We are excited to have Landon Spradlin as our guest on July 15th – 7pm @ our Camden Campus! 

Landon shares his testimony through word & song, and is well known for his amazing blues’y’ style.

We know that you will be blessed by his message, and his music.

Mark this date on your calendar! Plan to come… and bring your friends as well!

We are looking forward to sharing this exciting evening with you, and seeing God move in a mighty way!

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Only God can touch our hearts and give us the desire to seek and to know Him, and to want His will, plans, and ways above our own.
Jeremiah 24:7
“I will give them a heart to know me.”

1 Chronicles 29:18-19 – David’s Prayer
“O LORD, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make Your people always want to obey You. See to it that their love for you never changes. Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees…
Philippians 2:12-13
Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.

3 Things that will keep us from pursuing God

There are things in our life, that can become CAGES to our pursuit of God, keeping us locked up (like animals at the zoo – who can’t go any further than the 4 walls) – so we remain in the same position week after week, never really going anywhere with God.

1. Responsibilities

Responsibility is VERY good to have & is a sign of maturity, but when we get trapped into “doing” & “focusing” on EVERYTHING else but our relationship with God – it becomes a trap to us – and something that is supposed to be a good thing – actually brings a space between us & God.

* If we are younger it could be:
schoolwork, some sport, some sort of practice, events, activities, etc.

* If we are older it could be:
 job, housework, planning for the next big thing in our life

2. Routine
• When you get into a rut, it’s hard to get out!
• Insanity is… continuing to do the same thing, but expecting different results!
• The saying goes…. a rut is simply a grave with the ends knocked out!
We don’t want to get stuck in the mud, but free to pursue God with passion!
3. Failure – past failures or fear of future failure

Romans 3:21-24
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins.
When we come to God – repent & turn from our sins – He washes all those things away! He already knows us – including our shortcomings – and He loved us still!
Ask Yourself This Question – “Do I KNOW GOD?”

I mean REALLY know Him!
Maybe you started out knowing God & used to feel closer, but things feel a little cold between you?

** Passionate people are driven by the pursuit of something greater than themselves!
How can we know God more – and rekindle our passion for him?
** Spend Time With Him **

- More time in prayer
- More time in the word
- Thinking about how Great God is more often
- Spending time with other believers who are going to encourage you in the Lord
- Sharing testimony & encouragement with others

I love this quote:

“We are dying when we have nothing worth living for.
And we don’t really start living until we find something worth dying for.
And… ironically, discovering something worth dying for, is what makes life worth living.”

Churches in Rome, NY

 This week Pastor Jonnie spoke to us about the need speak words of life to those around us, and how God doesn’t want us to be critical of one another.

1 Timothy 4:12 shows us the need to be an example even in our conversation.
“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

Here’s how it reads in the Message bible.

“And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.”

Conversation = the way you live

Your Language is tied to your actions!

Eph 4:29-32
“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

Pro 18:21
“Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

In 2 Samuel 6, we saw how Michal, David’s wife, was critical of her husband’s worship & became barren (not able to have children) the rest of her life!

If we want to have a fruitful life – we will sow words of life with our tongue!

Video:

“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself by eating the king’s food or drinking his wine…”

We learned about how Daniel made hard decisions throughout his life, and how even in the face of possible death, he would not make himself unclean by living like the world around him.

Daniel “purposed” or made a strong decision not to allow things to creep into his life, or to keep him from developing his relationship with God. We have to do the same! It is easy to allow things that seem small to turn into large traps in our lives.

Integrity = Completeness, wholeness, honesty

Integrity is developed behind closed doors when no one is looking!

This was the question we asked ourselves…

How do I act when others aren’t around to see?

Video:

Video: Lifestyles, making the right choices even in the little things!

It was a great way to kick off the new Camden Campus held in the Camden Middle School Auditorium. The messages were very helpful in bringing our focus to those who need Christ in every area of our community.

Our new series is called: “Lifestyles of The Pure & Holy”

Our aim is to show the contrast of how the “world” might choose to live, and how Christ shows us to live in His word.

The creative team has been putting together some great videos to go along with the weekly messages. They have been a great example of things we “shouldn’t” do or say as followers of Christ. Some people might say… those things are just “little” things, but as we will learn from God’s word, those “little” things are big things to God!