The Family

I believe that the family is a foundation for the Church and society as a whole.

It is the smallest governmental structure in society.
Strong families = strong communities.
Strong communities = a strong country.

Families are made up of men, women and children.

I had someone say to me the other day, “I don’t know how you and Pastor Andrea do it?” in reference to us carrying our responsibilities outside of the family as well as the responsibilities of raising 5 children.

I thought, “We’re responsible adults,” That’s what we’re supposed to do. It’s normal
I just smiled and said, “Thank you.”

A problem with most families is selfishness.


Here's the video of the message!

Excerpt from an Article in USA Today
For many of USA's inmates, crime runs in the family
"This is much bigger than just a police issue," Joyce says. "It's about thinking differently. If we don't do something, this cycle will just continue."
Eddy, the Oregon psychologist, says most of the 400 inmates in his study, which focuses on their return to their families and young children, also have considerable generational links to crime.
At least 20% of the inmates reported that their mothers had been in prison. At least half said their fathers or siblings had been in prison.
"If you want to break the cycle, the current generation (of family members) has to be linked with education and jobs," Eddy says, adding that many need basic information on how to be good parents.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-01-28-crime-families_N.htm


The following information is taken from America is Too Young to Die, by Leonard Ravenhill. The book contains this startling quotation:

Max Jukes, [an] atheist, lived a godless life. He married an ungodly [woman], and from this union there were 310 who died as paupers, 150 were criminals, 7 were murderers, 100 were drunkards, and more than half of the women were prostitutes. His 540 descendants cost the State one and a quarter million dollars [before inflation].

Then there is a record of a great man of God, Jonathan Edwards. He lived at the same time as Max Jukes, but he married a godly [woman]. An investigation was made of 1,394 known descendants of Jonathan Edwards, of which 13 became college presidents, 65 college professors, 3 United States Senators, 30 judges, 100 lawyers, 60 physicians, 75 army and navy officers, 100 preachers and missionaries, 60 authors of prominence, one Vice-President of the United States, 80 public officials in other capacities, 295 college graduates, among whom were governors of states and ministers to foreign countries. Jonathan Edwards' descendants did not cost the state a penny (quoted in America is Too Young to Die by Leonard Ravenhill, Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany Fellowship, 1979, p. 112).

Responsible Fatherhood and the Role of the Family
Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health And Human Services, at the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative Grantee Conference, September 30, 2002

By some estimates, 10 million children—one in seven—will, at some point before reaching age 18, have an incarcerated father.
What’s the impact of this? Having a father in prison is a powerful predictor of antisocial behavior in general and of criminality in particular. Put the father in prison and, by some estimates, you make the child five to six times more likely to end up in prison than otherwise. Most of us can barely imagine the pain, shame, disruption, and despair that children experience when their father gets incarcerated. These are what U.S. News & World Report a few months ago called "the most at-risk of at-risk kids."
http://www.reentry.gov/responsible.html

I believe that Christ can break generational behavioral patterns and give the new believer in Christ a fresh start at life.

Look up some scriptures that support this statement.

In Christ past paradigms of thinking and attitudes are subject to change at the new believers submission to God’s ways.

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

What the Bible say in direct reference to the word family

1. Your Blood family Can misunderstand your commitment to Christ and his ministry.

Mark 3:21
When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."

When Jesus Mother and brothers heard he wasn’t eating (Mark 3:20) they decided to take him with them because he’d lost his mind. This “Christianity” thing had gotten out of hand. Jesus then said his family was really those who do God’s will.
Jesus’ redefined his family
Mark 3:34-35
34Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."


Hebrews 2:11
Both the one who makes men holy(Jesus) and those who are made holy(his people) are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.

Mark 6:4-6
4Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

One of the biggest enemies to the miraculous flowing through men and women of God you know if familiarity. It can lead to offense and blocks to the miracle working flow of God.
Knowing someone’s background and dismissing their ability to do something spiritual. Knowing too much about them or allowing that information to de spiritualize that person’s life. This prohibits the flow of God even through Jesus!

1 Corinthians 1:18
18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Same message (of the Cross)
Different response
To the perishing - Foolishness
To the Christian - Power of God

What makes the difference is the Rhema voice of God. The believer has connected with the voice of God and the unbeliever has not and only sees things with the natural eye. This radically affects a person’s priorities. This change in priorities will bring division.

Luke 12:51-53
51Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

2. The family must be cared for

1 Timothy 5:4
But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.

Children who have adult parents who are in financial need should take care of their parents. Specifically widowed mothers.

1 Timothy 5:8
If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

This caring for family is so important that if it’s not done, judgment is already decreed that this person has denied the faith with their actions and is worse than an unbeliever!

3. The family of an overseer

Timothy 3:1
Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) 6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.

How your family functions is a good indicator of the level of responsibility you should have in the church.
A person who’s family is falling apart needs to focus their energy on making the family work properly. First things first. Trying to minister in a leadership role when things aren’t right at home is a recipe for disaster.

4. A promise from God’s Word for your children.

Proverbs 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

When we raise our children in the Lord they have an internal deposit in their hearts that they can never really get away from.
When the time is right they will come back to Christ. You can know that. Stand on the word for your children.

Acts 11:14
He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.‘
Acts 16:31
They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household."

Keep believing for your household to be saved. The message of the gospel is effective at reaching lost family members.

Jubilee Family Church

What Happens in Heaven

This is one of the nicest e-mails I have seen and is so true:

I dreamed that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, 'This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received'

I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.

The angel then said to me, 'This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them. 'I noticed again how busy it was there. Ther e were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.

Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. 'This is the Acknowledgment Section,' my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed 'How is it that there is no work going on here?' I asked.

'So sad,' the angel sighed. 'After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments .'

'How does one acknowledge God's blessings?' I asked.

'Simple,' the angel answered. Just say, 'Thank you, God.'

'What blessings should they acknowledge?' I asked.

'If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy .'

'And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.'

'If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... you are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day .'

'If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ... you are ahead of 700 million people in the world.'

'If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world! .'

'If your parents are still alive and still married ...you are very rare .'

'If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair.'

Ok, what now? How can I start?

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you want, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.

Jesus is My Master so I won't be Mastered by Anything

When the Bible speaks of the “Kingdom of God” It’s speaking of a Kingdom that is here but hasn’t reached its ultimate fulfillment.

The Kingdom of God as a Future Reality
The Kingdoms of this world and the kingdoms of God
Daniel 2:36-45

The Kingdom of God as a Past and Present Tense Reality
Component of the Kingdom of God

Luke 17:20b-21
"The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."

The Spiritual Component
The phrase “Kingdom of God” appears 65 times in the New Testament. Starting with Matthew 12:28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

56 times the phrase refers to the establishment of a Kingdom in the present or a kingdom of the heart.
9 times the phrase refers to a Heavenly Kingdom or the millennial reign of Christ, a future kingdom.

1 Corinthians 6:9
9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 12"Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything.

Background on Corinth
The spiritual and moral environment of the first century city of Corinth was extremely unhealthy. Out of this culture, which had seen its prime and under the crushing weight of further moral decline would one day destroy itself, men and women answered the call of the gospel. They sought purpose for their lives; they sought a better way; they sought an eternal and abiding hope. They found it in Christ Jesus. Even if their city and culture would shortly lie in ruins, they would live forever.

When we’re talking about the Kingdom of God what are we talking about? (Discuss)

The Wicked Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of God
• The Sexually Immoral
(1) The Sexually Immoral shall not inherit the kingdom of God. This term refers to those who engage in sexual activity which God has declared sinful. He has not declared all sexual activity immoral. In fact, He condones and even encourages lawful sexual activity according to His design and purpose (I CORINTHIANS 7:2-4; HEBREWS 13:4). Fornication refers to sexual activity outside of the marriage relationship between a man and a woman. It would include premarital as well as extramarital sexual relationships of whatever duration from a one night stand to an ongoing affair. Such activity was rampant in first century Corinth. It is rampant today in our own society. It is unrighteous and it will keep one from inheriting the Kingdom of God.

• God must be First
(2) Idolaters shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Those who offer to others what belongs unto God are idolaters. A person's idol might be a statue before which he bows. Or more probably it might be his own desires. It is anything that a person adores more than God. Idolatry will keep one from inheriting the Kingdom of God.

• Adultery
(3) Adulterers shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Adultery seems to be more specific a term than fornication. It is usually limited to sexual unfaithfulness to a marriage partner. Adultery will keep one from inheriting the Kingdom of God.

• Male Prostitutes
(4)A man who sells himself sexually is not righteous and will not inherit the kingdom of God.

• Homosexual Offenders
(5)What does the Old Testament Say about Homosexuality?

Leviticus 18:22
" 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.

Leviticus 20:13
" 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

Genesis 18
20 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."

Genesis 19:1-29
Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

The Angels come to visit
They want to sleep out in the square.
Lot insists that they sleep in his house.

After dinner all the men of the city, young and old surrounded Lot’s house.
Genesis 19:5 "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."

This is intense rape spirited homosexuality. There is nothing consensual about what these men of Sodom are attempting.

Genesis 19:6-8
Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7 and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof."

Something is really wrong with Lot. I believe he could’ve been pre-disposed to some poor sexual behavior before moving to Sodom but I believe the city has left an impression on him. His culture is effecting him. Just like he’s effecting the culture.
What man in his right mind would offer his 2 virgin daughters to a mob of rape ready men?

The daughters don’t appease the mob and they move to break down the door so they can have sex with the Angels and they threaten Lot that he’s going to get it worse than they.

The Angels strike the rape crazed men with blindness and conclude that the city must be destroyed.
Genesis 19:12,13
12 The two men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13 because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it."

We know that God does not rejoice in the demise of the wicked yet he destroys this city?
I believe God is always redemptive. If he can redeem you he will. If he can’t he may take you out or allow the Devil to take you out so you don’t influence anyone else in your ways.

Lot had a hard time believing the calamity that was going to come upon Sodom. He thought it was a Joke. He hesitated in leaving so the angels held his hand and had to lead him out.

God’s judgment is no Joke. We are in a time of great grace now but…

Revelation 15:7
7Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever.

There is a time coming in the future where God's wrath will be poured out onto the Earth

Quote from Freddy Mercury, a Bi-Sexual who prefered men.
For Freddie, the beginning of the end came when he was at boarding school in Bombay. He was just 13 and had his first homosexual experience - with an older pupil who made him call him Master. "I had a crush on The Master and I'd have done anything for him." he later confided. "When we went to bed together it didn't feel wrong and, although I had never had sex with a woman I wondered if it was really worth all the fuss! Over the next 20 years I went to bed with many women, for my sex drive is enormous and I like to live life to the full. But it was only when I was in the arms of a man that I felt truly fulfilled."

I thought up the name Queen. It's just a name, but it's very regal obviously, and it sounds splendid, It's a strong name, very universal and immediate. It had a lot of visual potential and was open to all sorts of interpretations. I was certainly aware of gay connotations, but that was just one facet of it. ” —Freddie Mercury

We are the champions written by Freddie Mercury has his heart and thus his world and life view. It’s been argued that the song we are the Champions is actually a homosexual anthem. Notice the desire to conquer and win at all costs. Homosexuality is not something that if you leave it alone it will leave you alone. It’s passionate and proud and desires to not just be understood but demands to be accepted and desires to take over.

The obvious reality that this lifestyle creates if it were to take over is that in one generation there wouldn’t be any people on the planet. This obviously is a negative thing for the continuation of the human race.
Any person should be able to see that without heterosexuals, life as we know it on the Earth would cease. Let's move on to the other sins listed here.

• Thieves
(6) Thieves shall not enter the kingdom of God. There is no excuse for taking that which rightfully belongs to another. Whether its shoplifting, pilfering, short-changing or armed robbery, fraud and extortion, it is thievery. Whether the person doing the stealing is rich or poor it will still keep one from inheriting the Kingdom of God.

• Greedy
(7) The Greedy will not inherit the Kingdom of God. This has to do with having an uncontrollable desire to possess a certain thing. It motivates one into committing sin in order to satisfy greed. Coveting that which belongs to another will keep one from inheriting the Kingdom of God.

• Drunkenness
(8) Children of God have no need to cloud their perspectives nor dull their senses. We must be able to think and reason clearly. Drunkenness causes one to lose focus and rationality. Those who give themselves over to intoxication will find that it keeps them from inheriting the Kingdom of God.

• Slanderers
(9)There are many to speak boldly about things that they know little about. Many men and women of God have had to endure reproach for their faith. Not even the Son of God escaped verbal abuse.

• Swindlers
(10) Swindlers and smooth talkers of all kinds are included here. The religious con-man belongs to this group as well as the secular. Those who prey on others by trying to take advantage of their misfortune would also be included. Swindlers cannot take their ill-gotten goods with them when they leave this world, nor will they inherit the Kingdom of God. Bernie Madoff is a swindler.

Sanctification is not the basis of justification but the inevitable result of justification. Those whom God declares righteous on the basis of their faith in Christ's work for them, God also makes righteous by the work of his Spirit within them. Those whose lives are characterized by the expressions of the sinful nature demonstrate that they have not been born by the power of the Spirit.

1 Cor. 6:12
12"Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything.

Apostle Paul says, “I can do whatever I want but not everything is good for me.” I choose by God’s grace to not do the things that destroy the establishment of his Kingdom in my heart and the establishment of his kingdom on the earth.

Sin shall not be my master! Jesus is my master. If I’m mastered I’m getting robbed by the Devil! I’ve exchanged the truth for a lie and have become deceived.

Jubilee Family Church

God's Economy

We’re called to bring an increase

The Parable of the Talents
14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents[a] of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'
21"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
22"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'
23"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
26"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28" 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'


Whatever our hand finds to do God wants us to work at it as unto God and bring an increase. This requires thoughtful work. Not just chasing our tail but really producing something.

I believe the parable is speaking about bringing financial increase but it applies to every area of Kingdom work as well.

I’m no economist but I do watch the news and have varying levels of respect for people who speak and make statements that get broadcast out to the public in various modalities.

Yesterday Warren Buffett (The wealthiest person on the planet) made some economic statements.


Billionaire investor Warren Buffett predicted Saturday that "the nation's economy will be in shambles throughout 2009" and probably "well beyond."
In his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway Inc. shareholders, Buffett said the credit crisis and falling housing and stock prices have led to "paralyzing fear."
But the famed investor remained optimistic about America's resilience.

How should we as Christians respond to what’s going on around us.
During the Plagues on Egypt
Exodus 8:22
" 'But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land.
During the Plagues on Egypt
Exodus 9:26
The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.

I believe there is an ark of economic safety in today’s tough times. God has traditionally given his people a way out of the difficulty that has come on the Earth.
They have to listen and obey to escape.

Exodus 12
The Passover
1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb [a] for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire—head, legs and inner parts. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover. 12 "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

Notice the detailed instructions the Lord gave the Israelite community.

God’s people can be in the midst of difficulty and it won’t touch them. The righteous can escape the difficulty going on all around them.

It can be done with prophetic insight and sometimes even wisdom will allow a Godly person to make good decisions that will bless them in the midst of an economic down turn.

It's a little known fact that more millionaires were made during The Great Depression than in any other time in U.S. history.

There is one golden nugget contained in this history lesson that can enable you to make a lot of money when our country is in a recession (like right now) because a recession is exactly the same thing as a depression except it doesn't last as long and the economic damage is not as severe. So bear with me while I give you a short history lesson that contains this golden nugget.

You should know that the Great Depression actually began a few years in advance of the 1929 stock market crash and lasted until World War II brought the country out of the Depression.
The many business enterprises that changed hands during the depression by people with liquid cash are too numerous to mention, but due to the war effort, those with liquid cash who bought land, homes, companies, or invested in the stocks of the companies that produced products that were in demand by our government for the war effort made millions. The industries included such products as:

1. Steel, iron, copper, and aluminum 2. Communications equipment and replacement parts 3. Tanks, boats, aircraft, vehicles and parts for these 4. Ammunition and weapons 5 - Boots, clothing, belts, helmets, caps, backpacks, hats, blankets, tents and cots (and the textiles to make them) 6 - Storage and shipping containers 7 - Shipping, truck and railway transportation 8 - Petroleum products and fuels and stock in iol wells (the Texas oil boom was a biggie!)

Deuteronomy 15:6
For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.

Why is this verse significant?
Proverbs 22:7
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Because servitude is tied to borrowing.

Servant: one that serves others; especially : one that performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer.

What happens if you want to borrow some money to buy a house. You do and the house is now in your possession and you’ve committed yourself to make those payments to the bank in order to continue to live in the house. Suppose you decide you don’t want to make those payments any more?

You in effect become a slave to the bank in order to pay them back. A certain percentage of your income will go to them. Not to mention the interest.
What happens to a nation that borrows money from another nation?

According to the Bible the lending nation becomes the master over the borrowing nation. Some of our national debt is owed to U.S. citizens but some of it is owed to foreigners. Let’s see how much.

"External debt" is defined as the total public and private debt owed to nonresidents repayable in foreign currency, goods, or services.

$13,627,459,000,000 September 30th, 2008

This information came from the United States Department of the Treasury.

Foreign ownership
A traditional defense of the national debt is that Americans "owe the debt to themselves", but that is becoming increasingly less accurate. The US debt in the hands of foreign governments was 25% of the total in 2007, virtually double the 1988 figure of 13%. Despite the declining willingness of foreign investors to continue investing in US-dollar–denominated instruments as the US Dollar has fallen in 2007, the U.S. Treasury statistics indicate that, at the end of 2006, foreigners held 44% of federal debt held by the public. About 66% of that 44% was held by the central banks of other countries, in particular the central banks of Japan and China. In total, lenders from Japan and China held 47% of the foreign-owned debt.


Which foreign countries own the largest chunk of the United States?
The biggest chunk (about 25 percent of the $8.5 trillion total[March 4th 2007]) is held by foreign governments. Japan tops the list (with $644 billion 7% of total Debt is owed to Japan), followed by China ($350 billion 4% of total debt is owed to China ), United Kingdom ($239 billion 2.8 %) and oil exporting countries ($100 billion .85%). Approximately 10% of the remaining external debt is owed to other countries.

How much of China do we own? How much of Japan do we own? We’ll I did a search on Google to find out and I went through 20 websites and didn’t find any information on China or Japan owing the U.S. a single penny.

So by today’s #’s 10.8 Trillion in Debt. 2.7 Trillion is owed to foreign nations.

What happens when Japan and China decide that they want their money? How will we pay them? Does anyone wonder if they will want their money?

China has the Largest # of active troops of any army in the world.
2,255,000
When you add their reserve troops and their paramilitary they have 7,024,000

Well, what do we do during this troubled time in our economy that some are calling the worst economic downturn since the great depression?

Some of my research has told me that there were more millionaires created during the great depression than during any other time in U.S. history! How did they do it?
They were out of debt, had cash and bought struggling businesses that profited directly from WWII.

Try and Get out of Debt
Stay away from all but the soundest investments.
Know that we have each other here at church.
With our resources pooled we can get quite a bit accomplished should things get worse.

Pray for wisdom and don’t isolate yourself. United we stand!

Jubilee Family Church

Our Words are Powerful

Proverbs 18:21
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Matthew 12:34
For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

So when we’re talking about words we’re really talking about attitudes and heart conditions exposed.
Listen to people, catch their heart and then speak to the situation. Sometimes people just need someone to listen to them.
Wives?? Amen??

Paul Trip The Life and Death power of words 5:23
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PJxbApcXFo

James 1:19
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

Our words have the power to direct lives and change destinies for the good or for the bad.
We must be very careful with our words, especially around people who are looking to us for help and life.

No honor = little to no influence
Lots of Honor = Lots of influence
Exodus 20:12
"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Honor allows us to stand on the shoulders of the previous generation not having to re-learn all the same lessons.
A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. A fool has to learn for himself.

I had dinner with a very good man on night and he told me he’d lost $50,000 in one securities trade. I thought woah. His comment was, got taught me a very valuable lesson about blah blah blah. I told him, man, go buy a $7 book and you can learn that lesson for a lot less.

When a person in authority is honored they are given the right to speak into a person’s life direction. The level of honor that the subordinate shows, the more power the words carry in that heart.

My observation has been that most if not all rebellion is birthed into the heart of people who are under authority that feel they have been abused or neglected. Basically they have expectations that are not being met and they hope and hope and hope for a change. Change never comes and their hope turns to bitterness and rebellion.

I’m not saying there necessarily has been abuse or neglect. Just perceived abuse or neglect will do it. The greater the honor and hope the greater the let down if expectations aren’t met.

Forms of Abuse
Physical
Emotional
Verbal
Sexual
Neglect

Let’s talk about neglect. Say you are a child and you want your dad to play ball with you when he gets home from work. He said he would etc.
You’ve been waiting all day for the opportunity to play ball with him and when he gets home he says, “Son, sorry I got busy at work today and I’ve got to work tonight.”

As adults we understand this and can make room for it. But as children this is hard. Our hopes are crushed and our dream to get to hang out with the coolest person on the planet has been destroyed. The hurt, if not reconciled can lead a child to become rebellious.

Ever notice how parents go from being the coolest person in the world to being the dumbest? Some of this is just kids learning to leave home and start their own lives. But some of it is rebellion.

Another form of abuse is not disciplining.
God disciplines those he loves, right.
Shouldn’t we?
Proverbs 13:24
He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

Notice it says careful. Discipline when done incorrectly and not carefully can lead to rebellion because it can slide over into abuse.

One of my children, I’m not going to say which one, was getting a little mouthy with Andrea. I explained to this child that before she was your mom she was my wife and you are not going to talk to her that way. I don’t care which one of your cool friends is around etc. I further went on to say I had a responsibility before God to bring correction to the situation and ,”trust me, I won’t let you down.”

Let’s get back onto words.
Kind words are very powerful to change the course direction of lives. We must be honest, speaking the truth in love but when we have a chance to use kind words we should really take advantage of the opportunity.

Ephesians 4:15
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Wrath is Wrong
Sometimes we think our wrath and anger turns situations around.
James 1:20
For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Kindness is Key
Romans 2:4
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
If God’s kindness leads you toward repentance what does your kindness do for people around you?

Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

These various character qualities listed here cause the world around us to take on the image of God. When we behave like this it causes us to become the salt and Light that we’re called to be.

Matthew 5:14-16
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Illuminating, preserving and bringing real change in the world. Becoming a vessel of honor, used by God.
Want someone to change?
compassion,
kindness,
humility,
Gentleness
patience.

A phone call one day.
1 Peter 3:1
1Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

When we get into God’s presence his character starts to conform us into the image of his son.
It’s God’s kindness that leads to repentance.
The Love of God does more to change us than fear. We also should love causing people around us to change and conform to God’s highest standard of living.

I want to be a person who brings life to my children and those around me.

Jubilee Family Church

True Love

We experienced some technical difficulties Sunday during our live video stream of Jubilee T.V. so the message is cut into 3 segments. True Love 1, True Love 2, and True Love 3. Click on each respective title to watch the video.

A small group Bible Study:
Discuss the Greatest Commandment:

Mark 12:28-31
28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" 29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

Understanding Love from
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Love is superior
1. Love is superior to human and angelic tongues
2. Love is superior to prophecy and words of knowledge
3. Love is superior to mountain moving faith
4. Love is superior to sacrificial giving
5. Love is superior to dying a martyrs death in flames

1. Love is superior to human and angelic tongues
The apostle Paul says in scripture …
1 Corinthians 14:18
I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.

If the Apostle says this, how much more does he thank God that he loves?

I believe humans are fairly bankrupt in the area of Godly love without first having received the tangible Love of God for them. I believe we’re good at saying we love when we’re really in a mutually advantageous relationship. Just stop meeting that persons need and see what happens to the “love”. If it doesn’t last it was only lust.
Discuss a mutually advantageous relationship and how when the back scratching stops so does the relationship.

1 John 4:19-21
19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Can we love God’s way if we haven’t received the tangible love of God?

2. Love is superior to prophecy and words of knowledge.
When you think how incredible prophecy and words of knowledge are, think that Love is superior. What good does it do if you prophecy without love? Your prophecies can take on the wrong direction. Even hard prophecies should be clothed in love and redemption.
1 Corinthians 14:1
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.

Holy Spirit says that we should eagerly desire and covet spiritual gifts.
If we should covet spiritual gifts, how much more should we covet the desire to truly love?


3. Love is superior to mountain moving faith!
When you think about all the sermons on faith, all the ministries build around faith, all the emphasis put on faith. I’m glad for it and know that faith is something that we should have.
However something is superior to real mountain moving faith!
If you don’t have Love your mountain moving faith is nothing.

4. Love is superior to sacrificial giving
Think about someone that gives everything they have to the poor. If they don’t do it in love they’ve wasted their time. If they do it with wrong motives they will not receive a reward.
1 Corinthians 3:12-15
12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Discuss right and wrong motives when it comes to Christian Works. Have someone describe a work that is Gold and have someone also describe a work that is hay or stubble.

5. Love is superior to dying a martyr’s death in flames.
Revelation 12:11
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
One of the often forgotten components to having overcoming power is not loving your own life so much as to shrink from death. It’s very powerful and impressive

Love is superior

The 16 facets to God’s Love

1. Love is
Patient –
1: bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint
2: manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain
3: not hasty or impetuous
4: steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity
5: able or willing to bear

2. Love is
Kind –
1: affectionate, loving
2 a: of a sympathetic or helpful nature
b: of a forbearing nature : gentle
c: arising from or characterized by sympathy or forbearance such as a kind act

3. Love is not
Envious
1: painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage

4. Love is not
Boastful
1: to puff oneself up in speech: speak vaingloriously
2: glory, exult
1: to speak of or assert with excessive pride

5. Love is not
Proud
1: feeling or showing pride:
a: having or displaying excessive self-esteem
b: much pleased : exultant

6. Love is not
Rude –
c: offensive in manner or action : discourteous
d: uncivilized , savage
e: coarse , vulgar

7. Love is Not
Self Seeking
: the act or practice of selfishly advancing one's own ends

8. Love is not
Easily angered
1 : a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism
2 : rage
an intense emotional state induced by displeasure.

9. Love Keeps no record of wrongs
Conscious or unconscious
The only way to keep no record of wrongs is to surrender your personal rights. When you do this you have lost the right to keep track and make things “fair”. This blind love is truly love. With this type of love bitterness doesn’t have a chance to spring up. With bitterness you don’t have God’s kind of love in action.

10. Love does not delight in Evil
Someone would delight in evil if they had a corrupt heart. This heart needs to be renewed by the Lord.
False realities aren’t a part of true love.
Someone who likes to see people hurting, that’s not love.

11. Love Rejoices with the Truth
John 14:6
6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 17:17
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
Truth –
a: the property of being in accord with fact or reality
b: fidelity to an original or to a standard

12. Love Always
Protects-
1 a: to cover or shield from exposure, injury, damage, or destruction
: To guard and defend

13. Love Always
Trusts-
1 a: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something
b: one in which confidence is placed

14. Love Always
Hopes-
1a: to cherish a desire with anticipation
1b: to desire with expectation of obtainment
2: to expect with confidence

15. Love always
Perseveres –
: to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement

16. Love never
Fails –
a: to fall short
b: to be or become absent or inadequate
c: to be unsuccessful

1 John 4:8
whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Jubilee Family Church

What God Thinks about You

Jubilee Family Church

In God We Trust

at least 85% of us do!


I received an e-mail from Carlotta Brown telling me NBC was doing an informal survey to see if "In God We Trust" should be removed from U.S. currency. I voted on February 11th, 2009 at approximately 2:00 PM and there were 11,107,521 people who had voted at that time. Seemed to me that there were a large number of people polled.

Below are the results

Should the motto "In God We Trust" be removed from U.S. currency?

11107521 responses

Yes. It's a violation of the principle of separation of church and state. 15%

No. The motto has historical and patriotic significance and does nothing to establish a state religion. 85%

If you'd like your vote to be heard please click here

Jubilee Family Church

Discipleship

If you'd like to watch the video you can also click here.

How God uses people to change lives for the better.

David and his Disciples
The Disciples before they caught David’s Spirit.
1 Samuel 22:1
1 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father's household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.

Who does David’s leadership anointing attract?
People just like him.

David’s background
He’s fleeing from Saul who’s determined to kill him because his family line is going to be cut of from the kingdom and David is in line to inherit the kingship instead of Jonathan, his son.
He just finishes pretending being insane in front of Achish the king of Gath because Achish’s heard about David’s reputation of killing 10’s of thousands.

The 400 “D” people
1. Distress
2. Debt
3. Discontent

The People God’s sending you may be less than desirable in your opinion, however if you have the presence of God in you perhaps God is sending them to you so you can minister life where there had been death? Hope where there had been hopelessness. Courage where there had been fear?

Norman Schwarzkopf
Was known as a man who could go into a dysfunctional army unit and turn it around. He liked the challenge and was successful in his efforts. His record somewhat speaks for itself.

When People Join their hearts with a Godly Leader like David
But what happens to the 400 “D” people if they hook up with David? They listen to him, honor him and submit to his leadership? Sometimes it’s easy to go with someone else’s plan when you’ve come to the end of your own. The 3 D’s can get you to that place.

It’s important that we embrace the 3 “D” people! Don’t turn them away because there is an excellent chance that God is in it. Perfect people might not be interested in submitting to your leadership but people who are struggling and looking for answers are more willing to recognize that they don’t know everything and need some help with life.

Let’s look one book and one chapter ahead to see what is now going on in the life of the 400 “D” people who were attracted to David.

David’s 3 “D” people became mighty!
2 Samuel 23:39
Only 37 Made the journey with David. Of the 400; 363 fell by the wayside but 37 caught the spirit that was on David and began to do the things David did. Around 9% survived David’s discipleship school.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have 37 mighty men though! Especially after we see what these men have done.

Let’s open our Bibles and take a look at the exploits of David’s 37 mighty men.
2 Samuel 23:8-23

Jesus and his Disciples
The Disciples before the caught Jesus Spirit.
Some of the Personality Traits of the Disciples

Some of Jesus Disciples could’ve been momma’s boys.
Matthew 20:20,21
The Sons of Thunder?
20Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 21"What is it you want?" he asked. She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom."

Jesus Disciples were slow to learn
Matthew 15:15,16
15Peter said, "Explain the parable to us.“ 16"Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them.

Jesus Disciples didn’t have his Heart
Matthew 19:13Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

The Disciples had Political Agendas
Mark 8:33But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

Jesus Disciples Didn’t meet his expectations.
Luke 8:25He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."

Jesus understood the concept of fruit production
Matthew 13:23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

The work Jesus Did with his disciples ultimately produced fruit! Even though Jesus didn’t see it with his Earthly eyes his disciples turned the world upside down with His teaching and the Holy Spirit equipped them to do amazing things.

What the disciples were like after they caught Jesus spirit.
Acts 17:6
6But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here,

Map of Modern Day Turkey, Greece and part of Syria

The Disciples were effectively delivering the message of the Gospel.
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Concentric Rings of Influence
· City
· Region
· Country
· Ends of the Earth

Jesus Disciples were
· Healing the Sick
· Casting out Demons
· Raising the Dead
Sound Familiar? They were doing what Jesus was doing because they caught the spirit that was on Jesus
1. Healing
Acts 5:15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.
2. Deliverance
Acts 16:18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.
3. Raising the Dead
Acts 20:9-12
9Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!" 11Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

4 Levels of Discipleship
2 Timothy 2:2
2And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
Paul’s Teaching in a group setting, Timothy in the group.
Timothy understanding and then entrusting the same words to reliable men.
Reliable men are also qualified to teach others.

In Conclusion
However you receive people is what you get out of them.
Matthew 10:41
41Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward.

If you rightly recognize and receive people for who they are you are in line to receive what they have!
If you break away in heart and miss the dimension of God the people around you are carrying you won’t receive what they’ve got.
This is one reason why the Bible tells us to Honor our Father and Mother.

Missing Church?

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the preacher decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The preacher found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his preachers visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The preacher made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the preacher took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead. Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The preacher glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow,once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the preacher reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday."

Hebrews 10:25
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Jubilee Family Church

Remember, the banana that gets away from the bunch gets skinned.

Congregation Appreciation Day

To watch the video of this sermon CLICK HERE!
Why Jubilee Family Church is a Great Church!

1. I’m supposed to be here, this is where God wants me and I don’t want to be anywhere God doesn’t want me to be.

A friend asked me, “How are you doing?” I said, “I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing; at the right time; I’m doing great. Thanks for asking.”

Knowing the Word of the Lord
Matthew 16:18
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
The Rock of Revelation Knowledge. Knowing who Christ is and Knowing the Voice of God for your Specific Situation.
1 Corinthians 14:12So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.

Prophecy is the spiritual gift that builds up the church.
Prophecy is hearing God’s voice and declaring it verbally.

Apostle Clay Nash is hosting a Prophetic Activation Conference
Feb Wed. 4th – Fri. 6th 7:00 PM
Feb Saturday 7th 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

It’s important that we settle this issue in our hearts. If we don’t we’ll be double minded.

James 1:8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

In the book Commitment to Conquer the author describes his lack of commitment to his church. He got the revelation that he needed to commit himself to the people and the land where God had called him instead of having a grass is always greener mentality.
He and his Wife bought grave plots in the city where they pastor and God began to move in their church as a result of their commitment to the area God had given them responsibility for.

If this is the area and church where God’s called me. I have a responsibility to make sure it not only survives but thrives.
It blesses me so much when people come up to me and say, “Pastor, I want to help. What can I do?” I’ve got 3 hours a week I want to put in and get involved in some way.
It also blesses me when people give in offerings. I know where most of us are financially and to still be generous is a testimony to the healthy spiritual climate of our church.

Give like the Macedonians the ultimate Givers
2 Corinthians 8:1-5
And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.

Heart felt giving starts with Grace from God. 2 Corinthians 8:1
Grace is the substance of God that hits a persons soul and causes them to do things that put God first over themselves.
I believe we position ourselves to receive Grace by communing with the Father and other Godly people.
If you ask someone to give and they don’t have the grace to do it, it will make them grumpy, angry or whatever. However if they have the grace to give when they are met with a project or a need they are prompt to do it, eager to support and help.

When grace comes and we’re obedient we become illogical givers. Look at the Macedonian situation they found themselves in for giving in verse 2.

1. Severe Trial
2. Extreme Poverty

Let’s brainstorm for a minute and come up with some severe trials.

Extreme Poverty-
This doesn’t mean the food stamps have run low. This means there are no food stamps and there haven’t been any food stamps. No shoes, barely any clothes. Shelter is poor if any. Perhaps the equivalent of a cardboard box or a natural shelter like a cave.

From this natural circumstance came two interesting responses.

1. Overflowing Joy
2. Rich Generosity
Have you ever considered the poor kids who kick around a balled up piece of newspaper as their only toy and have a great time?

I think about how my own children responded to not having any electricity for a couple days. They did pretty good but we had some sticky moments of complaining about boredom. I reminded them that this is what it was like 150 years ago in America and tried to teach them something.

Overflowing Joy is a joy that is too big to hold yourself. It flows over to others with kind words, smiles, and encouragement.

Rich generosity is just a tangible expression of overflowing Joy. Nothing says I love you like a gift. It’s a tangible expression of a heart that is filled with God’s grace and is overflowing with joy.

2. The People of Jubilee Family Church are Friendly and Kind

I have never been around a nicer group of people in my life. Everyone has been so kind to Andrea and I. It’s absolutely precious how you all treat us and others. I can’t say enough how blessed we are to be here with you all.

I wish there were more hours in the day so we could fellowship together more often. I encourage you to get involved as a home group leader or attend a home group. This is the pattern I believe God wants us to use so we can share the Grace we’ve received with others outside of our church body and thus expand the Kingdom of God into other hearts.

Proverbs 21:9Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
What price can you put on peace? That’s the environment we have here. It’s priceless.

Your kindness to us is a direct reflection of God working in you. Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit.


Colossians 3:12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

My experience with the people of Jubilee Family church has been according to Colossians 3:12
1. Compassion
2. Kindness
3. Humility
4. Gentleness
5. Patience

1. From the moment I arrived on January 15th 2007 we’ve been treated with nothing but compassion. Compassion to us and especially our children. This means a lot to us.

2. No one has ever been mean spirited toward us. We’ve had some issues to work out but everyone has always been redemptive, not condescending, rude or cruel.

3. Humility is the key to greatness and we have yet to run into an arrogant person in this church body. It is truly a good environment for us to minister as well as for new people to feel welcome when they come in.

4. I haven’t heard a harsh word from anyone either. Your gentleness has been evident to me. Thank You

5. Patience-Being a younger pastor you all have put up with my personality and quirks. I very much appreciate your patience toward me. I realize when I first came you didn’t know me and you’ve really embraced us. We feel so welcome here.

3. We have a big vision, and if our vision is God’s vision there will be provision.

All I can do is attempt to hear God’s voice for our church and start walking it out in obedience to his voice.
It’s wonderfully exciting for me actually.
I desire to have a church that is relevant to a lost and dying world and reaching out practically with authenticity at a steady pace causing consistent growth in depth and width.

Depth-Personal growth, loving God more, learning more about him daily, becoming empowered for ministry.

Width-Numbers

I’m very pleased with the way the Holy Spirit has been visiting us in various ways in our services.
I’m also very pleased with the number of people we’ve had the opportunity to water baptize.

God is moving.
A lot of this has to do with His desire and our faith that expresses itself through prayer, and worship.

I’m excited about the literacy council. This is a ministry that we started to help fulfill the vision of the Church by practically helping people. What better way to help someone than to teach them how to read and write. I like hand up ministries much more than hand out ministries.

The Literacy Council represents the beginning of a multi phase learning/equipping center. I desire to practically help people get into the ministry as a vocation. If this is a persons desire I want us to help them by providing an environment that will prepare them spiritually, academically as well as providing a hands on dimension.

We are going to help facilitate anyone who wants to go to Bible College by opening up our computer lab and helping people get enrolled into Oral Roberts University’s distance learning program.
The church can help create accountability, encouragement and synergy for online learners that they wouldn’t have if they went out on their own.

I believe the Voice of Batesville, The Church blog and the 2 radio stations are going to make an impact in the area of media in our region.
As we endeavor to reach people we have the opportunity to reach into their homes and vehicles. I believe this gives us an incredible opportunity to touch lives with the Gospel message.
The stations coupled with the blogs give us a way to hear back from people to really interact with them.

Jubilee Family Church

Keep your Eyes on the Prize

A lesson on effort that flows from focus.

Run to get the prize video
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=5bbe5d9ffceabc46b291
1 : 16

Develop a personal mission statement.
It should be in line with God’s will for your life.

Remember that God’s will is good pleasing and perfect according to Romans 12:2.
You should be passionate about this mission.
The reason you’re alive is to accomplish this mission.

Run to win
1 Corinthians 9:24
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

How do we live?
It’s likened to running for a prize. Running to win.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xZTCzP5_No
YouTube Video
4:38

There is a Soldier aspect to Being a Believer in Jesus!

2 Timothy 2:3,4
3Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.

1. Endurance of Hardships
2. Focus on the mission, (not civilian affairs)
3. Please the one in authority

1. Endurance
Romans 15:5
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,

God gives endurance
If you are a quitter then I encourage you to ask God for endurance.
Endurance
1 Thessalonians 1:3
We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Endurance is inspired by hope.
When we lose hope it’s not long until we begin to entertain thoughts of quitting and ultimately we will quit where there is no hope. Endurance will run out.

Endurance
Hebrews 12:3
Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

When we see things in the light of what Jesus went through it gives us endurance. Ask yourself, “Is it as bad as hanging on a cross?” Seeing life through this lens puts things in the proper perspective.

2. Focus on the Mission
Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Focus on the Mission
2 Corinthians 4:18
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

We put our focus on the eternal realities we read about in the Scriptures. This is wise because the eternal realities will be here forever. However the temporal realities around us need some focus but not our best.
A good understanding
1 Timothy 4:8
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Spend a little effort of the temporal things of this life but your focus should be on spiritual things.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.


When we prioritize the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and put them first. God takes care of the other issues of our lives.

Matthew 6:19-21
19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Eternal treasures have a better return than the Earthly treasures.
Focus on Jesus
Hebrews 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus had Joy in going to the cross because of a heavenly attitude and an understanding of God’s ultimate plan.
How about you? Is your attitude joyful when facing difficulties? Do you have a heavenly perspective toward what’s going on or do you simply squirm under the pressure and get upset.
We’re supposed to fix our eyes on this part of Jesus. The part that endures scorn and shame.

3. Please God
Romans 8:8
Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

When sin is reigning in your mortal body you cannot please God.
Please God
1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
1Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
9Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.
11Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Ways to Please God
1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
Be Sanctified v. 3
Avoid Sexual Immorality v. 3
Love your Brother more and more v. 9
Let your daily life win the respect of outsiders by working hard and being self-sufficient. Not dependent on anybody. v. 12

Please God
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Believing in God and believing for things from God pleases him. It’s not carnal to believe that God is going to bless you. It actually is pleasing to God.

Believe for the impossible!

The illustration is a simple one.
Give your best, give your all. Run to win, not just to finish.
When we get into a competition there are various levels of desire in all the athletes. Some people “really want it” while others are less committed in heart.

2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
Fully committed can be understood to mean, their giving their best.

1 Corinthians 9:27
No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

When Paul speaks about being disqualified for the prize and beating his own body it makes me think that he is practicing the word of God not just preaching it. Just preaching it isn’t enough even though others will benefit from it. It must be practiced by the preacher to keep that prize from being lost.

Can you lose your salvation?
Yes but

Hebrews 6:4-6
4It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

If you do lose your salvation you can’t repent and come back according to this verse.
If you think you lost your salvation and yet you sit here today desiring to be closer to God you couldn’t have lost your salvation because God’s grace wouldn’t have drawn you back to a place of repentance.

Philippians 3:14
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jubilee Family Church

Jesus Christ is Interested in a Relationship with You!

This video ministered to me and I hope it ministers to you also.


Jubilee Family Church

Raymond Howard Gets Water Baptized!

Raymond, by the prayers and witnessing of his family and especially his brothers has miraculously come to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior! Raymond spent many years addicted to various components of a worldly lifestyle but Jesus has captured his heart and he's a new creature in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Rejoice with us as God transforms Raymond's life from the inside out.

Philippians 1:6
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Jubilee Family Church

Being Truly Spiritually Minded

Makes us Earthly good
By Tony Hammack

Overview
The concept so heavenly minded he was no earthly good is actually a misnomer.
We see in Christ the most heavenly minded person in world history who did the most Earthly good.
A new Cliché, “The more heavenly minded you are the more Earthly good you will do.”

People who are so “spiritually” minded they are not earthly good are really flaky and weird. I try to avoid any kind of spiritual discussion unless I’m targeting their redemption.

The lost world out there is looking for something that is real. They have real needs and problems and are looking for the practical solutions.

Truly heavenly minded individuals are doing good.
They are practically relevant
Discuss a situation where you were involved with a person who had all the trappings of spirituality but didn’t seem to have any real substance.

The first component to being spiritually minded is understanding that Jesus and the father are one.

John 14:9-11
9Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.

From this foundation flows all other spiritual thoughts. If this is not your spiritual foundation your spirituality is false and you are living in deception. It’s very popular to be “spiritual” however this false spirituality is a deception of the enemy to keep a person from the truth only found in Jesus Christ.


Can we be Heavenly Minded?
1 Corinthians 2:16
"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
Yes

Our Minds are made Spiritual only in Christ

2 Corinthians 3:14
But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.
Who are the people the Holy Spirit is talking about here in 2 Corinthians? Were these people spiritual?

There are many trappings of spirituality in the world that relate to crystals, nature, angels, idols, potions, education, etc. but the only way to be truly spiritually minded is in Jesus Christ.

Acts 10:38
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. What should a spiritually minded person do?

Spiritually minded individuals go about doing good and bring healing with them, or people get healed who are around them. I believe this healing predominantly refers to physical infirmities but I also believe it includes mental health and emotional health as well.

So if you get around a “spiritually” minded person and feel crazy or distressed in their presence either you have some kind of demonic problem or they are not spiritually minded after all.

2 Corinthians 4:4
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

What does the Devil do according to 2 Corinthians 4:4?

Jesus is the very image of God.

2 Corinthians 11:3
But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

The Battlefield
The battlefield where the enemy is trying to take over your life is in your mind. If he can have your mind he can have everything else. It’s vitally important that Jesus is Lord of our thoughts. If he’s not the Lord of our thought life it won’t be long until he’s not Lord of anything.

Deceptive Philosophy
Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Set your Mind on the Spirits Desire
Romans 8:5
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
The Holy Spirit Desires us to Walk in…the fruits of his Spirit. When we plant our roots into Christ we can’t help but produce his fruit. When we’re planted into something else we will produce death.

Deceitful Desires
Ephesians 4:22
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

A deceitful desire is wanting something that will ultimately bring you long term harm. However when you are in the wanting stage you can’t / won’t see the long term consequences of receiving what you want. All you see are the benefits.

Proverbs 15:22
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

Proverbs 11:14
Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Make sure your advisers are Holy Spirit advisers who are living in a lifestyle that is pleasing to God.

Philippians 4:6,7 (Amplified)
6Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition ([b]definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. 7And God's peace [shall be yours, that [c]tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall [d]garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

The Peace of God is our Guard
Before you make any major moves it’s important to identify peace. Moving into a situation where there isn’t peace in your heart is likely to be a bad choice.

Jubilee Family Church

Ever Wonder How God Feels About His Children?

Watch this 3 minute video when you can have no distractions. It's my prayer that God's grace would overflow you and The Holy Spirit would fill you to overflowing as you watch.



Jubilee Family Church

The New Life Drama Company is Coming to Jubilee Family Church

The New Life Drama company is coming to Batesville Arkansas for a drama workshop and presentation! The Workshop starts Jan. 16th at 6:00 PM and will conclude at 9:00 PM. We'll pick up again on Saturday morning January 17th @ 9:00 AM, go until noon, then break for lunch, we'll continue after lunch from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM.

The New Life Drama Company will also be ministering in drama on Sunday morning January 18th at 10:00 AM. All Workshops and performances are going to be at Jubilee Family Church. Call 870.793.9124 if you're interested in the workshops or would like to see them minister on Sunday morning.

New Life Drama Company Promotional Video


The church is located at
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501
We're 2 miles East of Wal-Mart in Quail Valley. Thunderbird is right off Harrison St. and our church sign has the United States flag on top of it.

Please call 870.793.9124 if you're going to join in with us in this excellent drama training workshop.

A love offering will be received.

To print a promotional flyer for the event please click here.

Please e-mail this announcement to several friends by using the "E-Mail This" feature at the bottom. Thank You!!
Jubilee Family Church

Be Being Filled with the Holy Spirit Part 2

Review
The infilling of the Holy Spirit is not just a one time event but it is an ongoing experience.
Ephesians 5:18b
be filled with the Spirit.
“be being filled” or “keep on being filled.” (present tense) Ephesians 5:18 can be understood to mean “be continually filled by the Spirit.” (passive voice)

Sometimes we can “rest” on a previous religious experience we’ve had with God and thus stop listening to his voice. This is how a good Godly person who loves Jesus can become religious or ritualistic thus loosing connection with the Love of God and going through the motions of spirituality without God being involved.

This is easily illustrated with music styles in church.
Someone is listening to a certain type of Christian music, God moves mightily and the person builds a heart temple around the music style. Even fighting and arguing with their brothers and sisters in the Lord over it. They will actually make the style the Holy Style and place it on a level often even with the Word of God.

The Manna
Exodus 16:4,5
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days."

What happened if they disobeyed and gathered more than they needed so they could in effect take a day off from gathering?

Exodus 16
17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed. 19 Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning." 20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.


This is how life turns into death! Living on last years revelation or on yesterday’s word from God. We need a fresh word daily from heaven or we’ll become religious and start to stink with the stench of death.
This is the spirit that put Jesus on the Cross!

Jesus is the Bread of Life
John 6:51
I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

The principle of the Manna still applies today in the Church. Only take enough Jesus for one day. Eat all you want but If you try and save him up and take a day off from gathering Him you’ll begin to radiate death and take on the maggot and smell of death effect.

Getting into a Religious Rut in our Giving
Psalm 50
7 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you:
I am God, your God. 8 I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices
or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.

Psalm 50
17 You hate my instruction
and cast my words behind you.
18 When you see a thief, you join with him;
you throw in your lot with adulterers.
19 You use your mouth for evil
and harness your tongue to deceit.
20 You speak continually against your brother
and slander your own mother's son.

Moses
One time Moses was instructed to strike a rock and the second time he was instructed to speak to the rock accept he struck it 2 times due to frustration and a religious spirited response to the rhema word from God.
Exodus 17
6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"

Numbers 20
8 "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink." 9 So Moses took the staff from the LORD's presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. 12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."

Intensely Severe Consequences
Moses is prohibited from entering the promised land!

3 Tabernacles
Peter has a religious moment where he want’s to memorialize an event where God genuinely moves. Notice God’s response to Peter
The Transfiguration
Mark 9:2-8
2After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." 6(He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" 8Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

Worship on this Mountain
John 4:13-24 (Emphasis on verse 20 and verse 23,24)

The Test of Abiding
Are you in a religious rut or are you in love with Jesus?

John 15
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Matthew 7:20
20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Jubilee Family Church