Fruit of the Vine

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

John 15:1 (NLT)
¹ “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.

“I Heard It through the Grapevine” Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong

I have memories of my grandmothers grape arbor. At the time, it was probably the largest grape arbor in the world—at least to my very young eyes. Grandma would pick the grapes and make us grape jelly or preserves. For some reason, I have more memories of the trellis than of the jelly. The trellis was a neat place to play. My cousins and I would use it as a hideout or club house. Sometimes it was base for a game of tag. Other times we would sit in there to escape the hot sun or the voices of mom and grandma calling for us. The arbor was life central when visiting my grandmother’s house.

Jesus is our grapevine in life. He provides nutrients to us along the way of life. His word provides us help in times of need; direction in times of confusion or indecision; inspiration in times of doubt; and correction in times of disobedience. We access this help via reading the word and in a solid prayer life with the Father. The Father is the owner of the vineyard. He is responsible for our setting. He blesses us with all that we need to be productive vines, connected to the main vine—Jesus.

And as good vines, we also need to remember that we have a urgent responsibility to bear fruit—to make grapes—to seed Christians. Our cause of reproduction is vital to the success of the vine. The main trunk in our vine—Jesus is our life connection to others we graft into the network of vines—the body of Christ—the church.

Have you been sharing with others about Christ? Are they in essence declaring—I heard about Christ through the grapevine—the network of people who are the church—Christ’s body on earth.

Prayer Points for the day

1. Pray your witness to others

2. Pray for the new church plant we are sponsoring.

3. Praise the Lord for the blessings of life He richly provides.

The ONLY One

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

John 14:6 (NLT)
⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

“As you slide down the banister of life, may all the splinters be going in the right direction?” Anonymous

Jesus states 3 important facts about himself in our passage. First, He is our way. He wants to lead us along the path of life which best suits our needs. We need to trust His guidance and allow Him to direct us. Secondly, Jesus is the truth—absolute truth. In Him there is no lie; no dishonesty. What He says—we can rest assured is accurate, beneficial and intended for our ultimate good. Third, Jesus is our life. In one way, Jesus is our eternal life—, the one who willingly went to Calvary, sacrificed His life and taking our sins to the cross. His blood provides forgiveness to each of us who claim Him as Savior. He gives us purpose in life also. He makes each day better than the last. And His life can help us overcome the days when we are down, hurting or distraught.

And then Jesus states that to take advantage of the way, the truth and the life, we need to access the Father. Finding this relationship with the Father is simple and direct. We must believe and obey. However, it is the exclusiveness of the statement which brings to mind that there is just one way to Heaven. It will not come on our own accord; we can not purchase our way to heaven; we can not depend upon some false religion or cult to give us direction. The only way—the single way—is by going through Jesus. He is the key. Our belief in the Son of God—our Messiah and Lord is the ONLY way to have the eternal life that we so desire.

So, get your New Testament and read. Connect with the Bible believing New Testament church who preaches and teaches that Jesus Christ is Lord. And having found that body of believers, bring as many friends and neighbors to come and hear all about Jesus and how He can give their life—the way, the truth and the life—for all of eternity.

Prayer Points for the day

1. Praise God for His Son—our Savior and Lord

2. Pray for those you know who need the Lord.

3. Pray for our country and our leaders.

At the Feet of the Teacher

Monday, October 29, 2007

John 13:13 (NLT)
¹³ You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am.

“What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.” Karl Menninger

Each of us has a teacher in our past that inspired us in some unique way. Perhaps it was as simple as caring when we were confused or unable to understand the concept of the lesson. Or maybe the method of teaching enabled you to learn and remember the important lessons taught by that teacher. In one way or another, it seems some teachers just stick with us in our memories.

Jesus was deemed by most as a teacher or rabbi. His teaching methods varied, but often He simply told it like it was, using illustrations we call parables to help the masses understand the gospel. These parables are the “heavenly stories, with earthly meanings” and they can give us a great insight into kingdom living.

Jesus though, was more than just a very good teacher, who inspired men and women to greater understandings, Jesus was our Lord. This term speaks of the idea that Jesus is a Master to us; He owns us as slaves for He purchased us at Calvary. His sacrificial death took our sins and nailed them on the cross and when we accepted Jesus as our Savior, we took Him into our lives as Lord.

As our Lord and our master, we will someday see Him, and when we do, we will bow down to worship Him face to face as our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To help keep us growing for Him as we wait that glorious day of His return, we need to read His book, the New Testament and learn at the feet of the Master Himself. His teaching will help keep us faithful—till He comes again—our Lord and Master.

Prayer Points for the day

1. Pray for the small group ministry and their effectiveness to reach hurting souls.

2. Pray for God to continue to lead and for us to follow.

3. Praise God for Jesus His Son and our Savior and Lord.

Velocity Church

Velocity
Christian Church
Connecting People with God at the speed of love

Here is this week’s update on the new church plant in West Georgia. We are seeking the Lord’s guidance in three areas. First, we are preparing a prospectus of our intent, our vision, our anticipated costs for our early years and our approach to doing ministry. In computer speak, this is some of the software accumulation of information before the hardware of becoming a new church plant takes place. Our core group of planters are not only praying, but working diligently to gather the necessary facts and figures for our investors. Secondly, we are seeking to assemble a management team and staff for the new work. This is definitely an area where we need to be especially sensitive to God’s leading. He has already called servant leaders for us, we just need to connect with them. Third, we are continuing to strengthen the core that are starting of this great work. Several special classes are planned to train, support, encourage and guide our core Christians to do the work of the Lord.

For those who are reading and have no direct connection with us as a body of believers, we ask for your prayers in support of our vision to grow God’s church in West Georgia. We are not the only Christians in this area of the state, but are known as simply Christians who desire to touch the lives of many in different and unique ways. Join with us in this effort if you live in and around Douglasville, GA. Contact me via my email address: pwstebelton@bellsouth.net for more information. God bless

Light the Darkness

Thursday, October 25, 2007

John 9:5 (NLT)
⁵ But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe. It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished. ~Michael Strassfeld

Light is a vital ingredient life. It is the light from the sun which produces the photosynthesis in plants which keeps oxygen in the air. It is sunlight which heats the oceans to evaporate and cause the eventual rain fall some important to our survival. Laser light is used in surgeries. We artificially produce light to enable us to operate cars at night; live in our homes after sunset; and do work at our desks in rooms without windows. We use expressions such as ‘our eyes lit up with excitement.’ And who has not used on occasion the age old “flash light” to show the way to self or others in the dark. Light is very important to all of us.

In a spiritual understanding, Jesus is the light of the world. Not just because He says so, but from what He does for us and to us. First, His light is the light of salvation. He uses laser precision to eradicate sin from our lives by the light of His precious blood. He also shows us the way by means of the light of His word. As we travel a dark world, His word guides our paths. And His light is passed on to us as we take His word and His saving grace to a world around us. We become lights to others. Not hidden, but on display for others to see Jesus in us. Let your light shine for Him—because indeed He is the light of the world in you.

Prayer Points for the day

1. Praise the Lord for your salvation because of Calvary.

2. Pray for God to let your light shine brightly for Him.

3. Pray for opportunities to witness for Him.

Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)
¹⁴ “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.
¹⁵ No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.
¹⁶ In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Time for God

Wednesday, October 24, 2007                                       

John 8:58 (NLT)
⁵⁸ Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!”

"Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."  Jack Benny

     Time moves quickly, the older you get. This rather strange factoid is difficult to prove, but easily understood—especially so as you get older!! Jesus must have seen time literally fly by at break neck speed. He is stating in the passage that He is older than Abraham, who at this time of the writing would have been many, many hundreds of years old, if still living. So, Jesus’ critics were torn between misunderstanding Jesus, or thinking of Him as a lunatic; or clearly knowing that here He claims to be deity—God on earth.

            Jesus knew how important Abraham was in the mind of the Jews. Father Abraham was looked upon as almost the founder of the modern day Jew. (Modern in Jesus time) He was revered and nearly worshiped. So for Jesus to say that He is older and thus even more important—well it was blasphemous to the Jewish leaders but oh so truthful to us, His followers.

            When Jesus proclaimed He was the “I AM”, it is referencing God’s conversation with Moses at the burning bush, when God used a similar phrase to describe to Moses, what he could call or refer to God in the presence of the Israelites. So, Jesus is claiming the name of God, “I AM” in front of these Jews and in testimony for us.

            Is your testimony just as clear to others? Does you name, “Christian” speak to others in your words, deeds and actions? More important than how old are you—is the question, “Whose are you”? 

Prayer Points for the day

1.         Praise God for His son, Jesus—our Lord and Master

2.         Pray for our church and our friends and family

3.         Thank God for opportunities He brings your way to be a witness for Him in your actions and deeds.

Exodus 3:14 (NLT)
¹⁴ God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.”

Facing This World

Tuesday, October 23, 2007                                

John 8:23 (NLT)
²³ Jesus continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not.

            “It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.” Erma Bombeck

There is a stark distinction between living for Christ and living for the world. That distinction is noted by Jesus in the scripture above. It really boils downs to a question of ownership. Who owns your heart—your life—your soul.

            Satan desires to rule us and this world. He tries to enlist as many as possible into his army of demons and sinners. And he does this under the cloak of darkness, deceit and attractiveness. Temptations are always alluring because they are covered in things which seem to be innocent, or inviting to our earthly nature. As Christians, we often believe that we can play with evil for a short while, but not fall under its tentacles of ensnarement. We dabble a little here and there and before long, we fall prey to Satan’s trap.

            Being a Christian demands we face only one direction. We live for the one who is above—God. We seek only His will, His way, and His wisdom. As Jesus did with Peter, when Satan was using him to block Christ from His purpose, Jesus said, “Satan, get behind me!”

            When temptations come your way—don’t hesitate to speak directly to the tempter and in Jesus’ name—tell him to leave. Immediately seek God’s willl and help and His Spirit will strengthen and guide you.

 

Prayer Points for the day 

1.         Praise God for your salvation and opportunities of service

2.         Pray for strength to fight off temptations daily

3.         Pray for our Elders and staff as they lead the congregation

James 4:7 (NLT)
⁷ So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Missed Blessings

James 5:16-18 (NLT)
¹⁶ Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
¹⁷ Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!
¹⁸ Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

     Last evening’s small group session was about as normal as it gets. We combined two different small groups, due to some expected absences and this made for a wonderful setting. The fellowship was sweet and the study time was excellent. Included in this time, as usual were opportunities for each of us to express our needs, spiritually and physically. We took time at the end to silently pray for the listed need we wrote on our secret paper. Each of us believes for certain that God will listen and will help us. We closed with silent prayer, each confessing before God our shortcomings and seeking His guidance. We quietly prayed for special needs of healing in our congregation. Finally, (we thought) we were led in a closing prayer and evening was finished.

     Till a very thoughtful and insightful member of our group reminded us we need to pray for rain. The suggestion was well received and we stopped our exiting and bowed our heads to pray. The prayer was not long, not filled with great theology–simply that God is in control–He knows we need the rain–please Lord, send the rain.

     I really did not give much thought about rain after that. We greeted each guest as they left our home. We made mention of seeing one another again about Mid-week at church. And the evening finished. As I awoke the next morning, I heard a very unfamiliar sound–drops of liquid in the spouting and on the roof–it was raining. As my feet hit the floor, my mind went back to our last minute prayer–nearly forgotten in the hustle bustle of going home. We prayed for rain–God heard our prayer and answered.

     What if we had not prayed? What a blessing we would have missed out on by forgetting? How many times do we do with less, because we failed to seek God’s will in our lives? I thank the Lord for prayer. I thank the Lord for my brother in Christ who reminded us to pray, even after we were “done”. God never sleeps or slumbers, but is ready when we are ready. It’s never too late to pray. In fact, take a moment right now–pray. Pray that God will bless your life, as He has blessed my with Christian friends, powerful opportunities to see His grace, and the rain–yes the rain.

Bread for Life

Monday, October 22, 2007                                             

John 6:35 (NLT)
³⁵ Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

“I yam what I yam.”   Popeye

            Today we begin a series of devotions based on the statements of Jesus, where he remarks as above, “I am…the bread of life.” 

            Bread and water are the staples of basic life. Without bread, or sustenance we would die. It would not be a hasty death, but slow, deliberate and certain. We would literally starve ourselves to death if we refused or could not eat.

            In a spiritual sense, Jesus is our bread of life. He sustains us with spiritual food. Some food is literally fed to us as we read His word. Just as we physically eat each day, so we must be reading the word as often as once a day. We are sustained in spiritual good health by fellowship with other believers. This connection of the church or body of Christ enables us to receive the help we need when facing problems. We are encouraged by others around us, if we stay connected. And we also find that pray keeps our spiritual health in good standing. Lack of regular communication with our Lord will leave us weak, with the possibility of developing spiritual sicknesses that will weaken our faith.

            Probably your parents encouraged you when young to eat your meal—leaving a clean plate. They were looking out for your best interests. So, a word of wise from the preacher—eat of the bread of life—Jesus. Not just around the Lord’s Table on Sundays, but throughout the week in fellowship with others, reading in His word and speaking to Him in prayer.
                 

Prayer Points for the day

1.         Praise the Lord for Jesus, the bread of life.

2.         Pray for the strength of the body of Christ (our church)

3.         Pray the names on our current prayer list

Watching the Skies

Saturday, October 20, 2007       

Matthew 16:1-4 (NLT)
¹ One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.
² He replied, “You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow;
³ red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times!
⁴ Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away.

  I really didn’t say everything I said.  Yogi Berra

            Not too many years ago, the watch word of the church concerned the “signs of the times”. There was great interest in the second coming of Christ. Many wanted to pick a date or at the very least interpret signs that His coming was near. I believe that God does inform us to be aware and to watch for signs. We do in interpreting our health. We look for signs that might tell us if sickness or illness is soon forth coming. Anything from age spots to certain long term aches are watched closely to ward off impending cancer or heart problems.

            We should be concerned that there are certain signs to be aware of in our Christian health. Sometimes we take for granted that we will automatically grow in Christ. But soon, we miss a few prayer times with God or we absent ourselves from around the Lord’s Table—and before we know it—our spiritual health is suffering. Just as we care about our physical bodies, we must care for the church body. Encourage those around you who are showing signs of failing spiritual health. And be sure to watch your own walk—be certain you don’t fall prey to missing any obvious signs of declining spiritual health. 

Prayer Points for the Day

1.         Pray for God to help you stay aware of your need to grow in Christ.

2.         Thank Him for all His blessings.

3.         Pray for those whom you know who might be struggling at this time.