At our 5th annual Back-To-School Block Party we gave away 206 backpacks and had 450-500 in total attendance. I’m so thankful to God for the many new friends we were able to meet in our community and for all the smiles on the kids faces.

When we step up and step out to share God’s love in a tangible way, we are making a difference in people’s lives and bringing pleasure to the heart of God. After all, what we’ve done for one of the least of these, we have done for Him (Matt. 25:40). Can’t wait for next year!

• The Local Church: For Your Perseverance
• The Local Church: Training You for Ministry
• The Local Church: Helping You Grow Up
• The Local Church: People to Suffer With
• The Local Church: People to Rejoice With
• The Local Church: A Safe Place to Be Judged
• The Local Church: Indispensable

Many scholars believe that this is a theophany, an appearance of God in human form. It is interesting to note in this passage that God doesn’t take any sides. He is on his own side. He is there to accomplish his purposes for his own glory and no one else’s.

I think many times we assume that God is on our team. Now to be sure, there is a sense in which God is on our side. Paul wrote so eloquently in Romans 8:31 “If God is for us, who can be against us?” I love that promise! However that promise in context applies to the assurance of our salvation.

I think we make a subtle mistake when we assume that God must defend our personal agendas. This can take many forms such as one Christian denomination claiming that they have a corner on all truth and that God is on their team and not with any other denomination. Or that God is against everyone who does not agree with our particular view on non-essential points of doctrine.

So what team is God on? … His own. The question is not whether God is on our team, but whether or not we are on his. God didn’t give victory to Israel at Jericho because he was on their side. He gave them victory because they were on His side. In fact they were defeated at the battle of Ai in ch. 7 because they assumed God was on their side even though there was sin in their camp. God is seeking people who will join his team for his glory and the advancement of his kingdom. What a privilege to be invited onto the team!

There will be action packed kid’s VBS services Aug. 10-12. The theme this year is Jungle Mania. On Friday, Aug. 13 will host our annual Back-To-School Block Party where we will give away over 200 backpacks with school supplies to area students.

Here’s how you can get involved:

• Sign up to volunteer on Sunday (or email us here)
• Donate school supplies (notebooks, pencils, crayons, erasers, etc) at the welcome center.

We invite you to join us this year in sharing Christ’s love in a tangible way to our community.

Psalm 60:12 is a powerful verse written by David, the king of Israel. It says “With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.”

David is saying that there is nothing like God’s presence in and among his people. This history of Israel is one large illustration of this. When God was with them, there was nothing that could stand in their way. Moses led the host of Israel out of Egyptian slavery with signs and wonders because God was with them. Joshua led them into the promised land where they defeated peoples greater and more numerous because God was with them. Gideon defeated 120,000 Amalekites with 300 men because God was with them.

Conversely, when God’s presence was not among them, they wandered in the desert for 40 years. In the book of Judges they experienced enslavement to an assortment of Canaanite peoples. They were eventually sent into Babylonian exile because of their failure to honor God and walk in his ways.

The point is this: we cannot afford to live without the presence of God in our lives and in our midst as a people.

Today, our enemies are not people. But as Paul the apostle says, our enemies are “the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” The battle we are in is a spiritual battle. Our calling as the church is to proclaim Christ and lead people from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God. That’s what victory looks like for us. This is not accomplished in our own strength or might but by the presence and power of God at work in us and through us.

In another sense, there is our need to walk in the presence of God personally so we can fight our personal spiritual warfare.

God’s presence in our lives is negatively affected by sin
David writes in Psalm 51:11 “Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.” David knew that nothing was more precious than the presence of God in his life. He also knew that his sin had grieved the Holy Spirit and caused his relationship with God to fracture. Therefore the entirety of Psalm 51 is gut wrenching repentance. He knew that if there was going to be any moving forward, he would have to repent of his sin and find forgiveness in God. He knew that his relationship with God must be restored if he wanted the presence of God to fill his life again.

From time to time we will sin in various ways that will affect our relationship with God. When this happens, we must be quick to repent and make things right with God. We must be quick to fall on his mercy, and forsake whatever is sinful.

God’s presence in our lives must be cultivated intentionally
One of my favorite verses is James 4:8 which simply says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” I love this verse because it reveals to us a very important key to pursuing God and living in his presence. It basically means that if we want to see God at work in our lives, we need to take steps toward him. Sometimes we wonder why it seems that God’s presence and power are not as much at work in our lives as we wish they were. While God certainly chooses to work in different ways at different times, I think often our lack of sensing his presence is due to our failure to actively pursue him.

2 Questions to consider

1. How is my walk with God today?

Not how was it 10 years ago or 20 years ago, but how is it going today? We must be diligent to maintain a freshness in our walk with God. Are you closer to the Lord today than you were last year?

2. What changes do I need to make in order to pursue God more fervently?

What do I need to stop doing? Excessive busyness could be hurting your spiritual life. Are there patterns of sin that you need to repent and get rid of? Secondly ask yourself, What do I need to start doing, or start doing again? Do you have a consistent, unhurried time of reading the bible and praying each day? Maybe you need to start building friendships with people who will build you up spiritually and encourage you.

When’s God’s presence is in your life there is nothing better. When it is absent there is nothing worse because “With God, we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.”

Just as seasons change in the life of our planet, they also change in the life of a church. Part of the responsibility of leadership is to understand the times and seasons and know what to do (See 1 Chron. 12:32). While we rejoice in all that God did in this past season, we clearly sense him leading us in a new direction. When the Apostle Paul was traveling in Asia Minor, God clearly redirected his steps to pursue ministry in Macedonia (Acts 16:6-10). His message stayed the same, but his venue changed. For Paul it was clearly a new season, with the same mission.

The gospel never changes, and our mission to reach the lost and make disciples never changes, but sometimes the seasons change and God redirects our steps. Practically, this means that nothing is changing except our venue. Our style will not change, our message will not change, our love for Scripture, the gospel, and our burden to reach people and make disciples will not change.

As we enter this new season as a church, I feel that we are entering a season of renewal. It will be a season of renewed vision, renewed relationships, and renewed spiritual vitality. As far as the details go, we are going to try as best we can to remain at one 10:30am service through the summer. There’s nothing better than walking in step with the Holy Spirit and following his plan. The best is yet to come!

The issue is not whether we will seek treasure, but whether we will seek the only treasure that matters. In such a materialistic culture, we are tempted to make good things into ultimate things, and end up like the rich man who had everything but was not rich toward God. In Matt. 6:19-24 we find that people who are rich toward God understand 4 basic principles:

1. Heavenly treasure is the only secure investment

• “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matt. 6:20
• Material wealth will not last. Everything will pass away. True wisdom is found in living for eternity.
• “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last” author unknown.

2. Our heart will always follow our investments of time, talent, & money

• “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matt. 6:21
• Regardless of what we say we value the most in life, the way we actually invest our time, talent, and money reveal our heart’s actual treasure. Our actions really do speak louder than our words.

3. A divided focus produces a darkened life

• “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” Matt. 6:22-23
• A healthy eye is a “single” eye, aka a life lived with singleness of purpose, and wholehearted devotion to Christ. If we try to follow Christ and the world, or Christ and anything else, we will have a divided heart and life and the result is darkness.

4. Our ultimate devotion can only belong to one master

• “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Matt. 6:24
• We will “serve” a master. Its the way we’re wired. We’re made to worship. We will either worship our money or worship God with our money. Money isn’t bad, the love of money is bad. We will ultimately serve whatever we love the most.

These principles are penetrating, soul-searching principles. Don’t be afraid of evaluating your life in the light of them and making changes if necessary. If you do, you’ll end up rich toward God, which is the only kind of “rich” that matters.

1. The Discipline of Submission

Full submission to Christ via repentance always precedes reception of the Spirit’s empowering work. Acts 2:28 tells us, “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” The idea here is that if there’s no repentance there’s no reception of the Spirit. The reason is simple, we can’t be filled with the Spirit if we are knowingly resisting him. Acts 3:19 says it this way, “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus.” Submission and repentance is not a one time thing. It is a daily discipline and a lifestyle to be cultivated.

2. The Discipline of Desire

God often responds in proportion to our desire. This principle is highlighted in Jer. 29:13 which says,  “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” In other words, we shouldn’t expect to receive much if we are half hearted about it. We will find him when we seek with all our heart. That means seeking him with single-minded passion and devotion. Heb. 11:6 says it like this, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Our pursuit of God shouldn’t be an afterthought. It should be the primary pursuit of our lives. Its not wrong to have hobbies or to be passionate about things, but our passion for other things should never put to shame our passion for God.

3. The Discipline of Action

God gives the Holy Spirit’s power to those who are committed to the Holy Spirit’s purpose. Acts 1:8 tells us the Holy Spirit’s purpose, “But you will receive  power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 4:31 says it like this,  “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and  they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” Note that it says they continued to speak the word of God with boldness. If they continued, it meant they were doing it before. They were already serving in ministry and intended to continue to serve in the power of the Spirit. If we have no intention of serving the mission of the church and making disciples, we can’t expect to live a Spirit filled life.

These three disciplines are tough, but they are necessary and the rewards are worth it. Be encouraged today. If we commit ourselves to these disciplines we will see God do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine.

This summer we are excited to announce four special evening services. Each service will be devoted to growing in our understanding and experience of the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives. God has made so much power available to us. Sadly, many Christians go their entire lives without experiencing all that God has for them.  Mark your calendars and plan to join us on these four special nights as we pursue God’s presence and power together.

Springfield has a special place in my heart. It is the town where I attended college, made many lifelong friends, learned to drive a Fedex truck, and met my amazing wife. On our trip so far we’ve been able to meet up with some friends and mentors, catch a hot roll at Lambert’s, and tour the new Realife Student Center at our home church while in college. I’m a pretty sentimental person and this trip to Springfield truly makes me grateful for all that God did in my life while I lived here.