So what are we rebelling against? I think we there are lots of things we should be pushing against and the list can be as detailed as you want or as broad.  The question is what is God calling you to Rebel Against? What have you accepted in your life that is just not right? What has become “status quo”? Is it an attitude, grudge or just an open sin that you have said “Well this is just Me…Who God created me to be”? All of these things can and do become routine in our lives and if we allow them they will be the things that keep us from showing our Friends REAL LIFE found in Christ. So I am asking you to join me. Will you Rebel against what has become normal and mundane in your life and reach for something Greater. If so I welcome the company…you see…Most people don’t expect you to understand what we’re going to tell you in this Sermon Sries. And even if you understand, they don’t expect you to care. And even if you care, they don’t expect you to do anything about it. And even if you do something about it, they don’t expect it to last…

Well I do.

God Bless

Vince

I think that we allow the circumstance around us determine our stop and go and really that shouldn’t be the case and I want to talk specifically about our “attitudes”. I know that everyone is different, thank you Jesus for that gift, and we all respond so differently to situations and circumstance but why is it our attitude changes. Why do certain things make us Grumpy and hard to be around. I get tickled at the people who have one bad thing happen in their day and the rest of the day is suddenly in the trash. You know the type…”car won’t start, day is shot” or “stubbed their toe when they got out of Bed, and they are mad and no amount of coffee can fix it”. Well first, if you are either one of these people,…stop it.

Our attitude is one of the first things that People see about us and how we respond to different situations is a great witness for the Kingon of Jesus Christ when we keep our attitude in check. I know we live in a culture of “me first” and “if I don’t like it tough”, but really who has had everything go their way? Not anyone of us so please do not let one moment of bad attitude ruin a possible witnessing situation for you today. Philippians 2:14 Do all things without grumbling or questioning,

If you have a complaining attitude…Look around and see the people and things you are complaining about. God may show you something you were not expecting. And wouldn’t it be great if He used you in the situation to make it something you won’t need to complain about.

If you have an unforgiving attitude…Read your bible. Love God, Love People…hard to do that if your hanging on to what so and so did. It has always amazed me how quickly we forget the times we have wronged others and how strongly we hold on to the times we have been wronged. Just some food for thought there. Luke 6:37“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.

So When is comes to your attitude yell out “RED LIGHT!!!” (Not like in Wal=Mart or in Class, That would just be Strange) and let God walk you thru. Well gotta go. If you have an attitude you are praying about leave it in the comments sections. I would love to pray with you about it. Or if you just need to share something with me… leave a comment. All comments are screened before being posted so if it is private I will see it before anyone. Thanks God Bless. See ya @church.

I wanna put it in your head about a Series we have coming up in Sept called “REBEL”…No, you know what I don’t want to give too much away. So let me just ask you some questions…

—Do you ever think about why nothing seems to Change?

—Why are people not tearing off the doors of the Church to get in?

—Does God have you in the plan to change all that?

There you go that is all your getting. Sorry, I told you it is coming. September 19th. You should already be telling your friends about it.  So before I go today wanna leave you with a thought about brokenness and surrender.

The greatest story in the scripture on the path to brokenness is found in the 15th chapter of the book of Luke. We know this story as the prodigal Son. The path that leads to being broken is one that we all take some way or another. Now maybe you have not taken the journey yet but it is just a matter of time. I want to begin explaining broken ness. If something is broken as a potters vessel it is impossible to put it back together like it was there will be differences and that is not necessarily a bad thing in fact it is the purpose of the breaking. The Son was about to start his journey to the broken place.

 1. Brokenness begins with you.

If you think it was anything save pride that lead the boy to do what he did. In essence what he ask was that his father hurry up and Die. He was too concerned with self. Dad since your not dead yet. I would really like my portion because I can do a better job with it. Now I would never believe that we as church people have ever thought that our idea was better than God’s.

2. Brokenness gets you to where there is nobody.

The Boy in His wisdom lost everything. And He joined himself to a citizen, became a servant or basically less than a servant. The journey to brokenness takes us to a place where we look around and find that there is no one that can fix us. No advice, no counsel nothing will do and finally you are in a place when you listen. I can remember time arguing with my parents when Dad would just have to stop me and say “Vince think”. This stage of the journey is the one when you look and see what you truly are not what you think you are. It is a humbling picture.

3. Brokenness leads us to the Father.                                                                                                                                                                                      The greatest picture of God in view of Salvation is found in this passage. Vs. 20                                                                                                       ” And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”                                                                                                                                                                                  When you make the decision to Come to God He see’s you, loves you and runs to you. It all starts with Brokeness.

Just some stuff to think about. God Bless

But Seemingly something stops us from asking or talking about it. When in fact it is not that hard to say 8 words “Why don’t you come to church with me?” Well I know that it’s not always that easy, there are things that get in the way and I want to bring some to light:

1. “I don’t know what to say” – It can be hard to know exactly what to say but usually it is because we assume that everyone we ask is gonna ask us the deep theological secrets of the bible and frankly we are trying to figure that stuff out too. Well the truth is that people are really just looking for answers and if you don’t know them you don’t know them just be the Traffic Cop…The traffic cop doesn’t always know where you are going but when you pull up to him he gives you direction that benefits you. So that is what you do in speaking to someone with questions direct them to someone who may know. You don’t have to know where God is leading them only that they need help on the journey.

2. “What if they tell me…NO” -Nobody enjoys rejection, Just tell a 2 year old no and see the response you get. But God in His infinite wisdom prepared us for this…There are 6,000,000,000 people on the earth. Someone will say yes. You have to just realize that it is not personal and if it is personal pray that someone else reach that person.

3. “Someone else will bring them” -No they won’t…Only you have the influence that you have within your circle of friends and family. So realize that it is up to you to Bring “ONE MORE”. Don’t get caught in the trap of being Lazy just because you think someone else will handle it. Someones life may depend on you asking a simple 8 word question.

So…Go Get’em!!! (See back to the exclamation points again). Joshua 1:9 tells us not to be afraid…it tells us to be strong. Now it time to go to work. Let’s find ”ONE MORE” for the kingdom.

We were returning some table to the elemetry school, here in the Metropolis of Flippin, When a Little Boy Ran up and said “Hey, You’re Braydens dad!”. I thought for a minute about that and laughed about how I am now recognized by My Children. But I couldn’t get his words outta my head for some reason. Then it hit me.

If God Walked into your Day to Day life would people say “Hey, There is So and so’s Dad”?  I was curious how the young  Boy knew who I was, but The longer I thought about it…I came up with a few things…See what you think:

My Son Told Him—Maybe that was it…And it hits me again Do people know that God is my Father because I tell them. I remember the Playground when I was  Kid…”My dad is Bigger, Smarter, Faster, etc. than your Dad”. Remember those days, We used to brag on our fathers and tell anyone who would ask about them. Do you do the same with your heavenly Father? Do you tell them He is bigger than their problem, He is Faster than their Fear, He is Smarter than they are? Maybe more people would know our Father if we would tell them about Him.

There was a resemblance—In some ways Brayden looks like me. Do you look like your Heavenly Father? Does your life resemble His? What have your actions this week told people about your Father? I know you all have seen that Kid in the supermarket acting like a “caged badger” and you’ve thought “I wonder who or where their Parents are?”. Are people saying the same things regarding your walk with God? I have to wonder if there are people I should apologize to for giving them the wrong idea about My Father because of the way I’ve acted. Jesus, I pray that I resemble my Heavenly Father.  Help People know you through me.

How about you? Are you Braggin’ on your Heavenly Father? Does Your life look Like one He would be Proud of? I Hope So. If you have a Home Church Have a Great Weekend serving the Lord. IF you don’t and are needing a place to find answers…Come hang out with us at Real life.

God Bless

Over the next 4 weeks at Real Life  we are gonna be diving into the “Vintage” traits that these folks had. What I would like is some help and some testimony. Do any of you have people that come to mind when I say “Vintage” Faith, Prayer, or Worship.  Let me tell you about a “Vintage” Life that impacted me.

Virgie Simpson…sounds simple, but don’t be fooled. When My family moved to Mtn. Home AR. it was new experience for a kid who was used to living on Lake Michagan. I met Virgie at our First Church service and had no idea the effect she would have on Me. Over the years Virgie’s Faith kept shining through, either with her prayer life or her encouraging words or just her Smile and sense of humor she was just “right”. When I graduated from High school I left for Los Angeles, CA and was a little scared and worried and that was when Virgie gave me a note and told me not to open it till I got on the Plane. It wasn’t till I was flying over the Rocky Mountains that I remembered the Note and I opened to find what would become my favorite verse in all of Scripture…”Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of Good Courage. Be not afraid or confused for the Lord, Thy God, is with you, No matter where you go.” Joshua 1:9. I was encouraged and empowered by her words and strength. Someone told me one time “When I pray the Devil gets mad…When Virgie prays the foundations of Hell Shake”. Lord give a “Vintage” Faith like Virgie’s and the many that have gone on before.

So tell me yours…was it a parent, a friend, an anybody here’s your chance tell your story. Leave a comment below I wanna know about these “Vintage” lives that have impacted you.

God Bless, Vince

The Command…

Colossians 2:6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,

I love this because is so simple to wrap my little mind around if you call yourself a Christian act like a Christian. Make sense to everyone? But yet this is one of the biggest problems that we have today is the people’s faith or Christianity only shows on Sundays. If you haven’t told your friends you were going to church or that you got saved would they know by your lifestyle? As you have received Christ…WALK IN HIM.

The Instruction…

 Col. 2:7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

The main focus of verse 7 is that we take the Next Step.  Be rooted or have some deep roots into what you believe. And then come the part that we touched on in the first point…established in the faith. Are you established in the Faith or are you still walking around in your probationary period…You know what I am talking about right you get a new job and they say well we want you to work 90 day so we know what we got. Some of you do the same thing with God. “Well I feel like God is talking right to me this morning I will try it, and see what I think, but if it isn’t as fun or doesn’t make me feel as Good then I will just go back to my lifestyle”. God doesn’t require a probationary period. If you are serious about Faith in Him then God will establish you.

 The Warning…

Col. 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits  of the world, and not according to Christ. 

“IF I am a good person, God wouldn’t let me go to Hell”. “I believe that as long as you believe something God will understand”. “All Gods point to the same thing”. “If you hug a tree then you will gain the energy from the tree”. Anybody else got one???

The world will do everything that it can to throw you off the track and the Devil does that thru philosophy and empty deceit…Notice it says human traditions and then elemental spirits of the world. Sometimes there is a demonic or spiritual influence at work and then sometimes we make the devils job easy by just following what everyone else says…tradition. Let me be clear here. Cause this gets twisted. There are traditions that are not bad. But if they get in the way of the spirit of God then they are.

The Promise…

Col. 2:9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, (10) and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

It is in Jesus we can win this battle. Verse 10 tell us we are complete in Him. Finished in Him we don’t need anything else but Him. “But Vince I am flawed and bmroken and the sin in my life is too much and to bad and to often what Can Jesus possibly do with me…” I want you to look at another verse with me this morning…

  Col. 2:13 And you, who were dead in your Sin…(now Check this out!), God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our Sin, (14) by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Let Him Take your stuff…The sin, the doubt, the fear and Nail it where it belongs on His Cross.  That is how you can take your next steps… Now take them.

1. God will find you where you’re at.

Acts 12:6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.

A lot of people doubt the idea that God can reach them. Well Peter proves those people wrong in this passage. God searches for us and what a wonderful thought that the

God of all creation wants to find you. And sense He is God He will.

Jer. 23:24 Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD.

2. Regardless of Circumstance if you’ll be obedient, God will provide the means.

Acts 12:7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him.

I love the idea in this passage that the angel tells Peter to get up and then the Chains fell off. I think that a lot of people doubt the idea that if God calls then He will equip. God has never ask anyone to do anything that He hasn’t given the tools.

3. Follow God even if you don’t understand.

Acts 12:9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.

If I could explain all the blessings I have seen in the church I would be a rich author, but sometimes the fact that God is just God needs to be enough.

4. Make sure God gets the credit.

Acts 12:11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”

When the God thing happens in your life please recognize that it is God and not anything you have done.

5. When you submit to be great for God. Reactions will be different.

Acts 12:13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door.

14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.

I want to Challenge all of you by touching on something that I hit on in our Engage Class on Sunday afternoon. In the Book of Acts and the 3rd chapter there is a story of a man who has been layin’ outside this gate his whole life asking for money. Now in society this man had no worth at all. He just sat outside the gate and Asked for money. Now Peter and John were on their way to church and saw this guy, we know this because Peter tells the guy to “look at him”. I wanna encourage you this week to “see someone” this week. I know we are all busy, but just a little bit of your time can mean the world to someone else. Who knows you may run into someone just like this guy…no they may not be handicapped like this guy, but they may feel just as alone and helpless.

The next thing we see Peter do is give the guy what he has. The text says “Silver and Gold I don’t have, but what I do have I give it to you…in the name of Jesus Get up and walk.  I wonder are you giving people what you have or are you giving God excuses. You know the ones I am talking about “I don’t know enough bible to tell people about Jesus” and “I don’t know if anybody will listen to me”. I love it that Peter wasn’t stressin’ about what he didn’t have, but focused on what he did. You may not be a bible scholar or the next Great Preacher, but you got something that Jesus has done in your life…right? So…Give them what you have. Tell them YOUR story. Tell someone how your life has been changed. See what happens when you do.

This Guy stood up and went into church “leaping and running and Praising God”. You have no idea what will happen if you just take some time and give people what you got.

Go ahead love someone outside your box.  See how God uses YOU.

Hope to write again on Wed.  Hey let me know if your reading this stuff, leave a comment.

God Bless

In Mark 10 we see the sory of the blind beggar. I love the story because for me it clearly illustrates that God is interested in giving vision if we will do our part…

1. Cry out to Jesus-

Mr 10:47 And when it came to his ears that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he gave a cry, and said, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.

Notice the man Cried out to Jesus. when he heard that it was Jesus walking by he got making noise. It is no secret that Jesus knows excactly where we are, but often we miss out on his blessing because we don’t invite him into the situation. So the the first step in this text “Invite him in to your situation”. He gives us opportunity…

Re 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Let’s be brave enough to take it.

Tomorrow I will touch on being discouraged from recieving vision