The Press

Mark 2:1-5

King James Version (KJV)

2 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.

² And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.

³ And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.

⁴ And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

The Press

Like most English words 'press' has multiple meanings.  You usually have to read the whole sentence to know which press is being used.  But, whether it's people from a news media, something making wine, a crowd, an iron or a pursuit, each application of the work has a common thread...pressure.

In the verses above, four men decided to intervene on behave of another.  I don't know if the sick man was a friend, relative, or if they just banned together to help a stranger.  But these four men pressed through their own issues to focus on the issues of someone else.

They pressed through the impediment of weight and burden.  They pressed on to the location where the Healer was.  They tried to press through the press, but felt pressed to find a new solution.  So they pressed their weight and strength on the one barrier between them and the Savior, and let the bed down.

It would have been easy for these four to stop.  Then again, maybe not.  The Word testifies that even Jesus recognized their faith.  That faith made them press.  It made them keep on despite obstacles, despite set backs, despite evidence to the contrary that the sick man would be healed.    They had faith that made them press beyond their circumstances on behalf of another. 

That 'press' paragraph wasn't an attempt to be clever.  I just wanted to point out that all that we do and encounter may be a press. What's a press for me may not be for you, but light or heavy pressure, we all have to press through.

The question is, what are we pressing to?

There is always a press.  Our gift is we can press the press.  We can move past the things that would topple and crush us.  We can move past the obstacles and traps the enemy sets and press him instead.  But it requires faith.  It requires a commitment to believe that God can and will do exactly what He said.  It might require coming at the problem in a different way...maybe looking at it from above instead of from the floor.  We might have to stand up to the press in order to set it down.  Or be humble before God before we can be placed above our problem.

If there's a press in your life, something that's keeping you from wholeness; keeping you from your calling in Christ, I encourage you to press back.  Bear the shield and let that thing, that hindrancecome right into contact with the breastplate of righteousness we wear.  Forget why you got sick.  Forget why you're in this predicament.  Focus on who you are in Christ. Focus on ridding yourself of the disobedience and embracing your life in Christ. 

Philippians 3:13-14

King James Version (KJV)

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.

Press back.  Press On!

Lifeline is produced from the Evangelistic Ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA. You are encouraged to share this message. The Fellowship Church website (www.fcchosengeneration.com) includes a link to the Lifeline Blog (www.lifelineatfellowship.blogspot.com) where you can find previous messages. 

Evangelist Robinson also posts her entries on Facebook and Twitter. To subscribe to the mailing, or for questions and comments, tweet (@evangeliststeff) or send email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. Fellowship Church can be reached at chosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church

Where Passions Become Reality

Because You Are a Chosen Generation

455 Hwy 138 W. Suite C

Jonesboro, GA 30238

Between GA Hwy 85 and US 19/41

Across from EJ Swint Elementary School

Church Website - www.fcchosengeneration.com

770-573-9339 Phone

770-574-4967 Fax

chosen.gen@att.net

Alton Watkins, Pastor

2 Kings 13:15-19

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁵ And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows.

¹⁶ And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands.

¹⁷ And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.

¹⁸ And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.

¹⁹ And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.

Just Keep Going

Ever get directions while driving?  You're not sure where you're going.  The person you're riding with knows where to go.  You're coming up on a turn, so you start slowing just in case they say turn right, only to have them say at the last minute 'No, not here.  Keep going.'.  If you're as control-freakish as I am, it's a bit unnerving until you just relax and accept that they know where they're going and you just wait for directions.  You just keep going one way until they tell you to change.

Many times, our relationship with God can be tainted with 'control-freaky.'  We get so accustomed to choosing our own directions that when we're trying to follow Him, we get anxious at every turn and intersection, wanting to anticipate the next step.  

Unfortunately, when we do this, we miss the joy of the journey.  We make wrong turns or we spend the whole trip waiting for the next step instead of, pardon the cliche, enjoying the ride.

None of us have been here before in this life we're leading.  But God has.  He is everywhere at all time...the beginning, you're beginning...my beginning and at our end.  When we yield our lives, we give permission for Him to set the direction, the tempo and the timing.

But oh, what we lose when we try to interpret or anticipate His direction.  Like Joash with Elisha in the reference above, we miss out on peace because we miss what God is trying to do through us by doing what we know instead of doing what was said.

So, dear one, just keep going.  Whatever the last thing was you heard from the Lord, keep doing that.  He hasn't forgotten you.  He hasn't left you.  Jesus promised that He would never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  God is as true today in your life as He was the last time you saw Him move.

Whatever it is you're looking for...whatever it is you're believing for, and you know the Lord said 'yes,' then accept His yes.  He is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19) so His answers are sure.

Just keep going.  Leave the accomplishment to Him.

Philippians 4:4-9

King James Version (KJV)

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

⁵ Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

⁶ Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

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.

REJOICE!  REJOICE!  

Lifeline is produced from the Evangelistic Ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA. You are encouraged to share this message. The Fellowship Church website (www.fcchosengeneration.com) includes a link to the Lifeline Blog (www.lifelineatfellowship.blogspot.com) where you can find previous messages. 

Evangelist Robinson also posts her entries on Facebook and Twitter. To subscribe to the mailing, or for questions and comments, tweet (@evangeliststeff) or send email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. Fellowship Church can be reached at chosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church

Where Passions Become Reality

Because You Are a Chosen Generation

455 Hwy 138 W. Suite C

Jonesboro, GA 30238

Between GA Hwy 85 and US 19/41

Across from EJ Swint Elementary School

Church Website - www.fcchosengeneration.com

770-573-9339 Phone

770-574-4967 Fax

chosen.gen@att.net

Alton Watkins, Pastor

Genesis 32:6-7

King James Version (KJV)

⁶ And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.

⁷ Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;

Preparing for the Wrong Fight

Jacob had spent his life to this point living up to his name, the Trickster.  He had conned his brother out of his birthright with a bowl of beans, he had fooled his dying father, with his mother's help, by convincing him that he was his brother.  He met his match in his uncle, Laban, and had to learn to step up his games of deceit in order to get what he wanted.  He was an ambitious, cunning man who used every device he had to get what he wanted, even if it meant tricking people.

Then, on what he perceived to be the eve of his demise, he met his ultimate challenge in God.

Jacob was alone.  He had divided his own camp in an effort to preserve himself from the expected wrath of his brother, Esau.  He knew his brother's anger would be justified, there was no reason to expect mercy.  He prepared for the fight he thought he was going to have.  Alone, scared, worried, distressed, he found himself instead wrestling with a man who would change everything about him.

This was no ordinary fight.  The Word testifies that is lasted all night long and at the end, Jacob was set to prevail so things had to change.  

First, his walk was changed, even as he struggled.  Then, his name was changed.  But not only his name; his position in life.

Jacob went from being the trickster, to being a prince, with a new walk and a new approach on life.  What's interesting is that he didn't come out of the fight physically stronger, but kind of broken, with his hip out of joint and his whole demeanor changed.  He went from the cunning game player, to a slightly bowed prince.  

The world teaches us that struggle makes us stronger.  But Christ is made perfect in our weakness.  When we contend with the Kingdom of God, we find that our physical abilities may actually get in the way of the Spirit. Like Jacob, we try to do so much of our own strength and ability.  We find ourselves fighting to get out of a hole that instead just keeps getting deeper and deeper.  Eventually, we find ourselves alone, scared and distressed.

Then comes the real fight.

There are things that keep us from walking in our callings, our destiny in Christ.  More times than not, it's our own selves.  Giving up control, even when everything seems to be collapsing around us, is a hard thing. Releasing everything, good, bad and indifferent, over to the Hands of God runs against our very nature.  Well, that is until we take on the nature of Christ.

Child of God, it is time to let go.  It is time to stop arranging things and fixing things in an attempt to stay in control.  It is time to stop fighting your calling in Christ, time to stop fighting who you are in Christ.  You're a prince, not a trickster.  You're a child, not a servant.  An heir.  Not a hired hand.  And it is the Father's good pleasure to bless His children.

Knowing this will change our walk.  It will change our position and how we receive things.  This is the knowledge that will change how we see things, how we approach and react to things.  

Can you call yourself by your new name?  Can you accept this new normal in Christ?  A changed walk.  A changed name.  A changed outlook and, most importantly, a changed outcome not only for you, but for your whole family?

Genesis 33:4

King James Version (KJV)

⁴ And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.

Galatians 4:1-7

King James Version (KJV)

4 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;

² But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.

³ Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

⁴ But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

⁵ To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

⁶ And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

⁷ Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Fight flesh.  Choose Christ.

Lifeline is produced from the Evangelistic Ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA. You are encouraged to share this message. The Fellowship Church website (www.fcchosengeneration.com) includes a link to the Lifeline Blog (www.lifelineatfellowship.blogspot.com) where you can find previous messages. 

Evangelist Robinson also posts her entries on Facebook and Twitter. To subscribe to the mailing, or for questions and comments, tweet (@evangeliststeff) or send email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. Fellowship Church can be reached at chosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church

Where Passions Become Reality

Because You Are a Chosen Generation

455 Hwy 138 W. Suite C

Jonesboro, GA 30238

Between GA Hwy 85 and US 19/41

Across from EJ Swint Elementary School

Church Website - www.fcchosengeneration.com

770-573-9339 Phone

770-574-4967 Fax

chosen.gen@att.net

Alton Watkins, Pastor

2 Samuel 11:1-2

King James Version (KJV)

1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

² And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

Time and Place

My Pastor discussed this situation in our Hour of Power on Saturday.  The Holy Spirit led me back to the scripture later that evening.

At the opening of this chapter, King David was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  He had an appointment.  It was the time when kings were supposed to go to battle.  His place was at the lead of his troops, fighting the glorious fight in the name of the Lord.  They went.  He didn't.

Then we find David goes from the wrong place to a worse place.  He went out on the roof of the king's house.  It was bad enough that David wasn't in place with his men, but he wasn't in place at home either.  He was out of the protection and away from duty.

It doesn't say "he went out on the roof of his house" or "out on the roof of the palace" but of the king's house.

There's something very precarious, almost dangerous, about when we put ourselves above God's covering.  We put ourselves in positions where protection is no longer available.  We get out of the house of God, and we get into the mess of the world.

We miss prayer and suddenly it's hard to get up on Saturday morning and make it.  We stay home from service one week for no good reason and we look up and it's been at least a month since we've been back.  Missing Bible Study once won't hurt...and then we can't remember the last time we went.  

Then the challenge comes.  The transmission stops working in the car.  That dreaded 2:00 AM phone call.  The loss of a loved one.  An unexpected meeting with your boss, with a box sitting on the table.  The confession by a spouse of an affair.

It's not that these things don't happen to the faithful.  It's about preparation and protection.  Right place, right time.  When we take ourselves out of God's will for our lives, we remove ourselves from the very structure of protection that God has arranged.  We come out from behind His blockade.  We remove ourselves from the healing in His wings.  We run out of the strong tower and into a far land. It doesn't take long before we find ourselves eating out of a trough, a servant to our own disobedience, our armor and co-laborers disappear in our wake.

That's a hard place.  And it's the wrong place.

There is a place for you.  There is a ministry that has been perfectly designed for you.  We call churches God's house on purpose, and you're supposed to be in the the King's house.  Walking around it, being near it isn't the same as being in it.

The time for homelessness has past.  It's time to come home.  It's the right time to be in in your right place. 

Fall may be the time that schools set aside for homecoming, but your time is now.  If you don't know Christ as your Savior, the time to believe is now.  If you've accepted Christ's sacrifice for your life, but you've limited yourself to an isolated, 'God knows my heart" relationship, then you've shorted yourself.  You've left your soul like a wounded vet living on the street away from a warm, loving  family in a place of healing and provision.

Come home.

The address for Fellowship is 455 Ga Hwy 138 W in Jonesboro GA.  If your home isn't with us, we will gladly get you to the right place.  But start where you are to get where you're supposed to be.

Come in off the roof.

Psalm 91

King James Version (KJV)

1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

² I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

³ Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

⁴ He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

⁵ Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

⁶ Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

⁷ A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

⁸ Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

⁹ Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

¹⁰ There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

¹¹ For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

¹² They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

¹³ Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

¹⁴ Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

¹⁵ He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

Lifeline is produced from the Evangelistic Ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA. You are encouraged to share this message. The Fellowship Church website (www.fcchosengeneration.com) includes a link to the Lifeline Blog (www.lifelineatfellowship.blogspot.com) where you can find previous messages. 

Evangelist Robinson also posts her entries on Facebook and Twitter. To subscribe to the mailing, or for questions and comments, tweet (@evangeliststeff) or send email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. Fellowship Church can be reached at chosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church

Where Passions Become Reality

Because You Are a Chosen Generation

455 Hwy 138 W. Suite C

Jonesboro, GA 30238

Between GA Hwy 85 and US 19/41

Across from EJ Swint Elementary School

Church Website - www.fcchosengeneration.com

770-573-9339 Phone

770-574-4967 Fax

chosen.gen@att.net

Alton Watkins, Pastor

John 19:41-42

 ⁴¹ Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.

 ⁴² There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.

A Borrowed Tomb

When Jesus was crucified, his unbroken, yet pierced and beaten body was taken down, wrapped quickly and laid in a tomb that intended for someone else.  Two secret disciples finally came out in the open to beg for the body of Jesus.  Joseph of Arimathaea went to Pilate directly.  Nicodemus, the little man we sing about in Sunday School, brought spices to prepare the body for burial.  They had followed Christ in secret.  Now they served Christ openly from their hearts.

They had been released from their borrowed tomb.

The idea behind tombs is to keep dead things from the living.  Once in a tomb, no one from the outside is supposed to come in unless they are dead.  The tombs of great kings and of the wealthy were often raided because they were filled with terrific treasures.  They were the living embodiment of 'where your treasure lies, there your heart will be also' (Matthew 6:21).

And so are we.

Before we come to know Christ, we are living in borrowed tombs.  Our souls are in a place where they are not intended to stay.  We are supposed to be with the Father just as Adam and his wife were before the fall.  We are not destined for a fiery eternity apart from the Father, but in the cool of the garden before His face.

But, with sin, we entered a borrowed tomb.  A tomb designed to keep us in, condemned to darkness and separation from life.

Then Jesus.

Like our Savior, we're supposed to come out of this borrowed tomb.  It wasn't designed for the living.  It was never intended to be a place of nourishment, and certainly not a place of enjoyment and where we can have a full life.  It's a place for the dead.  Its not a place for you, or me.

Jesus came that we may have life, and that more abundantly (John 10:10).  An abundant life has no business in a tomb.

It's time to come out of that borrowed tomb.  It's not yours.  It doesn't have your name on it.  Your name is written in the Lamb's book of Life, not in a book of death.  You cannot be found on the death lists.  You've been offered more, abundant life.  It's yours for the taking because you're His for the dying.

It took seeing Christ crucified to motivate Joseph and Nicodemus to come out of their borrowed tombs and into the marvelous light of service and open devotion.  Even if you have already accepted Christ, if you're still avoiding discipleship, study and growth, you're like a newborn lying in a tomb; there's nothing there for the living.

John 3:9-21

⁹ Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

¹¹ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

¹² If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

¹³ And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

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.

¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

²⁰ For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

²¹ But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Won't you come out of the darkness and into His marvelous light?  Look at the stone.  That's not your name on it.  It's already been rolled away.  It's time to come out.

Lifeline is produced from the Evangelistic Ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA. You are encouraged to share this message. The Fellowship Church website (www.fcchosengeneration.com) includes a link to the Lifeline Blog (www.lifelineatfellowship.blogspot.com) where you can find previous messages. 

Evangelist Robinson also posts her entries on Facebook and Twitter. To subscribe to the mailing, or for questions and comments, tweet (@evangeliststeff) or send email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. Fellowship Church can be reached at chosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church

Where Passions Become Reality

Because You Are a Chosen Generation

455 Hwy 138 W. Suite C

Jonesboro, GA 30238

Between GA Hwy 85 and US 19/41

Across from EJ Swint Elementary School

Church Website - www.fcchosengeneration.com

770-573-9339 Phone

770-574-4967 Fax

chosen.gen@att.net

Alton Watkins, Pastor

Set His Face toward Jerusalem, or Digging In

2 Kings 12:17-18

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹⁷Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.

 ¹⁸And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and in the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.

Set His Face Toward Jerusalem, or Digging In

This phrase occurs twice in the Bible...the passage above and the passage related to Jesus' passion.  Both speak of a man committed toward an invasion.

In this first passage, Hazael, the king of Syria, means to invade Jerusalem. Jehoash takes desperate action to protect the city....he takes the precious things, the things consecrated to God and sends them to the invader in hopes of defending the city.  He doesn't remember the Passover teachings, he doesn't remember that the temple at Jerusalem belongs to God...he acts in a way that seems right to him to do what he thinks is best.

And it works, for a time.  Hazael takes the treasure and goes home, only to return and take the kingdom.  Israel ended up under the rule of Syria for the reign of Hazael and for his son.

And we still do it today.  Far too often, we take the treasures God has given us, our talents, our money, our families, and we just give them to the world.  No fight.  No confidence in the promises of God.  We just give them up in hopes of avoiding poverty, being shunned, sickness.

Forgetting all the time that we have been redeemed...that we are the care and concern of the Almighty God who wouldn't even withhold the blood of His own Son to keep us.

We haven't dug in.

Hazael had a plan. He was going to Jerusalem.  He had already made up his mind.  God Himself testified that when the people are of one mind that nothing can be withheld from them (Genesis 11:6).  I know I have many experiences in my life and I'm sure you do in yours of when we set our minds toward something, its just a matter of time before it happens.

Maybe it was weight loss, maybe it was completing a degree...finding a lost relative...getting promoted.  Whatever it is we put our mind to, it happens in no small part because we've made up our minds.

We've dug in.

This was never on greater display than in the life of Jesus.  He made up His mind to do the will of the Father, completely and thoroughly.  He wasn't dismayed by the betrayals, the two-faced actions, the plots.  He wasn't even deterred by the reality of the cross.  Oh, He prayed for an alternative, but accepted the Father's will.

He made up His mind.  He dug in.

Jesus was intent on an invasion.  He wasn't concerned with the city...that was a means to an end.  He wanted to invade the hearts of men, all men.  Everyone that has ever lived, or that ever will live.  You and me.  It was a personal invasion.

Dear ones, as the Holy Spirit told us through Paul, Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5)...set your face toward Jerusalem, toward peace, toward the very peace of God.  It is a matter of will.  It is a choice.  We have been given promises that exceed the imagination.  We have been given assurances that were paid in blood.  Nothing the Father intends toward us can be stopped, except that we refuse delivery.

The question is, are we dug in?  Is your face set toward Christ?  Or are we gathering the gifts of God to spread at the enemy's feet in the hope of avoiding destruction...all to willing to give up before we even let the Master fight?  A fight that has already been won by Christ.

Set your face toward Christ.  In Him, no weapon formed against you shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17).

He set His face toward you.

Luke 9:51-56

King James Version (KJV)

 ⁵¹And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,

 ⁵²And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.

 ⁵³And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.

 ⁵⁴And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

 ⁵⁵But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

 ⁵⁶For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

This is Holy Week.  Yesterday was Palm Sunday...the day Jesus was received into Jerusalem with celebration.  He was hanging on a cross less than a week later.

If you haven't been to your church lately, make a new commitment this week.  If you don't have a church home, we have room for you at Fellowship.  The place we have for you isn't a single event.  We want to walk with you, watch and encourage you as you grow in Christ.  We are in place to make disciples.  Won't you give us the privilege of showing you The Way?

Welcome home.

Lifeline is produced from the Evangelistic Ministry of Fellowship Church in Jonesboro, GA. You are encouraged to share this message. The Fellowship Church website (www.fcchosengeneration.com) includes a link to the Lifeline Blog (www.lifelineatfellowship.blogspot.com) where you can find previous messages. 

Evangelist Robinson also posts her entries on Facebook and Twitter. To subscribe to the mailing, or for questions and comments, tweet (@evangeliststeff) or send email to fellowship_lifeline@yahoo.com. Fellowship Church can be reached at chosen.gen@att.net.

Fellowship Church

Where Passions Become Reality

Because You Are a Chosen Generation

455 Hwy 138 W. Suite C

Jonesboro, GA 30238

Between GA Hwy 85 and US 19/41

Across from EJ Swint Elementary School

Church Website - www.fcchosengeneration.com

770-573-9339 Phone

770-574-4967 Fax

chosen.gen@att.net

Alton Watkins, Pastor