Good Morning. How is everyone feeling? Are their any prayer requests? Let's Pray.
Can anyone tell me what we were supposed to do when we left church last sunday?
Sing "I am a C"
What it means to be a christian?
Can anyone tell me what it means to be a christian? (wait for answers).
Let's look at what the Bible says...THe Bible uses the term Christian 3 times(Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16) and it comes from the the greek 'Christianos' which means Follower of Christ. Hmm, so according to the definitions in the dictionary about "follow" being a Christian is about being somebody who comes behind, supports, imitates, obeys and even takes over for --meaning carry on the ministry of Jesus. It is a an awesome responsibility and the universe's greatest gift, but where does your journey as a Follower of Christ start? Let's see what Jesus said..... in (1) John 3:3 that we have to be "Born Again" or accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior believing with all your heart (make playdoh heart) that Jesus died on a cross for your sins (make playdoh cross) . God's word tells us in (2) 2 corinthians 5:17 that when we are born again we become a new creature. How can he make us new all over?
First Quote "God know our heart..."
Let me show you with this play-doh. What color is this heart? okay red. We are going to use this red heart to represent us or our spirit...each of us is born with a spirit. It's what makes us a living person with life, feelings and emotions. What color is this cross? Okay Blue. We are going to let the cross represent God's spirit.
second quote "God sent his son..."
third quote "now look what happens..."
(quotes have been taken from www.childrensermons.com/sermons/creature.htm)
Any questions? If anyone wants to talk about being born again and starting on their journey of being a christian, after we pray come and talk to me or _____ and we would love to talk and pray with you.
"Hunter Pumpkin Johnson" This boy moved in under my porch and adopted my family more than a month ago. The neighborhood kids and I named the stray Hunter. To our surprise he had a 'owner', and his name was Gus, but he didn't seem to want to live with them or be named Gus. An incident happened that was blown WAY out of proportion and the law was called on the mostly lab with a touch of lazy howling hound by the so-called owner; the officer was quick to notice that the puppy was far from aggressive and quickly left without the dog. My husband made the decision that we would adopt the creature that had already moved in. After officially having him for a couple of days and after getting the collar, leash, flea treatment, chain, etc., Amelia decided he needed a full name and by her word she added Pumpkin Johnson. :) This member came first. I am pleased to announce Country Kitty Johnson. 
She was living by herself in a dilapidated tobacco barn that's being held up by the weeds and Ivy that encompass it. Hubby's great Aunt has a strawberry farm and everytime they walked passed the area they heard a young faint meow. There was a 'mama cat' deceased on the highway in front of the farm. They asked me to see if I could get it because it wouldn't come out or go to them. I went back to the approximate spot of the baby and just meowed for it, and me being the cat whisperer that I am, she just walked right out, let me pick her up, and I walked back to the strawberry farm. I took her over to another house where I knew a mama cat was and tried to initiate an adoption, but the mama didn't want anything to do with a new baby. Poor Kitty was desperately after the milk from the mama cat, but without success. We took her home to restore her to health and doubled her weight with-in 1.5 days. We are not supposed to have indoor pets, but kitty just doesn't like the outside....especially after Hunter moved in. I wanted to name her Sergeant Fuzzypants, but I was out voted. 
Her down-to-earth presentation style makes participants feel as though they've just met a new friend. "Debbie Turner Debbie Turner is a Christian Author and Speaker with a passion for sharing the life-affirming, unspeakable joy of intimacy with Christ. Her inspirational teaching style penetrates barriers and reaches deep into the heart to deliver spiritual truth with insight, tenderness, and clarity. Scripture lives and breathes as she weaves biblical principles, compelling stories, and humorous anecdotes into messages that clearly connect God's Word to the triumphs and challenges of everyday life. Debbie accepted God's call into the ministry following the tragic death of her beloved son, Stephen. Since then she has traveled the US and Canada inspiring others with proven strategies for achieving success and overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles. (http://www.calltofaith.net/debbie)" Her message was titled "My identity is firmly anchored in Christ" Romans 10:9 "that if you confess with your mouth that "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." 1 peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" 1 peter 1:4 "and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you" James 1:22-25 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does." We as Christians are experiencing another form of identity theft. Spiritual identity theft. Do we dare reject the identity that is given to us by Jesus Christ. John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Don't let satan convince you to doubt your identiy in Christ. Transform things by living out your beliefs in your home, stores, communities, churches, etc. How do you feel to know that you are CHOSEN? YES YOU ARE CHOSEN BY GOD! The solution to this identity theft is the power that flows to us from Jesus Christ. Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." We are chosen, you are chosen, I am chosen. Our identity is established in Christ. Evangelism puts us in the direct path of rejection. Fully surrender our lives to Christ. John 9--(a man blind since birth receives sight after having mud on his eyes. He is questioned by the religious. But he doesn't care. He unabashedly stands firm in what God/Jesus has done for him, regardless of his ridicule). We need to proclaim what God has done for us! Our past has been redeemed. Regardless of what happens, we never work alone. Every step is one step closer to our glorious homecoming. Respond to your calling. Do what you are chosen to do! ********************************** Over the course of the conference we watched several short videos. The message of the videos were 1. Pray 2. Engage 3. Connect 4. Celebrate 5. Disciple ********************************** Our third speaker was Beth Greer. She is a woman that is clearly wearing Jesus. "
At the start of her talk she challenged us to memorize Psalm 139. Then we read it together. Remind yourself of the goodness of the Lord. Know that God has a sovereign plan for you. Not asking why, but knowing that it is for God's Glory! John 4 (The Samaritan woman meets Jesus at the well and learns of the living water). Jesus got straight to the point. He didn't beat around the bush. He said what he had to say. In John 4:6 we are reminded that our God in heaven, in his humanity got weary. He knows what it is like to become weary! Always do the father's will. (Don't worry about being politically correct. Jesus spoke to a samaritan woman in a time when men didn't even speak to their wives in public, much less samaritans.) The samaritan thought Jesus spoke of regular water-- she was blinded to spiritual truth. The samaritan woman had to confess her sin (She had had 5 husbands and now lived with a man that she was not married to) God hates all sin regardless of what the sin is. We may feel that somethings are worse than others, but God hates all sin. All and any sin separates us from God. Jesus declares to the samaritan woman that he is the Messiah. When she learns this, she goes to tell the good news with fervency and disregard of her past and imposed cultural restrictions. She was wearing Jesus, she was changed and was never the same. The people came to see Jesus (because of the samaritan woman) in their white/best robes. They sat for 2 days to worship him. The best things in life: know, love and serve Jesus. *************************************** We ended the conference with the rest of what the insightful and entertaining Kim Hardy had to say. 1. All Christians have a story to tell (our testimony) 2. Expect great things from God 3. No excuses allowed when doing God's business (this is my favorite quote from the whole conference) "Go (or take people) from being fans of Jesus to becoming followers of Jesus" Romans 10:9-10 "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" 3 chicken insights (on Evangelism) 1. Initially most people don't want to hear your story 2. People are busy 3. People are tuned into their own story How do I tell His story and my story? [Jesus is the Son of God, JOhn 3:16, Jesus died on the cross for our sins, Jesus rose from the dead on the 3rd day] | |||||||
