus would never take me back because for so long I rejected him.

<Open to questions>

<Closing>

I would like to close with an old Irish blessing

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

and rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His

hand. -Amen

Find Your Own Way Part 3

The final part of receiving salvation is Baptism. Baptism is defined as a ceremonial immersion in water, or application of water, as an initiatory rite or sacrament of the Christian church. In the days of John the Baptist, he baptized people through the immersion in water.

Mar 1:4-5 ERV So John the Baptizer came and was baptizing people in the desert area. He told them to be baptized to show that they wanted to change their lives, and then their sins would be forgiven. (5) All the people from Judea, including everyone from Jerusalem, came out to John. They confessed the bad things they had done, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.

Baptism is outward showing of the washing away of your sins. When you come out of the water your begin a new life walking the path that Jesus Christ has set before you, turning away from a life of sin. How important is it to be baptized Jesus said

Mar 16:16-18 ERV  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. But those who do not believe will be judged guilty.  (17)  And the people who believe will be able to do these things as proof: They will use my name to force demons out of people. They will speak in languages they never learned.  (18)  If they pick up snakes or drink any poison, they will not be hurt. They will lay their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

Jesus Christ sought out John the Baptist so that he could be baptized not to wash away his sins but because it was God's will

Mat 3:13-16 ERV Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River. He came to John, wanting John to baptize him. (14) But John tried to stop him. John said, "Why do you come to me to be baptized? I should be baptized by you!" (15) Jesus answered, "Let it be this way for now. We should do whatever God says is right." Then John agreed. (16) So Jesus was baptized. As soon as he came up out of the water, the sky opened, and he saw God's Spirit coming down on him like a dove.

We cannot stop there and say I can go back to my sinful ways. We must do our best to follow the path of Love and goodness that was set before us by Jesus.

I have one final thought that I dont have the answer for. If one turns away from God when he come back should he be baptized again?

Find Your Own Way Part 2

The next step is repentance.Why do we have to repent? the Bible in Rom 3:23-27 ERV


 All have sinned and are not good enough to share God's divine greatness.  (24)  They are made right with God by his grace. This is a free gift. They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ.  (25)  God gave Jesus as a way to forgive people's sins through their faith in him. God can forgive them because the blood sacrifice of Jesus pays for their sins. God gave Jesus to show that he always does what is right and fair. He was right in the past when he was patient and did not punish people for their sins. And in our own time he still does what is right. God worked all this out in a way that allows him to judge people fairly and still make right any person who has faith in Jesus.  (27)  So do we have any reason to boast about ourselves? No reason at all. And why not? Because we are depending on the way of faith, not on what we have done in following the law.

Throughout our lives we have all done wrong. We are all born with the ability to do Good and the temptation to do bad (sin). This is how we work and we cant change those facts. Sin is doing stuff that you know is wrong. It can be any type of sin from telling a little white lie, having bad thoughts about a person, carrying a grudge, to robbing a bank or killing someone. 

Repentance is admitting that you know you have sinned in your life and ask for forgiveness. You must not just say the words. You must believe in your soul in Jesus and the fact that he died for your sins and want him to forgive you for your sins. Repentance does not stop there you must do your best to turn your life away from sin. 

Find Your Own Way Part 1

Find Your Own Way Part 1

There is only one path to righteousness and it has 3 steps. The first step is the hardest you must except Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Its not easy to over come the ways you may have been taught or to over come the suffering and pain you may be in. Maybe its the negativity that others have directed at you. Sometimes other people may judge you based on the way you look, an addiction you may have, or the lifestyle you live. No were in the Bible does God preclude any from the gift of Jesus Christ.

Joh 3:16-17 KJV For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

God said all the world not just those of us that fit into the mold of what some people believe would make a good christian. There are many obstacles and types of negativity that we must overcome. We must each find our own way to push past them and not let them take what is rightfully your away from you and that is the love of Jesus Christ. I was taught at a young age that Jesus loves us all in a simple children's song

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Black and yellow, red and white
They're all precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world

Whether you're rich or whether you're poor
It matters not to Him
He remembers where you're going
Not where you've been

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Black and yellow, red and white
They're all precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world

If your heart is troubled
Don't worry, don't you fret
He knows that you have heard His call
And he won't forget

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Black and yellow, red and white
They're all precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world

All around the world tonight
His children rest assured
That He will watch and He will keep us
Safe and secure

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Black and yellow, red and white
They're all precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world

The song has been around sense the 1800's and it sometimes seems that so many have forgotten that word and that we all are God's children. 

"That's Child abuse"

I was in a local walmart today when a woman was with her child and the child was having a fit and sitting on the ground and refusing to get up the woman proceeded to grab the child hand and began to walk. So picture this a woman holding a small baby walking as the boy on the ground slid on his but The woman in front of me says "That's Child abuse" I turned and looked at the woman as if she was crazy and   say "no its not" It was at this time I wanted to start preaching to the woman. The woman pulling the child was  establishing a limit to the child as to what was acceptable behavior. She was also was showing the child who was in charge.  We as parents have  to set limits and teach our children right from wrong, even if it means pulling our child along when they don't want to go. Sometimes we as Christians act as the child on the floor we think that we know better than god as to where we should go or what we should do. Sometimes God has to reach down and grab our hand and drag us across the floor on our butts to get us back on the right path. Just as the woman did not want to drag her child god does not want to drag us.

Judgement of Others Part 3

Today I continue my series on judgement. Im going to cover allot of ground today As I wrap up the series today.

Joh 8:1-11 KJV  Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.  (2)  And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.  (3)  And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,  (4)  They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.  (5)  Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?  (6)  This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.  (7)  So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.  (8)  And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.  (9)  And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  (10)  When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?  (11)  She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

I look around the world and notice that too many Christians are picking up that stone and throwing it in the name of Christ who clearly would not throw it. Prejudice in any form is judgement and judgement is a sin. Do you bare ill will to another person because of the race they may be, the church they attend, there age (whether it be young or old), the country they come form or how they came to be in your country or there sexual orientation? Have you ever looked at someone and said that person is a sinner? Think about this;

Rom 3:23 KJV  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; We are all born with sin and through Faith in Jesus and repentance we are forgiving of our sins. From that Day Forward we should work to share the love of Jesus. We will never rise above the evil in today's world by sharing a word of prejudiceness and condemnation of sinners. We must share and practice the ways of Love, Hope and Forgiveness.  For god so love the world that he gave his only Son so that we would not perish but have every lasting life. He did this without exception.

Judgement of Others Part 2

Judgement is a hard thing to give up and so often is a deep rooted part of  Prejudice. Today I am going to start with Educational Prejudice. Is it better to have a pastor that has gone to Seminary School or one who is mentored by another pastor? While I do believe that Training of some sort is important to a new pastor the type of training is put forth by god. In some settings Pastors that go to Seminary school are looked down upon they are judged to have too little real world experiences to be a good minister. The opposite is judged by those who are pastors who have never gone to Seminary School. The person does not have the knowledge of the bible that come through seminary schools give.  This can pass out of  christian setting and applied to people who look at a person doing a job who has not gone to school to learn his trade, Saying "he doesn't know what he is doing he didn't go to school for it" or " She just got out of school she doesn't know how things work in the real world" We should never judge a person based on what we might think they know Rather we should look at the quality of their work.

If you were to look at my Education you will find out that I Dropped out of high school, didn't finish Collage and have never attended Seminary School. If you were to base your choice as to whether or not I am a good minister on them facts you would likely come to the wrong choice. But when you look at my life as a whole you will find out that my father was a pastor and he shaped my life to become a minister someday. My first ministry was a prison out reach with my father. There I learned not to judge people for the place life has let them to be. That sometimes we all mess up and life and its how we handle that mistake in life that shapes who we are. In many groups in my life I have served as a chaplain. I am filled with the Holy Ghost and each day in my life god shows me what he needs me to do and I follow that instruction. Don't judge other based on a few facts you know learn the whole story and except them for what they are. God has a plan for every person, and its my not be what you think it may be.

Jesus friend of Sinners

Judgement of Others Part 1

Over the next few days I'm going to talk about how Judgement is a form of prejudice. At sometime in our life all of us have been prejudice. This one of those hard truths we all have to face. this is what the Jesus has to say about judgement.

Mat 7:1-5  Judge not, that ye be not judged.  (2)  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.  (3)  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?  (4)  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?  (5)  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

There are many types of prejudice and I would have to write a book to cover them all. I'm going to talk about just a few that I think are relevant to today's life. We will start with Economical Prejudice. Is the first thought of how the Rich look down upon the poor? But it goes much farther than that It just doesn't start with the vary rich and go down to the middle class it goes all the way down to those with nothing and it works both ways. do you look up at rich people and say "they are rich they don't know what hard work is they have an easy live got should take what they have away so they will know how it feel to be poor they must not be a good person" or do you look down at those who have nothing and think "they must have done something wrong to be where they are. or maybe you look at the man on the side of the road holding up a sign and think he does drugs or drinks" maybe it's just a simple thought of I work hard for my money they should too. It can be a hard think to do but we must remember that god loves all of us equally rich or poor.

Don't Judge Invite

The Holy Grail

I was thinking about the task God has put before me. The I started thinking about the Knight Percival in the story of King Arthur. Percival was sent on a quest to find the Holy Grail along with several other knights. Many knights died on this quest. Some just gave up and went back with nothing. But Percival didn't give up he suffered through the had times, He stayed true to his quest giving up worldly pleasures and did in the end find the Holy Grail and take it back to his king completing his quest. 

We must be Like Percival, when God puts a mission (quest) in your heart we must be willing to do whatever it tales to complete it. We must claim our Holy Grail. It won't be easy. Sometimes we must also give up something of worldly pleasure to help us stay focused on our mission; such as giving up meat, maybe giving up TV, Video games, Maybe you will fast twice a week until the mission is complete. I was once as a kid told by my father that nothing good ever come easy then I didn't understand what he was talking about. Sometimes we must suffer for what God wants us to do so we can understand how Jesus suffered for us.

Feed your Neighbor (Transcript from Ustream Broadcast on 7/24/2012)

Many times in your life you may have heard the story of Jesus's Miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. Many pastors use this to demonstrate the power of faith or that god will always provide. Although I may touch on these subjects they are not the main reason for my lesson today. I will be applying the verse John 13:34-35  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
If you have your bible please read along with me I am using the ERV of the bible and I verify content with the KJV

Mat 14:14-21 ERV  When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd of people. He felt sorry for them, and he healed the ones who were sick.  (15)  Late that afternoon, the followers came to Jesus and said, "No one lives in this place. And it is already late. Send the people away so they can go to the towns and buy food for themselves."  (16)  Jesus said, "The people don't need to go away. You give them some food to eat."  (17)  The followers answered, "But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish."  (18)  Jesus said, "Bring the bread and the fish to me."  (19)  Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves of bread and the two fish. He looked into the sky and thanked God for the food. Then he broke the bread into pieces, which he gave to the followers, and they gave the food to the people.  (20)  Everyone ate until they were full. When they finished eating, the followers filled twelve baskets with the pieces of food that were not eaten.  (21)  There were about 5000 men there who ate. There were also women and children who ate.

I’m sure the conversation went something like this “Hey Jesus, we are going to have to stop this revival you got going here because none of these people live around and its getting late and none of them have eaten yet” Jesus then looked across the crowds of people and thought “What if I send them away and they don’t have the money to buy food in the nearby town?”

In the crowd there we not just 5000 there were 5000 men plus their families so the total count could have been 15 or 20 thousand there. I’m sure if he had told them to go get dinner some of them may have sat there hungry because there homes were many hours away and they had no money to go in town and buy food. Jesus look at his disciples and said they don’t have to leave we will feed them. Then one of them said to him . Jesus we only have a few loafs of bread and a couple fish. Then Jesus said don’t worry I'll take care of it. Jesus would not sit and eat while watching other suffer. Jesus didn't give with the thought that these people would someday pay him back. He didn't check to see if they took more than what they needed to eat right now.

He didn’t ask why these people didn’t have any food or money to buy some. He didn’t say to some you spent your money on silk when cotton would do, or you spent all your money on wine. He did not say I know any food I give you you will just sell to buy wine so you don’t get any. Jesus gave out of Love and without conditions and he gave in abundance. Jesus and the disciples were not rich they only had what others had given to them. Sometimes its hard not to look at others and decide if they deserve the money you gave then. I often here people say the government is taking money out of my check to pay for welfare, food stamps, Health Care or other programs. Would you rather have them take money out for these programs and know that there are people out there abusing them or would you rather not pay for them and know that children are dying on the streets because they have no home or food?

Taking the Road Less Traveled

Sometimes we find ourselves we look to do things as easy and quickly as possible but by doing so we may miss something important. Now days everything is marketed to be able to open a can or box ; instant information at our fingers from the internet. I'm not saying these things are bad just that we loose stuff.
Awhile back I was a manual pasta maker. I thought wow I can make homemade pasta now. I began by getting all the stuff together to make the dough. Next I put out all the ingredients on the table and started mixing them by hand. After that I read further on it said need the dough for 15-20 min sense I made a double portion I knew I couldn't need it all at once I got Melissa to help me . When we were finished it had taken about 2hours or more to make fresh pasta for dinner.  In the end I had learned to make pasta and gained an understanding of what it takes to make it.

As Christians we must understand God's word and be able to share it with others. We will not get this by skimming through the bible and only learning the verses the Pastor teaches on Sundays.

If I quote you Lev 27:4  The price for a woman who is 20 to 60 years old is 30 shekels. Does this mean I can sell women because it says so in the bible? No. If you read all of chapter Leviticus 27 you will understand that during the times before Jesus there was a price to be paid for redemption and this is the assigning  of a value for a person. It is much easier to depend on the words of others. We must take the road less traveled. We must learn the bible not just read it.

The Church Without Rules

Are you following the rules of the church or the commands of god? There were lots of rules set before man in the old testament. It is said that the Jews of the old testament had over 600 rules theses governed everything form when to plant and harvest crops to the washing of hands before you eat. In the book of Mark, Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees and scribes. This is that story.

Mar 7:5-15 ERV  The Pharisees and teachers of the law said to Jesus, "Your followers don't follow the traditions we have from our great leaders who lived long ago. They eat their food with hands that are not clean. Why do they do this?"  (6)  Jesus answered, "You are all hypocrites. Isaiah was right when he wrote these words from God about you: 'These people honor me with their words, but I am not really important to them.  (7)  Their worship of me is worthless. The things they teach are only human rules.'  (8)  You have stopped following God's commands, preferring instead the man-made rules you got from others."  (9)  Then he said, "You show great skill in avoiding the commands of God so that you can follow your own teachings!  (10)  Moses said, 'You must respect your father and mother.' He also said, 'Whoever says anything bad to their father or mother must be killed.'  (11)  But you teach that people can say to their father or mother, 'I have something I could use to help you, but I will not use it for you. I will give it to God.'  (12)  You are telling people that they do not have to do anything for their father or mother.  (13)  So you are teaching that it is not important to do what God said. You think it is more important to follow those traditions you have, which you pass on to others. And you do many things like that."  (14)  Jesus called the people to him again. He said, "Everyone should listen to me and understand what I am saying.  (15)  There is nothing people can put in their mouth that will make them wrong. People are made wrong by what comes from inside them."

We should never be a Church of Rules, we should be a Church of God. At no point should we hand a rule book to a member or guest of the church and tell them that this is what they have to do to come to our church. God provides instruction through conviction and it is through these convictions that God changes people. The Church is not for us to give out rules it is for us to share the story of Jesus Christ.