Pastors at Heritage Church in Texas have been preaching a sermon series on the theme of Galatians 6:14 “I will boast in the Cross of Christ.” It is a theme that Grace Fellowship advocates for vital public and personal ministry. The series is available via online video, audio and downloads.
Click here to visit HeritageChurch.org/media
A daily resource for you and those you disciple…
Verse of the Day — Deuteronomy 33:26-27
There is none like the God of Jeshurun (Israel), Who rides the heavens to your help, and through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
To be “in Christ” is to be in the safest, most secure place in the universe.
MINI BIBLE STUDY FOR THE DAY
It is an amazing thing to consider that the God of the universe, the God of all creation, cares about us so deeply and so intimately that He will traverse the heavens “to our help.”
This God is our dwelling place, which is also translated “refuge.” As the world around us alters and changes at a staggering speed, those of us who trust in Him can live in a place that is eternally safe and secure. And we are not only kept safe, we are held in His “everlasting arms.”
God wanted Israel to understand, and us as well, that His full power and majesty are directed toward the care and protection of His children.
There is none like Him.
-April 30, 2015
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Dear Grace Fellowship Friends,
This month we have started an initiative to more effectively communicate with the pastors on our mailing list. In 2010 we published, From Pastors to Pastors: Testimonies of Revitalized Ministries. The life stories in this book, which reflect the Holy Spirit’s moving, have been a major source of inspiration. We rejoice to see God continuing to work in the lives of pastors who have developed a relationship with our team. This month’s email will offer a recent glimpse into this. We invite you to check out the links below…
In His Life,
Rob
Rob Clogg,
President
Grace Fellowship International
view full graphics-formatted edition online here
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3 New Stories So, what has God been doing recently? You are also encouraged to check out the ministry of three pastors who have seen the ministry of GFI impact their lives and ministry. You are encouraged to go to the links below and listen to recent messages.
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In a recent blog article, pastor Jack Wellman identified five aspects of pastoral ministry that he especially appreciates. His list included: Mentoring, Soul Winning, Preaching the Gospel, Loving the Flock, and Mentoring. The fifth privilege/responsibility he picked is of special interest to us–counseling
Jack confides,
“This might be something you wouldn’t expect but when people come to me, they know that they can confide in me and I won’t share their struggles with anyone. I keep all of my counseling sessions in strict confidence. When people tell me that they’re struggling with pornography, drugs, sexual addictions, same-sex attraction, alcohol, marital problems or whatever else it is, the most frustrating part is that sometimes I can’t help them but I do know Who can and it’s not a human. I heard one pastor say that living the Christian life is not hard…it’s impossible so we need God’s supernatural strength to help all of us to overcome in different areas of life but during the times that I can actually help someone to transform their life through prayer, the Word of God, intervention, accountability applications or whatever it is, there is tremendous joy in this. I also tell those that I counsel that I am not their solution, God is and what I can’t do, He can but to have people come to me with problems that they have only shared with God and no one else makes me feel that they trust me thoroughly and know that I won’t gossip to anyone about their weaknesses because I too have my own personal struggles.”
What if every evangelical pastor were equipped and empowered with a simplified, clarified, illustrated model of biblical counseling that was potentially life-transforming. We believe that the fuller message of the cross can be applied to the heart of the matter–whatever it is–which is usually a matter of the heart.
As we personally appropriate Christ as Lord and Life, we minister from the overflow of our union with Him. Let’s “make the most of every opportunity” (Eph. 5:16) to offer not only care but cure .
-JBW
from “Why I Love Being a Pastor: 5 Favorite Things”
by Pastor Jack Wellman
http://christianmediamagazine.com/art-creativity/why-i-love-being-a-pastor-5-favorite-things/
| Now that Easter is over it is important that we keep our thoughtsstayed on the daily reality of the resurrected Christ. The best-selling author and preacher of the 20th century, A.W. Tozer, said that the most important thing about a person is what comes to mind when they think about God. This is true every moment of every day, compelling us to renew our minds according to the truth.
Because the hardest thing about the Christian life is that it is so “daily”, we must embrace a biblical, fresh, and intimate experience of the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Keeping our mind stayed on Him empowers us with peace, power, and endurance for the race set before us. |
Handbook to Happiness: 99 cent ebook sale March 22-28!
View this email in your browser
Ebook on sale this week
Sunday-Saturday, March 22-28
Handbook to Happiness uniquely explains the message of victorious Christian living through a practical, illustrated biblical counseling process. Since Dr. Charles Solomon authored Handbook over 40 years ago, over 300,000 copies have been printed in over 10 languages. For the first time, Tyndale Publishers is offering a huge discount on the ebook edition (regular price: $13.95). Now through Saturday you can get a copy for your laptop, Kindle or iPad for only 99 cents. The vendors honoring this promotion include Amazon and Apple’s iTunes Store.
Why not get or gift an e-copy this week? Please spread the news!
Handbook to Happiness: 99 cent ebook sale March 22-28!
View this email in your browser
Ebook on sale this week
Sunday-Saturday, March 22-28
Handbook to Happiness uniquely explains the message of victorious Christian living through a practical, illustrated biblical counseling process. Since Dr. Charles Solomon authored Handbook over 40 years ago, over 300,000 copies have been printed in over 10 languages. For the first time, Tyndale Publishers is offering a huge discount on the ebook edition (regular price: $13.95). Now through Saturday you can get a copy for your laptop, Kindle or iPad for only 99 cents. The vendors honoring this promotion include Amazon and Apple’s iTunes Store.
Why not get or gift an e-copy this week? Please spread the news!
THE WORD IS:“With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
THE POINT IS: “No way; it can’t happen. That’s just not possible!” We may not like to hear it, but there are some things we simply cannot do. There are some obstacles we cannot overcome. There are some problems we cannot solve. We all have limitations. That’s just part of being human. Let’s face it, we can’t do everything. And even the things we do, don’t seem to do anything for us: not really, not fully, and not completely. That is because nothing we do will ever meet the deepest needs of our heart. Therefore, we need God’s salvation. Salvation is the greatest of all human impossibilities. Salvation is that supernatural work of God by which we are delivered from our old life in Adam into a new life in Christ. That’s real deliverance! Salvation results in our being changed from death to life, from darkness to light, and from sinners to saints. That’s true and lasting change of the best kind! Salvation makes us new creations in Christ. That’s the best that we can be!
THE APPLICATION IS: So how does this work? Well, first of all you must face the fact that when it comes to living life as God intended, it’s humanly impossible! Simply put, with man—no way, but with God—yes way. And that’s where Christ comes in! He comes into your life to complete you, fulfill you, and empower you to overcome your human impossibilities. Through Christ, God can make the impossible possible for you! He is the Almighty God and nothing is too hard for Him. He is the God of the impossible, and He makes all things possible. There are no limitations with God. He created all things and all things are subject to Him. Therefore, you should trust Him to rule and overrule in every area of every day of your life. He is the possible for your impossible. So, say it loud and say it often, “Yes I can…I can do all things through Christ!” As you live in union with Christ the possibilities are endless!
(reposted to revitalizingpastors.org)
IMPOSSIBLE = HIM POSSIBLE
Lewis & Lue Gregory
Broken things need fixing – or so our every impulse tells us. Once upon a time, I bought a minivan for my growing family. It broke a lot. So I fixed a lot. It leaked oil, a lot of oil. Then its struts failed. Then the muffler fell off. Then the rear doors stopped opening. And the factory CD player got stolen. And the windshield cracked. And the driver’s seat ripped. And the lifters stuck so bad it sounded like machine gun fire. And the belts squeaked like screaming cats.
It took the sum of those automotive maladies to talk me out of trying to fix that old van. And on one cold Chicago morning, I did something far better than fix it, something long overdue that made my wife smile and the children rejoice. I bought a new van, and showed up at our apartment with some very good news: “The old has passed away; behold, the new has come!”
So it is with this broken down old world filled with broken down old people making up broken down old churches. As though to prove his due diligence, God spent a few thousand years offering fixes – a command to care for the poor here, a law against murder there. But when all fixes had failed and the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son. He bought a new van, and showed up in our world with some very good news: “The kingdom of God is at hand.”
See, Jesus is not the latest, greatest divine effort to fix the broken world. He is a new world. He is a new creation. He is a new van, a final replacement for that old, broken down lemon we’ve been driving around all these millennia.
When I ditched my old van, I snatched the license plates off it, bolted them onto the replacement, and drove down the road in a new van. God, likewise, takes our identity off our old man, bolts it to the life of his son, and we drive down the road in a new man.
[re-post. emphasis added. Mark Bergin pastors The Painted Door Church in Chicago and sits on the board for the Chicago Partnership for Church Planting. He likes reading books about how relentlessly and recklessly God loves the world. Connect with Mark on Twitter @MarkJBergin where he tweets, seasonally. Post Sunday Encouragement for Church leaders 8/18/2014 issue]
To His people the risen Christ says “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)
Ruth Paxson observed, “God, in His infinite grace, always takes the initiative in bringing us into a fuller experience of our inheritance in Christ. So the Lord Jesus stands outside the door of every unyielded room in your life seeking entrance. If He enters, the door must be opened from the inside.”
This is the theme of the classic booklet by Robert Munger, My Heart Christ’s Home. A PDF edition is available here: navigatorsdetroit.com/MHCH.pdf
– JBW
Revitalizing Pastors 