Tag Archives: spiritual growth

The Road Through Romans: Faithfulness

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

100_5431

We are continuing our study through the Book of Romans. Currently we are in Romans 1:20 speaking to the invisible qualities or attributes of God. If you have missed any of our conversations on this subject you can catch up with them on THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE.

Romans 1:20 reads,

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

We have spoken to God’s: Wisdom, Infinitude, Sovereignty,  Holiness, Trinity and Omniscience.

Today we are speaking to God’s faithfulness. Watch this.

But where does creation display God’s faithfulness? In lots of places. Faithfulness itself is the idea that God functions according to certain character traits that do not change. These traits make God dependable or faithful. Because God is like this He has set in motion a creation that also operates according to certain “character traits” or laws that do not change. For instance:

The law of gravity is something we can depend on. What goes up must come down.

The law of seed time and harvest is something we can depend on. Summer will follow winter. Winter will follow summer and so on and so on…

The creation reveals to us that the character of the One behind it must be steady and faithful.

The Road Through Romans: Omniscience

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

100_5431

Today we are going to pick back up on a thread we dropped a few weeks ago. That is our verse by verse study through the Book of Romans. If you need to refresh on what we were speaking about you can find those conversations on THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE.

Today we are dealing once again with one of the invisible qualities of God that are revealed in the creation. As Romans 1:20 says,

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

We have so far spoken about God’s: Holiness, Infinitude, Wisdom, Sovereignty and Trinity.

Today we are going to be speaking about God’s omniscience. That is the fact that God knows everything. Watch this.

The Word of God testifies to God’s all-knowingness in many places. Psalm 139 for instance:

 

“You have searched me, Lord,

and you know me.

2You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

4Before a word is on my tongue

you, Lord, know it completely.

5You hem me in behind and before,

and you lay your hand upon me.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

7Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

8If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

11If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,”

12even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

13For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

15My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.”

Beyond the testimony of the Bible, though, a careful consideration of the creation itself testifies to God’s omniscience.

If we consider that the world and the universe were created by God we must come to the conclusion that He must understand all He has created in order to create it. Creation as an act, in all its wonder, demands not just a superior intellect but nothing short of the knowledge of all that was and is and ever shall be.

 

Directions From Morning Scripture2-24-16

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

img_20160202_073953.jpg

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth.

9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Psalm 46

 

What helps you to come to stillness before God?

Prophetic Word: The Rise Of a Generation

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

 

img_20160202_073953.jpg

On Sunday February 21st during Cornerstone’s second service I received a prophetic word which I shared with our congregation just before the preaching of the word.

“The Lord says I am raising up a generation in these last days and I speak to it. It is not a generation of age or years but a generation of dedication. I speak to it in total not in part, to every age, not a portion or age group.

I speak to you little children for you have just come to know My Son and there is a great journey ahead of you, but I have given you strength for it.

I speak to you young men for you have overcome the evil one but there is much more for you to do. There is much more for you to overcome and you are just coming into your strength.

I speak to you elders and fathers for I am not finished with you yet.

I am about to fall in fire again. Little children you must be clean that my fire does not burn you up. Young men you must prepare that you may harness my fire and use it to light the darkness. Elders you are called to mentor a generation in a Pentecost they have never seen, known or experienced. I summon you to bear witness of the times you recall that a new generation may know the way.

This fire will inconvenience you. It will be uncomfortable. It will be as it was in the past when it cost your forefathers everything to bear the light, but they paid the price so that my Son’s name would be known.

You must not say I am too young or too busy or too old. For I am calling those who are too young and too busy and too old to put aside their youth and their schedules and their age that one last time my Son’s name will be made great in the Earth before the judgment.

Will this be the church? Will this be the generation who answers my call?

Magnification Mondays 2-22-16

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

Today we begin by magnifying the name of the Lord here at Lillie-Put. It’s alL part of our “build a culture of worship initiative”. Will you be part of that culture of worship? If so create your own Mag Monday post and link to this site or just pop your song or testimony in the comments section below.

For more information about Bebo Norman read HERE

 

 

The Keys To Presence Pt. 4

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

Today I want to finish up some thoughts I began a few weeks ago regarding how the church can better access the presence of God.

If you recall we have been talking about 4 keys that usher in the Presence. They are:

HOLINESS

PRAYER

UNITY 

AND….

EXCELLENCE

wpid-20150731_183759.jpg

Excellence in the arts

I have the privilege of ministering in the church I grew up in. That is not an opportunity many ministers can claim I suppose. One of the advantages it gives me is that I have been able to observe the move of God among us since the very inception of our fellowship.

Cornerstone was about a year old when I first visited. The one thing I remember about the fledgling congregation was the incredible presence of God I experienced when I walked through the doors. I was actually overwhelmed by the supernatural essence of love that I felt coming from the church. I also remember being absolutely entranced by the worship that was in the place. Honestly that is not something that should have happened.

In those days our worship consisted of a piano player who could only play three songs in one key, a worship leader who had never led before and whose repertoire consisted of mostly Christians campfire songs, a drummer, a bass guitar player, a clarinet player who had completed a grand total of six lessons, and a group of teenagers on various instruments who could read music but had no music to play from for the services. To say our worship team was sub par is probably being generous. But we did the best we could with what we had AND GOD SHOWED UP.

your Profile Photo

That right there is the definition of excellence- doing the best you can with the resources you have.

Excellence is not a standard; It is an attitude that God honors. We were excellent back in those days because we worked as hard as we knew how, with what we had, in order to do what God required of us.

Today excellence at Cornerstone looks a little different. Our three worship teams meet weekly at three different scheduled times to practice their worship sets before services. People are expected to practice at home before rehearsals and a certain level of musicianship is expected before a person comes on to the team. Our worship leaders must not only sing but read and play music to a certain level and that level is increasing as we move deeper into the work God has for us.

100_1593

Excellence in the arts

God blesses excellence, which is the determination to use God-given talent to its optimum level, not the talent itself.

The presence of God honors people who approach the ministry with a desire to give it their best shot. He can make up the deficit between our natural ability and the required level of craftsmanship. What we must do is determine to give every ministry opportunity the best of what we have to offer. That is excellence.

I would love to hear your thought son this series.