Monday, August 31, 2009

Challenging Video



Let this challenge you to see that Ford City and Kittanning need you, as well as the rest of the world, to share your love for Jesus Christ. Don't hold back. It's time we step up and accept our responsibility to "Go and make disciples." We don't want Sunday and Wednesday Christians. We don't want Christmas and Easter Christians. We want sold out to the Lord Jesus Christ Christians who are not ashamed of the Gospel.
Lord, help me, and help us all, be bold for You. Let us not shrink back but let us take ground for You and for Your glory. Amen.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

G20 Prayer Summit

My 200th blog post will be concerning the G20 Summit coming to Pittsburgh September 24-25. If you have a chance click here and join in a 30 day journey of prayer for this event. Pastor Jeff Leake has put this together with other pastors to unify in prayer for God to do great things as these leaders gather in Pittsburgh.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

10 Things that Could Keep Your Church from Being All it Could Be

1. Lack of Identity and Vision
2. Lack of Excellence
3. Lack of Exposure
4. Lack of Welcoming Atmosphere
5. Lack of Kids/ Youth Events
6. Lack of Good Preaching
7. Lack of Genuine Worship
8. Lack of Intentionally Reproducing Leaders
9. Lack of Intentional Outreach
10. Lack of Continued Pastoral Growth and Assessment
-By Rich Fogal

This was posted on a friends blog from Rich Fogal. I thought these were interesting and wanted to get your thoughts. Where do you think the New Life Center is when thinking about these 10 things? Comment me.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Prophetic Word from Matt Sorger

This is long but definitely worth the read. Comments are welcome.

From Charisma online---Prophetic ministry...
Editor's Note: The following message was released by Matt Sorger in his ministry newsletter on June 15. He received a tremendous response to it, and I wanted to make it available to those who haven't yet read it. Though it is not in the form of "Thus saith the Lord," it is an important word of caution for those of us who love the prophetic and may be tempted to seek the spectacular demonstrations of the Holy Spirit over a genuine encounter with God through His Word.
I am witnessing an alarming trend in some of our charismatic circles and services. I travel full time on the road all across the United States and in other parts of the world. Each week I am ministering in another state or nation to a new group of hungry believers wanting to live in the fullness of God's Spirit. Several times in the last few months I have made a disturbing and grievous observation. Before I share it with you, let me give you some of my personal background.
I was saved at the age of 14. I am thankful to have been raised in a solid Bible-preaching, Spirit-filled church. The Word was always given a priority. The necessity of living a holy, sanctified life was always preached with conviction. I took my first steps of walking, living and ministering in the Spirit there.
As a young pastor I was given some room to begin to spread my wings when the anointing and power of God began to move through my life. I took full flight when I launched out from pastoring six years ago to travel full time in a "prophetic revival" ministry.
My years before pastoring were spent seeking God, spending time in personal devotion and study of the Word, and attending a great Bible school in Rhode Island. Upon graduation I stepped into the pastoral ministry. I learned many valuable things during those years that I carry with me to this day. Life experiences have a way of shaping you into the person God has called you to be.
I want to define "prophetic revival" ministry. For me "prophetic" means hearing and then declaring a true word from God, either through preaching and teaching God's heart as revealed in His Word, or speaking forth an anointed word directly from Him. Both types of prophetic ministry should be solidly rooted and grounded in Scripture.
"Revival" holds a dual meaning for me. I see it as stirring up in the church a deeper passion for God and learning to live and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, and then watching that passion overflow through the lives of believers into the world around us. The power of God in the life of the believer is not supposed to be contained. It must overflow and impact the world around us.
An Alarming Trend
Now I must share with you an alarming trend I have witnessed. I have seen it even in my own meetings! Because this is hitting so close to home I can no longer be silent. I am a man of deep convictions, and it is time for me to share them with you.
Recently, after a meeting I was standing near my resource table greeting people. A woman approached me to share about the wonderful overflow of the Holy Spirit she had experienced in the meeting the day before. She could sense a whole new level of God's presence. It was clear she had been deeply touched. But she proceeded to tell me something that caused me to raise a "red flag."
She said, "You know, when you started preaching, I thought, I have heard this before. I really came looking to hear something I had never heard before. But the presence of God in the meeting did have a profound impact on me, and I am not the same." I rejoiced over what the Lord had done for her, but at the same time I grieved.
That same week, after we had finished only one day of meetings, a pastor I was having lunch with shared his thoughts. The night before I had preached a word the Holy Spirit had placed on my heart. After the preaching of the Word, I was led by the Spirit to call some folks out from the audience, and I prayed for them with a clear demonstration of God's presence and power. I left the meeting rejoicing.
The pastor didn't share my enthusiasm. He said to me, "You know, if the preaching of the gospel could have gotten the job done, it would have been done a long time ago. What we need are the signs. I just want to see the stuff. I don't want you preaching. Preach just a few minutes. We want the miracles."
It became apparent that what this church wanted was a charismatic show—the "signs following" with no preaching of the Word. I'm sorry, but I am a Word preacher.
I believe their outlook reflects an alarming trend in the prophetic movement. It seems that we are unintentionally cultivating the idea that the truth of the gospel, which emphasizes the power of the cross and blood of Christ, is no longer good enough. We need signs, signs and more signs. A life transformed by the power of God's amazing Word is not enough.
People are clamoring: "Let me hear and see something new—something I have never heard or seen before, something that will wow me!" So we have hundreds of hungry believers fascinated by stories of supernatural encounters that have been, at times, exaggerated by charismatic personalities.
I want you to hear my heart in this. I am all for supernatural encounters. I have had many myself, and I know of others in ministry who have had some beautiful, real, life-changing supernatural encounters with God. But I am not into charismatic hype or manipulation. Just say it like it is. Don't exaggerate, add to or blow something up just to make a good story or to sell a bunch of CDs.
I am not being negative. I am seeking to bring balance into a movement I am proud to be a part of—a movement that at one time didn't want to hear just empty words but words backed up with real substance, power and glory.
I want the real thing! I want the real manifest presence of God. I want the real miracles, the real signs and wonders, the real angelic encounters (as God chooses to give them to me). I don't want a hyped-up version.
And I don't want to hear something new and different just for the sake of hearing something I have never heard before. I want my everyday life encountered in a real way by God's Word and anointing. I want to hear something that I can apply to my life. I want the fullness of God's Word to renew my mind, change me from the inside out and fill my life with real power and glory.
People who want to hear only something they have never heard before are in serious danger of opening themselves up to a gospel that is different from the one we find in Scripture. If you are running around looking for a new revelation without first putting into practice the hundreds of revelations given to us in God's Word, you are looking in the wrong direction. God has not called us to be flakey. He has called us to be solidly grounded in Him, to preach the gospel in season and out, and to impact the world around us as salt and light.
I love the prophetic. I love the supernatural. But the moment we start wanting signs without the Word of God, we are in trouble. And this is what I have been seeing.
Recently two pastors in different parts of the United States told me that they wanted the preaching of the Word to be kept to a bare minimum, with an emphasis placed on the signs and wonders. I need to set the record straight: Signs follow the preaching of the Word. If you become a sign-seeker apart from the Word of God, you will not be grounded, and if you are in ministry, you will build an unhealthy and weak foundation in other people's lives as well as your own.
The Most Precious Sign
The sign I am most after these days is the sign of a life transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want to see people hungry to truly apply the Word of God to their lives—not desiring simply to hear something new but to put into practice what they already know.
I want to see people walking in love. I want to see people living righteously. I want to see people knowing who they are in Christ so the devil can't continually beat them up. I want to see people experience the abundant life Jesus came to give them. I want to see people preaching the gospel in power, laying hands on the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. But we can never forget that the power of the gospel is revealed through the foolishness of preaching—not just preaching our good stories, but preaching the Word of God with power and authority. A sign without the Word points nowhere.
I want to encourage the body of Christ in these days to evaluate everything you have believed and be sure it is pure gospel. Go back and read the New Testament from cover to cover and ask the Holy Spirit to write upon your heart the full counsel of God's Word as revealed in the New Covenant. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth and to be sure your foundations are strong and solid.
Never neglect God's Word. It has the power to change your life. As you soak in God's Word and in His presence, you will live a truly Spirit-filled, Spirit-empowered life that will make a real difference in the world around you. Go and be the salt and light God has called you to be!
About the author: Matt Sorger is a prophetic revivalist who ministers the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit in conferences, prophetic healing revival services and miracle crusades throughout America and around the world. He also hosts pastors and leaders conferences to train and equip leaders in the power of the Holy Spirit. In his meetings, many are instantly healed and infused with greater passion for God. Learn more about him and his ministry at mattsorger.com.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Interesting Video...

I've been challenged by another blogger to make sure that I'm blogging if I'm going to have a blog. I have not been good at that.
With that said, check out this video and let me know what you think. I am interested in hearing your thoughts and opinions on this. You may have already seen it, but if you would, type down your thoughts.