Church Family,
As most of you know, we are in the middle of a kicking revival right now with Pastor G.W. Carroll from Brooksville, Fl. We started Sunday night as he preached a message on Fear and Anxiety. Many people were saved in that service, and many more delivered from various fears and anxieties. Some people testified that "the message was just for them". Last night he came with a heavy heart to ask two questions, they were powerful questions that everyone had to answer for themselves. The questions were: 1). If not Jesus, who? 2). If not now, when? These questions asked under the anointing of the Holy Spirit spawned the response of numerous people making their way to the altar, surrendering their lives unto Him (Jesus). Likewise, many people prayed the prayer of salvation and accepted Christ as their Savior, and many more were touched and ministered to.
Brother Harold spoke to me before service began and told me that his blood-sugar had been running over 300 since Saturday, and that he would not be able to make it through the whole service. He and I joined hands in prayer and agreement that God would heal him. He called me after church and told me that his sugar level was 158. Praise the Lord!
I am looking forward to tonight's service, I am anticipating a great move of God.
Mike Sanes
Pastor, The Harbor Worship Center
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Lost Values
Lost Values
Have you lost your values? This past Sunday we learned that when Israel disobeyed God it didn't take long for them to lose the values that once characterized who they were. The first value to go was their identity--they were once know for being the "People of God", now they had disobeyed God to the point that there was no longer a distinction between them and the rest of the world. I am afraid that is happening today in the church as well. Yes, we do want to win the lost, and I understand that we must meet them where they are, but I also know they can't stay like they are. Everyone sinner that Jesus encountered was changed if they were to become His follower.
The second value to go was their Usefulness. It follows logically that once you have lost your identity that it's only a matter of time, a very short time until you lose your usefulness. How could one be useful in the Kingdom of God that is no longer identified with the Kingdom? In other words, you have become like the salt that Jesus talked about that was supposed to be the "Salt of the Earth", but since it lost it's usefulness was good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under the foot of men. We were called to be the "Light of the World", but when we've lost our usefulness we become nothing more than a dim flashlight. It is good for nothing until the old batteries are taken out and thrown away and new ones put in.
The third value to go was her Strength; Israel could no longer stand before her enemies. Having lost her identity and her usefulness she now has no strength to fight anymore. She is like Samson who was once the strongest man of the Bible, but while flirting with sin he went to far, he could no longer stand on his convictions. He didn't have the power to resist evil any longer.
The fourth and final value was her Spiritual Sensitivity; she didn't even know or realize that she was backslid. Remember Samson? For three times Delilah bound him securely, or at least she thought she had. But the moment she said: "The Philistines are upon thee" he would break the ropes like flax. However, the last time when he finally gave in and told her the source of his strength while he lay sleeping in her lap. Then she said: "Samson, the Philistines are upon thee". He got up and went outside and shook himself as he had done before, but he didn't even realize that the Spirit of God had left him, and he had no strength to fight anymore. The Philistines gouged out his eyes and took him to prison.
Have you lost your values~?
Mike Sanes
Have you lost your values? This past Sunday we learned that when Israel disobeyed God it didn't take long for them to lose the values that once characterized who they were. The first value to go was their identity--they were once know for being the "People of God", now they had disobeyed God to the point that there was no longer a distinction between them and the rest of the world. I am afraid that is happening today in the church as well. Yes, we do want to win the lost, and I understand that we must meet them where they are, but I also know they can't stay like they are. Everyone sinner that Jesus encountered was changed if they were to become His follower.
The second value to go was their Usefulness. It follows logically that once you have lost your identity that it's only a matter of time, a very short time until you lose your usefulness. How could one be useful in the Kingdom of God that is no longer identified with the Kingdom? In other words, you have become like the salt that Jesus talked about that was supposed to be the "Salt of the Earth", but since it lost it's usefulness was good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under the foot of men. We were called to be the "Light of the World", but when we've lost our usefulness we become nothing more than a dim flashlight. It is good for nothing until the old batteries are taken out and thrown away and new ones put in.
The third value to go was her Strength; Israel could no longer stand before her enemies. Having lost her identity and her usefulness she now has no strength to fight anymore. She is like Samson who was once the strongest man of the Bible, but while flirting with sin he went to far, he could no longer stand on his convictions. He didn't have the power to resist evil any longer.
The fourth and final value was her Spiritual Sensitivity; she didn't even know or realize that she was backslid. Remember Samson? For three times Delilah bound him securely, or at least she thought she had. But the moment she said: "The Philistines are upon thee" he would break the ropes like flax. However, the last time when he finally gave in and told her the source of his strength while he lay sleeping in her lap. Then she said: "Samson, the Philistines are upon thee". He got up and went outside and shook himself as he had done before, but he didn't even realize that the Spirit of God had left him, and he had no strength to fight anymore. The Philistines gouged out his eyes and took him to prison.
Have you lost your values~?
Mike Sanes
Thursday, February 17, 2011
How to Live Triumphant in this World
How to Live Triumphant in this World
The apostle Paul wrote to the saints at Corinth to encourage them in their Christian walk. We find it in 2 Corinthians 2:14 (NRSV) 14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him. Here we find that God is expecting us to walk in triumph, that is, in victory, success, accomplishment, and achievement. He really does want us to succeed.
Some Christians have bought into the lie that says: “Once you get saved you will never have problems again, you will always be experiencing the best of everything”. To the person that believes that, you need to wake up from the dream you’re dreaming and revisit the Words of the Lord— Psalm 34:19 (NRSV) 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD rescues them from them all. And shame on the preacher/person who led you to believe that the Christian life would be a life of ease.
In this verse Paul suggests that the Christian life is a life of conflict. Just to use the word triumph suggests that there is a battle going on. When I read the Bible I find great men of God continuously dealing with adversity and conflict, yet remaining true to God. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, yet later stated that it was God’s will that he ended up in Egypt. He found himself in prison, yet he understood that God even had a purpose in that.
Job suffered the greatest of all calamities with the loss of, not just his wealth and reputation, but the loss of all ten children in the same instant. I can’t think of anyone in antiquity, or in the modern era, who has experienced more devastation than the colossal devastation that job experienced. Yet, despite this, Job finds the way to say--Job 13:15 (NKJV) 15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.
We find the apostle Paul in prison and dealing with demons and religious people; those that hated him despite the change in his life that was abundantly evident.
When I look at the words of the writers of scriptures, it is clear to me that the Christian’s life is one that is filled with conflict. Paul told Timothy, 1 Timothy 6:12 (NKJV) 12 Fight the good fight of faith; Peter said: 1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Paul would later tell Timothy…2 Timothy 2:3 (NKJV) 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. These scriptures make it obvious to me that the Christian life is filled with conflict.
The Christian life is also filled with triumph; the Lord does not expect us to live beaten down all the time. This doesn’t mean that we are not going to have battles and bad days, it does mean that we are victorious through Him, if we put our confidence in Him, regardless what the circumstances look like. Please notice the words that indicate triumph: Romans 8:37 (NKJV) 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Luke the physician would tell us: Luke 10:19 (NKJV) 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Paul would later say in 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NKJV) 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Please remember that triumph comes through Him, and not by our own strength. I remind you that—it is “in Him we live and move and have our being”, and without Him we are nothing. He is the one who causes us to triumph. He is the one who makes us more than conquerors, over-comers in this life. It is He that is in us that is greater than he that is in the world.
Paul said: He leads us in “Triumphal Procession”; this is an illusion to the days of Rome when a general would conquer a people and acquire land for the king. If the general’s accomplishment reached a certain level the king would put on a “Parade of Triumph”, in which he and his men would be honored as they strolled through the streets of the city.
Therefore, we understand that when we are going through battles and trials that God has not forgotten us, and people are watching us in the battle. God is receiving the glory when we perform well in the battle, and that fragrance of knowing Him is being spread abroad. It is enticing to other people when they see you holding up under the load and you confess that it is not by your strength, but by the grace of the Living God. They then say, I want that grace in my life as well! Remember what Isaiah said: Isaiah 40:31 (KJV) 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Michael D. Sanes
Pastor, The Harbor Worship Center
Monday, February 7, 2011
Harbor News
I am so excited about what God is doing in His church, and especially the part of His church that attends the Harbor Worship Center. I say that because I realize that His church is so much bigger than we are. We are just a small part of the sum total of His people. What I find so amazing is the fact that He loves us all the same.
This past week was huge for the Harbor. On Friday night the THUGS went Ice skating in Jax, and they were 45 strong in their group. Also, last Wednesday they set a THUGS attendance record by having over 60 in their group. Way to go THUGS!
On Friday the Children’s Team had 30 at a pizza supper, and the Worship Team had 6 at the Jason Crabb concert in Jax. I believe this is a testament to good leadership in each of these groups. Thank you for the hard work and dedication to the work of the Lord.
Yesterday (Sunday) we had 8 new couples attending the Pastor’s Breakfast for the first time. I want to say thank you to Eric Kneeland, Aaron Kirkland, and any others who had a hand in making that breakfast the success that it was.
The message yesterday was titled “Authenticating the Word”, and in this message I showed the relationship that exists between the Spirit of God, and the Scriptures. We learned that the Spirit inspired/authored the Word when it was written, but it is the Spirit also that illuminates the Word, and makes it comes alive for us today. The message will be up online soon. Check it out!
Good News! We have our trailer back. Thanks to the watchful eye of William Cribbs who saw our trailer in Brunswick while I was out of town last week. He made a few phone calls and got the police involved, a few hours later the Chief of Police called me while I was on the road and told me that they had a trailer pulled over that they thought might be ours. As it turned out, it was. Josh was able to get their first to identify it and take possession of it. Praise God we have it back! Thanks to William Cribbs, James Galloway, and the Kingsland Police Department.
Revival is only two weeks away. Please begin praying and seeking the Lord for a mighty move of God in this meeting. We really need an outpouring of His Holy Spirit to fall upon us all as it did in the Upper Room, and to prepare us for this end-time harvest that we are charged to reach!
Blessings!
Mike Sanes
Pastor, The Harbor Worship Center
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)