The Heartbeat of God!!

I was thinking today about the ministry and the wonderful things that God has done for my family and our church family. I could go on and on about the miracles I've seen and the power that I've experienced since I got saved. Every person has experienced the grace and power of Jesus Christ in some way or another, but its not enough to just see his miracles and feel his power, because even that can turn into ceremonial routine.  Its my desire as a christian to have the heartbeat of God.
   Now these are just my thoughts and opinions, but it seems when a person has had a heart attack that the whole body is affected by it. Many times there is terrible pain in the chest with a shortness of breath. Lifting and pulling is very limited and a person has to stop vigerous activity and climbing. The days following a heart attack there will usually be a a change in a person's diet and the amount of food consumption on a daily basis. Sometimes the signs leading to or just after a heart attack will cause a person to have a pace maker or some kind of medical device to regulate the heart beat. The heartbeat being off course can and will affect every aspect of a person's life no matter what age they are, and the conclusion is that when the heart stops beating that life on earth will then be over.
   As these thoughts run through my mind, I see some similarities between the heartbeat and our walk with Jesus Christ.  The bible describes David as a man after God's own heart. The bible does not speak this way of any other man in the entirety of the Word of God. However, we as Christians should desire to be the heartbeat of God. What I mean is that every aspect of my christian life needs to be so natural its as a heart that beats in perfect time and rythmn.  When the heart is properly functioning then life will go on day by day, if my faith is properly placed in Christ and him crucified, and his desires become my desires then my spiritual life will continue to grow. Children of God should be so in tune with God that the enemy couldn't tempt us or try us in a way that makes us stumble. When we have the heartbeat of God, when god speaks to us, then we automatically obey his voice without question or reservation.  What I am saying tonight is that Christianity, obedience, praise and worship, prayer, study, fellowship, all aspects of this life should be as natural as a fully functional heart. I am a follower of Jesus, I dont have to be told to go to church, I wont be found at the clubs or the bars, i wont be found using fowl language, I dont have to be told to pray and to worship God, it has become more and more natural everyday of my life!! The heartbeat of God!!!

My Thoughts on the Gifts of the Spirit!!

I was thinking about a message I heard preached a few years ago entitled Charismatic Witchcraft. The content of the message was disturbing yet so true and relevant to the times we live in. The sermon was dealing with the mis-use of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit as listed in the 12th chapter of the book of 1 Corinthians. It told how people would use the gifts of the spirit for their personal gain or to manipulate and control people into a way of living or thinking. Many times these methods of false prophesy and heresy would attribute to the greed of the preachers and the money they could scam off the people.  As a Pastor and Presbyter I have met many people in our section and I am beginning to see a trend among many Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. What is being revealed more and more is the mis-treatment of the gifts of the Spirit and the order in how they should be used in the house of God. I have been told so many times that this brother or sister came up to me and told me while I was praying that God said this or God said that. So I always ask, was the Pastor present when this was going on or how did it make you feel? Many times the person who received the so-called word from God is left feeling confused or even angry depending on what was said.  I want to encourage any spiritfilled beliver to pray for deeper levels of discernment and try to remember that the gifts are to edify the church and should not be 20 different private interpretations every time the alter service is going on.  If a lay person feels prompted by the spirit to operate in a gift of the spirit, especially one that would be directed to another individual, then the laity should always go to the pastor first and not just whisper in someones ear. If its a true word from God, then the Pastor or minister will bear witness and give the  green light. Its using wisdom to go by 2 corinthians that out of the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be established. One common mistake I hear a lot is that when some people are giving out these so called words from God is they say I FEEL like God is saying this!!!! The operations of the spirit are not based on feelings or thoughts that pop up in your mind. You have to yield full control to the Holy Spirit and let him talk through you, and not lay your personal interpretation on stuff that comes to your mind. My final warning is to watch for red-flags. If in your church or meeting the same person is going to people and giving them a word all the time and the pastor is never involved and the only ones that are getting these words are younger Christians, then most likely the prophet is self-proclaimed. Therefore avoid such nonsense. Another red-flag is that if a word from God does not confirm something that is already in your spirit. In other words it should never catch you off guard but it will be a reflection of what God is already dealing with you about.  These thoughts are simply my opinion based upon my experience as a pastor and someone who has had the priviledge of being used in some of these giftings. I give Glory completely to Jesus Christ and its only because of him that I am able to speak of the things of God. You are welcome to disagree with my viewpoints on the use of the spiritual gifts, but I think we can agree that they must be used decently and in order. Glory be to God!!

Soldier (What every Christian should be!!)

I am a soldier in the army of God.  The Lord Jesus Christ is my commanding officer. The Holy Bible is my Code of Conduct.  Faith, prayer, and the Word are my weapons of warfare.  I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity and tested by fire.
I am a volunteer in this army and I am enlisted for eternity.  I will either retire in this army at the rapture or die in this army; but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out, or pushed out. I am faithful, reliable, capable and dependable. If my God needs me, I am there.  If He needs me in the Sunday school, to teach the children, work with the youth, help adults or just sit and learn, He can use me because I am there.
I am a soldier.  I am not a baby.  I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up or pepped up. I am a soldier. No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me. I am a soldier.  I am not a wimp.  I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His kingdom! No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy or give me handouts.  I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to. I am committed.  I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.  I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.  I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.
When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing.  If I end up with nothing, I will still come out ahead.  I will win. My God has and will continue to supply all of my need. I am more than a conqueror.  I will always triumph.  I can do all things through Christ. The devil cannot defeat me.  People cannot disillusion me. Weather cannot weary me. Sickness cannot stop me. Battles cannot beat me.  Money cannot buy me.   Governments cannot silence me and hell cannot handle me.  I am a soldier. Even death cannot destroy me.  For when my Commander calls me from this battlefield, He will promote me to Captain and then allow me to rule with Him.  I am a soldier in the army, and I’m marching, claiming victory. I will not give up.  I will not run around.  I am a soldier, marching heaven bound.”  (Unknown)

The Glory of the Lord Must Fill The House!!

I was reading in the book of 2 Chronicles Chapter 5 in the Old Testament of the Bible. The passage of scripture was talking about the time when Solomon had built a house for the Lord. This was the temple of God that would eventually be the home for the ark of the covenant, which is the place where God would come and sit on the Mercy Seat and the high priest would minister to the Lord in the Holy of Holies.
2 Chronicles 5:1 (KJV) ¹ Thus all the work that Solomon made for the house of the LORD was finished: and Solomon brought in all the things that David his father had dedicated; and the silver, and the gold, and all the instruments, put he among the treasures of the house of God.
      As you can see in the first verse, the temple was furnished with very expensive materials such as gold and silver. There were instruments and treasures as well as many other fine materials and items found in the temple of God, such as alters of brass and copper and candelsticks made of pure gold. In todays currency this building would have been a multi-million dollar complex.
2 Chronicles 5:2-5 (KJV) ² Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.
³ Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month.
⁴ And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark.
⁵ And they brought up the ark, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, these did the priests and the Levites bring up.
       After reading the next few verses you can see that Solomon, upon completion of the temple, called together the elders to discuss bringing the ark of the covenant to the temple from the city of David. As you can see there was not one ceremony, celebration, sacrifice, feast or anything held in the temple until the ark was brought in. 2 Chronicles 5:6-7 (KJV) ⁶ Also king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be told nor numbered for multitude.
⁷ And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims:
    Solomon and the multitude gathered before the ark of the covenant (the presence of God) and offered sacrifice. This was a type and shadow of the cross of Jesus Christ because Jesus had to be crucified before the Holy Spirit could come on the day of Pentecost. Solomon had to offer a sacrifice, a temporary covering for sin before the ark could be moved. Once the priest moved the ark to the temple, it was placed in the holy place just as the Lord commands. In todays church we need to have respect and reverence for the divine presence of God. The Holy Spirit wants residence in our inner most being.
John 7:38 (KJV) ³⁸ He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

The Holy Spirit present in your life, will always spring forth out of you like a fountain that never runs dry. The Holy Spirit will give life, nourishment, saturation, growth, and heals everything it touches just like Ezekial saw in his vision of waters that issued out from the tabernacle.

2 Chronicles 5:10 (KJV) ¹⁰ There was nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put therein at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.
Its amazing that inside the ark was two tables of stone which Moses had placed there at Horeb. This was the Law of God, which was fulfilled by Jesus Christ 2000 years ago when he died on the cross and was raised from the dead on the 3rd day. I am also intrigued by the covenant that God made with Israel when they came out of Egypt. Basically its a promise of a great inheritance (Land of Milk & Honey) when they came out of the bondage of sin (Egypt is an example of sin).  Today my friend, Jesus had made you a promise that he alone is God and he has made a way of escape for you. The book of John tell us that the theif comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus came to give life more abundantly.
2 Chronicles 5:11-14 (KJV) ¹¹ And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course:
¹² Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)
¹³ It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;
¹⁴ So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

The last few verses give us a picture of how true worship must take place. The priest understood that the presence of the Lord was necessary to have true worship.  The priest could have carried out temple duties, but without the ark it would have been in vain.      In today's church world we have the biggest and the best facilities, entertainment, and coffee shops have been the drive of church growth. We have passed out surveys trying to marry the modern church into the world. I believe that the Lord has shown us all through the bible that lives are changed, not by starbucks, or basketball teams, or how you dress, but lives are changed only by the presence of God. My friend, we need a revival to sweep through our Land and begin to burn out the flesh-driven churches and once again begin to embrace the divine presence of God through the moving and operation of the Holy Spirit. Who care if we have big buildings and paved parking, who cares if we have padded pews and the highest quality video and audio, who cares if we have day-care and parents night out. What I want to know is this: Does God Show Up and Show Out In Your Church!! We Need The Glory Again!!!

You Dont Have to Hurt!!!

I was sitting back in the recliner today listening to the cold brisk wind blowing through the trees in the back yard. The feeling of cold winter afternoons is a reminder for me to be thankful for my warm house and especially my loving family. There are people all around us that have no place to go and no family to call their own. As I was thinking on these things it come to my spirit about the many people that I have met since God called me into the ministry. There are so many situations that I have encountered with people and so many of those seemed to be so hopeless and the people would often think that there is no way to get out of my circumstance. As a minister, when trying to help people we often look at our own experiences and trials and how God brought us out, as to further insight into God's power and ability. I can honestly say that in my own life I have experienced hurt, pain, fear, worry, anxiety, depression, anger, and the list goes on and on. The Lord Jesus Christ has helped me to overcome every giant that I have ever faced and gave me strength to stand on the Word of God reguardless of how is seemed.  I want to say to anyone who is hurting, Jesus came not only to heal the sick and open blinded eyes, and raise the dead, but he also came to heal the broken heart. Sometimes life will throw you a curveball and you may want jump out and quit, but with Christ we can face our situations head on like the forth one in the fire. Jesus may not put out every fire but he will walk through it with you. You dont have to keep hurting, Jesus wants to heal all your spiritual, physical, and emotional needs no matter how small or how great they are. Jesus Christ and him Crucified is still the only life changing message that works, no matter what!! Jesus can't fail!!

What Newport needs is a Spiritual Awakening!!

I am writing today about some things that are in my spirit, about the city of Newport, Arkansas. First of all my thoughts and feelings are from my perspective as a Christian and they are just my opinions.  I grew up and went to school here as a Greyhound and I am proud to be living back here in Newport. I have lived in areas in Arkansas the past few years since graduation, that are known to be growing and prospering by leaps and bounds. I lived in Rogers, AR (NorthWest Arkansas), as well as seven years in Jonesboro, AR. These other places I have mentioned, if we will be honest,  have a lot more to offer in reguards to jobs, recreation, shopping, entertainment, etc. I want to say that all of these things are not what makes a community. There is something about the small town life that is special to those that live here. Unfortunately, it seems that many young people after high-school leave Newport pursuing their dreams and never look back. What if dreams could come to pass right here in Newport, what if people were trying to move in here because this was the place to be, and what if young people wanted to stay and raise their families here.
     I truly believe this with all my heart, that what Newport really needs is a Spiritual Awakening, a move of God like this city has never seen before.  You see its the will of God that a Child of God should prosper and be in good health. (3John1:1) The answer it not more businesses and factories, or getting people to support its local businesses. Those things are good in itself, but what this town needs is to allow Jesus Christ to reign as king and Lord in every aspect of life. The first thing is that the churches need to come to a place and realize that we need to work together for the kingdom of God and not be so divided, after all when we get to heaven there is one church, not a bunch of denominations. Its time to look at ourselves and if we claim to be children of God, then lets not live double standards. The church needs to be a living example of what it means to be Christ-like.  A lady in our church is new to the Newport area, when she moved in, a neighbor invited her to the church they attended. That was great, but the neighbor also made this statement, "Everybody who is Anybody goes to the ___________ church. What a foolish reason to attend a church or ministry. When we as Christians get it into our head that ITS ALL ABOUT JESUS, then we will have an Awakening to sweep through our land.
     I had a vision of the Holy Spirit as it was hovering over our county and as soon as people crossed our county line, people could actually feel the presence of God and chains of sin, addiction, depression, anger, bitterness, unforgivness, pornography, homosexuality, drugs, alchohol, etc. these chains of darkness would fall off them because of the strong presence of God. The bible says the yoke is broken, because of the annointing.(Isaiah 10:27) Imagine a city where the drug dealers were saved and the addicts were set free. A place were Christians love one another and live for God as if today was their last day to live. I imply that if the people in our town would make welcome the Holy Spirit to have full control of your life, job, family, finances, problems, good things, and bad things, we will see a difference in the atmosphere in which we live. If we as a community would let God move, then he would bring the jobs, business, and the Lord would strengthen the local economy and people will truly rush to move to our city. We have some wonderful and loving people people in Newport but that alone is not enough for a turn around, the answer is Jesus. Its time for moms and dads to teach our young people how to pray and seek God. Lets teach our young people that they dont have to be ashamed to worship God and put Jesus first.
     In closing, I say that I am not not trying to offend anyone or criticize our town in anyway. But the Lord has shown me through prayer that Jesus wants to do a great work here and move this town forward, if we will simply allow him full control. The church needs to be the church of the bible, and begin to reach souls for the kingdom of God. If we as a people will fall on our face befor the Lord and invite him, then he will begin to bless Newport in a way that we have never seen before. Life changing power, that heals the sick, opens blinded eyes, raises the dead, cast out devils, saves the lost, this power will be so prevelant that people we never be the same.  What Newport needs is a Spirtual Awakening!!!

The Real Jesus!!

     I want to introduce myself to anyone who may read this blog. My name is Jay and I am a pastor of a Pentecostal Church in Northeast Arkansas, and its my desire to share the message of Jesus Christ with hurting people. That may sound easy, but in a generation where people have turned their back on the concept that God exsists and many of those that do believe and confess to follow Christ, have a dim view of the real Jesus. Our culture has made God out to be some untouchable force that is ready to judge you on the spot and condemn you to hell for not measuring up to certain standards, all the while others have made God out to be the get out of jail free card when trouble comes. The real Jesus is so in Love with his creation that he gave his own life to free us from the chains of sin. I have come to realize that I have never been able to measure-up, or even come close to earning any kind of merit or favor with God. The real Jesus has given me abundant life not because I have done anything, but because he is merciful and his grace endures forever.
    The real Jesus is not only interested in saving us from the pitts of Hell, but he also has paid for my healing. Healing comes in many different ways and forms, sometimes it comes instantly and other times its a process that moves forward slowly. The Lord can heal cancer and other sickness just as easy as he can heal a broken heart or a troubled spirit. The real Jesus will always offer a peace that passes all understanding. In conclusion, Jesus changed my life and I want everyone to know that he will change yours if you will simply ask him to take charge!! THE REAL JESUS LOVES YOU!!