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
Monday, December 7, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
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
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
Monday, November 23, 2009
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
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
Monday, November 16, 2009
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
Monday, November 9, 2009
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
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
Monday, November 2, 2009
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
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
Monday, October 26, 2009
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
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
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