Have You Been An Encourager Lately?

Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.
Hebrews 10:24

It’s vital for God’s people to be encouragers in a season of time when there can be so much despair!  Our nation’s economy has put a damper on every family.  The things we thought we could count on in the past are being stripped away. We are the church of Jesus Christ who is always to “consider one another.” This is not only our direction in good times, but also in the tough ones.  Do we think of other folks needs before our own?  Do we remember the great opportunity to bless someone else during our day?  It’s easy to be selfish and only be concerned with our own needs and families, but what we need most is to be surrounded by some spiritual cheerleaders who will “stir us up in love and good works.”

I had the opportunity this week to teach and help some new church planting teams.  They were filled with anticipation, but also with fear!  They all understood that they are embarking on a very stressful journey filled with hard work and on the front line of ministry.  Although our teaching team was there to encourage these new church planters and their core teams, these folks were encouragers to us!  In fact, I believe every person involved in the workshop this week left at the end with a wonderful sense of God’s grace and strength.  Everyone felt lifted up and blessed.  That’s what God’s people can do for one another!  We’re placed here by the Lord to do life together and love each other through it all.

I feel privileged to serve as your pastor and your friend.  It is our joy to serve with you and do life together.  We all have an opportunity: “to consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.”  I’ve seen the great love River’s Edge has for one another.  Let God’s love continue to reign over us all!

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.  Jonathan will be sharing about his medical mission trip to Haiti in the morning worship time.  It will be a great day to encourage each other.

I love you all,

Pastor Stephen   

Holy Spirit at the Wheel

“Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’” Acts 11:16

When we submit and surrender to the Lord’s will and become a part of His family, we are baptized with the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit of God becomes our Teacher and the One who directs our actions in life.  Do we always allow the Holy Spirit to control us?  Unfortunately, our sin nature still tries to assert itself over us and we fail.  Thank goodness, God is always ready to forgive us and help us overcome our weaknesses!  But the overarching teaching here is that the Lord needs to be the one driving our lives.  When we drive our cars, some days we do a good job of obeying the rules designed for drivers on the road.  Other days we may get in a hurry or even drive recklessly.  Sometimes we might receive a speeding ticket or a violation ticket if law enforcement officers catch us….there are consequences for poor behavior on the road!  Likewise God’s Spirit is supposed to be driving our lives.  If we take the wheel away from Him and try to drive our own lives, we inevitably will make poor decisions and face some discipline for our failures.  What’s the answer?  Stay in God’s Word.  Be a prayer warrior.  Don’t make hasty choices.  Don’t become reckless members of Jesus’ family.  Trust God’s Holy Spirit to lead you in His ways.  When you do, no matter the challenges in life, you will be blessed with the Spirit at the wheel!

I love you all,
Pastor Stephen

Stay Connected!

“ ‘Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.’  Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ ”   Genesis 28:15-16

In my personal Bible study, the Lord reminded me of some things as I read this passage in Genesis about Jacob.  In fact, God has shown me several good things about the Jacob of the Old Testament that I had never considered before.  One of those is in these verses.  Here, Jacob has gone to sleep and received a dream from God.  The dream is about a ladder that reached from earth to Heaven with God’s angels ascending and descending the ladder.  The Lord reminds Jacob in the dream that the land he is resting on will be his land and the land of his descendents.  God also tells Jacob that He will be with him wherever he goes and that He will keep His promises!  This is not only good news for Jacob, but also great news for us!  God is indeed faithful.  He will walk with us through every challenge in life.  He will always supply our needs and seek to bless His people.  We just have to recognize that God is at work in our lives and honor Him by how we live.  Jacob said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”  I think often we don’t see God’s hand at work where we are.  We may cry out for something different or exciting while all the time the Lord is present and striving to speak to us.  Are we listening?  Do we recognize that God is in this place and we may not realize it?  Jacob went on to name the place where God gave him the dream as, “Beth-el,” or “The House of God,” in Hebrew.  The fact is, the Lord is with us always!  He doesn’t leave and He doesn’t take a vacation from us as many times we try to do from Him!  He is always trying to “connect” with us!  He told Jacob in a dream, I’m always here ministering to you with my angels and I’m constantly connected to you.  Are you trying to stay connected with God?

Tonight in Vacation Bible School, our theme is about connecting with love to God and others.  We are teaching the kids that they can love Jesus.  This is what the Christian life is about.  Join us tonight in prayer for VBS and in person!  Let the Lord remind you that He is with you always!

I love you all,
Pastor Stephen

Be Encouragers through God's Word

...that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God.
Colossians 2:2

This week I have been personally convicted about my/our need to dig deeply into God’s Word.  Encouragement comes from the Lord in His Word and not just from one another!  When we are seeking to understand the knowledge of the mysteries of God, He ministers to us through each other.  We learn how to be knitted together in God’s love by immersing ourselves in the Scripture.  I know in my own life that I need to spend more time in the Bible.  I am rededicating myself to the teaching of the Scriptures and I ask you to pray for me to be the best prepared Bible teacher and preacher that I can be.  I want to encourage you to be in worship this Sunday morning, July 17^th, because the Lord has given me a special message to share.  Let our hearts be encouraged together in the Lord’s Word!

Who have you invited to Vacation Bible School?  Remember we begin sharing God’s love with children and their families on Monday!

I love you all,

           Pastor Stephen

New Mercies for Today!

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. 

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NRSV)

I really like these verses!  They remind me that God is faithful and never leaves me.  They remind me that when I feel the most alone, I am not!  They remind me that each new day brings with it “possibilities” or as my dad used to say, “you have some new opportunities, son.”  What are your new opportunities today?  The Lord will always love you.  “Steadfast” suggests that God’s love will stand strong in your life.  He will not remove His love from you no matter how far you stray away from His will.  The Lord will always be merciful!  He will always offer His people an opportunity to make things right.  Every day we are able to start again!  That’s good news!

Do you need to start over with God?  Do you need to give Him the opportunity to repair your feelings, heal your memories, or just lovingly forgive you?  Take this new day as an opportunity to accept the steadfast love of the Lord and allow Him to refresh you with His mercy!  He will do it. You can trust Him!

Next week we share God’s love in our community through Vacation Bible School.  Who in your neighborhood can you bring with you?  Children, teenagers and adults need Christ Jesus.  Please extend a special invitation to kids and families around you and bring them next Monday night at 6:00 pm to VBS!

I love you all,

Pastor Stephen

Just Give Thanks!

Hey Wonderful Church Family,
Just a note to say thanks to everyone who came to Church Work Day last Saturday!  We got a lot done and the building and grounds is shaping up. Also, after a great morning worship time, we had a terrific Awana leaders meeting yesterday.  The Lord is meeting our needs with several new Awana leaders.  The team has an awesome spirit and we are poised to have a very promising Awana year.  Keep praying for Vacation Bible School which begins next Monday night at 6:00 pm.  You all are such a blessing and I’m excited about what the future holds for River’s Edge!
With thanksgiving…..

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your Name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night...
Psalm 92:1-2

Declaring thanks to the Lord sets the whole day up for more blessings even when things don’t work out the way you planned!  As we begin our work week, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged right out of the gate.  Everything can just hit you on Monday morning and throw the whole week into a crisis.  Just remember that it is always good to give thanks to the Lord.  In every circumstance He is working.  He never slumbers nor sleeps, the Scripture says.  He’s always available to His people!  The Apostle Paul reminds us, “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you,” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).  Start your day and your week by giving thanks to God.  He is always faithful!

I love you all,

Pastor Stephen

Walking Down the Right Path

Lead me in the right path, O LORD, or my enemies will conquer me. Tell me clearly what to do, and show me which way to turn. Psalms 5:8 (NLT)

The Psalmist understands that there is a right path or a standard of righteous living that God has provided for His children – you can read examples throughout Scripture from the laws of Moses to the teachings of Jesus.

The lesson that I took away from this verse today is that if I fail to walk down that right path then I open myself to being “conquered” by my enemies. No, I don’t really expect to have a physical army come against me, but pride, temptation and challenges that I face daily can lead me down the wrong path of sin and discouragement if I am not steadfast and clear in the direction I should go.

My prayer each day should be “Tell me clearly what to do, and show me which way to turn.”  God does not want us to stumble through life. If we keep our focus on Jesus, who is the WAY (John 14:6), then we will know what to DO and where to GO so that we walk in the center of God’s will.

Blessings,

Bryan

Remember the Only Message is Jesus!

Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.”  Acts 9:20
Last Sunday we continued our study of Saul’s call to follow the Lord.  Ananias was used as God’s guide to show Saul the pathway to God’s will.  Ananias was faithful to do what the Lord asked of him.  The result was that Saul received the Holy Spirit and was baptized.  The verse above explains Saul’s new faith placed into action.  He immediately began preaching that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.  He was doing this in the synagogues of Damascus among other Jews.  Saul had been transformed by meeting Jesus and now wanted to share the good news of the gospel.  His message is the only message!  Often, we become so concerned about our own comforts and directions in the church that we forget there is only one message to proclaim and we are to proclaim the message no matter the cost to our own lives.  It seems silly that we concern ourselves with anything else!
I love you all,
Pastor Stephen

Do Not Fear Or Be Discouraged!

“Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.”  Deuteronomy 1:21
It’s easy to get discouraged these days!  The economy is suffering.  Our nation is suffering.  Our community is suffering.  We’re suffering!  Yet, God sets before us real opportunities to walk with Him and do His work.  Take the Israelites for example.  In the Scripture above, Moses is recounting what he had said to the Israelites just after they had left Egypt and had the opportunity to go into the Promised Land.  He reminded them of God’s promises and then said, “Do not fear or be discouraged.”  Great words from the Lord then and now!  But the Israelites refused to listen and allowed their fear of the future to paralyze and discourage them.  They refused to embrace the promises of God so their punishment was wandering in the wilderness for the next 40 years until the whole generation of folks who refused to go into the Promised Land had died out.  Now, the Israelites in this passage were getting ready to face the same decision again, would they go in?  Moses prepared them once again and commissioned Joshua as their leader.  The opportunity was before them to receive the promises of God even though in their near future, they would face the challenges of this new land.  “Do not fear or be discouraged!”
This is a lesson for me today.  When challenges come upon me or River’s Edge, I can become discouraged.  I can become afraid like anyone else.  Yet the Lord is constantly reminding me not to be afraid.  He has promised to be with us and to sustain us in everything we do.  He has promised that the “giants” of this world, this culture, this economy will not overcome us.  He has promised that Satan’s attacks will fail.  He has promised that He has overcome the world.  In James 4:7, the Bible says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  In 1 John 4:18, the Scripture reminds us that, “Perfect love casts out fear.”  These are verses that I hold on to every day.  The Lord reminds all of us through His Word that He will be faithful to keep His promises in His perfect timing.  Do I get scared?  Yes!  Do I get discouraged?  Yes!  But I know that God will help my unbelief and help me cast out fear.  99% of the things we fear never come to pass.  Still, we become all wrapped up in the 1%!  The Israelites did follow Joshua into the Promised Land on the second opportunity.  They faced challenges from outside and inside the body.  There were still giants, personal deceptions, and obstacles, but God was faithful and supplied every need.
Today, I know God is faithful.  I know He has a plan for all our lives to honor Him.  I know that He is able to supply every need and cast out every fear of our lives.  Don’t live in discouragement.  It will deplete all your energy and you will be useless to God’s Kingdom.  The Lord is going to accomplish His work through His people at River’s Edge and around the world.  “Do not fear or be discouraged!”
I love you all,
Pastor Stephen

Waiting in Expectation

“My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.  He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.  In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge is in God.”  Psalm 62:5-7

Do you like to wait?  Not me.  I don’t think anyone enjoys long waits, whether we are driving on the highways or waiting in a doctor’s office!  We have come to expect everything to be given to us immediately here in America.  Instant gratification is our expectation.  We hardly settle for anything less.  Often we miss the joy of anticipating the unexpected or the “more than we could hope for” feeling of waiting patiently.  Are some things worth waiting for?  We like to think so, but most of the time we don’t stick around long enough to find out.

As King David writes this Psalm, he most definitely focuses his attention on the power and sovereignty of God to save and protect his life.  David knew that God is worth waiting for.  He knew that waiting upon the Lord is not wasting time.  He knew that God would be his defense no matter the circumstance he faced.  David was waiting in the strong expectation of God to act on his behalf.  He confidently knew the Lord was his hope in all things!

This morning, I know that I can expect God to work on my behalf as a Christian.  I know that when I wait on Him, I’m not wasting my time.  My hope is in God alone.  He will defend me.  He will stand for me.  He will go before me and defend my character before those who would attack it. He will be my strength and He will be my refuge.  All of this is worth waiting for, isn’t it?  We can wait in expectation to see the mighty hand of God!

Whatever you’re facing today and no matter how large the “giants” seem to you, don’t give up!  Wait silently for God alone!  He is your rock.  He is your defense.  He is your refuge!  Waiting on Him in His hope and expectation is worth it!

I love you all,

Pastor Stephen

Content in Complacency

16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD: 17 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. 18 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, that will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon." 19 "The word of the LORD you have spoken is good," Hezekiah replied. For he thought, "Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?" (2 Kings 20:16-19)

King Hezekiah's reaction to impending doom on his kingdom and even to his children struck me as very odd this morning, yet I see it nearly every week in the churches around Georgia. Even though a time may come in the near future when their church may no longer exist and the generations to follow will be without that lighthouse where God shines into the community of spiritual darkness, the people are content because everything is fine in their present world.

Folks, we cannot be lulled into contentment while the hearts of our generation and the generations to come are being drawn away from the only One who can give them life and light. Unlike Hezekiah, let's have a burden for our children and their children's children. May we do everything we can in our lifetime to ensure that they will know the same joy in Christ that we are experiencing today.

Lord, help us to see beyond today and have a vision for your preferred future. Amen.

Blessings,
Bryan

"Where the Spirit Is"

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”  
2 Corinthians 3:17

It is a blessing to live in America!  Even with all of our many problems as a nation, God has blessed us and has given us a special freedom to live together with rights to choose.  It is good when we choose the moral, ethical, right way to live as a country.  It can become ugly when we choose to live outside of the law and especially outside God’s laws!  Notice in the Scripture that Paul points out that true liberty and freedom happens when God’s Spirit is present.  His Spirit in our hearts and lives is the key to real freedom.  The only way we are able to celebrate Independence Day on Monday is because people believed in the sovereign power of an Almighty God.  The Founders of this nation were overwhelmingly men of prayer and devotion to the Lord.  God has blessed America because of their foresight and trust.  He will only bless us now if we turn our hearts back towards Him.  We all know things are wrong with this nation and we have the tendency to criticize and even call people names and labels because we disagree with them.  The important thing to remember is that we must focus on what built this country if we want to remain free and filled with liberty.  We must go back to the times of prayer for our nation unto the Lord and mean every word.  Then we must obey what our Heavenly Father teaches us.  Criticism becomes a cancer and not a helper.  Criticism with a harsh spirit becomes like a weed in a garden that won’t be rooted out.  Below is an excerpt from Dr. David Jeremiah’s Turning Point devotional.  It relates to our need as a nation and for God’s Church.

Judge not, that you be not judged.
Matthew 7:1

With the rising trend of healthy eating, many people have returned to the practice of gardening. Sure the food may be better for us, and it may save us a few dollars, but it is also tedious work. Just one unnoticed weed can quickly make its way through the entire garden.

Much like an unkempt garden, Christians are susceptible to being over-run by a critical spirit. We allow a judgmental thought to linger too long, and it takes root. Soon it has infiltrated our lives--including those around us. Rather than being an encourager, a builder for Christ, we've become Satan's destructive tool. As George D. Watson once said, "[Criticism] is a parasite which...fastens itself on the tree of religion, and seeks to spread itself until it claims to be the tree, and...if not killed off, will succeed in killing the tree."

How do we avoid the strangling weeds of a critical spirit? Begin looking at things "NLOE" (in light of eternity). Focusing on eternity and desiring others to join us there will certainly help us to be less critical and more about encouraging others and spreading God's love, showing them we are a "<><" (follower of Christ)!

As a nation, we must be about the business of insuring everyone’s freedom by going back to our original reasons for becoming a nation in the first place. Criticizing leaders is not the right spirit.  Going to the polls to vote correct moral and ethical values is the right spirit.  As God’s Church, we must be about our Father’s business which is seeking to save those who are lost.  We must go back to our first love.  A critical spirit will not push the church into right action, but looking at things “in the light of eternity,” will!  When we concentrate our time and efforts on reaching people for Jesus, there is no time, nor inclination for a critical spirit.  There is only the liberty found in the Spirit of Christ!  The Apostle Paul said, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2

God’s Word is awesome.  We will study it more tomorrow!

I love you all,
Pastor Stephen

What the Lord Requires

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

It really is not all that complicated to follow the Lord.  That’s a bold statement isn’t it, but it is unmistakably true.  It is a matter of our wills.  Can we surrender our wills and desires unto God because we know He has the best answers and directions for our lives?  What has God shown us in His word?  What the Lord God considers good is:

 *Act justly toward God and others. 
This means we respect that God is God, and that He has made us and granted us life.  We must live in awe of the Almighty and seek to live in His justice, fairness, and forgiveness.

*Love the mercy of God and freely bestow mercy and grace to others. 
Should you judge people without knowing who they are or all the facts of their life?  Of course not, yet, often we all jump to conclusions about people and their intentions.  God’s people must love not only the mercy of the Lord to save us, but graciously give mercy to one another.  This staves off quarreling and unbecoming attitudes.

 *Have humility toward the Lord and walk in an humble spirit. 
Without humility, we find ourselves making choices on our own strengths and not in the power of God.  To walk humbly with God and others means we want to seek His path for our lives rather than our own.  We are all selfish so this is a tough one.  But our God is faithful to teach us and love us as we stumble.  Submitting to His will and steps in the answer.  I will be preaching about this on this coming Sunday.  I hope you will be there to hear it.

What has God shown you today?  Are you loving others with mercy as God has loved you?  Are you seeking God’s path instead of one you have determined on your own?  Listen to the Lord speak today!  He will guide your steps if you let Him.

 With all my love, mercy, humility,
Pastor Stephen