INTRO:
How many of you know that there is a process that you go through in order to be used by God?
· You can’t just get up and do whatever you want, however you want to do it and think God is going to jump through a hoop?
· There is a price to be paid for power
There is a relationship that has to exist to receive power
· God needs some folks that are willing to empty themselves so that He can place a calling in them
· God needs some folks that walk the strait and narrow so that He can annoint them
· God needs some folks that are pregnant with last day ministries...
Mission Statement:
The Redeeming River Church is a family of believers committed to preaching the cross with conviction, reaching the lost with compassion, and equipping the saints with the Word!
Our Vison:
The Word tells us in Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people perish”. Therefore, we know that where there is a God breathed vision the people have life. It is because of God’s specific plan for us that we can clearly see where we are going.
7 We Will Be’s
· We will be a life giving church whose waters flow from the River of God through all cultures and generations!
· We will be a life sustaining church where the heartbeat of God will keep our families spiritually healthy.
· We will be a life birthing church where new ministries are conceived, delivered, nurtured, and sent out.
· We will be a people of faith and expectancy who are not moved by what we see, but stand in the God who we know!
· We will be a people of devotion who are committed to the work of the Lord through the local church!
· We will be a people of worship who honor the Lord for who He is and not what He will do for us!
· We will be a growing church whose walls will not contain us!
Definitions:
Conceived - To become pregant / Delivered - To give birth / Nurtured - To help develop / Sent Out - To hand over responsibility
I. HELP THERE IS SOMETHING GROWING IN ME - Conception - To become pregant
A. IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO
1. It takes two things to make a baby
2. A woman and a man
3. They can try to make a man have a baby all they want, but it still takes something he aint got
4. You can artificial inseminate all you want but the egg had to come from somewhere
5. Genowah is a Greek word that has been used to translate into conceived and born...it means the process between conception to birth
6. Mathew 2:1 - Jesus was physically born in Bethlehem
Now when Jesus was born (Gen-ow-ah) in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
7. Matthew 1:20 - Mary conceived with the Holy Ghost
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived (Gen-ow-ah) in her is of the Holy Ghost.
8. When you are born there is an audience, but when you were conceived there were only 2
9. Being born is an event
10. Being conceived speaks of an intimate relationship
11. James 4:8
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
12. When you have been intimate with God you can know how to love others...
13. I John 4:7
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born (conceived (Gen-ow-ah) of God, and knoweth God.
14. When you have been intimate with God you can overcome the world
15. I John 5:3-4
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
For whatsoever is born (conceived (Gen-ow-ah) of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
B. A CHURCH THAT HAS CONCEIVED
1. When God has placed something inside of you
2. Money can’t buy it
3. Relationships can’t build it
4. Stuff can’t replace it
5. The devil can’t have it
6. It is what God has placed inside of you
7. When a church has conceived God has placed something supernatural in her
8. I want you to know this morning that when Jesus died he arose again
9. He didn’t leave with His miracles, but he left His miracles with us
10. He didn’t leave us to fend for ourselves, but He said I’ve gotta comforter for you
11. When He comes He is going to abide in you
12. You are going to be in covenant with God through the Holy Ghost, sealed by my blood
13. When the Holy Ghost comes in
14. The kingdom of God conceives something inside of you that you cannot be contained
15. That’s why your tongue gives up its rights
16. You have conceived power to lay hands on the sick and they shall recover
17. The problem is some of you have been pregnant for so long that you don’t want to deliver
18. I came in here this morning to tell somebody that it is time to let the baby out
19. Youv’e had something inside of you for years
20. The devil told you that what burned inside of you was a stillborn and you would never conceive again
21. The devil is a liar...
II. THERE’S A DELIVERY DATE - Delivery - To give birth
A. WAITING ON THE DAY?
1. How many of you like to wait?
2. It is my favorite thing...lo!
3. There is nothing like waiting for something that has been conceived in you that has not been born yet
4. When you are pregant
5. You can’t see the baby
6. You can’t hold it in your arms
7. You don’t know what is down the road
8. You just know what you desire and have dreamed about
9. I have never had a baby before but I think that I have heard that is painful
10. When something is placed inside of you by God there is a day when its not just talk anymore
11. You have to move from the realm of talk about it to the realm of do something about it
12. Talk is cheap...It doesn’t cost you anything
13. James 1:23-24
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
14. You can’t just speak it into existence as some would like us to think
15. You can’t just hear it and it works
16. How many of you know you’ve gotta do it?
17. A lot of folks like to dream while they are pregant
18. But when its time to give birth some want to abort the baby!
19. Some want to put the baby up for adoption
20. It’s time to picket the spiritual abortion clinics!
21. It’s time for us to carry our ministries full term!
B. GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOU
1. Hebrews 12:1-3
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
2. Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
III. NOW THE REAL FUN BEGINS - Nurtured - To help develop
A. LATCH KEY MINISTRY
1. As many as 15 million latchkey children come home to an empty house and spend an average of 20-25 hours a week alone reports the U.S. Education Department (’00)
2. What has this alarming trend done?
3. Parents are not connected to the children they conceived in their time of intimacy
4. Parents are not connected to the children that they birthed in pain
5. Paren’ts are not focused on what is important, but rather on what feels important
6. How many of you know that your feelings don’t always line up with what is right
7. 2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8. Just like we have too many parents not being the parents they are called to be
9. They want to shout at the ball game
10. They want to cry at the wedding
11. They want to attend the events and have the label parent
12. Its like the guy who went fishing and he didn’t want to bait the hook or snag the fish but he was ready with a net and a camera
13. I don’t know about you this morning, but half the fun of fishing is dreaming about how big he is before I even see him
B. IT’S TIME TO BE CONNECTED
1. Do anyones kids ever get on your last nerve? I like to call them little blessings from the Lord...drops of glory in a heavenly rain??
2. Is there anyone who feels like screaming sometimes...but JESUS?
3. Just because your child back talks you, you don’t starve him to death
4. Just because your child asks you a question and takes you away from something you had planned doesn’t mean that he doesn’t need an answer!
5. You are a parent because you love your child
6. You are a parent because you you have dreams for your child
7. You share his/her ups and downs ....ins/ and outs....
8. When you conceive a ministry that God has given you
9. When you birth a ministry that God has purposed in you
10. Why would you walk away from it?
11. Why would you neglect it?
12. No see we have got some determined preachers in here
13. We have some determined teachers in here
14. We have some determined singers in here
15. We have some determined Youth Pastors in here
16. We have some determined Followers of Jesus Christ
17. 2 Corinthians 4:6-9
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
IV. IT’S TIME TO GO TO THE BIG LEAGUE - Sent Out - To hand over responsibility
A. BENCH WARMERS FOR JESUS?
1. Through Middle school and High school I played baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, and indoor track.
2. One thing that use to really bother me is when I had given all I had only to finish at the end of the pack
3. I did very well in football and lacrosse
4. But no matter how hard I practiced to play basketball...I just wasn’t that good
5. No matter how fast I tried to run in track...I just could not place that well.
6. I wasn’t physically gifted to do those things that I wanted to do
7. Some folks think that that with the Lord
8. I am talking to someone this morning who has tried to do something for the Lord and feel like they have failed
9. You dreamed a dream for God and it didn’t work out
10. But You need to take a drink of living water this morning
11. Romans 8:27-28
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
12. Still thirsty?
13. Psalm 37:23
The steps of a good (not perfect) man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
14. I think we have some home run hitters sitting on the bench
15. I think we have some hall of famers that are scared to bat!
B. HALL OF FAMERS IN THE STANDS
1. Unlikely President
At the age of seven, he had to go to work to help support his family. At nine, his mother died. At twenty-two, he lost his job as a store clerk. At twenty-three, he went into debt and became a partner in a small store. At twenty-six, his partner died leaving him a huge debt. By the age of thirty-five, he had been defeated twice when running for a seat in Congress. At the age of thirty-seven, he won the election. At thirty-nine, he lost his reelection bid. At forty-one, his four-year-old son died. At forty-two, he was rejected for a land officer role. At forty-five, he ran for the Senate and lost. At forty-seven, he was defeated for the nomination for Vice President. At forty-nine, he ran for Senate again and lost again. At the age of fifty-one, he was elected President of the United States. During his second term of office, he was assassinated. But his name lives on among the greats in U.S. history--Abraham Lincoln.
2. John 6:8-9
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him,
There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
