God's Faithfulness = Our Fruitfulness

1 Corinthians 1:9, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." Should operating in faith require so much faith? That may sound like a strange question but (after almost 20 years of following Jesus) I still struggle.

As I was thinking about this particular issue, I was reminded of 2 Peter 1:2-8:
"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Here's why I believe the passage out of 2 Peter is so important:
Peter never tells us to add faith to our faith. Why? I believe it's because faith is to be the first ingredient in our walk with Christ. Without faith we are not able to activate the grace that is needed for salvation. We must believe - we must have faith - and we must walk in it. What Peter does teach us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is that we are to add something to our faith. In fact, verses 5-7 provide building blocks to growing in our faith. The culmination of all these things results in a fruitfulness in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is this intimate knowledge of Jesus Christ that helps us to trust in the faithfulness of God.

The size of your faith doesn't matter. It's not about having more. It is the quality of your faith that allows you to trust fully in the promises of God. As I grow in these areas of life, I will discover that trusting in God becomes easier. Think about this in the natural: The better I know someone, the easier it is to trust them. It is this experiential knowledge that stirs up faith within me.

Regardless of where we may be in our journey, 1 Corinthians 1:9 is still true. God is faithful. The psalmist David said, "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread." This knowledge of God came from a lifetime of devotion to His Creator. David understood that it was the faithfulness of God that led to the fruitfulness of the believer.

Operating in faith should not require so much faith. No...it simply requires faith. Faith that believes that God is faithful to His Word. Faith that believes whatever God says to be true. Faith that has learned to trust in what it cannot see. How is this possible? This type of faith is possible as we grow in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Got faith?

A Movie that Will Change Lives

Although you will have to wait until September 30th to see the newest movie creation from Sherwood Pictures, I want you to say "Lord willing, I will be there on opening night."

I was fortunate to watch a screening of "Courageous" - the upcoming movie from the creators of "Fireproof." I truly believe that what Fireproof did for marriage, Courageous will do for the family. This is a hard hitting, action packed, emotional film about a group of men set on changing the culture within their own home. If you have enjoyed any of the previous movies from the Sherwood family, then you will absolutely love this one.

Sherwood Pictures is a ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church. Founded in 2002 by Alex Kendrick, associate pastor of media, Sherwood Pictures has released 3 wonderful family friendly films (Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof). Courageous is set to be the 4th film released from this ministry. With the box office success of the last two movies, I hope to see Courageous make its way into all movie theaters. If it comes to your home town, I hope you will find a way to make it to the premier.

The Sherwood Family has proven that every dream is achievable when God is leading the way. Although their funding is limited, the cast & crew are made up of volunteers, and most of these men and women are "normal" folks, the end results have been amazing. All of the movies have a special place in my heart. The entire family enjoys sitting down together and watching the productions. And my prayer is that Sherwood Baptist will continue to fuel the creativity of its members.

While there is still quite some time before the movie is officially released, plan on taking the family to the theater. The great the box office revenues, the greater the likelihood that future movies will make it to your local venues. The Kendrick brothers have done an amazing job in being able to speak directly to the hearts of people. The action scenes in Courageous are intense, the jokes are hilarious, and the emotions are captivating. I was glued to the screen from the outset of the movie. These men and women have done a wonderful job and I pray the Lord continues to use them for His glory.

As we get closer to the release dates, I will try to locate all the venues around the PBC Voice area and post them to the blog. I love seeing God's people being successful in business and ministry. In a culture that has been shaped by media in so many ways, this is a wonderful opportunity to shape the families of America. By God's grace, this movie WILL change lives!!!

May you be blessed.

Can You Believe This?!?

Luke 17:20-21 (GNB), Some Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. His answer was, "The Kingdom of God does not come in such a way as to be seen. No one will say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!'; because the Kingdom of God is within you."

I have no desire to go into great detail with these verses today. This is where my thinking has been over the last couple of days. In fact, I plan on sharing a sermon on this particular subject (sort of), so I don't want to give away too much information. I simply want you to consider the words of Jesus.

As a pastor, there seems to be an emphasis today on doing teachings on a variety of subjects. It has gotten to the place where many church leaders are abandoning the Bible as the main source of their teaching/preaching. God continues to push in the completely opposite direction. It has gotten to the point now that through His Word and His Spirit's guidance that we can unlock information for every area of life. Period!!! How did I come to this conclusion? Simple...the Kingdom of God is within every believer. We just need to tap into it.

Over the weekend, I want you to consider this truth. Ask Father God to reveal His kingdom within you. Ask Jesus to speak to you concerning what is available. And ask the Holy Spirit to continue to show you how to tap into the resources of this kingdom. This is the potential that has not been unleashed in the earth. This is what is missing in the ordinary routine of church "life." The reality of God's kingdom within us removes every barrier. We have unlimited resources at our disposal, unlimited potential in the kingdom, and can have unlimited impact in the world. Can you believe this? Are you ready to operate in it?

I look forward to seeing how God brings this message together for our fellowship. Limitless ability, resources, and power through the power of His Spirit within us. WOW!!!

Drawing from the Well

In Kevin Dedmon's book "The Ultimate Treasure Hunt", he shared a vision that the Lord gave him concerning giving away what you have. I want to share this vision with you because I believe it is a beautiful illustration of drawing from the well of living water inside of us and seeing God increase what is available.

"A few years ago, I had a vision that helped me understand the principle of giving...In the vision I was standing next to a well in a field. As I looked further, I noticed other wells. Some were capped off, and I could tell that some of the wells had not been accessed for a long while because of the tall, unkempt grass growing up around them.

"As I stood in the field gazing over these various wells, I instinctively knew that they contained various resources of the Kingdom of God. For example, the water in one of the wells contained healing, while the water in other wells had love, or the prophetic, wisdom, counsel, joy, and on and on it went. I happened to be standing next to the well containing healing, but I only had a small thimble-sized container in which to dip out of the resources. So, I dipped with what I had available.

"As I began to drink of what I had recovered from the well, the Lord told me to pour it out...'But Lord, I won't have any left for me,' I responded. Silence. Finally, I got up the nerve to throw out the small measure I had received, heaving it as far as I could. To my surprise, a crop of fruit immediately sprang up in the exact spot where I had thrown the water.

"I turned back toward the well, and as I began to dip again, to my amazement, my thimble-sized container had increased to a shot glass-sized container. Once again, I dipped the container into the well and pulled up the water. As before, the Lord said to pour it out. Without hesitation, I threw it in a different direction, and a larger crop of fruit immediately grew where the water had landed.

"I went back to the well. This time, my shot-glass container turned into a mug-sized container. I repeated the process again and again until my thimble-sized container had eventually turned into a super-sized, supernatural water truck! The more I gave, the larger my container became, as well as the size of the crops of fruit, as I continued to just give away the new measure I had received.

"I then proceeded to the others wells, where I was give a thimble-sized container from which to dip. I went to wells that I had previously drunk from but had quit because of a lack of fruitfulness. I found that as I re-opened those well and gave away what I had received instead of consuming it myself, supernatural measure were obtained from each of the wells and supernatural fruit was harvested everywhere I had poured out...the water.

"I want to encourage you that you have all the resources you need to get started on your journey in becoming the Ultimate Treasure Hunter. You can grow in supernatural measures of faith if you continually utilize the testimony and give away what you currently possess, even if it seems thimble-sized..." [The Ultimate Treasure Hunt - pp.163-165 - Dedmon]

What an awesome picture! I don't know about you, but there have been times that I felt the Lord leading me to share a "word" with someone or pray a particular type of prayer, only to shrink away because I didn't think I had enough in me. There are times, without realizing it, that each of us have failed to believe that everything we need for life and godliness is already ours through His divine power. We have not trusted fully that we have been made partakers in His inheritance. I want to encourage you to stop shrinking-back. Go headlong into what the Spirit of God is leading you to do. I know at times the words may sound crazy, or the prayer seems impossible, but you have resources available to you to see the kingdom of God manifest in the earth.

I am learning. There are times that I have great boldness and times where my faith isn't as strong. There are times when I feel as though I can conquer the world, and times when I feel weak. What I am learning is that God is able to "do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" {Ephesians 3:20} However, if we do not dip into the wells that He has made available then we will not access any of the other wells around us. At some point we are going to have to take a risk. We are going to have to operate by faith and believe that what God is prompting us to do will happen exactly the way He chooses.

Are you ready to draw from the well? Remember...you have living water to give to all who thirst!!!

Our Confirmation

I apologize for my absence. I had some meeting in Richmond during the first part of this week. After my trip last week, and being gone during the first few days of this one, I'm looking forward to the routine of life. It's good to be back!

While I was in Richmond, I heard the testimony of a friend who is a worship leader. He talked about his life and growing up in the church. However, it was at the age of nineteen that something occurred in his life that made a huge impact. It was this event that led him into the ministry, and opened up a whole new experience in the Christian life. The difference maker? The Holy Spirit.

Roger was 19 years old and spending the summer in Yellowstone Park. There was a lady there ministering to the young people. She spoke about the Holy Spirit being real in our lives and His ministry in us. Roger grown up in church but had never heard anyone refer to the Holy Spirit in this way. He said, "I prayed that night that God would fill me with His Holy Spirit, and He did. I woke up the next morning in awe of God and His creation. As I looked around at my surroundings (the clean air, and purity of His creation) I realized that I was just as clean and pure on the inside."

1 John 3:24, "...And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." John made it very clear to the church that it was the Spirit of God that testified to who they were. Following His commands was important, loving our brothers/sisters in Christ a validation, but it was the testimony of the Spirit that sealed the deal. We could debate our religious service, and we could adhere to rules and principles, but the difference maker - the confirmation of our salvation - is the Holy Spirit of God.

I have wondered how we could miss this great truth. How could anyone, growing up in church, never hear about the Holy Spirit's reality in us? How could we not be told that He leads us, ministers to and through us, and longs to be the vital link between us and the Father? It is the Spirit that seals us, empowers us, and directs us in this life. It seems to me that we have built much of the Christian life upon OUR ability to follow, OUR ability to understand the Word, and OUR ability to live this things out. God had other plans. He had already went that route in the Old Covenant. It didn't work because the people couldn't do it. Sin was too powerful in their lives. That is why Jesus died - to break the yoke of sin and give us the opportunity to be free and filled with His Spirit. In this way, we can live out what God has planned for us. When Jesus told His disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit after His departure, He said, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." {John 16:33} Just the knowledge of the Holy Spirit's coming was to bring peace to the disciples during the tribulation they would soon experience. Now that He has come, we have peace in believing. The Holy Spirit continually testifies that we are His. He is our confirmation.

Our confirmation was never meant to be a sacred ceremony in the church. It was never meant to be a "sacrament" to be held through religion. And regardless of how well we do through some classes, etc.; our confirmation comes through the Holy Spirit - not a church event. Our salvation is all about God from start to finish. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. The Holy Spirit is God's stamp of approval for our faith. When we confess Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives, He comes and dwells inside every believer. Once we have His presence within us, then God can bring us to a greater experience than salvation; walking in the power of His kingdom. When you and I are completely immersed in that river of life that He has place within us, and living continually filled by His Spirit, we are awakened to a greater reality of our faith. We have gifts available, power for life, and the confirmation of our salvation. This is why I talk about the Holy Spirit. He is the presence of God within us, working through us, and working for us for the pleasure of God.

I invite you to know Him more intimately. Ask God to fill you with His presence. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you about the reality of His work. Ask Jesus to reveal to you all that is available through the ministry of His Spirit. And be ready to experience a greater reality of God in your life. Allow His to confirm your faith in God and live as one who abides in Him.