A New Mind

Phillipians 2:5-11

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.


A New Mind

People oftem make resolutions at the beginning of a new year. This week, we stand at the threshold of a whole new decade, so I'm sure that gym memberships are being considered and people are buying supplies to finish that novel, that addition on to the house or swearing that this is the year that they finish that degree.

If those are the things on your heart, I pray that you find the passion and the discipline to complete them. But in all your acheivements and ambitions, remember to put on the mind of Christ. Nothing you do without Him will satisfy. And through Him, anything is possible.

Happy New Year!

John 17:19-21

And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
-Sis. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30238
Alton Watkins, Pastor

The Gift

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Gift

This is the week. Some folks are hustling and bustling around trying to find that last present; that special item, that perfect gift that will make some loved one's heart melt with joy. Others finished their gift shopping and making months ago and are just looking forward to the big day. It's fun to give and it's fun to receive.

Dear ones, have a wonderful Christmas celebration. But in all your getting, get life.

I know I've said this before, but the Spirit compells me to say it again. We EARN the results of sin, but life eternal through Jesus Christ is a GIFT of God. We must learn to receive the gift with all of its benefits and responsibilities.

Let your heart melt with the joy of relationship with the Father through the Son. Be warmed by the feeling of walking in your destiny as you follow after the Holy Spirit. Get energy from moving in the passion that was written into your being before you were born.

If you don't get anything else for Christmas, get life.

1 John 5:11-15

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

On earth, peace, good will toward men!

Merry Christmas!

-Sis. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30238
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Just Go On and Praise Him!

Psalm 145:1-3
I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.

Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.

Just Go On and Praise Him

It's an odd thing that at what should be a very happy time of year, many people are hurting and depressed. Maybe families aren't as close as they should be. Maybe you have a loved one serving overseas who won't be home for Christmas. Maybe you've experienced a loss this year and the joy of the season just seems to intesify your pain. Someone may feel completely alone.

There is a song that was popular on contemporary Christian stations that said "Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance."

Child of God, I encourage you not to wait until the shakles are removed. Just go on and praise Him. As Paul and Silas showed us, sometimes you have to praise your way out of shackles (Acts 16:25-26).

Go on and praise Him. I know it's hard, but that's why Jeremiah and Paul wrote of the 'sacrifice of praise' (Jeremiah 33:11, Hebrews 13:15).

No matter what 'it' is, Jesus is still the Way, the Truth and the Life. 'It' will pass, but Jesus and His love for you will be the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

I dare you to praise Him. I dare you to take Him at His Word. I dare you to look at your situation, the hurt, the lack, the unfulfilled promises and say to your spirit "Despite all the evidence to the contrary, I will believe God."

I dare you to start right now, right where you are and choose to be faithful. I dare you to start to believe God. We have on our wall at church "Dare to Believe God!" Go on. Praise Him. I dare you.

Need help finding what to praise about? Here's a list of a few good reasons to get you started:

Isaiah 53

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

On Earth, Peace, Good Will Toward Men!

-Sis. Stephanie Robinson


Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30238
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Do You See What I See?

Matthew 2:1-2

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem ,

Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.


Do You See What I See?

There are some profound testimonies in songs and hymns. The hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” was written by a man who lost his children in a tragic accident. The pain that poured out of him was sweetly intermixed with pure praise for God who comforts and strengthens. ‘No matter what happens, it is well with my soul.’

Christmas carols are no exception. In “Oh Holy Night,” there is the line ‘Long lay the world in sin and error pining, ‘til He appeared, and the soul felt its worth.’ Isn't that a wonderful word picture? He appears and your very soul suddenly knew it's worth. What a great way to explain conviction.

In ‘What Child is This?’ there is a verse that isn’t sung often. But the chorus reminds us of why He was born:

Nails, spears shall pierce Him through.
His blood be spilled for me, for you.
Hail, Hail, the Word made flesh.
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

And yes, there is even a deep message in “Do You Hear What I Hear?” Now, I know that this song is probably on many people’s list of 'most annoying Christmas Carols' along with “The Little Drummer Boy” and “The 12 Days of Christmas”. They are long songs that get over played every year.

But, on that night over 2000 years ago, there were three men of wisdom and education who looked to the skies and found something remarkable. They saw a marker up in the heavens that led them to a King that they knew they had to worship.

A group of stinky sheep herders, shepherds, also saw the same marker in the sky. They heard and saw a host of angels who couldn’t contain their joy. Those angels sang out that the ‘Son of God had come bringing peace and good will toward men.’

The men of means and the men of no means saw the same sign and responded. They brought what they had, their material treasures, their sheer adoration and they came. They came to see this Child, and when they left His presence, they spread the news in the streets and in the palaces.

A lot of people saw that star. Anyone who looked up into the sky saw the star. But they didn’t see what these people saw.

When Joseph and Mary brought the Child to the temple to have Him blessed, a lot of people saw the Child. Everyone who saw them saw the Child. But only Simon and Anna saw Him for who He really was (Luke 2:25-38).

Today, there are signs and testimonies all around us. There are acts of favor from the Lord. They happen out in the open in front of all people, but only some people see.

There are praises and thanks going forward. There are gifts offered and received. The invitations to come and feast are being sent far and wide. The Word is being preached in fullness. God is being worshipped in Spirit and in truth, but everyone doesn’t hear.

Do you see what I see? Do you hear what I hear? Do you know what I know? Do the people in your life know, see, and hear what you do? Have you really seen? Heard? If you have seen and heard, what will you do with the revelation?

The Gift has been given. He is yours. Whatever is between yourself and the Savior, I encourage you, dear one, to lay it aside so you can fully see and hear and know. This year, receive the gift of relationship. Then pass it on to someone else.

Revelation 22:17

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Peace and Merry Christmas.

Sis. Stephanie Robinson



Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30238
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Promises, Promises

Luke 1:26-38

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

For with God nothing shall be impossible.

And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Promises, Promises

I know it may seem a bit early to talk about the Christmas story, but this is more than a holiday message.

Although so many things stand out in this passage, one that pricked my heart this week is that even though the Holy Spirit hadn’t yet come on Mary to conceive the Christ Child, the promise of Christ was already fulfilled.

Christ had been prophesied since Eden. His name had been mentioned, the place of His birth, even the throne of His inheritance had all been put in place. Further, His forerunner and disciples were already being birthed and raised so that they could be in place. Even Saul of Tarsus was being birthed into his Pharasee home so that he could later become Paul. It was all arranged and set into motion. All of the pieces needed before Jesus’ arrival and after His crucifixion were all set in place before Mary ever said, ‘be it unto me.’

My dear believer, we can learn from Mary to accept the promise as fulfilled at God’s word. When He says it is done, it is done. We need to trust that He is putting everything in place. And, even when we need a little encouragement, there are signs.

Whatever it is you’re looking for, if God spoke it into our lives, if the Holy Spirit has confirmed it, we know what the Son is making intercessions on our behalf. We can go ahead and expect it. When you see flowers on the tree or on the plant, you expect fruit when its harvest time. It’s okay to prepare for the harvest because you have the promise of the flowers heralding it.

A promise is a promise. The harvest season for whatever it is may be ahead of us, but ‘be it unto me, according to thy word.”


Luke 2:9-11

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

On earth, Peace, and Good Will Toward Men!

-Sis. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30238
Alton Watkins, Pastor

New Ruts

Romans 12:1-3

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.


New Ruts


In Sunday School yesterday, we talked about ruts. If you take the same path over and over again, you’ll form a rut in the ground. That rut is fine as long as you always go the same way. But, if you need to go a new direction, you’ll have to expend some effort to get out of the rut and take a new path.

We can get into a rut where it seems like we keep making the same mistake over and over again. The sad part is, the longer we take to get out of the rut, the deeper it can get and the harder it is to get out of it. But, if the practice is a good one, it is just a difficult to get out of so it's harder to do wrong.

Our brains actually make paths for the things we do most often. For example, when you practice something repeatedly, whether its language, music, sports, writing, your brain builds a path that forms a kind of rut in your gray matter. This makes it easier for the nerves to talk to each other so the thoughts or functions happen faster.

This is why someone who is constantly practices a foul shot can perform it with ease. Or when you memorize something, you can recall it years later. There is a brain rut that makes the action almost second nature. And, like a rut in the road, it takes more effort to change the behavior…it’s easier to follow the rut.

These ruts in our brains from what we think about most is why it is so difficult to change our thinking. This is what the Holy Spirit was getting at when He inspired Paul to write today’s verse.

“transform by the renewing of your mind,…”

Dear ones, renewing our minds means getting new ruts. We’ve got to spend the energy it takes to get out of what we’ve learned from the world over all these years and make ourselves and our minds available to what the Spirit is trying to teach us.

The good news is that the process is the same. We didn’t learn to be negative, downtrodden and selfish overnight. It took time and concentration. So, with time and concentration, we can learn to speak life, have a mind a Christ, see with our Spiritual eyes, follow after the Spirit so we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

When we were born again, we gained a new nature…no longer a slave to human nature, we took on a spiritual nature. As we nurture our spirit with the Word of God, fellowship, prayer, study, working in our calling, we allow that spirit to grow and flourish. We build ‘ruts’ of following after the Holy Spirit.

Soon, it will take effort to doubt God. You’ll have to fight to be unsure of God. You’ll have to choose to operate in the things of the world.

When you build new ruts, trusting God will come as easily as, well, riding a bike.

Phillipians 4:6-9

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I am thankful to God for the privilege of use. I pray that you have been and will continue to be as blessed by these messages as I am in sharing them.

Peace.

Sis. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30238
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Looking for Work...Finding Favor

Ruth 2:2, 8-16
2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:

9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.

10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?

11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.

12 The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

13 Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.

14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.

15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:

16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.


Looking for Work…Finding Favor

It’s a good thing to be a hard worker. Slackers aren’t appreciated in any culture. No one wants to be with, under, over or even near someone who doesn’t want to work. It makes the work harder. It can drain your energy and can ruin an otherwise wonderful day.

But, on the flip side, it is easy to slip into pride of work. When you think someone doesn’t work as hard as you do, it’s easy to start to look down on that person. It is also easy to slip into a mindset that you have to work for all you have and you run the risk of becoming too hard to receive anything from anyone. And the truth is you can’t earn favor.

Ruth has a message for the hard workers among us; its okay to look for and expect favor.

She went to the field of her mother-in-law’s kinsman looking for food, but also for favor (verse 2). She needed permission to walk the stalks and find grains left over after the professionals went through and harvested so she and Naomi could eat.

She wasn’t afraid to work for her supper, but she understood that there was a privilege involved that she couldn’t earn and didn’t deserve since she was a stranger. She went to work knowing she had to find favor in the eyes of the supervisor. She couldn’t offer him wages or a fee or anything. She had to be willing to receive.

Because Ruth was willing to receive grace and favor, she received more than she was looking for. She found acceptance (verse 8), appreciation (verse 11), protection (verses 9, 15), material goods (verses 14, 16) and a new spiritual identity (verse 12).

Eventually, she went on to be Boaz’ wife and the Grandmother of David and in the lineage of Christ Himself. She was looking for favor, and found it full of more than she expected.

Can you imagine how overwhelmed Ruth was to move from widow, beggar and stranger to bride of a wealthy man in such a short period of time? That’s how God works. That’s how God shows favor.

His love transcends our place and our background. It even moves beyond our work. His favor takes the unwanted, the cast down, the forgotten and turns us into the celebrated, the exalted, the sought after. He takes the broken pieces and makes us not fixed, but new!

Yes, our works matter. We are known by our works. Proverbs reminds us that even a child is known by his works (Proverbs 20:11). But, we have to accept that we cannot earn God’s favor. Sin has a price, but what God gives is truly a gift, and it is given by His choice, not ours.

Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.”

What happens to us as a result of our sin is earned like wages on a job. A worker is worthy of his wages, good or bad. But eternal life through Christ Jesus, well, that’s a gift; a gift of God, to be more precise. Hallelujah!

Will you receive the gift? Will you soften your heart enough to accept what you cannot earn? Whether it’s salvation or opening yourself to receive all the God has for you, will you accept?

A book came out years ago called Can You Stand to be Blessed? It discussed the responsibility of walking with God’s favor. Favor doesn’t excuse us from work, but it will change the work you do. The favor of God also changes who you are.

So, are you up to it? Can you stand to be blessed? Can you freely receive the favor of God? You can’t earn it. You only have to receive.

Romans 8:31-32

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Revelation 22:17

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Peace.

Sis. Stephanie Robinson


Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30238
Alton Watkins, Pastor

What Does God Call You?

1 Samuel 3:1-4

1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;

3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;

4 That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

What Does God call you?

My son and I were having a conversation about names. We were talking about how different people in your life may call you by different names.

For example, family calls me by my ‘pet’ name while almost everyone else calls me by my first name. My mother almost exclusively uses my middle name. As a matter of fact, as a kid, I knew I was in trouble when she used my first name. True for anyone else?

Some people have given me completely different names. I’ve been called everything from Stevie to Steffie and from Stacy to Yolanda (Yolanda?). But my son asked me a beautifully simple, profound question: “Mommy, what does God call you?”

I was driving when he asked, so my answer wasn’t very considered. I told him God can call me anything He wants, just so long as He calls me. But the question stuck with me all day.

What does God call me?

You know things about people based on how they call each other. Intimate friends and family have names that only they are allowed to use with each other. In the military, people address each other based on rank, even if they happen to be close friends. People who have been with Mr. Obama for years now call him Mr. President.

Names are important, but how you’re called can be even more important.

I don’t remember every word my child has said, but I remember when he first called me “Mommy.” It was more than a name. At that moment and from then on, I became something more in his life than just the person who changed his stinky diapers. I was different than anyone else in his life. I became “Mommy” with all that the title includes.

I used to work with an adoption agency and we held special ceremonies to celebrate when the adoption was final. One of the high points of the ceremony was when the kids would write their new name on the wall in a demonstration that they had become part of a family. They had a new name and having that name would forever change their lives.

What does God call me? He calls me:

Chosen, peculiar, royal and a priest
1 Peter 2:9 - But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

Sanctified and justified
1 Corinthians 6:11 - And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

A Son
1 John 3:1-2 - Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

His
John 17:9 - I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

Loved
John 17:23 - I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

And He calls me healed, precious, victorious, blessed, prosperous, protected, finding mercy, blameless before Him, and so much more.

These are the names God calls me...and you...and all who believe on His Word.

What does God call you?

Ephesians 2:18-19

18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Peace.

- Sis. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30238
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Are You The One?

John 4:21-26
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem , worship the Father.

Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

Are You The One?

I pose the question today to know if you are one of the true worshippers of the Father. Are you one of the ones who worships in spirit and in truth?

In the passage above, we find Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman at the well. There was no reason for someone, anyone, to be at that well at noon. She went there to avoid people. We don’t know specifically why, but the scriptures give some pretty compelling circumstantial evidence.

Yet, Jesus asked for water from her, this Samaritan, this woman. He sought from her so He could give her everlasting waters. The scriptures document that she went on to evangelize the whole city. Jesus spent three days preaching and teaching there.

She knew her truth. He knew her truth. No one lied. No one even observed convention. It was just Jesus and this woman.

And this revelation…the time is now to worship in spirit and in truth.

It is an easy thing to focus on performing; focusing on the “how” of something other than the ‘why’. It’s easy sometimes to get caught up in the details of a thing and forget why we are doing what we do.

This isn’t a call to mediocrity or sloppiness. You only have to look at the details God gave Moses for how the priests and the ark of the covenant should be adorned to understand that there is no devil in details…it’s of God to be excellent and precise.

No, this is about something more subtle. This is about a shift of priorities. It’s like having a mission statement and then moving beyond the mission. The work may still be good, but why are you doing it?

God Himself is looking for us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Our Savior didn’t say He was looking for us to worship in songs and in dances. He didn’t say He was looking for us to worship in word and in deed. He didn’t give steps or a process to follow to worship. He said to do it in spirit and in truth.

In Spirit – we must worship from who we are as spiritual beings. We can’t worship with our carnal mind because frankly our carnal mind is too focused on selfish gain –even if that gain is simply to please other people.

In Truth – we offer worship from who we are, entirely. Not just our “church face” or our “Sunday face” but completely. As the pop song says, ‘warts and all.’ We weren’t called to clean up for worship. In actuality, the worship has a cleansing affect. But we are called to bring all that we are to our worship.

If we come to worship from spirit and truth, we have the freedom to worship with all that we do. I may not sing, but I might be the best welder on the planet. My ability to weld well comes from God. I worship Him with my welding.

Worship isn’t performance. Performance is always directed inward and is done to please the doer. It’s not a bad thing. It’s just not worship.

Worship is always outward. Worship is done to please the object or person we’re seeking to exalt. Worship is a gift that seeks no reward. Worship is its own reward.

Are you the one? Are you the one who will choose to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth? Are you the one who will lay down your ambitions, your pride, your priorities and stand before God in wholeness and truth and cry out in praise of who He is and not who you are?

Are you the one who will move through your day recognizing that everything you do, every person you meet, even the very air you breathe is a gift of the God who deserves your worship? Your open, honest, warts and all worship?

Oh, your “Sunday face” might get you there. You might be able to move people with a heartfelt performance. But you won’t move God. And isn’t He the point?

Will you open yourself up to true worship? Will you give up your sense of perfection and take the shackles off your soul and let yourself praise God in the way that gets at how you really feel about Him?

Does your soul pant after God and the Kingdom of God like a thirsty deer? Are you hungry for something that is deeper than the first and third stanzas and a 10 minute sermon? Do you long for a more honest, open relationship with God where you don’t just do the ‘do’s’ and avoid the ‘don’ts’ and go through the motions?

If you’re hungry for more, you might be one on the ones. Worship Him! Worship Him with all that you have. Trust me, there’s more available through Him. You can’t come up short. Don’t hold back. Worship Him. Worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Psalm 42:1-2
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

Peace.

- Sis. Stephanie Robinson


Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA. Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe to this mailing, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30238
Alton Watkins, Pastor

When Hope Hurts

Hebrews 11:1-3

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

For by it the elders obtained a good report.

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.


When Hope Hurts

I was watching a T.V. show where the broken hero saw someone who looked like his long dead, beloved wife. It was a take on the plot of Hitchcock’s “VERTIGO.” The hero started to believe that the woman he was seeing was his wife returning to him.

Once he realized the deception, he told his sidekick that for the first time in a long time, he had had hope…and it hurt. His assistant had to remind him that hope wasn’t the enemy but in fact was a good thing.

I understood the line “Hope hurts.” Hope can hurt when it operates by itself. You only have to look into the eyes of a child who gets underwear for a gift when he was hoping for a new race car set. Hope was never meant to operate alone. Having hope alone is like having a car with no gas in it; it ain’t going nowhere.

But, NOW FAITH!

Hope doesn’t activate faith. Faith makes hope real.

When FAITH is in its proper place and becomes the substance, the reality, the tangible, taste-able, touchable part of what you hope for, then hope can’t hurt. Hope springs alive because of faith. Hope keeps us looking to the hills for our help from the Lord because faith fuels what we hope for.

We have hope in our salvation because we receive by faith that Jesus died for our sins. We then hope in everything else (receiving the Comforter, greater works, treasure in heaven, kept in perfect peace, follow after the Spirit and not fulfill the lust of the flesh, grafted into relationship as the sons of God and on and on) because of that faith. Hallelujah!

Faith lives. That’s why we’re told in I Corinthians 13:13 that faith abides along with hope and charity. Faith is an active, living thing. This can’t make sense to the carnal mind. It’s not supposed to. It is truly a spiritual thing.

Where is your hope? Is your hope in things around you? Is your hope in your own personal prosperity? Is your hope in people? Is it in your job? Is your hope in things temporal? Or is your hope, as the song says, in things eternal?

It’s true that we can come up hopeless sometimes. Hope really does hurt when we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders; when we get singed by the fires that rage around us. Hope hurts when we get lost and wander off the path that the Lord has set before us.

But, as Jeremiah wrote in Lamentations, we have to look at those losses, those wanderings and still find where faith abides. Then hope won’t hurt but it will refresh as it fulfills God’s promise to our spirit and propels us to wait until we see the fulfillement in the natural.

Lamentations 3:18-26

And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:

Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.

My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.


1 Corinthians 13:13

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Peace.

- Sis. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.


Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe to this mailing, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30238
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Unrest to Rest

Hebrews 4:11-14

11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

Unrest to Rest

Something’s changing. It’s a funny thing being in this Body of Christ because when change comes to any part of the Body, the whole body feels it. Child of God, something’s changing.

We as a Body are in a season of change. Now, there is always change through growth…growth produces a change. But, just as when a child who goes through a sudden ‘spurt’ we are in a season of change.

If you have been feeling this same anxiety, restlessness, I encourage you to press in and see why the Spirit is trying to get your attention. Be prepared for the work, however. God has ways of doing things that don’t make sense to our carnal minds. We give to receive…we labor to find rest…we yield to go forward…we humble ourselves to be lifted up...our weakness is where Christ is strong.

With this change, be prepared to prune some things in your life and be prepared to pick up new responsibilities. That’s part of that ‘twoedged’ response described in Hebrews. Nothing in our lives, our actions or in our minds surprises God. Yet, there are things that we hold on to that will hinder our growth if we do not let them go when our pruning time comes.

Child of God, even during this season, you are still being kept. When the Father prunes our lives, it is to increase something within us. When He forces us out into new situations, it is always for our good and His glory. The question is will we yield like clay in the potter’s hand, or will we fight the change and have to be purged and melted like metal in the fires of a smith before we can be molded into the final shape for use.

No matter where you find yourself today, remember, that you have a ‘great high priest’ so your profession is safe in His nail scared hands. There is no length, no depth that you can go where He has not already been. There is no darkness that He cannot light. There is no gap, no distance that He cannot bridge.

Embrace the change. Dare to believe God for what is being spoken into your spirit. Dare to trust Him. Dare to be obedient to the Holy Spirit. Dare to grow and work and find rest.

Peace.


Matthew 11:29

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

-Sis. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro , GA.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe to this mailing, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30238
Alton Watkins, Pastor

It is Good To Say Thanks

Luke 17:12-19

12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

It Is Good to Say Thanks

Sometimes in this journey as we grow in our discipleship, we can forget that gratitude is important. This is especially true within the household of faith because as we mature, we stop looking for acolades and self praise. Afterall, we work to glorify God, not ourselves.

And yet, our Savior was moved by gratitude. In Luke's record of the ten lepers, the one that returned to say thanks, the Samaritan, got more than he expected. He came back simply to thank Jesus for the cleansing. He left whole.

With this in mind, it is my great pleasure to invite you to join us at Fellowship as we say 'thank you' to our Pastor and First Lady.

Pastor Watkins and Mrs. Watkins have been tireless in their dedication to our congregation and to our community. This Saturday, Fellowship will host a picnic from noon until 4 PM in their honor. On Sunday, in addition to our regular Sunday School and Morning Worship Service, we will have a special service at 2 PM to recognize our Pastor and our First Lady. Dr. Phyllis Parker will bring the message for this service.

You and your family are welcome to share in both events. Please email me at fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com if you need directions.

We are grateful to God for the mercy and favor He has shown us by placing Pastor and Mrs. Watkins in a position to lead, guide and feed us through our growth.

Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
Proverbs 3:27

Peace.

-Sis. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro , GA.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe to this mailing, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30236
Alton Watkins, Pastor

A Time To Feast

Ecclesiastes 3:1
1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A Time to Feast

Soloman reminds us that everything has a season (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). For Fellowship, the church body where I attend, we are entering a time to feast.

In November, we will enter our 4th year as a church body. For the forty days leading up to our anniversary weekend, our Pastor has asked that we feast daily on the Word of God so that we can work on strenghtening our spirits for the work that lies ahead.

I invite you to join us in this time to feast. Just email me at fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com and I will send you copy of the scriptures we are feasting on daily during this time.

But, even if you chose not to join our table, please feed your spirit daily. What you feed will grow. If you feed your fears, your insecurities, your pain, that's what will grow. If you feed your faith, your patience, your compassion, that's what will grow.

So, sit down at the Master's table and feast.


Day One

Philippians 3:13-14

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Peace.


-Sis. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro , GA.


Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe to this mailing, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30236
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Waiting for Issac

Genesis 13:14-17

And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:

For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

Waiting for Issac

The passage from Genesis records the second time God promised to bless then Abram with a kingdom. God said his descendents would be as the dust. As the story progresses, we know that Sarai made arrangements to give Abram a child by her servant Hagar in order to help her husband's vision come to pass.

I used to have mixed feelings about the story of Ishmael and Issac, particularly as it relates to their mothers, Sarai and Hagar.

First, there's Hagar who was an Egyptian slave girl given to Abram (he wasn't Abraham yet) as hush money. Remember, Abram had passed of Sarai as his sister to the pharaoh who tried unsuccessfully to seduce her. Pharoh was so offended that he almost took this “good man’s” wife that he said…”take all this and just get out of here so I won’t be cursed.” Hagar was likely among the goodies.

Poor Hagar! She had to learn the customs of these foreigners. And ultimately, she was sent to the old man of the tribe, possibly without knowing what was going on, in order to get pregnant. Then, when she did do what was supposed to do, she was punished for having an attitude about doing well.

Then there’s Sarai, the beautiful elder wife of this very wealthy man. Sarai was the original “sexy senior citizen,” when we meet her, but she was also the barren first wife of a very rich man. By the standards of the time, Sarai was a failure. Sarai had to put up with this ungrateful little Egyptian girl who had the nerve to get cocky about doing what was assigned! You can almost hear Sarai thinking "She’s treating me badly AND IT WAS MY IDEA! I hate her."

What a mess! No wonder wisdom finally prevailed and we got rid of polygamy. Could you imagine?

But even through all this, God kept assuring Abram that he would be the father of many nations, and to prove it, God changes Abram’s name to Abraham…which literally means “Father or Chief of a multitude" God also changes Sarai’s name to Sarah or "princess", so she’d know how she plays in this arrangement.

With this personal guarantee from God even after Ishmael is born, it is still years before Issac shows up fulfilling God’s promise. And almost as soon as the promised child arrives, God lets Abraham and Sarah know that it is time to put Ishmael out.

I used to think that this was so cruel. Hagar and her son had no say in what had happened to them and now they were being thrown out of the camp. Hagar played her part as directed in the plan that “seemed like a good idea at the time.” She did what her mistress told her to do and now she was going to be punished…banned from her new home and her child’s father.

But I understand now that Ishmael had to go. Ishmael represented those actions in our lives born out of impatience and lack of faith. They end up being distractions from the perfect will of God.

If Ishmael had stayed, Abraham’s natural pride for his first-born son would have distracted Abraham from the glory of God’s promised child. He would have put his energy into Ishmael, and loss sight of Issac. In our own lives, those things we aquired outside of our relationship to God can often block out our own Issac, Jesus.

Child of God, there are still Ishmael's in the camp. They are like silk flowers that look right, but they don't grow and they don't produce fruit.

Maybe your Ishmael is a relationship that brings you no joy…no peace…you thought it was love, but love is patient, kind, longsuffering and all you're getting out of it is the longsuffering part. There is no peace, no joy, nothing positive. It’s the wrong relationship. Put Ishmael out and embrace Issac.

Maybe your Ishmael is a job you took because the money was good. Now you get up every morning hating what lies ahead. We’re supposed to be salt and light in our walk, but when you get to that job you’re more like stuff and vinegar. You can’t witness because “you hate those people.” You knew deep inside that you weren’t supposed to take that job. Put Ishmael out, and embrace Issac.

Perhaps you're sitting under a ministry with a leadership you don’t trust, a vision you can’t see and you’re starving spiritually because you haven’t been fed in years. No growth means no fruit. Put Ishmael out and focus on Issac.

You know every plot line on every show on tv between 6 PM and 11 PM. You blow up your TiVo because you try to record Mad Men and True Blood every week, but you wonder why you can’t seem to get a breakthrough when you pray. You're distracted. Put Ishmael out and focus on Issac.


We have our Issac! He is here…He is Christ Jesus…He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except by Him. Your Ishmael will only keep you from focusing on Jesus…the promised One…the perfect One. God has a perfect will for each of us, in all areas of our lives – but we won’t find it until we fully trust and fully obey and take God at his word.

Romans 9:8

That is, they which are the childen of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promis are counted for the seed.

Resist feeding the “flesh children”, those ideas birthed outside of your relationship with God. Flesh can only produce more flesh. God is Spirit and Spirit produces Spirit.

Call out your Ishmaels. If your Ishmaels involve other people, consider that you might be their Ishmael.


When you put your Ishmaels out, you can focus on the Perfect One and He brings all of the promises and blessings of God. Can your Ishmael really top that?

Are you really so committed to that idea…that person…that activity that it means more to you than your eternal life? It means more to you than being found blameless before God?

Behold, the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.

Don’t miss Issac for Ishmael.

Peace.

-Sis. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro , GA.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe to this mailing, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30236
Alton Watkins, Pastor

So, Why Do We Live This Life?

Psalm 19:7-11

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.


So, Why Do We Live this Life?

Every Child of God asks themselves that question once, twice or maybe many times in their journey. There is so much going on in life. It can get complicated so fast. It's easy to to find yourself in a place where it makes more sense to question than to have faith.

But in the midst of all of it...kids, jobs, family, money, relationships,...God is still God.

He doesn't change. The Psalm reminds us that His law is perfect, and it revives the soul. It says His precepts bring joy to the heart and light to darkness.

Could you use some light? Some joy? A revived spirit?

So, whatever 'it' is for you...whatever 'it' is that's making your life complicated...whatever is driving the questions, the answer begins, ends and is filled with God. Apart from Him, that really is darkness you're feeling.

So, Why Do We Live this Life? Re-read the verses. That's why. Still not convince? Here's the rest of the story...

John 3:16

16 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.

Peace.

-Sis. Stephanie Robinson

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro , GA.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe to this mailing, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 Hwy 138 Ste C
Jonesboro, GA 30236
Alton Watkins, Pastor

If Lovin' You is Wrong...

II Samuel 6:20-22

20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!

21 And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.

22 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.


'If Lovin' You is Wrong, I Don't Wanna' be Right'

To get a modern take on this passage, think back to the late 80's, early 90's when Lady Diana Spencer became the Princess of Wales. She was often in trouble with the Royal House because she didn't 'behave' as expected. She would hug people, and go places royalty didn't usually go. She wasn't wrong. She just wasn't acting like royalty.

More recently, think of all the excitement that happened when Mrs. Obama put her arm around the Queen of England in a photo. Again, it wasn't something you were supposed to do with royalty.

Michal was Saul's daughter. She was a princess. Though Saul had a humble background, he had been king her whole life. All she knew was a life as royalty. She learned at an early age that a princess behaves in a certain way. Some behaviors were acceptable as a member of the royal family and other things were not.

When David, her husband, became king and was able to secure the return of the ark of the covenant, he was over come with joy "And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod." (II Samuel 6:14). He was almost naked, out in public, leading the 'parade.' Michal was embarrased by this behavior. It was not right, in her mind, for a king to behave this way.

What she didn't understand was that it wasn't right in David's mind for him not to behave this way. David, though a subject of Saul as long as Saul was king, answered to a higher...no, THE higher king.

David had been in a love affair with God long before he met Michal. He had been intimate with God, pouring his heart out in times of triumph and in times of fear. David is described as a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22).

David couldn't give God less than all he had, and made sure that his wife understood that he would behave this way and worse if that's what the situation required. Being 'right' before men can never compare to being 'righteous' before God.

I didn't mean to be trite quoting a song title when talking about loving the Lord, but this one fit. I am amazed, and frankly embarrased how in my own life the voice of the Holy Spirit can be drowned out by the ever present 'but what will people think if I do that?'

Child of God, the answer is 'What will God think if you don't?' Jesus said if we deny Him before men, He would deny us before his Father (Matt 10:33). As believers, we must make the choice. Our will is free, but the consequences are real and clearly defined.

I encourage you to take up David's example and enjoy the freedom you have to worship. Tune out anything in your life (because it's different for all of us) that seeks to drown out the Holy Spirit. This isn't a call to anarchy...its a call to obedience. Because if lovin' Jesus is wrong, is that really the 'right' you want?

Peace.

-Sis. Stephanie Robinson


Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro , GA.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe to this mailing, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com


Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30236
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Freely Loved

Hosea 14:1-4

1 O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.

2 Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.

3 Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.

4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.

Freely Loved

When we confess Christ as Savior and Lord, we are restored to God. It really is that simple. We become to God as Adam was before the fall (I'm not leaving out Eve, but before the fall, they were one flesh...the same name. Check it out).

He ‘heals our backsliding’ and ‘loves us freely.’ It’s a pretty incredible thing to consider being loved freely by God.

Have you ever loved someone, freely? Loved them in a way when you really didn’t care how they felt about you. You just gave and showered and did for and lavished on that person for the pure joy of doing it? If you are capable of that kind of selfless adoration, that level of unquestioned devotion, how much more God?

There are 2 conditions of salvation through Christ: confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). That’s it. That’s the entirety of salvation. But, oh what this simple confession reveals.

What lies before you is the opportunity to deepen and cultivate the relationship. Once you confess, God through Christ is all in. There is nothing under heaven that would be denied to you. But, you have to be open and willing and yielded to the Lordship of Christ.

I guess the real question becomes, can you be open and yielded and willing to be loved freely? Are you able to prosper in all undertakings as led by the Holy Spirit? To posses all of the land given to you, wherever you place your foot? Would you be willing to give up the idols you’ve made with your own hands for…for…well, frankly, for God?

My pastor is fond of telling the story about how two boys tried to fool an old wise man. One of the boys held a bird behind his back and the other asked the old man if the bird was dead or alive. Their plan was to kill the bird if he said alive or to let it live if he said dead.

The old man considered and answered “Whether the bird lives or dies is in your hands.”

We often make the mistake of seeing eternity and service to God as a form of indentured servitude or through the lens of loss. We spend too much time and energy on the “don’t do this” and “can’t do that” and “gotta give up these” that we’ve been presented with all our lives. Like those boys, we see the result as something that is done to us. We don’t realize how much of the relationship is in our hands.

If you are in relationship with Christ, you are loved freely and completely. What you take in from Christ is up to you, not Him. He has made ‘all’ available. If you settle for crumbs and scraps, for a relationship that is anything less than intimate, that’s on you, not Him.

And even if you haven’t confessed Christ, the offer and opportunity are the same. The fullness of salvation doesn’t change over time. You don’t have to go through some kind of 12 step program to get to Jesus. The season of availability is limited only by the number of breaths you take. Of course, like a 401K, there are benefits to getting in early, but the offer remains the same. You simply confess and believe. Then receive the love given freely.

Peace.

-Sis. Stephanie Robinson



Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe to this mailing, send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com


Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30236
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Have You Considered My Servant, Job?

Job 42:7-8, 10-12a

7 And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

8 Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.

10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

11 Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.

12 So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:


Have You Considered my Servant, Job?

Can we talk about Job for a minute? His losses were significant but remember (or better yet, re-read) that it started with a proposal…a dare really. God asked Satan, “Have you considered my servant, Job?” God used Job and his family to show not Satan, but us something really important.

“God knows my heart” is often a convenient Christian excuse when we come up short. Our “get out of jail free” card. And it’s true…He DOES know our hearts…even those parts that that we don't know well ourselves.

God knew Job’s heart. Before He even considered entertaining Satan’s boasts, God knew what Job would do. And in the end, it was Job’s integrity under immense pressure that sustained him and put him in a position to intercede for the very men who were taunting him. Job was served by men for being a faithful, albeit proud, servant of God. God knew his heart. Also notice, that at the end, Satan isn’t even mentioned.

Like most of the Old Testament, the Book of Job is a wonderful example of Jesus with a slight adjustment. Job’s suffering was put on him because of his integrity. Jesus chose to suffer because of His.

Our precious Savior left Heaven, leaves the presence of God and the attendance of angels to suffer on our behalf. No matter what was thrown at Him (or pulled from Him for that matter) He endured. And, when it was finished, He took His seat at the right hand of the Father to intercede on our behalf. We have relationship with God Himself because of the sacrafice and intercession of Jesus Christ. God knew His heart.

The cycle continues. There are sufferings that come into our lives that may in fact be wanton attacks or trials or tests…the source isn’t as important as the outcome.

God knows your heart. He knows what you have in you and what He's made available around you to get through those tough times in your life.

God knows your heart and He knows what needs to be purged out in order to make you fit for kingdom use.

God knows your heart and He knows that when faced with trials you’ll be left with nothing but your integrity. He knows how that experience will strengthen YOU and your trust in Him.

God knows your heart and He knows how to put you in place with more than you had before your struggle and in a position to provide a conduit, a path, a prayer of intercession on behalf of those who would accuse and oppose you. He knows how to make your experience a light of hope to someone lost in their own personal darkness.

God knows your heart.

The mother in me hopes that you never have to go through the suffering and pain that’s talked about in Job. But, I’ve lived long enough to know that trials come. The saint in me prays sincerely that when you find yourself in the press of life, be encouraged, dear one, in knowing that you are kept.

Even in the midst of the pressure and the burning, if you have confessed Christ as Savior, you are kept by God. Hold on to your integrity and your hope and your faith. You will be restored. You are still as precious to God as any newborn is to a family.

God knows your heart. The question is do you know His heart and do you know that you’re in it? Do you know you've been considered?

Peace.

- Sis. Stephanie Robinson


Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro , GA.

Feel free to share this message. For questions or to subscribe to this, email at fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com


Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30236
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Do We 'Get' Grace?

II Corinthians 12

8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Do We 'Get' Grace?

“My grace is sufficient.” That pearl shared through Paul is so potent and powerful. And so easily overlooked. One of those phrases we say so that people know we’re Christians, but do we really get it?

This confession from Paul reminds us of his humanity, sure, but of God’s grace more importantly. We don’t earn anything from God…not even favor. It is all given at the Lord’s will, not ours. That’s the beauty of this relationship.

There are expectations but they are designed to deepen the relationship from our side. The Lord is already 'all in' this relationship. The expectations I mentioned are the practices that usher us into being ‘all in.’ They don’t change God’s mind…they change ours.

And, the Lord understands that it is a process. That our love for Him grows during the walk, even when we come up short. The more we realize that there is nothing…NOTHING…in our lives that can separate us from the love of God, the less we focus on what we’re doing wrong. And, consequently the more we focus on doing the Lord’s will in our lives.

Dearest, whatever it is that you think is too awful or that keeps you too weak to be ‘all in’ with your relationship with God, it is no match for His love and grace.

What you see as a weakness, a flaw, a hindrance, God sees as an opportunity to demonstrate His strength through you. But are you willing to trust Him with your weakness? You believe Him for abundance, can you believe Him for acceptance?

He’s not looking for you to be perfect…His love and grace bring perfection to you. But when you know you’ve come up short, His grace is sufficient.

II Corinthians 12:10

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

- Sis. Stephanie Robinson



Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro , GA.

For questions or to subscribe to this, email at fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30236
Alton Watkins, Pastor

How Does Your Garden Grow? - Originally Mailed 8/17/2009

Luke 8:14-15

14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

This is a familiar passage, but let's take a closer look. In both cases, fruit grows…it’s just that the ground in verse 14 also supports the cares and pleasures of the world, which keep the fruit from reaching perfection. The fruit started. It didn't become perfect.

When we accept Christ, and re-establish our relationship with God, He immediately starts working on our hearts. He has to break up our fallow ground…drought scarred and blighted from the years we spent separated from God. He has to nourish our hearts...cover it with the Blood of Jesus to restore it to its proper state…water with His Word…remove sticks and stones from past hurts and years of neglect. After a while, the soil of our hearts starts to smell like the ground does when you're out in the country after a rain…that sweet smell that fills the air. That’s what good soil smells like. It will support anything you plant. Good seed. Bad seed. Good soil will grow anything…including wrong things.

Matthew 13:24-30

24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Dear one, be careful what gets planted in your fields. You have to be careful about what you take in…what you focus on…who you focus on. Paul said in Philippians 4:8-9:

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Focus on cultivating that “precious fruit”...

James 5:7

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

Saints, we will grow what we sow. If you plant mistrust, jealousy, envy, backbiting, slothfulness, conceit, expect a harvest of the same thing. If you sow good seed…tithing, longsuffering, patience, mercy, compassion, kindness, reaching out to the poor, sick and afflicted…bearing one another’s burdens, sharing one another’s joys…spreading the good news about Jesus Christ…you can expect a pleasant harvest!

So, here's the question...What are you growing in your garden? Would you want to eat the fruit growing there?

Does the fruit of your life look good on the outside (go to church, sing in the choir, praise and shout), but when you cut it open, is the inside mushy or rotten?

Or maybe your fruit is good, but you tend to pick it before it ripens…refusing to let patience have its perfect work…you get too involved in areas outside your calling, or beyond your maturity.

Maybe your fruit is good and ripe…too ripe as a matter of fact. Instead of grapes, you’re growing raisins. Your vines are full of fruit rotting without being picked, while you sit there, offended, refusing to take your place in the ministry and fulfill what the Lord has called you to do?

You might have good, ripe fruit, picked in season, but banged and bruised from being tossed around because you’ve got one foot in the Kingdom of God and the other in the world.

Or maybe you don’t have any fruit because you’ve never opened yourself up to have your soil prepared…you haven’t given your heart to the keeper so that he can prepare your heart and sow good seed.

The Gardener is waiting.


Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro , GA. These weekly notes as well as information about what's happening at Fellowship are sent out by Evangelist Stephanie Robinson.

Previous Lifeline mailings are posted on a blog at www.lifelineatfellowship.blogspot.com.

Feel free to share this message. For questions, email at fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30236
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Faith Works - Originally Mailed 8/10/2009

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

James 2:14-18

FAITH WORKS

The statement works both ways. Faith means get to work. And working your faith builds your faith.

When we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, we need to remember that we are called into a kingdom as full citizens, not as refugees. We aren’t supposed to just keep camp until Jesus comes; we each have work to do.

And that work is important on two fronts. There are people around us who need what we do. And our own faith grows because of the work we do.

We can’t earn God’s favor. That was given to us freely because of Jesus’ sacrifice and it is our individual opportunity to accept it. But we are expected to work…not for acceptance but for growth. Would you want to live in a community where no one worked? How would you eat? Clothe yourself? Where would you live? How would you live?

Any doctor will tell you that proper diet and exercise are the basics to having a healthier body and that you need both. You can get fat off a good diet if you don’t exercise. You can work yourself to an early grave if you don't eat properly.

The same is true spiritually. Feast on the Word of God. It is nourishment to your spirit. But, don’t just take it in. Make the Word work in you and through you. Don’t just read about faith, operate in it. And don't try a work without the Word.

If you are currently a part of a church body that has active ministries and you are not involved, please add some exercise to your faith diet. If you are involved but not growing, check your diet; you might be feeding on the wrong things.

Start the cycle..faith works faith works faith works faith….

Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA. Lifeline Notes is a weekly mailing to encourage the Body of Christ through the Word and reflection. You are encouraged to share this email.

To subscribe to this mailing, please send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com.

Fellowship Church
455 Hwy 138 Ste C
Jonesboro, GA 30236
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Well, AM I my Brother's Keeper?...Originally Mailed 8/3/2009

And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? Genesis 4:9


Well, Am I My Brother's Keeper?

There are so many lessons in this telling of Cain and Abel. I am struck by the snarkiness of Cain’s answer, which gets right to the heart of the kind of relationship he personally had with God. But that’s not what I’m to share with you today. Some other time, perhaps.

Today, we are exploring the answer to that question for ourselves. Are WE our brother’s keeper?

Especially, but not exclusively, in the US , we take a lot of pride in being independent. We like to think of success as being something we reach alone. We boast and viciously protect our freedoms. Some claim the right to be unproductive with the same vigor that others put in to trying to own everything in the world. You can be almost anything you want to be in this country. If you’re willing to do what it takes, you can literally do anything you want. But do we really do it alone?

There are times when we mistake pride for independence. There is nothing wrong with interdependence. A finger is always a finger, but it is much more useful attached to a working hand, arm and body than it will ever be by its self.

Jesus poured out his life that we would be one even as he and the Father are one (John 17:22). He wanted us to be interdependent, as a body is. Not beaten into compliance under a tyrrant, but becoming a single, well functioning unit.

Services like the military, firefighters, police officers, hospitals, each of these works best when everyone is focused on the same mission and performs his or her assignments to the best of their ability. I may not want the housekeeper to do my surgery in the hospital, but I want my room to be clean and my bed made just like I want my surgeon to be focused and skilled. Different offices, different administrations, same body.

We as a body of believers are responsible to and for each other. We do not act alone. We were grafted into one vine, responsible for our own fruit, sure, but also responsible to the whole plant. If you flourish, so do I. If I fall short, so do you. One body, many members.

Be careful, dear one, when pride comes between you and your brother. That’s part of the lesson of Cain and Able too. Pride can keep you from so much, but most importantly, it can drive you from your purpose and from the very presence of God. Lay down your pride before it puts you down. After all, even non-believers understand that pride goes before a fall.

Are we our brother’s keeper? Yes. We are. And our brother is our keeper. And we are all kept by the Master.


9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. John 17:9-11


Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA. You are encouraged to share this message. If you wish to be added to the list, please send an email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com

Fellowship Church
455 Hwy 138
Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30236
Alton Watkins, Pastor

There is Power, Power,....Originally Mailed 7/27/2009

Ephesians 3:20-21

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.


There is Power, Power, Wonder Working Power….

This passage from Ephesians is what we say as a benediction at our church. I hear it every Sunday and I have read and written it countless times. But, as the Word often does, something new jumped out this past weekend at prayer.

“According to the power that worketh in us”…wow. God can and is able to do beyond anything we ask or think…according to the power that works in us. We set the tempo, or the depth of our relationship to the Father. Our Savior reminded us of this dynamic in the relationship all the time. “THY faith has made the whole” “according to YOUR faith, be it unto you”, “He was moved by THEIR faith.”

Through salvation, we have a relationship. But it is our faith toward the Father that determines the quality of the relationship. It is up to us.

Small faith? Small relationship. Big faith? Big relationship. Intermittent faith? You get the idea.

Child of God, how is your faith? The power is already in you. That became available to you as soon as Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem when his hour had come. But, you have to let the power work in you. YOU have to choose to accept that you matter to God. You are not kept like a pet, but you have an actual, living, breathing relationship with the Most High God and it is a real as the relationships you have with those you hold most dear.

It’s up to you. He will do…based on your faith.

Matthew 9:28-29

28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.

29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.


Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro , GA.
Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30236
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Receiving from Heaven - Originally Mailed 7/20/2009

Acts 11
5 I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me:

6 Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

7 And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat.

8 But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth.

9 But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.


Receiving From Heaven

This particular passage always makes me smile. This was Peter's personal revelation that the Gospel of Christ wasn’t just for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles. Though that is fantastic news, what tickles me about this passage is that Peter knew that the gift was from Heaven, yet, because of what it was, he refused it at first. God was making a point with Peter that He is still making with us.

We don’t have the dietary restrictions Peter was reacting to, but we continue to put restrictions on the table when we receive. We like to dictate not only what we get from God, but how we get it and when. But Jesus said “Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.”

Funny thing about kids, they have no problem receiving. It doesn’t matter if I offer my son breakfast or a bicycle, he’ll take it. He usually doesn’t put conditions on receiving. If it’s been identified as “his” then that’s enough.

But, the world teaches us that we are being humble when we refuse a gift. We get taught that it is more respectful to turn something down, even if its something we really want or need. Isn’t that funny? Especially since the real humility is in accepting the gift.

Child of God, let go of your pride and receive what God has for you. You may have expected your financial breakthrough to come in the form of a raise on your job, but when it shows up in being treated to dinner or offered some clothing or correction of a coding error that results in the bill being paid or eliminated, learn to recognize that these are “uncommon” actions. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. He has much more to work with than just your paycheck when He wants to bless you financially.

Also, we have to remember that the things we go through aren’t always about us. There are times when God uses our lives as a living testament for someone else. That’s part of that whole “fit for the Masters use” part in this relationship. There are gifts that may seem undesirable to us at first that are absolutely necessary for God’s plan. A calling to a challenging ministry…living as a missionary in a remote part of the world…dealing with a strong willed child…servant leadership. They are all gifts from Heaven. They are not common because they are from God and they will glorify God.

When it comes to the blessings of God, the real challenge is not whether God will give, but is will we learn how to receive.

Luke 18
16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God .

17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.


Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro , GA.
Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30236
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Stillness... - Originally Mailed 7/13/2009

Ruth 3:18
18 Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.

Stillness….

Naomi was a wise woman. She had enough sense to see that something was happening and she understood the importance of being still. She knew she had to wait and trust that Boaz would be an honorable man toward her daughter-in-law, Ruth.

Your Father in Heaven is more than honorable and more than a man…He is God and He is Good.

There are times when we want so badly to help God out. It's so easy to get anxious about a promise and to start feeling like we're supposed to DO something. We get like “Sarai” (she wasn’t Sarah until later) and we try to help God give Abram a son. We put on our “Martha” hats to start tending to the things in our world when what we really need is our “Mary” cushion where we can sit and listen to Jesus. We get ahead of ourselves like Moses and make the right move but we make it too soon or we get so caught up in what's going on around us that we end up hitting a rock that we only needed to speak to.

Be still until you know what to do. Then, do it until you’re told to stop.

An important part of growing in our relationship with Christ is learning to calm that inner need to be in constant motion. Being busy isn’t the same and being productive. Our Savior would steal away to commune with the Father. That involved as much listening as it did talking. Even the waves and the wind understood that when the Master speaks, it's time to be still.

God is most potent in our lives when we are impotent and still.

Peace.

Psalm 46:10
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.


Lifeline is the evangelistic ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro , GA.
Fellowship Church
455 HWY 138 Suite C
Jonesboro, GA 30236
Alton Watkins, Pastor

Have We Forgotten How to Wait? - Originally Mailed 7/6/2009

Genesis 25:31-34

31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

My Pastor mentioned this passage at prayer on Saturday. The point he made struck me so strongly that I am compelled to share it with you.

Have we forgotten how to wait?

Some of us can remember a time when we actually had to wait for someone to get home before we could call them. If we ran out of something on Saturday after 6 PM, we had to wait until Monday because all the stores were closed on Sunday. We could only get certain fruits and vegetables when they were in season. Some TV shows would only be on once a year. Dinner took time to prepare, even when it was just leftovers because we had to wait for the oven to heat up.

Yet, faced with these waits, we didn’t starve, we didn’t lose our minds. We were uncomfortable sometimes, sure…but we just waited.

I’m not suggesting that we lose these modern conveniences, but as children of the Most High God, we have to remember that He didn’t change. God doesn't move faster because our attention span got shorter. He was perfect before the cell phone and He’ll still be perfect when we can teleport and use jet packs. No matter what, patience will still have its perfect work and God is still God.

What is it that we are so hungry for from the world that we, like Esau, will despise our birthright for a quick fix? Why is it that we will settle for what the world has instead of waiting for God’s perfect solution? Far too many times, we don't even seek the Lord in our situations. We just fix them.

And how many times has what the world offered ended up costing so much more? Esau sold his birthright for a meal. What about us? What will will give our birthright for? Fame? Fortune? A mate? A job? An extra hour's sleep? Fitting in with peers?

Child of God, you have a birthright through Christ. When you were born again, you became part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people. That’s just too much, too precious a gift to give up for a quick fix.

Wait on the Lord. No matter how famished...no matter how great the need, He WILL renew your strength.

Peace.

Lifeline is the Evangelistic Ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA.
Fellowhip Church
455 Hwy 138
Jonesboro, GA 30236
Alton Watkins, Pastor