Western Hills Christian Church: “You are family here!”

Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power.
Psalm 110:3

One mark of revival, during which God comes to His people in power, is that God’s people are compelled to offer their lives for His service. Many churches lack people who are willing to get involved in carrying out God’s redemptive work. The mission fields are crying out for Christians to go and share the gospel with those who’ve never heard it. What we need is not more pleas for volunteers, but an outpouring of the power of God. When God comes among His people in power, there is never a shortage of volunteers or resources for His work!

When Christians today are asked what aspects of the Christian life are most important to them, missions is not usually ranked as a priority. This is because we have lost track of why God called us in the first place. We were not saved from our sin simply so that we would qualify for heaven. God delivered us so we would have a relationship with Him through which He could carry out His mission to redeem a lost world.

Only the power of God can free us from our natural self-centeredness and reorient us toward the mission of God. There is no need to pray that God would come in power. That is the only way He ever comes. We need hearts that are so responsive to Him that He will choose to demonstrate His power through us. Is your heart so filled with love for God that you are watching for the first opportunity to say with Isaiah, “Here am I. Send me!”?

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

And the evil Spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?"
Acts 19:15

There is no secondhand spirituality. No one else can develop Christian maturity on your behalf. A strong Christian heritage is an asset, but it cannot take the place of your own vibrant, growing relationship with Christ.

Paul had a powerful work with God. God used him so mightily that extraordinary miracles occurred through his life. Cloths that touched Paul were taken to the sick, and the sick were healed (Acts 19:10-12). Evil spirits were cast out. Paul’s preaching and teaching were instrumental in building a strong church in Ephesus. Paul’s ministry was so impressive, in fact, that others tried to duplicate it.

Seven sons of the chief priest, Sceva, attempted to cast out demons the way Paul did. They confronted an evil spirit and attempted to exorcise it "by the Jesus whom Paul preaches." These men were trying to use a spiritual power that Paul had acquired after years of walking closely with his Lord. They could imitate Paul’s words, but they could not duplicate the power that was his through his personal relationship with God. The evil spirit retorted, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?" The demon then viciously attacked them and humiliated them. The evil spirits were fearfully aware of Jesus (James 2:19); they were familiar with Paul’s influence over the powers of darkness. But the demons had no knowledge of the seven sons of Sceva.

You can duplicate the words and deeds of a spiritually mature Christian, but you cannot inherit his or her walk with God. Christian maturity takes effort; it comes over time. If you ignore the place of prayer and if you neglect your relations with Christ, you will not grow in your faith. Imitating the faith of others will not give you victory. Only as you nurture your own relationship with Jesus will your life be filled with spiritual maturity and power.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.
1st Corinthians 4:20

Christianity is not moral platitudes, lofty intentions, and noble thoughts. The fundamental characteristic of God’s kingdom is power. Paul faced constant criticism about his work among the early churches. Some of his detractors would travel to cities such as Corinth and speak extensively about all that Paul was doing incorrectly. At times, people in the churches were enticed to believe the slanderous criticisms against the apostle.

Paul responded with a reminder that the test of a citizen’s authenticity was not the persuasiveness of his words, but the spiritual power of his life. Paul candidly acknowledged that some did not find him eloquent in speech (2nd Corinthians 10:1). Yet they could not question God’s power in his life. He had seen many people converted, and many churches were started through his ministry. He had been used to heal the sick and raise the dead through God’s power. Regardless of whether his words were eloquent, they carried spiritual power and authority that came from God.

You will encounter many people who seek to convince you of their opinions concerning the kingdom of God. They may speak passionately. They may even bring charts and graphs to prove their points! But the test of the validity of their words is the spiritual power of their lives. If a person speaks forcefully about a point of doctrine but is habitually sinning, his words are discredited by his life. If a person talks of the power of God but gives no evidence of victory in her life, her words are empty. It is much easier to talk about the victorious Christian life than it is to live it.

If you only have the appearance of godliness without any corresponding spiritual power (2nd Timothy 3:5), ask God to cleanse you of your sin and to fill you with His Spirit so that your life is characterized by power.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

WHAT? Focus on the Family’s Truth Project

WHEN? Beginning Tuesday September 1, 2009

TIME? 6:00pm – 7:30pm

WHERE?  Western Hills Christian Church auditorium

This 13 week video series is the most ambitious & powerful project Focus on the Family has launched in the history of its ministry. The DVD-based curriculum is taught by Dr. Del Tackett, President of the Focus Leadership Institute. This study is the starting point for looking at life from a biblical perspective.  Each lesson discusses in great detail the relevance and importance of living the Christian worldview in daily life.

STATS FROM DR TACKETT:

TNOTEhe –Truth Project small groups are active in 80 countries around the globe such as Afghanistan, Argentina, Belgium, Bermuda, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iraq, Ghana, Japan, Cambodia, Latvia, Mongolia, New Guinea, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Slovakia, South Korea, Togo West Africa, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zimbabwe;
–On every continent except Antarctica (we will have to work on that!);
–There are over 90,000 registrants on the small-group support web-site;
–There are over 1.5 million people who have gone through the Truth Project in the three years since we launched. Story

NOTE FROM EDDIE & TEDDY: We have completed the Truth Project series & can tell you from our experience, you will find the lessons educational, inspiring and relevant to today’s culture. It is certainly worth your commitment to the 12 weeks.