STRONG

Do you remember the old saying, time flies? How much more so in God’s Kingdom. It seems we blink our eyes, and it is already December, just 24 days from the beginning of a new year. It makes me long even more to make the most of every day that we have, to serve our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ who gave all for us because of His great mercy and love. To see salvations, healings, and deliverance as we have seen recently makes me so grateful to be a part of a church such as ours that loves God and takes Him at His Word. I am grateful for Pastor Nathan and Jill who never back down from what they believe and for their commitment to see our congregation grow, not just in numbers, but in the things of Christ. Pastor Nathan’s message blessed me, and I hope you enjoy the recap!

STRONG!

Pastor Nathan began his message today with this statement. We are called to have a strong church. In the second half of Daniel 11:32 we find these words, “But the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits. We also read in Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Not only in our individual lives, but in our church, we need to be what God has called us to be, and that can only be accomplished by following the Word of God and being led by the Holy Spirit.

Think about the life of Abraham. In Romans 4:17 we see that God promised Abraham a covenant son. Even though in the natural Abraham had no hope, he was not weak in his faith. He had a lot against him, including his age, Sarah’s age, and the fact that she had always been barren, but Abraham believed God and he wasn’t shy about it! We are called to be strong in faith and in what we are called to do, but praise God, we do not have to do this on our own! Ephesians 6:10 reminds us, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” God’s might means to rely on the work that He has done and what He can do through us. We are not left to be strong on our own. We are strong in Christ. We have the power of His might through the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. We are called to step into the place God has called us and be strong in Him.

Many in these last days have endeavored to weaken the Church and shut down the power of the Holy Spirit through attacking three key areas of God’s Kingdom. First is divine healing; second is the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the infilling of the Holy Spirit, and speaking in heavenly languages as on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2); and finally, the financial blessing of God. Obviously, the devil is not concerned with a church that is not winning the lost and setting people free from darkness, but Jesus called His church to be the light of the world! In Mark 16:15-18 we find the words of Jesus, often called the Great Commission. It lists key areas in which the church should be strong.

1. Jesus wants us to be strong in evangelism. To be “strong” means we are to make this a priority. We are strong in what Jesus said we should do. Jesus said to do it, so we should do it! “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Verse 15-16 & Matthew 28:18-20)

2. Jesus said to cast out devils. When the devil tries to stop us, we have authority over him. We are called to be strong in our authority over the devil. (Verse 17)

3. We are to be strong in our relationship with the Holy Spirit. It is through the infilling of the Holy Spirit that we receive power, we can speak with new tongues, we are protected, and we can shake off evil! (Verses 17-18)

4. We must be strong in divine healing, miracles, signs, and wonders. (Verse 18) Jesus said that as believers we can lay our hands on the sick and they will recover!

5. We must be strong in the knowledge that God will always provide for us. Jesus called us to produce fruit. How disappointed would you be if you planted a garden that never produced the first vegetable? As a church, God expects us to produce fruit. He expects a harvest, but He will not fail us or leave us without support. (Hebrews 13:5-6 AMPC) God is well able to take care of every project. It is our part to be strong and obey God. He is our provider.

In conclusion, we must be strong in what we believe. People need to see that God is real, and we cannot be afraid of what the world may say. Revelation 3:15-16 warns us of the dangers of being lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. In these last days, God needs a strong church. He needs a church full of the Spirit. He needs people who are not afraid to step out and believe Him for the impossible. We will be that church!