Wouldn€™t it be great to live life in an €śextraordinary€ť manner, and be that way all the time! Really that€™s the John 10:10 life that is available to all of us. When Jesus said, €ś…I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly,€ť he was offering those €śhearers€ť an opportunity of a lifetime. The words €śmore abundantly€ť describe this life in awesome detail because it means €śextraordinarily€ť and that to the fullest measure. It implies €śgoing beyond the usual limits of normal [natural] life.€ť This is a life that is extraordinary because it is joined with someone who wants to live €śthrough€ť another, and that someone is Jesus Christ! He wants to live His Life through you!
Someone may think, €śThat sounds too good to be true, nobody could live like that today.€ť But the truth is that you can. We€™ve all been exposed to the first part of that verse which describes €śthe thief€ť who comes to rob you of things you value and even to destroy you in the end. But the good news is you can see things turn around today. How? Simply by turning to the Lord and living with him each day. How can you do that, and what are the requirements? The answer to both of those questions is easy.
First, you learn to live by faith according to God€™s plan revealed by His Word. Then you meet the requirements if you can follow this simple guide using the word L-I-F-E. €śLOVE€ť God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. Just love with a God-kind of love which is €śunconditional€ť and no hidden agenda behind it. Then you get €śINVOLVED€ť with others who need to know about that love. I find that a little compliment can get you involved with someone very easily. Next you begin to €śFELLOWSHIP€ť with people as the scripture describes in 1 John 1:2-3 giving everyone an opportunity to see what God is doing in your life, and provide an opportunity to experience this life also. Lastly, €śEVANGELIZE€ť by spreading the good news to all about this extraordinary life freely given by Jesus Christ.
Think about it for a moment. Isn€™t that the God-kind of life? He loves us without exception or condition. God loves to be involved with any and everyone. The Word teaches us how God desires to fellowship with us, and by living through us He can reach out to others who may not know how good He is. Extraordinary living is waiting on you today, and as we say all the time €śThe Best is Yet to Come€ť so don€™t miss out!
Last Updated: March 3rd, 2008 |
The United States of America is called a free nation, mainly because it has a system of democracy that gives citizens a €śright to choose€ť. This is called €śadvanced citizenship€ť. I am so thankful to live in a country that gives me the freedom to choose, and make decisions that affect the future of me and my family. We can choose a candidate for public office; we can choose where we live, where we work, where we shop and so much more. Some countries won€™t allow its citizens to make any choices! The United States is a great place to live because it has established guidelines, or as we call it, our €śconstitution€ť, to govern the citizens and provide the boundaries for their safety and comfort.
God has also provided a €śkingdom€ť on this earth and has filled it with His provisions and protection for the €ścitizens€ť who choose to dwell in it. The Kingdom of God is governed by Jesus Christ, and the laws are very simple. You are to €ślove God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself€ť (Matthew 22:36-40). Like the USA, this Kingdom also has a €śconstitution€ť and it€™s called the Bible. The lifestyle is determined by the people who €ślive by faith€ť (Romans 1:16-17), because it is a spiritual kingdom. Deuteronomy 30:19 says, €śI call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live€ť. God gives us the right to choose, and encourages us to €śchoose life€ť.
As we learn and apply the promises and principles provided by the scriptures, we begin to build a life full of blessings, but faith without works is empty. There must be a “manifestation” of the promises to keep faith alive and active! If we dare to choose this Kingdom of God, and seek His Word for our lives (Matthew 6:33), and apply His Word by faith, then God does the €śworks€ť of fulfilling His promises and provisions for our life. God desires to manifest every promise in His Word for those who choose to have the blessings! That€™s advanced citizenship! Start planning for your future today by choosing life and living it to the fullest. Christ Jesus has paid the price for you to be free and blessed, and His Kingdom awaits those who desire a life of victory here on earth. Thank God for the USA, but even more, for the Kingdom of Heaven and the advanced citizenship it provides.
Last Updated: February 25th, 2008 |
G + F = P €“ The Perfect Mixture
In today€™s ever changing world, along with its fast paced living in a high tech society which is producing an unpredictable future filled with stress levels that are at an all time high. People are challenged in their faith every day. Peace seems to be a rare commodity for the average household. But the Word of God gives us a hope for peace that goes beyond human logic or reason.
Hebrews 4:2 gives us that hope, and the possibility to come up with a €śperfect mixture€ť to end all the stress and worry that we encounter on earth. The perfect mix has two ingredients, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and man€™s faith. The word €śmixture€ť is defined as the unity of two or more substances that become €śone€ť when properly mixed. The simple formula of G + F = P, that is the Gospel plus your Faith equals Peace! When men and women are at peace their lives become stress free, worry free, and they get excited about the future. God supplies the Gospel, you provide the faith and peace is what€™s produced!
Can you imagine a perfect night of sleep every night? How about never having to worry about a light bill or lapse of payments on a note? Would it be great to know that you have a €śgreat physician€ť that didn€™t require any payment for services rendered and no €śco-pay?€ť You really can have all that and more if you€™ll hear what the gospel has to say about your situation. To have that kind of peace and rest is possible for you right now. The €śgood news€ť [Gospel] has something to say about your health, wealth, relationships, as well as every need for life€™s demands. There is good news about your future and the peace that you can have along the way. And if you can receive this truth then your faith is ready to mix with it and the perfect mixture will produce the results you only dreamed possible! Keep this simple perfect mix €śformula€ť close to you at all times, remember it€™s G + F = P. Get started today don€™t wait, it€™s worth the time you spend to apply it. The best is yet to come…
Be Blessed!
RB
Last Updated: February 18th, 2008 |
The time has come for “The Church” to impact our World! As Jesus revealed in Matthew’s Gospel, “I will build my Church, and the ‘gates’ of hell shall not prevail against it,” there is a remnant church rising out of the blurs of indistinction that will transform nations! The key is to let Jesus build it! For a long time I didn’t pay much attention to the “gates” and I had a theological description of what they were, but in October of 2007 I received “revelation” of what the gates represent.
I began to seek out more revelation and I have 12 gates that are “prevailing” in our society today. There may be more, but these are the ones that I was given. Before I share them I want to point out something that needs to be understood on this subject. These gates are “spiritual” and must be overcome by “faith!” The gates also relate to anyone, Christian or non-christian alike, and they are camoflaged very well by the deception of their maker (you know who that is…the devil!). I will list these gates for you, and if you are interested in finding out more about them you can contact us and we’ll send you the tape series of the teaching that we’ve done on them. The gates are as follows:
- Circumstance Gate
- Self Inflicted Gate
- Demonic Gate
- Inate (Born with) Gate
- Fear Gate
- Poverty Gate
- Sickness Gate
- Religious Gate
- Generational Gate
- Ignorance Gate
- Confession Gate
- Rebellion Gate
There is the list that I have of the “gates of hell” that Jesus said, “shall not prevail” against His Church! There are multitudes of people affected by them and you can rest assured that you know someone, or you may be a victim of one or more of them yourself. Our vision for 2008 is We will storm the gates and set the captives free. We believe that the best is yet to come in 2008 even in spite of all the rising cost of living, increase in medical care costs, gas prices predicted to go to $4.00 per gallon, and so on. I’m reminded of one of my favorite scriptures when I hear the reports rolling in on the news and it is, “I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken, or his seed begging for bread.” Join with us as we “Storm the Gates in 2008!
Be encouraged
RB
Last Updated: January 3rd, 2008 |
We’re back from a life changing trip to the Holy Land and the trip was nothing less than awesome. I went with great expectations and as usual God took those expectations to a higher level than I could imagine! When I got off the plane in Tel Aviv, I had no pre-conceived ideas about what it would be like. The people were friendly, and welcomed me with open arms. I spent my first night in Netanya, Israel which is just north of Tel Aviv on the coast of the Mediterranian Sea. The rest of our group arrived about 2 a.m. at the Blue Bay Hotel and Spa.
We got up Wednesday morning and had our breakfast, then we began our tour of Israel. We drove to Caesarea Philippi and toured the Ampitheater which was amazing. Then the Hippodrome where chariot races were held on the coast of the Mediterranian. From there we headed north to Mt. Carmel and visited where Elijah made his stand against the false prophets of Baal. It was a great morning weather wise, and we drove from Mt. Carmel to Meggido where Solomon’s Stables were located. From there it was off to Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee where we checked into the Golden Tulip Hotel.
While in Tiberias we visited so many sites of Biblical History such as the Mount of the Beatitudes, Capernaum, Tabgha, and Mensa Christi which are all locations that Jesus went during His early ministry. We saw where Jesus fed the 5000 with the loaves and a few fish. We saw where He healed Peter’s mother in law, and so many wonderful land marks. The place is rich with history! We spent a couple of days touring the area, then it was off to Jericho to visit the ancient city where the walls were literally sucked down into the earth when the men blew their trumpets and shouted praises to God! From Jericho we made our way to Jerusalem where we spent the rest of our tour around the Holy City.
I could literally write a book on the experience, but you have a Bible so you can read it anytime you wish. We will be going for an annual tour with those who would like to experience this beautiful country. After a short 11 days I headed back to Tel Aviv to begin my journey home. I can’t wait for my next visit. Naturally the site that changed my life and stirred a passion for Christ was the visit to Golgotha, and the empty tomb! You gotta go with us so watch for details in early 2008 so you can save up for the trip. You don’t want to miss it!
Keep on believing,
RB
Last Updated: December 18th, 2007 |
Lots of great things have been going on around The Rock Church! We had Dr. Richard Ledford in on November 25 for our Sunday morning services, and it was exciting! The message was timely for The Rock, and anyone else in the body of Christ. Dr. Ledford is my Pastor, Mentor, brother and friend and we are encouraged and looking forward to the upcoming year. We’ve also had some tremendous testimonies of healings, and miracles coming in from people in the last month. Excitement is charging the atmosphere at The Rock Church!
Just wanted to give God the Glory!
RB
Last Updated: November 29th, 2007 |
As Christianity is progressing into the future, we need to keep our passion for Christ as our first priority. Passion is a motivator, it is defined as an intense emotion compelling action. When Paul wrote to the Ephesian Church, he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to say, “awake those who are asleep and arise from the dead and Christ will give you light.” The word “asleep” in this verse means to become “spiritually lazy.” The word “dead” refers to “completely ineffective” or loss of passion! If we find ourselves becoming lazy in our spiritual life we will become what Jesus said in the Revelation to the Laodicean Church which is “lukewarm.” If we discover that we have become lukewarm, lacking passion and conviction, we are “unusable and ineffective” as a believer! Jesus said, “I’ll spew you out of my mouth,” which doesn’t mean He loses His passion toward us, but can no longer use us as an effective witness for Him!
We experience passion everyday and don’t realize it, for instance ,do you remember what it was like when you got your first car? How excited you were, and washed it all the time. Then as time goes by, you don’t care for it like when it was new. This is a good example of loss of passion and laziness. When motivation is lost, our passion is diminished and we will slowly become ineffective toward those things that once were priority in our lives. A marriage can head in that direction, our job can be affected by this and so on… and most importantly our passion for the things of God can lapse into a state of ineffectiveness!
If we will recognize this, and as Paul said, “awake thou…” we can get back in pursuit of that passion. We will begin to see the move of God we so desire in our lives, churches, etc… God wants to use every one of us to be a witness of Christ in our generation, but we have to pursue that passion that we usually experience when we first meet Jesus Christ. His passion toward us is unchangeable, so lets get back in pursuit of our passion toward Him, not just wanting Him to meet our needs, or for Him to work miracles when we need them but spending time with Him because of who He is!
Don’t get distracted, He’s waiting on us!
RB
Last Updated: October 18th, 2007 |
Morality it the conformity to right conduct. Morality ultimately comes from the character of God Himself! I used to think that morality was a “social issue” or a cultural issue, then I discovered the Truth… it’s a personal issue! It’s basic foundational behavior. Morality has “values” that identify with it such as, fairness, justice, truthfulness, and compassion. These values are the conduct of what is right according to the nature of Jesus Christ who is our example as a Christian.
When I learned this, immorality wasn’t just a social condition any longer. Things like abortion, or public nudity, or capital punishment are not the only issues that define morality any more. You cannot “legilate” morality by man’s government. Why not? Because morality is in the heart of man or it’s not! We tend to think that if someone doesn’t participate in abortion, or public nudity, etc… then they are morally good. But what if they cheat on their time card at work? What if someone has become wealthy by cheating others through deception and misleading them, would you say that’s acceptable? How about someone whom everyone loves, but his family is mistreated by his or her behavior in private, would you say that’s permissible because it’s not hurting anyone else? The bottom line is what’s wrong in society is not a social condition, it’s a lack of God’s character clear and simple! It can only change through one person at a time, as we begin to search our own heart and actions. It has grown into a social condition because people are what make up society. We have laws to govern society but society begins in our living room. Morality can no longer be regarded as “external” conditions of culture where kids now walk into classrooms and blow people away because the victims believe in God. There are laws against that right? Maybe the next law will be to close down all public schools? Laws legislated by governments haven’t stopped the immorality.
Laws are simply a guide to identify moral character or the lack thereof. If we have God in our heart we wouldn’t need the law as our guide. Sometimes humans are thinking that man can legislate morality but that leaves morality up for a vote! Case in point, the Bible teaches us God’s character and His will for human life. It doesn’t change in the voting booth to satify man’s human desire. So man can pass a “new law” to allow homosexual marriage, (which is an abomination to God), but that doesn’t make it morally right! Does that make it a “hate crime” for men to disallow such behavior? It’s not hatred to allow God to “govern” morality, in fact it’s the only encounter we can have in life of the expression of God’s loving grace!
Where do we go from here? Hopefully back to the basics of moral theology, leading to moral principles, then making moral choices by expressing moral virtue and ultimately moral conduct! All of this begins in the heart of man seeking the heart of God for the answer to social problems. It all starts with me and you. Let’s help our government and society by getting our “moral compass” recalibrated. I want my family to enjoy their future don’t you? Back to the basics… I hope so!
Grace and peace upon you,
RB
Last Updated: October 12th, 2007 |
Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church in his second letter, chapter 3, “God wants to write His story in your heart for everyone to read!” We’ve all heard the old saying, “I can read you like a book,” meaning that they can predict how you will respond to a given situation. God wants to tell His story through your life by expressing His Word working in your life though all of lifes challenging situations. I remember looking for a book that was recommended by a friend only to find out after much searching that the book was “out of print.” Sometimes I have felt like my life was that way to people I’ve met, like I couldn’t relate to them and I was “not in touch” with the world they live in everyday. It seemed like my testimony of Christ was “out of print” in my life personally.
Then I found out how God wants to write His story on my heart to express His goodness to anyone who will read it! I thought about a great book, and how great books seem to have several things in common such as: 1- A great “cover” 2- A great “introduction” 3- A predetermined “purpose” 4- Awesome “contents” 5- A great “conclusion.” I began to look at my life as having these attributes and feature to see if it were the makings of a great story? Like the cover being my countenance! Does my appearance speak of the joy of the Lord when people see me, or do I look as though I just wrestled a rattlesnake? Then my “introduction” has to be “interested” in the people I meet. You never get a second chance to make a good first impression is how I’ve always heard it. If my countenence invites someone to meet me, then my first impression must be good enough to attract their interest in the rest of “my story” (which is where I want to express my witness of God’s work in me). Remember, people are not looking for people who are “interesting, but people who are interested!”
Then we can get to the “purpose” of my life which is to witness of God’s work in me. If my appearence invites new friends, and I’ve expressed the interest in them, they’ll want to “read on” and find out about me, which is where I can share the “chapters” of my life that God has written with His pen! That’s the “contents” of my testimonies. I tell our congreation how “the last thing God has done through you, is not the last thing God wants to do through you!” God is writting His Bestseller by the chapters of my life in Christ! For a great “conclusion” would be the consistancy of my Christian life, not making it to the end and then “falling short!” To compromise, or lose our witness, would be tragic for an ending of the story God is writing. Likewise to get “out of print” would be unfulfilling to say the least. If there are chapters that need to be “rewritten” God specializes in doing just that! Writting new chapters continually giving us more “testimonies” of His grace and mercy in us.
I believe God wants to write His “bestseller” for the world to see His story through you and I. The Bible is the greatest story ever told, and that’s all about Jesus. But Jesus Christ working in our lives today is always going to be a bestseller so let God have the pen for your life today… He’s got a great story to tell the world through you!
Keeping it real!
RB
Last Updated: October 1st, 2007 |
James 1:16-18 tells us that our God is continually sending down good and perfect gifts that He wants us to express in our lives. These gifts are revealed to us from God as the “Father of Lights” whom there is no shadow of turning! He is unchangable! God is always wanting to work “in you” so He can work “through you” to accomplish His plan for man on the earth. He reveals Himself through these “gifts” that go into the heart to change us into His “workmanship” expressed by these gifts. These gifts are attributes and qualities of God the Father. You can identify them as His Love, His Wisdom, His Peace, and His Compassion.
His Love gives us the ability to fulfill the law, and His Wisdom gives us the ability to make wise decisions in life. Wise decisions are those that go beyond logic and reason, and even go deeper than our emotions. His Peace gives us the ability to stay calm and collected when it seems as though everyone else is falling apart. His Compassion is to respond to others with the compelling desire to meet their need. Jesus expressed all of these attributes in His earthly life and ministry. God knows when we need revelation in these areas and His is constantly developing the new you by reflecting who He is.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says that when we are “in Christ” old things pass away and all things become new. James gives us an example of how this “new you” is a work in progress by God our Father. Instead of wearing the bracelet that says, “what would Jesus do,” we can actually begin to “do” them!
Be blessed,
RB
Last Updated: September 27th, 2007 |
