Blogs!
| Page 1 » 1-15 of 55 |
Faith Fuel - Hebrews Chapter 4
[Pastor Tony Karns]
02/20/2012 2:37 pm
By Admin, Admin
The past couple of weeks have been amazing as I have been studying what God has to say about how we use our money. I, like many of you, have a driving desire to surrender every area of my life over to God because I know it will produce great things in my life. Here's the interesting part: God keeps showing me areas to surrender that I didn't even know were there. When I started studying about money, I realized how it affects every area of our lives. We dream about it, worry about it, work for it, cry over it, compromise for it, etc.. etc.. etc.. Now think about this.... If we could truly learn to surrender this huge area of our lives over to God, what would that do in us having the faith to surrender the smaller areas? I believe this revelation, followed by obedience to the Bible will produce an enormous Holy Spirit power release in our lives. If you weren't able to attend our services over the past two weeks, please get the podcasts off our web site at www.rlcbigrapids.org. God is setting us up for a tremendous blessing, don't miss it!
See ya Sunday
PT
Faith Fuel
Feb 19 - 25, 2012
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, open the Word to my understanding. Show me what it is You want me to see in Your Word today. Help me to apply it in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read Hebrews Chapter 4
Points to Ponder:
-(vs 1) When we have yielded to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, we rest in a deep, persevering and unshakable trust in His love, care, protection, and provision over our life. The first step to entering this “rest” is to make Jesus “Lord” (Master) of our life; anything short of that is to miss it entirely.
-(vs 1) “Rest” applies to all the promises of God. We believe God for healing. We are not trying to get healed; we are resting in what Jesus has already provided. The same goes for our provision; the tithe belongs to God. Because we settle that concept in our hearts and are obedient to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; we rest in His promise to provide for our needs.
-(vs 10) “He who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works”: Entering this “rest” means we are no longer “working” to be in right standing with God. The idea is that we cease from self-justifying “works” or acts of obedience as a way to obtain our righteousness and we “rest” completely in the fact that we were made righteous through our relationship with Jesus Christ.
-(vs 12) Often people wonder how Pastor Tony’s messages can be so relevant to their life… That’s the “sharpness” of the Word of God and PT’s delivering the message at just the right time! God’s Word can hit us with amazing precision, and the Holy Spirit gives revelation of the Word to do deep work in our hearts and reveal what is hidden. The Bible is not just another “book”, it is alive and active meaning, it exposes, corrects, rebukes, enlightens, encourages, produces faith...
-(vs 16) Here’s the misconception: we run to God to get forgiven. Wrong! We were (past tense) “forgiven” the moment we made Jesus “Lord” of our life. We run to God boldly (without fear, fully confident of His acceptance) to receive His help and His grace in our time of need.
Continue reading this chapter several times during the upcoming week.
Ponder the points…pray that God will open your mind to understand how His Word applies specifically to your life.
Faith Fuel - Hebrews Chapter 3
[Pastor Tony Karns]
02/13/2012 2:58 pm
By Admin, Admin
On Sunday, I started a series talking about how to handle our money in a way that is pleasing to God. This is always a touchy subject because it is dealing with something that is dear to people's hearts. In fact sometimes it is more dear than God Himself.........so I really encouraged everyone to guard their thoughts. To take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. The Bible tells us that as soon as the seed of the Word is planted that the enemy will immediately try to steal the Word out of our hearts. Since I finalized this message on Thursday, it's been a constant battery of thoughts that I needed to bring into obedience. I'm not talking like I had the thought of stealing something, or hurting someone....I'm talking about thoughts like.. "This runny nose is going to hang on for a while yet".......or "this project is going to be really hard"......or "nobody ever listens to you". I'm talking little things that if I allowed them to continue, would grow into big things. Bottom Line.....Guard your hearts by guarding your thoughts. Tenacity in these little things will produce great things in you life!
Faith Fuel
Feb 12 - 18, 2012
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, open the Word to my understanding. Show me what it is You want me to see in Your Word today. Help me to apply it in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read Hebrews Chapter 3
Points to Ponder:
-(vs 1-5) We are told to consider Jesus’ faithfulness to God… The word “consider” means to regard, think about, mull over. Understand that a faithful walk with God doesn’t just happen; we must choose that we are going to surrender, trust and persevere in following God.
-(vs 7- 8) The Word of God is the voice of God. When God is speaking to us through His Word and we are disbelieving or choosing to ignore it, God calls that rebellion.
-(vs 8-10) God’s anger was kindled against “that generation” on account of their unbelief. Don’t be like that generation who died in the wilderness!
-(vs 10) The word “know” isn’t talking about having head knowledge, but heart revelation. God said the Israelites strayed and didn’t know His ways… Head knowledge doesn’t stand a chance when trials come, but heart revelation knows and trusts and can count it all joy when trials show up, knowing the outcome will be just as God has promised in His Word!
-(vs 12) An “evil heart of unbelief” is a heart that doesn’t agree with God. Unbelief isn’t weakness of faith; it’s opposition to faith. We need to read the Bible to find out what we believe, not to see if we agree with what it says. Our hearts lead us away from God when we elevate our “opinion” above the Word of God. It isn’t about what we think or feel; it’s about trusting God’s Word and letting it have the final say on all matters.
-(vs 15) “Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ”. This verse tells us how to keep from being “tricked” by sin… compare your thoughts against the Word of God to see if what you’re thinking lines up with it. Unbelief causes deception. When we don't believe God, we choose to believe a deception.
-(vs 18-19) Unbelief kept the Israelites from entering the place that God had prepared for them. Unbelief is not inability to understand but unwillingness to trust.
Continue reading this chapter several times during the upcoming week.
Ponder the points…pray that God will open your mind to understand how His Word applies specifically to your life.
Faith Fuel - Hebrews Chapter 2
[Pastor Tony Karns]
02/06/2012 1:37 pm
By Admin, Admin
So did you enjoy the Super Bowl? And what about that Halftime show :) It seems like after the whole wardrobe malfunction a few years back that the networks would have learned their lessons. Not so much :-O..... I chuckle at how much it reminds me of the things we face in our Christian walk. How many times do we have to take the test before we pass it? I believe that every situation has a lesson that we can learn if we are sensitive to God. A while back I felt impressed by the Holy Spirit to be able to hear Him on the run. That means that I have to be attentive to His leading at all times. That concept has changed the way that I approach God and especially created an expectation of receiving from Him. Let that be your prayer this week. "God what do you want me to learn from every situation I'm faced with?" I believe it will totally change your perception of the power of God in your life.
Have a great week
PT
Faith Fuel
Feb 5 - 11, 2012
Let’s Pray!
Heavenly Father, open the Word to my understanding. Show me what it is You want me to see in Your Word today. Help me to apply it in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read Hebrews Chapter 2
Points to Ponder:
-(vs 1) Understand that the devil comes immediately to steal the Word of God from us. He does not want the truth to go from our head to our heart. This verse is meant as a warning to us to give serious attention to, carefully guard and lay hold of the Word that we hear. (Hebrews 4:2 “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”)
-(vs 3) We are foolish to think we can pray a few words that we have no intention of living out and think we will make it to heaven… God doesn’t offer fire insurance, He offers relationship. God has gone to great lengths to make sure His message of salvation reaches every person and what He’s saying is “Hey, don’t ignore the message; your eternal destination hangs in the balance!”
-(vs 4) God backs His Word through miracles, signs, wonders, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit… but it is through us “those who believe (Mark 16:17-18)” that His power is revealed!
-(vs 14-15) Jesus became human like us in order to take back the authority that Adam gave to the devil… Having defeated Satan, Jesus sits in the place of authority. This same authority is available to us because we have been made to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Satan’s power over us was broken the moment we said yes to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus says, in Revelation 1:18, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Death and Hades.” Keys represent authority. Satan had the authority, but through His death and resurrection Jesus disarmed principalities and powers and He has made that authority available to the church.
-(vs 18) If every temptation and trial we encounter is common to man, then it's a trial that Jesus endured and triumphed over without sinning. Hebrews 4:16 says that we can boldly go to throne of grace to receive mercy (help) and grace (empowerment) in our time of need. In other words, we are never without the power we need to overcome the trials and temptations of this life!
Continue reading this chapter several times during the upcoming week.
Ponder the points…pray that God will open your mind to understand how His Word applies specifically to your life.
Faith Fuel - Hebrews Chapter 1
[Pastor Tony Karns]
01/30/2012 10:51 am
By Admin, Admin
So here it is another Monday in Michigan, the end of January, and the weatherman said to be looking for rain and 40 degrees this week.....wow. It's amazing how the climate can affect our outlook, our actions and our attitudes. We choose what we will and won't do based on the climate that surrounds us. What I find even more interesting is the fact that we base what we can and can't do on the "prediction" of a weatherman. Have you ever canceled something you really wanted to do, based on a weather report, only to find out they were wrong... Aghhhhhh!. How often does that happen in our Christian Lives? The devil gives us a bad report and we change everything because of it. And the climate that we allow in our Spiritual lives will totally dictate our outlook, actions and attitudes. I have decided that I'm a climate changer. I choose to have a positive outlook, to act in an appropriate way and to keep a good attitude. I will not let the "roar" of the devil deter me from doing what God has called me to do. I will fight the good fight and I will run to win. If God is for me then it doesn't matter who is trying to be against me. I believe I was led to write this word of encouragement because someone or maybe several people needed it today. Remember, God is good all the time!
Have a great Monday
PT
Faith Fuel
Jan 29 - Feb 4, 2012
Let’s Pray!
Heavenly Father, open the Word to my understanding. Show me what it is You want me to see in Your Word today. Help me to apply it in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read Hebrews Chapter 1
Points to Ponder:
-(vs 2) It is not just that Jesus came and spoke the words of God to us, Jesus is God (John 1:1-4;). In Jesus, God makes Himself known; He is the exact representation of God, so that we can know God’s heart and will through everything Jesus said and did.
-(vs 2) “Heir and lawful Owner of all things”… A son is heir to everything his father owns. “Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Ro 8:17). This tells us that we, like Jesus, are heirs to everything our Father owns!
-(vs 2) Through the spoken Word which was Jesus, the entire universe was created and is maintained. (“All things were made by Him and, without Him was not anything made that was made.” Jn 1:3) The Word of God contains creative power. In the Gospels (Mth, Mk, Lk, Jn) we see Jesus demonstrating the authority of His word over nature, evil spirits, sin and sickness. That same creative power is released through us when we speak what we believe. Be careful that what you are speaking lines up with the Word of God!
-(vs 3-6) “He sat down” means that His work is finished; there was nothing more to be done for obtaining our salvation. “He sat down at the right hand” ... is the position of rank and authority Jesus has. As Christians, we have been given the same authority as we are seated with Him. (“…and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus .” Eph 2:6)
-(vs 5-14) …are establishing Jesus’ deity and superiority to the angels who are sent from God to minister to those who become born again.
Continue reading this chapter several times during the upcoming week.
Ponder the points…pray that God will open your mind to understand how His Word applies specifically to your life.
Faith Fuel - Philippians Chapter 4
[Pastor Tony Karns]
01/23/2012 2:54 pm
By Admin, Admin
New week, New weather, New stuff. 1 Peter 5:7 says to "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." I love how learning to depend on God has taken the "care" out of the new stuff. We don't have to worry or be anxious because we can access the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to lead us and guide us. It's all about being able to hear God on the run. I love the concept that God wants us so in-tune with Him that we are attentive at all times. I'm not talking about weird or flaky, I'm talking about awareness. Being aware that God is leading us will cause us to listen. Listening is the key to hearing God. Mondays will always come and I can't control the weather, but I'm learning to count it all joy in the "New Stuff".
Have a great week
PT
Faith Fuel
Jan 22 - 28, 2012
Let’s Pray!
Heavenly Father, open the Word to my understanding. Show me what it is You want me to see in Your Word today. Help me to apply it in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read Philippians Chapter 4
Points to Ponder:
-(vs 1) “Stand fast” in the Lord… this is saying to stand firm, stand your ground, persevere, continue on… Bottom line – make the decision that you won’t allow anything to come into your life that would cause you to sway or change your course.
-(vs 6-7) Expecting to receive when you pray produces thankfulness. Fix your thoughts on what God’s Word has to say over your circumstances and you will experience peace in the middle of any situation!
-(vs 8-9) 2 Corinthians 10:5 says to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. We Choose what we meditate on… meditate on these things!
-(vs 13) Paul understood that it is not our ability that makes us strong, but God’s ability in us. He knew how to draw from the grace of God and it empowered him in every situation. "For when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Cor. 12:10).
-(vs 19) The Philippians had proved their faithfulness through their giving and Paul was confident that the Lord would in turn meet their every need… Be faithful in giving to the Lord with a heart of worship and expect God’s faithfulness in meeting your needs.
Continue reading this chapter several times during the upcoming week.
Ponder the points…pray that God will open your mind to understand how His Word applies specifically to your life.
Faith Fuel - Philippians Chapter 3
[Pastor Tony Karns]
01/17/2012 9:09 am
By Admin, Admin
This week in "Faith Fuel" we are reading Philippians 3. What a great lesson in allowing the Spirit to guide our lives. Here we are on a physical earth, living in a physical body, dealing with physical emotions and trying to be Spiritual. The only way to accomplish this is to put "less value" on the physical....the flesh...and put "more value" on the Spirit. It's like I talked about on Sunday, "seek first the Kingdom of God". When we start putting God in the forefront of our minds, that process automatically re-positions our flesh to a less prominent place. My encouragement to you....Keep it there! Have a great week and take some time to enjoy your relationship with God.
See ya Sunday
PT
Faith Fuel
Jan 15 - 21, 2012
Let’s Pray!
Heavenly Father, open the Word to my understanding. Show me what it is You want me to see in Your Word today. Help me to apply it in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read Philippians Chapter 3
Points to Ponder:
-(vs 1-10) Paul understood that it wasn’t his actions or who he was in the flesh that made him righteous… he surrendered everything he once valued, trusted and depended on to make him right with God and received true righteousness by trusting in and depending on Jesus Christ alone.
-(vs 10) “… to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection.” We are called to know Jesus personally, and walk in the power of His resurrection. This “power” is God’s ability in us to overcome our enemies, defeat the world, the flesh, and the devil, and lead us into a life of absolute victory.
-(vs 12-13) One of the reasons why Paul’s Christian walk was such a success is that he refused to turn back, look back, give in or give up; in other words, he was single-minded in his determination to go forward in Christ! Paul was committed to God and pursued righteous living, showing others how to live a life of faithfulness and loyalty to God.
-(vs 13-17) It wasn't enough for Paul to just be in the race; Paul expected to win it! That needs to be our attitude too. No matter the cost, we are in this race to win it! Like the example we see through the life of Paul, we will win our race by continuing in faith, obedience and complete devotion to Jesus Christ.
Continue reading this chapter several times during the upcoming week.
Ponder the points…pray that God will open your mind to understand how His Word applies specifically to your life.
Faith Fuel - Philippians Chapter 2
[Pastor Tony Karns]
01/09/2012 2:34 pm
By Admin, Admin
Great beginning to the new year...working out, eating right and meeting resistance every step of the way. Church, the devil is never happy when we follow God and it seems like some of our biggest battles happen when we make the biggest commitments. Now I realize that you could go the low road and just never make a commitment, but I guarantee you that the hay-day the devil would have in your life because of the open door of disobedience would far exceed any temporary trial you may be going through. Here's the deal: Pray.....Read......Believe......Stand. Once the devil realizes you won't give in (submit to God) he will turn tail and run (resist the devil and he will flee). I'm glad you've made some good choices under the direction of God's leading. Let's win this battle together.... "SCORE" (awkward Sunday message reference :-)
See ya on Sunday
PT
Faith Fuel
Jan 8 - 14, 2012
Let’s Pray!
Heavenly Father, open the Word to my understanding. Show me what it is You want me to see in Your Word today. Help me to apply it in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read Philippians Chapter 2
Points to Ponder:
-(vs 2-4) The vision God has given Pastor Tony for this church is “Making a Difference, Improving our Future”. We are called to work together in unity, loving each other and working together with one mind and purpose to reach the world from Big Rapids.
-(vs 8) We humble ourselves to God by giving Him first place in our lives, acknowledging that He is “Boss” and “Master” and allowing Him to lead and guide us every day in every area of our life!
-(vs 12) Work out your salvation … we are saved by faith through making Jesus “Lord”. We need to “work out” the salvation that we have already received by choosing to put in the time and effort needed to grow, and allow ourselves to be transformed to look more like Christ.
-(vs 13) Be passionate about your salvation! Revere God and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and He will give you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.
-(vs 14-15) When we choose to live our lives according to the Word of God, we automatically combat being a part of a “crooked and perverse generation”. The Word of God renews our minds; it teaches us how to live, and when we choose to obey it, we become a light in this world.
-(vs 17) Obedience to God produces a joy in us. Paul was trying to share this concept with the Philippians. He was willing to rejoice in obedience to God, no matter what that obedience cost him, even to the point of death.
Continue reading this chapter several times during the upcoming week.
Ponder the points…pray that God will open your mind to understand how His Word applies specifically to your life.
Faith Fuel - Philippians Chapter 1
[Pastor Tony Karns]
01/02/2012 3:09 pm
By Admin, Admin
Well the Holiday season is officially over and now it's onward and upward through the new year. Last week we were reading the "Romans Road to Salvation". All these scriptures will help you in leading someone to Christ and I hope some of you got to use it over the holidays. Speaking of the Holidays, and New Years in particular, I started my resolution today....."get in shape". I actually am already a shape, but I don't want to be round anymore :-).....so it's off to the gym and healthy eating. I want to again encourage everyone to seek God on what He considers a good resolution for you and then, get to it. I know that with any instruction from God there comes a "God Ability" to get it done. Don't forget to draw on that as you head into completing your resolution.
Love ya all and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
PT
Faith Fuel
Jan 1 - 6, 2012 - Philippians 1
Let’s Pray!
Heavenly Father, open the Word to my understanding. Show me what it is You want me to see in Your Word today. Help me to apply it in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read Philippians Chapter 1
Points to Ponder:
-(vs 5) Giving financially was one of the ways the Philippians had shown their love and support for Paul’s ministry… likewise, we show our love and support of the spreading of the Gospel through our faithful giving of tithes and offerings.
-(vs 6) It is always God's desire to complete the “good work” that He began in us. We choose to have a successful Christian walk because we cooperate with God and are willing to be led by Him.
-(vs 9-14) Paul was willing to pay any price to spread the Gospel. His heart and focus was so fixed on doing what God called him to do, that any trial was worth it if it brought glory to God. What an attitude!
-(vs 14) Our attitude in the face of adversity can motivate others to be bold in their commitment to God… courage inspires courage.
-(vs 15-18) Even though there were people teaching the Gospel with wrong motives, we need to keep in mind that it is not the person giving the message that has the power to save, it is the message that saves. God knows the intents of our heart (Heb 4:12), be challenged to be passionately following God and excited about spreading the Gospel with a pure heart.
-(vs 19-26) “To live is Christ…” this means to know, love, serve and to follow Christ passionately. “To die is gain” is to be with God forever... Paul was saying that his sole aim in living or dying is to be on fire for God and bring Him glory. Is this your sole purpose?
Continue reading this chapter several times during the upcoming week.
Ponder the points…pray that God will open your mind to understand how His Word applies specifically to your life.
Faith Fuel - Romans Road to Salvation
[Pastor Tony Karns]
12/26/2011 3:09 pm
By Admin, Admin
What a great weekend! I loved celebrating Christmas with my church family. You are an easy group to love. Now that Christmas is over, you need to focus on the New Year and especially on your New Years Resolution. This year go about it prayerfully; ask God what you should change and you'll be amazed the grace that will be around you to accomplish it. I look forward to seeing you all in the new year.
PT
Faith Fuel
Week 11 - Romans Road to Salvation
Romans Road to Salvation
The Romans Road to salvation is an outline of what you need to believe to be born again, or make Jesus Christ Lord of your life. We believe that this is a great tool to understand the basis of salvation and is helpful in leading someone else in salvation.
-Why We Need Salvation--Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We must recognize that we are sinners and that we do not meet God’s perfect standard.
-Man’s Inability to Save Himself--Romans 3:10 “As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one.” No one can earn right-standing with God through their good works or actions.
-The Penalty of Sin--Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death.” The consequence of sin is death and separation from God.
-God’s Plan of Salvation--Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross and taking on Himself the punishment that we deserve.
-God’s Promise of Eternal Life--Romans 6:23 “…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Through Jesus, we can know God and live with Him forever in heaven.
-Man’s Responsibility--Romans 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” We must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for us and rose from the dead, proving that He truly is God. Salvation involves believing in our hearts and choosing to make Jesus “Boss” of our life.
-Results of Salvation--Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” By making Jesus Lord of your life, we are forgiven of all of our sins, past, present and future. Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Peace with God means that we can now have a real, intimate relationship with Him.
Faith Fuel - Romans Chapter 5
[Pastor Tony Karns]
12/20/2011 11:03 am
By Admin, Admin
Today I'm not talking about "Faith Fuel"... (although we are reading Romans 5 this week), but I wanted to thank everyone who was involved in our Christmas Program this weekend. What a great time of celebration around the true reason for the season. We had over 20 people who accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior along with many people who walked away knowing how to press into God to receive "Their Moment". We serve such a great Lord and it is great to see His anointing flowing through all of you. Great Job!!!
See you this weekend
Merry Christmas!
PT
Faith Fuel
Week 10 - Romans Ch 5
Let’s Pray!
Heavenly Father, open the Word to my understanding. Show me what it is You want me to see in Your Word today. Help me to apply it in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read Romans Chapter 5
Points to Ponder:
-(vs 3) Patience is not just passively waiting on God to do something… it is actively believing for the manifestation of God's promise regardless of how long it takes. That kind of perseverance will make you perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:4).
-(vs 4) Desiring the promises of God with an expectation of obtaining them is the definition of Bible-based “hope”. Faith then, is what brings the desired thing into manifestation.
-(vs 7) God sent Jesus to die for our sin while we were still sinners… knowing this, how could we ever doubt God's goodness toward us now?
-(vs 12-15) If we became sinners through what one man did, then we can also become righteous through what Jesus Christ did. In the same way that Adam was able to pass sin and its consequences onto his descendants, so Jesus is able to pass righteousness and all its benefits onto those who put their faith in Him.
-(vs 17-21) Christians are to reign in this life over sin. If you’ve made Jesus boss of your life, sin no longer has power over you. Through the grace of God, you can live a Godly transformed life!
Continue reading this chapter several times during the upcoming week.
Ponder the points…pray that God will open your mind to understand how His Word applies specifically to your life.
Faith Fuel - Romans Chapter 4
[Pastor Tony Karns]
12/12/2011 3:01 pm
By Admin, Admin
I was watching a movie the other day where a wealthy family's daughter was in love with a boy from the "poor" side of town. Now before you think I've been watching some sissified chick flick, I think the poor kid was a vampire or something like that :-) Here's the point, the rich family disqualified the boy because of his economical status. This is what Paul was dealing with in Romans. The "religious" people of the day didn't think that the "uncircumcised"... (the ones who weren't under the covenant of Abraham) could be saved or could follow God. This is something that we deal with within ourselves today; feeling that we are disqualified from accomplishing what God has called us to do because of our past, our families, etc........ That just isn't true. We are in right standing with God because of our faith. Faith isn't gender specific, income specific, past specific..... Faith is your personal ability to believe God. Everyone has been given the same ability to be in faith and to see the miracles in their lives that faith can provide. Don't ever cut yourself short. Keep that faith switch on in every situation and see the power of God flow through your life.
See Ya Sunday
PT
Faith Fuel
Week 9 - Romans Ch 4
Let’s Pray!
Heavenly Father, open the Word to my understanding. Show me what it is You want me to see in Your Word today. Help me to apply it in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read Romans Chapter 4
Points to Ponder:
-(vs 16) The promises of God can’t be earned; they can only be received by faith!
-(vs 17) God has given us the power to create with faith-filled words. If we are going to operate in God's kind of faith, we have to learn to speak out the things that we are believing for that haven’t happened yet.
-(vs 18) When we look at our circumstances through the Word of God, there is reason to hope. God has already provided everything we need to live a victorious life. Where “worldly hope” wishes that something good will happen, hope that is based on the Word of God knows that what God has promised will surely happen!
-(vs 19-20) This verse shows us how Abraham stayed strong in faith. The key is that he focused his attention on the Word of God! A person who believes the promises of God brings glory to God.
-(vs 21) Notice that Abraham wasn't just persuaded; he was fully persuaded. Many people have been persuaded that the promises of God are true, but they stop short of meditating on God's Word until they become fully persuaded.
-(vs 21) Pastor Tony has said it before: faith works like a switch; it’s either on or it’s off. When people are in faith, they think different, they talk different and they act different. The good news: if you’re not in faith, you can get there! Keep reading the Word of God and expect the Holy Spirit to help you turn the faith switch on!
Continue reading this chapter several times during the upcoming week.
Ponder the points…pray that God will open your mind to understand how His Word applies specifically to your life.
Faith Fuel - Romans Chapter 3
[Pastor Tony Karns]
12/05/2011 11:45 am
By Admin, Admin
This week we are reading in Romans Chapter 3. As Paul wrote the book of Romans, he talked again and again on the subject of righteousness. What's interesting in Chapter 3 is the subject of "all of us have sinned". Here's the point: We all have fallen short of God's perfect plan and we all needed God to make us right....righteous :) We need to learn to trust in God for everything, not just the big things. The more we depend on God in the little things, trusting in Him in everything, the more we will be able to trust and depend on Him in the big things. Enjoy Romans. It's much deeper than it seems... :-0
See ya Sunday
PT
Faith Fuel
Week 8 - Romans Ch 3
Let’s Pray!
Heavenly Father, open the Word to my understanding. Show me what it is You want me to see in Your Word today. Help me to apply it in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read Romans Chapter 3
Points to Ponder:
-(vs 1) If we know the truth of God’s Word, then we are responsible to do something with the truth that we possess; God calls each one of us to take the truth of His Word and share it with the world around us.
-(vs 3) People may reject God and His promises, but that doesn’t change who God is or the fact that His promises are available to those who believe.
-(vs 10-18) The bottom line…without Jesus, we’re sunk! The point is that it doesn’t matter who we are or where we come from, we’re all guilty of sin and that keeps us from being in right standing with God. The good news: God has put our sin on Jesus Christ and now righteousness is available to all who place their trust in Him.
-(vs 20) The law is meant to open our eyes to sin and lead us toward repentance.
-(vs 21-26) Obeying every “law” written in the Bible still won’t put you in right standing with God; righteousness can’t be earned, it is given to us when we put our trust in Jesus Christ.
-(vs 30) Everyone is offered the same justification (pardon), forgiveness of sin, and right standing with God through a relationship with Jesus Christ!
Continue reading this chapter several times during the upcoming week.
Ponder the points…pray that God will open your mind to understand how His Word applies specifically to your life.
Faith Fuel - Romans Chapter 2
[Pastor Tony Karns]
11/28/2011 1:06 pm
By Admin, Admin
This week we are reading the 2nd chapter of Romans. What a great life lesson to live by......don't just say it....do it! I remember back in the 80's, there was a commercial trying to educate people on the dangers of smoking. The commercial had a father and a son sitting by a tree. The son was mimicking everything the father did, including when he pulled out a cigarette. That image has stuck in my mind for all these years. I can still see the little boy's face as he accepted what was good and right by watching his father. How many people are watching us? We say we are Christians, but do we act like it? Do we talk like it? Do we think like it? I love the verse in James that talks about faith without works is dead. You can talk about it 'til your blue in the face, but if you're not living what your preaching.......... Hope you're enjoying Romans and I'll see you on Sunday!
PT
Faith Fuel
Week 7 - Romans Ch 2
Let’s Pray!
Heavenly Father, open the Word to my understanding. Show me what it is You want me to see in Your Word today. Help me to apply it in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read Romans Chapter 2
Points to Ponder:
-(vs 1-3) Understand that God is not judging today, but those who willingly choose to reject His mercy will someday be judged.
-(vs 4) God’s kindness is intended to lead us to repentance and to a radical life change. People who look for an excuse to sin need to question if they are truly born again.
-(vs 5) God is not indifferent toward sin… He’s already dealt with it through Jesus. However, we open the door for the enemy to kill, steal, and destroy in our lives when we choose to participate in sin.
-(vs 9-11) It doesn’t matter who you are, being right with God isn’t based on external privileges… it’s based on an internal decision; it’s a matter of the heart and whether you’ve accepted Jesus as “Boss” of your life.
-(vs 17-24) Spiritual pride is dangerous because at the root of it is an arrogant heart that rejects God. The opposite of that is a humble heart that acknowledges its need for God and surrenders to Him.
-(vs 18-28) It’s a fact that the world watches Christians to see if they are “living” the way they tell others to live. Our actions are important; they can make or break our witness to a lost and dying world.
-(vs 29) It’s not something we do on the outside that makes us right with God; the circumcision Paul is talking about is the heart of a person that loves God and is surrendered to Him!
Continue reading this chapter several times during the upcoming week.
Ponder the points…pray that God will open your mind to understand how His Word applies specifically to your life.
Faith Fuel - Romans Chapter 1
[Pastor Tony Karns]
11/21/2011 10:59 am
By Admin, Admin
This week we are starting to read in Romans. Remember, in reading this book of the Bible, that the Apostle Paul was dealing with a group of people who felt they were superior and that they were the only ones who God loved. Throughout this book we will learn how to correct bad attitudes, how to understand the love of God, and how to "live" in the love of God. This is a great book for encouragement and to use for ministering to others. I hope you enjoy it like I have!
PT
Faith Fuel
Week 6 - Romans Ch 1
Let’s Pray!
Heavenly Father, open the Word to my understanding. Show me what it is You want me to see in Your Word today. Help me to apply it in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read Romans Chapter 1
Points to Ponder:
-(vs 1-4) Salvation isn’t something to keep to ourselves. There are people who are lost and dying and as Christians, we are called to share the Good News and lead people into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
-(vs 5) When God calls us to do something for Him, He also gives us the grace to carry it out. Grace is God’s ability where our ability stops.
-(vs 10) Yielding to the Holy Spirit allows Him to minister through us and into the lives of others in a supernatural way. Our spiritual gifts are intended to build one another’s faith and promote spiritual growth.
-(vs 17) God’s saving power makes sinful people righteous (in right-standing with God), not by their own effort or because they earn it, but because they put their faith in Jesus Christ.
-(vs 18-31) God has made Himself known to everyone, but not everyone chooses to acknowledge God. Understand that worship is a lifestyle; we choose to worship God by submitting to the Holy Spirit and being led by Him. The outcome of that submission is a life of “good works!”
-(vs 32) Pastor Tony recently made this statement concerning Facebook… “What you leave on your wall, you endorse!” Our lives will either encourage people toward Godliness or encourage people toward the things of this world.. Make the choice to encourage people toward God!
Continue reading this chapter several times during the upcoming week.
Ponder the points…pray that God will open your mind to understand how His Word applies specifically to your life.
Faith Fuel - James Chapter 5
[Pastor Tony Karns]
11/14/2011 2:57 pm
By Admin, Admin
So we did it.....this week we will finish the whole book of James. This last chapter kind of puts the icing on the cake and turns our vision from "inward" to "outward". It starts by talking about patience. Let's face it, we need patients with ourselves, but we really need it with others. Next, James talks about caring for others and how to do that. My favorite part of Chapter 5 is the last verse...."Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins"......... Don't ever forget that what we do here on this earth has eternal value. When we learn to do the right things ourself, and then we learn how to care for others, that's when the church will start to function like the church should. Have a great week!
PT
Faith Fuel
Week 5 - James Ch 5
Let’s Pray!
Heavenly Father, open the Word to my understanding. Show me what it is You want me to see in Your Word today. Help me to apply it in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read James Chapter 5
Points to Ponder:
-(vs 1-5) When we take on the heart of God, we take on the heart of a giver. It’s all about being kingdom-minded and caring about the things that God cares about… People!
-(vs 7-12) … in other words, don’t give up! In the process of walking out your faith, continue to do the “good things” that keep you encouraged and heading in the right direction. In the end, we win!
-(vs 13-18) Understand that our position “in Christ” qualifies our prayers to be answered by God. Secondly, God responds to faith not to need. In other words, “fervent- effectual” prayers are prayers of faith that produce what we are believing God for.
If you want more scriptures about the promises we have because we are “In Christ” check out the mini book “In Him” for $2 in the bookstore.
-(vs 19) If you know someone is “wandering” don’t stand by and watch the enemy gain ground in their life. Take action by encouraging them to stay connected to God.
Continue reading this chapter several time during the upcoming week.
Ponder the points…pray that God will open your mind to understand how His Word applies specifically to your life.
| Page 1 » 1-15 of 55 |
9(0x0*Off)11(2*2)&utmwv=1&utmn=3859300539&utmsr=-&utmsc=-&utmul=-&utmje=0&utmfl=-&utmdt=-&utmhn=rlcbigrapids.org&utmr=&utmp=/noscript&utmac=UA-27114567-1&utmcc=__utma%3D78947100.1167982236.1329946054.1329946054.1329946054.2%3B%2B__utmb%3D78947100%3B%2B__utmc%3D78947100%3B%2B__utmz%3D78947100.1329946054.2.2.utmccn%3D(direct)%7Cutmcsr%3D(direct)%7Cutmcmd%3D(none)%3B%2B__utmv%3D78947100%3B)