WE MUST DEFINE GOD !

Psalms 102:27 - You are the same, And Your years will have no end.

There is a change in our country that is going well today. Now because man is made in the image of God, the world must try to redefine who this God is so that this god will fit their narrative of the human-animal.

They are going to take the all-powerful Trinitarian Mono-Theist God and will try to change Him into a weak pantheist god. We must define God biblically and historically.

They are going to take the God that they must humble themselves before and change God to a god that they can serve, that will change to fit their narrative.

 As Malachi defined God correctly when he said, “For I am the Lord, I do not change. We must define God historically, God must be spaceless, timeless, immaterial, uncaused, eternal, personal, unimaginably powerful, and creator of the universe who is absolute goodness and this then makes God incompatible with all the other views of god!

Statement by Tozer – “Whatever you think of God is the most important thing about you.” The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God.

He writes that almost everything wrong with the society of his day was due to the fact that as a nation, we had been losing the knowledge of God.

He stated that almost all of life's problems and their solutions are theological and that the person who comes to a right belief about God will relieve himself of many other problems in life, and that the person who has a wrong concept about God will add many other problems to his life.

GOD GIVES VISION

God is not interested in our denominations or traditions. God is interested in us personally. And God gives vision to people who seek Him & who desire to be used by Him. ‬Remember vision never comes from methods or traditions, vision comes to the people that humble themselves before Him. ‬

THE WORLD VERSUS GOD!

“Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” Romans 1:25

In the past, the unbelieving world has been trying to kill God but could not. So today, man has now been trying to redefine God and all absolute biblical truth.

The world has taught philosophy from Spinoza (anti-supernal God), Karl Marx (The Communist Manifesto), Nietzsche (Critique of Religion and Morality), and John Dewey from Columbia University (a writer of the Humanist Manifesto and is the father of the American school system).

Faith in God today has been replaced by believing your feelings, that the truth and value of human life are equal to animal life, and a baby in the womb is only a human outside of the womb.

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. – Colossians 2:8

With all these philosophies mixed, our world has created and accepted this pantheistic worldview by the worship of Mother Earth for the first time in history. All life is now equal, and how we must take care of her and establish this new pantheistic earthly utopia today.

So, we as Christians, to have victory, must trust and believe the absolute truths of God’s Word, we must always teach God’s Word with spirit-filled power, we must be able to define the God we believe in, and must always trust God’s Word above our feelings and emotions.

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:17

PASSION!

Finding men with passion are men that we can train, teach and raise up to serve in ministry. 

Finding men that know ministry but have no passion for ministry is almost impossible to teach. 

Passion comes men who are inspired and have vision. 

Going through the motions is when you have to be at church instead of wanting to be at church when serving in ministry. 

This has to be the worse feeling. 

CS LEWIS ON LOVE

Love has its boundaries and was never meant to be cheap. 

Love comes at the greatest cost, and when the cost is paid, it brings the greatest reward. 

Watching a young bride and groom make their pledge to each other is not love. 

It is the promise of love and hope. 

Watching an elderly couple walk through a botanical garden hand in hand is love, it is the promise that has been kept and the honor expressed.

It is the same with God. 

Love is not when we first trust Him. 

Love is when through the changes of life, we still trust Him, 

Because we know God has kept His word to sustain us, come what may. 

 

4 LOVES IN MARRIAGE DEFINED by CS LEWIS

Love is given one word in the English language, but there are 4 words in the Greek language that express love:

1) Agápe (God’s Love)

2) Éros (Romantic Love)

3) Philia (Friendship Love)

4) Storge (Parental Love)

Do you realize that Marriage is the only foundation that can bring these 4 loves together? 

And if you take Agape Love out of the marriage, 

1) The true meaning of eros or romance is gone and Romantic Love becomes redefined to lust. 

2) But to us, the bible gives and shows the sacredness of marriage, as Christ is to the church (the bridegroom and the bride). 

And in that sacredness, the beauty in the perfect relationship between a man and a woman, as it is shown in the singular commitment of the marital vow, I do, and I will. 

 

THE SPIRITUAL LEADER!

Today more then ever spiritual leaders are needed. The type of leadership that I am talking about are the leaders that can hear from God. The beauty of hearing from God is that you will know what direction you are going and what is God’s will for you.

When we think we are hearing from God, we need to think of these first:

1) What you think God is saying to you will not contradict the bible.

2) God will not allow you to do something that He has not first prepared you to do.

3) When God wants you to do something, trust that He will give you the gifts to accomplish all that He asks you to do.

4) Share your vision with someone you are accountable to and allow them to give you wisdom and they will also be praying for you.

Take the time to spend time with God, be in prayer, be in God's word, be on your knees and allow God to guide you through the issues of life and then and only then will you be that spiritual leader that God will use to bring glory to Him.

4 LOVES BY CS LEWIS

Love is given in one word in English language, but there is 4 words in the Greek language that express love:

1. Agápe (God’s Love)

2. Éros (Romantic Love)

3. Philia (Friendship Love)

4. Storge (Parental Love)

Do you realize that Marriage is the only foundation that can bring these 4 loves together and if you take Agape love out of the marriage, the true meaning of eros or romance is gone and Romantic Love becomes redefined to lust. 

And to us, the bible gives and shows the sacredness of marriage, as Christ is to the church (the bridegroom and the bride). And in that sacredness, the beauty in the perfect relationship between a man and a woman, as it is shown in the singular commitment of the marital vow, I do, and I will. 

So any departure from the beauty and sacredness of the 4 unions of love which is the biblical view of what it really means to be married, it is never right and not acceptable in the sight of God because this is the sacred union between a man and woman and in a pro creative act, it’s sacredness is very clear.

PASSION & VISION

The senior pastor needs to be inspired, have vision, & than comes passion to share with your leadership and the church. 

The leaders when inspired by their pastor, will have passion, and than will catch the senior pastor’s vision to share and inspire other leaders and the church.

SEE THE LEADER FIRST!

 Before people catch your vision as the leader, they need to be able to trust you as the leader first. 

We have 7 Points on how this is accomplished:

1) You must lead yourself before you can lead others.

2) The Leader must live the vision that we encourage you to live.

3) Before others can live the vision, I must express the vision.

          Being one mind is so important in ministry!

4) The leader must know his doctrine.

5) Discipleship is a must to add maturity and value to those that serve.

6) leadership is others seeing Christ in you first, nothing more, nothing less.

7) Do others see holiness in your life and leadership. 

 • And if they see you living the vision with passion and purpose, and know what you believe, then they will allow you to inspire them and they will follow you as you follow Christ. 

 1 Corinthians 11:1 - Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

STARTING A CHURCH?

What a lot of leaders do not do before going out to start church.

1) not building a strong foundation. (Not sure what they believe) 

2) Not experiencing God working in their lives first.

3) Weak study habits. 

4) Not learning how to disciple others before they go out. 

5) Not preparing their wife and family.

Zechariah 4:6 - So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.