Don't Mess With Us

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” Luke 11:24–26 (NKJV)

A mentoring voice in my life has taught me some essential facts to remain aware of:

• God CREATES, the enemy COUNTERFEITS.

• God BUILDS, the enemy BREAKS.

• God works through VISION; the enemy works through DIVISION.
  

• God makes things BETTER & BETTER; the enemy makes things WORSE & WORSE.

In this vein, the teaching ministry of Jesus, as recorded in Luke 11:24-26, reveals that when it comes to the enemy, Satan intends to practice this measure of attack towards us:

What doesn’t kill you the first time will mutate and try again.

Jesus taught, anytime the enemy is cast out, our assailant will eventually come back seven times stronger for Round 2. This onslaught happens because the enemy has one thing on his mind, destruction. And, according to Jesus, our foe wants our end to be worse than the beginning! So, to prevent his plot from prevailing, we must walk in the awareness that the enemy preys on a clean but empty house. Meaning you can not settle for deliverance from the enemy. You must also fill your house with the presence of God so that you are ready when your spiritual nemesis and his more wicked friends come back.

In Luke 11, I think Jesus was relaying to us, we must invite God to be something more than a helicopter parent. Here’s what I mean, Genesis 1:1–2 shows us what it looks like when we allow God to just hover over our life:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2

If your relationship with God resembles the initial stages of Creation -- hovering over the Earth but not in the Earth -- then your life may mirror that of the Creation’s original state: without form, empty, and dark in the deep places.

• Are there places in your life without form or order?

• Are there places in your life where you are empty?

• Are there places in your life where you have become dark in the deep places?

If you answered “Yes,” to any of those questions, you must allow God’s Word to work in you. Because...

When you allow God’s Word to go to work, He can MAKE something of your life!

It was only after God’s Word had gone to work in the Earth that He chose to put His hands on the Earth and make something out of it. Something He would call, “Very good.” And, that ‘something’ was a ‘someone’; the first man.

"Let US make man in our image..." (Genesis 1:26)

All of Heaven was about to show up and MAKE something in the Earth. And, if there is one thing you learn in Scripture, it is you don't mess with US...

There is life-transforming revelation available in the Book Genesis. I would love to share more of it with you! So dive into this message with me, Don’t Mess With Us.

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Stay Awhile

I believe God speaks to us through dreams and visions. The Bible actually promises this blessing in Joel chapter 2. This is excellent news because Proverbs 29:18 tells us how bad we need it, “where there is no vision the people perish.” We must have a vision for our lives, or else we will wander aimlessly until death with no direction or purpose. Thankfully, God gives us direction because He has a plan for each one of us. He has a blueprint for our lives!

As a pastor during this present season, I believe an appropriate vision strategy for our church is to refine the remnant, who will recover the wounded, and then reach the lost. God has a remnant that He would like to refine, shaping and molding us so that we can be used to go out and recover the wounded and ultimately reach the lost.

The word remnant is used in the Bible over 300 times and means a small remaining quantity of something. This significant usage of the word in Scripture reminds me of Jesus’ words:

Remain in me, and I in you. -John 15:4 (CSB)

Jesus wants to have a relationship with you. He wants you to dwell in Him. But Jesus also lets people walk away. Two places in Scripture lay this out, Luke Chapter 9 and Luke Chapter 18. This approach by Jesus may seem shocking, but it’s true, God allows people to walk away because He desires us to go all-in with Him. God gave His only Son so that He can have a relationship with you. But you can still decide to say “I’m not going to follow Jesus.”

In Luke 15, we see the following unfold. First, if, like the lost lamb, you are wounded, hurt, or broken down, Jesus will come after you, just like He did the one lamb out of 99. Second, like the lost coin, if you are in the house of the Lord, but never received salvation, Jesus will take the lamp of His Word and place a preacher in the pulpit to seek you out. But, through the parable of the lost son, Jesus also shows us that if you are going to be rebellious towards the ways of the Father, then you may have to “come to your senses” before there can be complete reconciliation and restoration. Jesus does NOT come after the rebellious.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. -John 15:7 (CSB)

Think about the depth of this promise. You can ask whatever you want in alignment with God's Word, and it will be done as long as you remain in proper standing with God. He rewards those who stay. Yet many people lack the commitment to stay or remain in anything these days; jobs, marriages, friendship, the list goes on. Everyone wants what they want and they want it right now. As one great preacher said, “We live in a microwave generation but serve a crockpot God.” So, rarely do we remain in anything that makes us uncomfortable or that becomes too challenging. We claim failure, but truthfully we just quit before God’s timing is evident.

Some heartbreaking statistics are coming out of last year, 2020. For example, one in three people walked away from practicing their Faith in Jesus Christ, and most churches in the United States of America have lost 30% - 40% of their attendance. Some of America’s largest churches have lost 50% or more. People are choosing not to remain. They are deciding not to follow Jesus, and He is letting them go.

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. - Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

I want you to feel encouraged by this truth: when you remain, God will renew your strength! Don’t quit. Wait. God will break every yoke the enemy tries to place on you when you remain. A remnant is that which remains. Choose to be a part of what God has left. God is looking for those who stayed, who still love Jesus with all their hearts, minds, and souls. God is examining who He has left to use.

What we are experiencing in the world of the church today is the ideology of man colliding with the theology of God. Too often, in modern Christianity, we only touch the surface of Scripture, wanting a motivational sermon with a sprinkle of God on top. Because the Word of God isn't being taught thoroughly, there isn't a proper understanding of the Word. Lacking a firm foundation and only having very shallow roots, yoked with confusion, difficulty, and attacks from the enemy, many people decided to quit their faith. They didn’t remain in Jesus. The Word of God gives you the strength to stay! NOW is the time to become firmly planted in the house of the Lord and deeply rooted in the Word of God. If you do, Psalms says you will flourish!

We are living in a world that has lost its mind. We call good evil and evil good and sin without blushing. It’s becoming increasingly evident who remains in God and who doesn’t. We’ve fallen into “I”-dolatry, making it about me, myself, and I all the time. Instead, it needs to be about God all the time! We need clean hands and pure hearts. If we're not careful, we can consume all the inappropriate content fed to us by a culture gone wild and never develop and strengthen our staying power to remain in God.

Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in the holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol… He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Lift up your heads, O you gates!... And the King of glory shall come in. Psalm 24:3-7 (NKJV)

Psalm 24 is all about what God has left -- the remnant -- a group of people that claim they will not do anything that puts their staying power at risk. A group of people that says I’m not going to yield to anything that draws me away from remaining in God. I will wait upon the Lord with my eyes up and hands clean. I will be available to God for such a time as this!

We learn from Psalm 24, the best way to remain in the Lord is to exalt Him. Ascend into His presence. Keep putting Him first! In your family, your workplace, and your community. Lift Him up and magnify Him above everything else. When you live this out, you will remain. Your prayers will be powerful, and whatever you ask for will be given to you. Your strength will be renewed; you will not grow weary! Every yoke that binds you will be broken, and you will be a part of the remnant that impacts The Kingdom of Heaven by restoring the wounded and reaching the lost!

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We invite you to watch this weeks message, Stay Awhile, from Pastor Eric Gilbert, because we believe that you are a part of the remnant that will impact the The Kingdom of Heaven!

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So What Are You Going To Do About It?

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin…”

-Zechariah 4:10 (NKJV)

Most people struggle with getting started because the starting point can begin slowly and seem small. But Zachariah 4:10 implies that God greatly enjoys watching us get started and watching the process develop. We should not despise our small beginnings.

Pastor Eric recently read this truth, and shared it in this message, "So What Are You Going To Do About It?" When it comes to making a positive difference in the world, change occurs when someone, somewhere takes responsibility for changing himself or herself and takes action to help others change too. Without the actions of some person, somewhere change does not happen.

This is a powerful truth, because we all can identify problems in our lives. Maybe you’ve noticed a problem in your community, your family, or your church. Oftentimes after identifying the problem we have the thought "Someone should do something about this!" But I wonder if you've ever asked God what He would like you to do about it?

So what are you going to do about it?

“You will never be who you ought to be until you start doing what you ought to be doing.” -Pastor Eric Gilbert

Good intentions aren’t enough. Potential isn’t enough. We need to be people that do something and take action because God loves doers. You might remember this from last week's message, Hope Helpers, if we want to make a difference we have to begin doing things that make a difference.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. -James 1:22 (NKJV)

As Christians, we have divine help in making something happen! Why? Because of 1 John 4:4, Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. The force that is within us is greater than the force that is against us! We should not be discouraged by the enemy. He’s just a bully! We have the power to create change and influence change! We have the empowerment and the enabling of the Holy Spirit within us to begin to change our sphere of influence!

Pastor Eric encouraged us to start applying these 3 Starting Points to our lives TODAY to create change not only in our own lives but the lives of others:

• Start Sharing Your Faith

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. -Acts 1:8 (KJV)

• Start Being Generous

A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men. -Proverb 18:16 (NKJV)

• Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. Trust God to do what you can’t, because God is able.

“When you feel a sense of conviction about an issue, start moving in the direction you believe it should go even when you are uncertain.” -John Maxwell

God does not subscribe to the ideology that we’ve paid our dues, and there is no final destination in this life. God wants to take us from glory to glory! Don’t get stuck on the question “What can I do about it?” Just start moving in the right direction. You can take what you’ve learned and the experiences you’ve gained and impact change!

That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping- believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “that’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham's faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead-and so was Sarah's womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this, he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. -Romans 4:17-21 (NLT)

Abraham never lost hope and believed in God’s promise. His faith only grew stronger and he brought glory to God. Isn’t this what we all want our life's testimony to be? That at the end of the day we brought glory to God because we knew that He was able! God is able! He will help us create and influence change.

Pastor Eric had some very encouraging reminders for us if we plan to live lives that bring God glory and avoid discouragement along the way:

• God Enjoys Small Beginnings

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin…” - Zechariah 4:10 NKJV

• Keep Hoping Like Abraham

• God is Able. Nothing is impossible when God gets involved.

The blessing of Abraham is available to anyone who believes. Check out this message, How to Receive & Respond to the Blessing of Abraham, to learn more about the promises of Abraham! Change may start slow and small, but if we keep hoping, God is able, and we will walk in a level of blessing greater than we can imagine or comprehend! Find hope in the fact that you are a child of the Most High God and you are blessed coming and going!

Many people will seek change, but never realize that they are empowered to be the change. Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world.

You have the power and God is able.

So what are you going to do about it?

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE | MESSAGE NOTES