Summary:

Flip-Flop Your Concept of Giving!
Bestselling author Randy Alcorn introduced readers to a revolution in material freedom and radical generosity with the release of the original The Treasure Principle in 2001. Now the revision to the compact, perennial bestseller includes a provocative new concluding chapter depicting God asking a believer questions about his stewardship over material resources. Readers are moved from the realms of thoughtful Bible exposition into the highly personal arena of everyday life. Because when Jesus told His followers to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,” He intended that they discover an astounding secret: how joyful giving brings God maximum glory and His children maximum pleasure. Discover a joy more precious than gold!

Story Behind the Book
After years of writing and teaching on the theme “God owns everything,” in 1990 Randy Alcorn was sued by an abortion clinic (for peaceful, nonviolent intervention for the unborn). Suddenly he had to resign as a pastor and was restricted to making minimum wage. Legally unable to own anything, Randy gave all his book royalties to missions work and need-meeting ministries. He and his family have experienced the reality of The Treasure Principle—that God really does own everything, takes care of us, and graciously puts assets into our hands that we might have the joy and privilege of investing in what will last for eternity.

Author Bio:

Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM). Prior to 1990, when he started EPM, he served as a pastor for fourteen years. He has spoken around the world and has taught on the adjunct faculties of Multnomah Bible College and Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. Randy is the best-selling author of twenty-seven books (over three million in print), including the novels Deadline, Dominion, and Deception as well as Lord Foulgrin’s Letters, the Gold Medallion winner Safely Home, and Wait Until Then.

You can find The Treasure Principle at your local Christian bookstore or at www.christianbook.com.

Summary:

Serve God as never before

The first Christians “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) shaking the gates of hell even in the face of severe persecution. The result: People all around “were filled with wonder and amazement” (Acts 3:10).What can give Christians today the same impact?

God’s Holy Spirit is ready to answer that for us in an awesome way, as Henry Blackaby and his son Mel Blackaby make clear in Experiencing the Spirit. You’ll see how the proof of the Spirit’s presence is our awareness of God’s personal assignments for us, plus our supernatural enablement to carry out those assignments. You’ll find essential clarification on the difference between natural talents and spiritual gifts. You’ll explore the dynamics of being filled with the Spirit through intimate relationship with Him, committed obedience, and radical departure from sin.

Instead of considering what you can do for God with your abilities and talents, you’ll be encouraged here to seek what God wants to do through you supernaturally by His Spirit, empowering you beyond your personal competence and capacities. Release the Holy Spirit’s work at the very core of your experience of the Christian life.

Author Bios:

Dr. Henry Blackaby has devoted his life to the ministry. A multi-faceted talent, he has served as a music director, senior pastor, college president, missionary, and later as an executive in Southern Baptist Convention. Blackaby is the author of more than a dozen books with more than one million copies sold, including the best-selling Experiencing God. As the President of Blackaby Ministries, he is a vibrant speaker and the father of Dr. Melvin Blackaby. Melvin serves as the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Jonesboro in Georgia, where he lives with his wife, Gina, and their three children.

You can get a copy of Experiencing the Spirit at your local Christian Bookstore or at www.christianbook.com.

"A man will forget that, as a father, he has been welcomed to the transcendent glory of being part of God’s work of forming human souls. Instead he will buy into the replacement glory of career success. More and more, his life will be eaten up and defined by his work. Less and less will his sense of purpose have to do with the formative community that only he can offer his children. Sadly, his children cease to be one of the joyful focuses of his living and become an obligation in an already-too-busy schedule. Less and less do his children know him, respect him, trust him, or feel his love."-Paul Tripp-

HT: Buzzard Blog

Ben Arment wrote, “No church has ever been scolded into vitality …I can’t think of a single church that made a turn-around with scoldings .  It just doesn’t work.”

A church must be led with love.  This does not mean that we do not speak the truth, but rather we must speak the truth with love.  A church must understand that the pastor loves them and that the leaders genuinely care about them and the church.  Too often, we pastors have used the pulpit to “whip people into shape”.  However, God intends for us to share the Word of God for the growth of the people, rather than for what we want our intended outcome to be. 

One of my mentors once told me, “When you are facing certain things in the church, do not preach at those situations, preach love.”  He told me this after I preached about the sons of Korah and God swallowing up the nay-sayers:)

I have found that when we scold the congregation, we are generally directing our sermon to a hand full of people that need to “hear the message”, when it would be better to talk it out in private.  As pastors, we must not punish the whole group for the actions of a few.

All that aside, we must preach what the Holy Spirit leads us to, even if it is a message that challenges others and disrupts the comfortable.

We had a great time Easter Sunday.  In spite of the monsoon (torrential rains) we had 145 people.  It was awesome to celebrate our resurrected Lord. 

The worship team did a fantastic job leading us into worship.  The special songs fit perfectly with the illustrated message.  Children’s Church and the nursery were full and all the kids went home with a bunch of Easter eggs.  Most important of all, Christ was lifted up and I believe everyone left with the knowledge that their lives do not have to be empty.  The tomb is empty so we do not have to be.

Today, I feel more patriotic, or at least one of our politicians said I should.  In fact, he reminded us that it is patriotic to pay taxes.  I am reminded where Jesus said, “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s”, so I am.  Therefore, I am having a more positive outlook on it this year.  I feel like I am helping with the stimulus package.  I didn’t receive anything, but at least I can make sure that AIG, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae get their’s.  After all they are the one’s who really need the money. 

Seriously though, regardless of where my taxes go, it is something we are required to do.  So therefore, I will do my part.

Imagine being a disciple of Christ and grieving over the loss of a man who had spent three years pouring into your life. When we lose someone close, we visit their grave out of respect as well as seeking comfort, as if we can be close to them again. We miss them when they are gone.

The disciples of Jesus visited His grave to pay homage to their teacher and friend. Imagine the shock to find the stone rolled away and the body missing. What an atrocious act, someone had stolen the body. The Master had disappeared!

“Where has Jesus gone? Where is His body? We thought for sure He would still be here,” His disciples cried within

God sent the angels to the followers of Christ to give them comfort that the Jesus they are looking for is not missing but alive. He is not dead, He is risen! Jesus was raised from the dead.

This Savior who was buried after a horrific death is now alive and well. You and I serve a risen Savior who has the ability to give us life and share His life with us. His disciples had forgotten that He had told them that He would raise again. In essence they really didn’t believe it with all of their heart that He could actually raise from the dead.

Friend, you and I can believe without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is alive and He is living within the hearts of men and women today. Happy Easter!

The Grave, A Tomb, The Place of The Dead
This is the final place Jesus laid His head

Beaten, bruised, mocked and shamed
The crowds screamed, mocking His name

Peering over the crowd of Golgotha’s Hill
The pain unbearable, to pay sin’s bill

The wages of sin is death, we were guilty sure
Wretched sinners, naked, blind and poor

But Jesus, gave it all, bled til He could bleed no more
They pierced Him in His body to open salvation’s door

The clouds became dark as the Father looked away
Jesus breathed His last, gave His life on that Dreadful day

They carried His limp body and placed Him in the tomb
They walked away, as they hung their heads in gloom

It’s over, it’s finished, certainly He is done
What on earth has become of God’s only Son?

Their doubts arise, uncertainty filled the air
The disciples had no answers, the world it did not care.

When suddenly the ground shook, the stone it rolled away
Hearts began to quake as their night turned into day

Jesus was alive, risen from the grave
He alone awoke, His intentions were to save

Resurrected, awakened, healed, He’s Alive
The Risen Savior in our hearts has come to abide

From the sin of this world, He alone can save
Our risen Lord, Jesus, has risen from the grave

-Danny Cheney-