Pastor Joe's Blog

Miracle Embracing Church

2009-09-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

When the apostles were confronted with what the natural order of God’s creation could not deal with they turned to the supernatural power of God.
God can and does heal any illness. But perhaps God has not healed your cold or tooth ache because he has made it possible for you to be cured in other ways.
The following is three methods of healing that God has provided;
Spontaneous Healing; this is the natural order of God’s creation in which God has pre-programmed our bodies with the capacity to heal itself, e.g. when you cut yourself your blood begin to congeal and begin the healing, when you have an infection your white cell begin to fight back to aid the healing. Spontaneous healing proves the wonder of God creation.
Stimulated Healings when go to the doctor and they give you medication or an operation to assist the healing process. It is not a sin or a lack of faith to go to the Doctor!
Supernatural Healing when the natural order of God creation is unable to heal, e.g. those who had died, were blind, deaf or the lame and many other sickness’ for which there is no spontaneous or stimulated cure.
The early church embraced and experienced the miraculous because they consulted the God of the impossible and exercised faith when confronted with the impossible.

You can listen at www.preaching.co.nr

How Church Was Meant To Be

2009-09-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

This is “How Church Should Be” is often influenced by denominational traditions, personal preference and sometimes cultural and generational demands. Some people want church loud, some want it quiet, some want it short, some want more worship more prayer, more love, more social action, more preaching, today’s society want it to be more embracing of difference. People’s perceptions of how church should be goes on and on. Even in this group there are many different ideas of how you think should be.
I would like to discover from the Bible, particularly the book of Acts, “Church as it was meant to be.” Perhaps the outcome could be that we do Church without personal, generational, cultural or denominational influence. If we can do church as it was meant to be then maybe we can practice things the way God intended them to be.
We are all products of our social conditioning what we think, how we dress, what we eat have all been influence by those around us. However, now we are in Christ we no longer need to conform to the patterns of this world, (Rom 12:1-2) it is now possible for those who have been freed from the blind bondage of Sin and Satan to experience spiritual conditioning, if we will allow the Word and Spirit to influence our heart, thinking and behaviour, we can be how we were meant to be. (Rom 8:5-13)
There are many definitions of “Church” my and I hope simple definition of Church is; ‘a Community of God’s People Committed, Connected and Covered.’
1. Connected means you are a part of the Body, NOT JUST PSYICALLY but in your spirit…1Cor 5:2-4 ……Phil 22 “then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”
2. Committed means this is your spiritual home, where you are fed good home cooked ministry, where you fellowship, and where you give.
3. Covered by spiritual leaders, not dictated to or controlled, but where you chose to submit. The Difference between a Covered & Uncovered Christian is an uncovered Christian says “I am doing this because God/Spirit has told me” a Christian covered says “Can I talk with you Will you pray about this, I will listen and pray over you counsel.” A covered Christian may even say, “I don’t agree but I will submit and follow.”
God began His Church, with a design of how his Church was meant to be. The day the Holy Spirit was poured out every thing about God’s Church was how it was meant to be;
1. The Presence of God was felt so much they were in awe.
2. The Power of God was evident in sign & wonders, salvation, healing & deliverance.
3. The People of God boldly Proclaimed the Word of God.

you can listen to this message at http://www.preaching.co.nr/

Life in the Gap

2009-08-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

Between where we are and where God wants us to be there is often a “GAP.” The GAP can either swallow us up holding us back from reaching our destiny or the GAP can serve to strengthen us in our resolve to get to where God wants us to be. I don’t want our lives to go in any other direction other than the course that God has set us to reach that place of destiny to be and do what God has designed us for.
I want to ask this morning as we come to a close on this teaching about “Destiny” how are you handling the GAP between where we are and where God wants us to be.
While in the GAP we know where God wants us to be is perfect for us. The perfect life is not as the world and media proclaim, having all the latest stuff. My son Kieran told me of a music video by Sum 41 he watched this week of how people where driven along on a journey and at different stages they appeared to have the perfect house, the perfect job, perfect children, perfect family, perfect car, perfect body when they finally arrived at the ‘perfect life’ the ‘f’ fell from the word ‘life’ and they were left with the ‘perfect lie.’ Jesus came to give us life and he does not lie. (John 10:10)
Being in your place of destiny is living the dream our perfect life, and God wants and plans for us to live the dream our perfect life.
THE GAP STENGTHENS
The GAP is a time or place of preparation where God takes us through the trials and tests to prepare us for what is a head, if we can keep our hearts focused and fixed on the vision/destiny God has given to us, we can consider it pure joy, knowing that the season of suffering is producing in us perseverance, character and hope because God does work all things together for our good. (Hebrews 12:1-3 James 1:1-3 Romans 5:3-5 Romans 8:27-29)
On the other hand the GAP can be a time or place of frustration, where impatience, selfishness, fear, resentment and even jealousy grips our hearts causing us to walk away from where we are and like Jonah go even further away from where God has destined us to be. Perhaps even pursuing the perfect lie that this world is offering.
NO TIME SCALE in the GAP
There is no time scale to being in the GAP, but there is an appointed time to coming out the other side. David confessed the following “You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favour to her; the appointed time has come.” Psalm 102:13 We therefore can also confess that God will arise in our favour at His appointed time, the important thing not to lose sight off in the Gap is “IT WILL certainly COME”
It is better to be in the GAP facing the challenges of change or crisis than to stay on the wrong side of where you are called to be. listen to this message at http://www.preaching.co.nr/

Destiny is Not Denied

2009-07-20T04:20:00.000-07:00

Destiny is Missed because of Distractions Destiny

Distracters are not necessarily immoral attractions, they do not necessarily manifest as sinful actions. (Heb 12:1) Destiny Distractions are normally mental attitudes that lead us away from what God has designed us to do. They are “spiritual strongholds” patterns of thinking about yourself that suggest you are not good enough or your too good also patterns of thinking about others that suggest they dislike you they and are opposed to you and even patterns of thinking about God suggesting He does not care about or love you. (2Cor 10:1-5)I want to make you aware of four Destiny Distractions that distract us from our destiny;

1. The ‘Greener Grass’ Distraction.

Lot looked over the land and went for the greener grass. Lots wife looked back at life in Sodom because it seemed and felt better. The Children of Israel looked at other nations and said “we what to be like them Give us a king to rule over us.” (Gen 13:9-11, 19:25-27 1Sam 12) The outcome for all was they didn’t progress and prosper. It does not matter how greener, fantastic, wonderful, appealing, excellent it is on the other side of the fence, if its not your destiny, the place you are called to be or the thing you are called to do, its all simply a distraction heading for disaster.

2. The ‘Wannabe’ Distraction.

The Seven sons of Sceva, (Acts 9:14-16) were bit like the Spice Girls who sang “A Wannabe.” The Seven Sons wanted to be what they could not be. They could not be what they wanted to be because they were not designed to be Paul or Jesus. This story suggests that if you are doing what you are meant to be doing then even the Demons know they can’t stand in the way of your destiny. Don’t waist you life wanting to be Bill Graham or copying another big profile speaker. Don’t wreck you life wanting to be some else’s husband or wife. There are “has-beens” “wannabes” in all walks of life the truth is they’ll always be a wannabe and talk about what has been and never really do what they have been designed to do. We must seek to be what we can be and do what we can do according to god’s design.

3. The ‘My wee World’ Distraction.

The Children of Israel who were freed from slavery wanted to go back to Egypt because it was comfortable. The people of God lived in comfortable homes while the House of God fell into wreck and ruin. The Prodigal Son’s brother got angry because he stuck to the routine and never got a feast. (Num 14:1-4, Hag 1, Luke 15) For so many people life is about “my wee house, my wee wife, my wee job, my wee holiday, my wee church” and it’s all too small for their Big God to fit into. The degree of God’s involvement in our lives is only as big as our capacity to contain to Him. If you think and believe small then you’ll have a little. Eph 3:20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

4. The ‘I am just’ Distraction. The Prodigal Son didn’t feel good enough to go back to the destiny his Father had planned. Gideon didn’t feel good enough for what God was calling him to do. When you are not doing what you are designed to do because you don’t feel good enough you are suggesting God made mistake! Forget self imposed false humility and be what you are meant to be. (Luke 15, Judges 6:11-16)

Decide to go for your Destiny

If you have been distracted from your destiny, the solution is simple come to your senses and come back to your heavenly Father, and you may be surprised to find you destiny has not been denied you, its been waiting for you to decide ‘I’m going for it now.’

Built in Destiny

2009-07-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

At ECC we have been asking questions about Destiny. Too many people only seem to think about Destiny as the place they go after they die, Heaven or Hell?

What matters to God is what we do with the life we have got right now, God has taken care of what will happen in the life after this one.

An aimless pointless existence is not what we have been designed for in this world, from man kinds first day on this earth God give him a reason and purpose for living.

My purpose is to serve God, very general! My purpose is to preach with all the skill I have got the powerful life changing Word of God, more personal. My purpose is to preach the life changing powerful Word God in Barrow-in-Furness, even more personal.

The point I am making is there is a personal destiny for everyone of us to fulfill on this earth, God has designed us to fit and fulfill that destiny.

Your destiny is not hidden or lost. God has built it into you. http://www.preaching.co.nr/

Why wait Utill They are Dead?

2009-07-08T02:12:00.000-07:00

I watched with an estimated one billion people around the world the memorial service for Michael Jackson. While friends and family spoke about Michael I was reminded how quickly death can change people attitudes. It seems because of death the world has gone from accusations to adulation of Michael’s life and talents. So many were so quiet when Michael faced his media trials, death it seems has changed them from betrayal to be-friending, now so many want to stands up and be so proud to have been Michael’s friend.
The bible says “A man of many companions may come to ruin,” the question the man who comes to ruin often asks; ‘where are all my friends Now?’ Michael may have asked that question when he faced the media condemnation. The bible goes on to say “but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Of course that Friend is Jesus who will stick with you in life and death. Proverbs 18:24

Transformed with a Destiny

2009-07-06T05:40:00.000-07:00

I recently watched the movie Transformers 2, Revenge of the Fallen, with my son Kieran. In typical Hollywood style, the hero of the movie, Tom, was on the verge of saving the world from the evil Transformers, the Decepticon, when he was killed. However, in death he was visited by the by leaders of the good Transformers, the Autobots, they said to the Hero, “we have been watching you, this is your destiny go and save the world” and of course he went back and saved the world.
All make believe, but I was captivated by the words “this is your destiny” and then to be told to go off and save the world. We can certainly says these words are true of one person, Jesus, who came to save the world from Sin. (1John 4:13,14)

The question for each of us is What is our desinty?

Your can Also Listen at www.preaching.co.nr

First Timer

2009-07-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

There are Older Timers and First Timers. I think I fit both.
God help me to keep being a first timer for You.
There is so much more that can be done for the building up of his Church and Kingdom in the world today.
When is the last time you did something for the first time?