Kingdom of God

Be Available

“For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.” – 2 Corinthians 8:12 When I was living with my family in Oklahoma in my teenage years, we really weren’t going to church a lot. We were all believers, but our spiritual life was kind of stagnant. Thankfully, there was an older couple named the Meechums who lived in the house behind ours. They were super-nice Christian people, and full of the Holy Spirit. My sister started going over there when she was 17, and simply by being in their presence, she caught a fire in her soul that was just amazing. We all befriended them, and before long, each of us was sharing in their passion and enjoying a newfound connection with Jesus. All of this simply because they welcomed us into their home, offered us

February 20, 2023 2 Comments

Let’s Adore the Lord

“And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.“ – Luke 2:18-20 Our next series will focus on adoration as we continue to enjoy this Advent season. Let me begin by asking you this question: “What is something that you truly adore?” I think of adoration as an unhurried and deep appreciation for something, where you give worth to it and value it. In most cases, if it’s sincere adoration, it’s usually worth the attention you give to it, making you feel alive! Unfortunately, today we live in a world where the passion for bad things is going up, but for good things, it’s waning. In the clinical

December 15, 2022 No Comments

The Battle Before the Blessing

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” – James 1:12 Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which is 90 miles away from where Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth. While it would only take an hour and a half by car today, back then, it was at least a weeklong trip over rugged terrain. On top of that, it was wintertime, so it was very cold and rainy. Though we know that the Lord had to be born in the City of David so that prophecy could be fulfilled, it’s interesting how much this young couple had to endure before the arrival of the world’s Great Redeemer. Just like Mary and Joseph had to travel a rough road to arrive at the place where the Savior would

December 11, 2022 1 Comment

Flip the Switch

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” – 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) We should never be timid about our faith, the Kingdom of God, or His promises! Instead, we should be strong and bold because He has not given us a Spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. We don’t need to be afraid or shy about what He’s put inside of us; instead, we can embrace it, knowing that He’s provided the power — we only need to activate it. If I purchase a new home, assuming the power company has gone in and installed the correct equipment according to the proper codes, by all means, that building is set to receive power. Once I move in and pay my bill, I should have all the electricity that I need, right?

November 30, 2022 1 Comment

You’ll Do Greater Things

“Believe 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 works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” – John 14:11-13 Do you believe you can do the works that Jesus did? Do you believe you can do even greater things? The Bible says that because Jesus has gone to His Father, you have been granted authority to do signs, wonders, and miracles! Isn’t that an awesome thought? Because you live in the Kingdom of God, anything is possible! Pastors who teach that miracles don’t happen anymore

November 28, 2022 1 Comment

Where Am I?

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” – Romans 1:20 Yesterday we talked about the first of the four questions that a worldview must answer: “Who am I?” Today, we will speak of the second fundamental question of a worldview: “Where am I?” When you are in Christ, you are in the Kingdom of God spiritually, and you’re in the Father’s world physically. This planet belongs to Him, and it’s pulsating with life and teeming with growth and motion! Everything that you see happening — flowers blooming, animals playing, humans loving and being loved — is the demonstration of a spiritual reality in a material experience. In other words, what is visible is a shadow of the actual reality, which is divine and intangible. When you

November 25, 2022 No Comments

Who Am I?

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” – Ephesians 1:3-6 Happy Thanksgiving from the Hour of Power and Shepherds Grove family! We can each take an opportunity to pause and simply practice gratitude. We can be thankful to God for His generous mercy, compassion, glory, and, most importantly, His amazing love. The more we thank Him, the more we will naturally thank and bless those around us. A few days ago, we shared

November 24, 2022 No Comments

Blessed Are You

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:8-10 If you’ve been in church for a long time, you may have heard that the Beatitudes are almost like the Ten Commandments of the New Testament, that Jesus is saying that if you do these things, you’ll grow and be blessed. While this is true, let’s look at another dimension of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus looked out at a crowd filled with people needing help — the outcast that society had rejected — and declared them blessed. He wasn’t saying to do or be certain things; instead, He was saying that the Kingdom of Heaven had come and was available to them right at that moment.

November 23, 2022 No Comments

A Kingdom Worldview

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:3 Yesterday we introduced the thought that each of us as humans has our own little kingdom. To further that discussion, today, I want to talk about how every one of these kingdoms operates under a philosophy, which is known as a worldview. A worldview is a lens through which you view circumstances and situations; it’s sort of a mishmash of your religion, culture, background, family life, and education. Your worldview provides a framework in which you see and process tragedy, and victory and you perceive meaning and purpose in life. A worldview attempts to answer these four questions: Who am I? Where am I? What’s the problem? What’s the solution? In Jesus’ day, there were two primary groups that attempted to answer those questions: the Jews and the Romans. The Romans taught that you

November 22, 2022 No Comments

Your Best Life

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” – James 1:19,20 We need to move from being ego-driven people who are always first to judge or call people out, to becoming a listening, humble, and life-giving presence in the world. Of course, this can be a challenge when people are cruel, unfair, unkind, and rude. However, life in the Kingdom of God enables us to be a force of mercy and healing, even in an increasingly angry and hostile society. Our best life doesn’t come when we get really good at finding out what’s wrong with the world and pointing it out, but rather when we become the kind of people who are unoffendable, relaxed, and walking in the easy rhythms of grace. This

November 13, 2022 No Comments

Be Available

Let’s Adore the Lord

The Battle Before the Blessing

Flip the Switch

You’ll Do Greater Things

Where Am I?

Who Am I?

Blessed Are You

A Kingdom Worldview

Your Best Life

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