Prevailing Proofs…

The last message of the Promise of Awakening series was on Easter Sunday 2010. It was such a significant service. I felt the Holy Spirit fall on me in a very special way.

If you’ll remember, when Jesus was resurrected, people looked for proof of the resurrection. Was the stone rolled away? Was the body gone? Were Jesus’ footprints found on the tomb floor? Of course people wanted proof…this was quite a miracle. If we were there we probably would have wanted to see the proof too.

Not surprisingly, people today are still seeking proof of the resurrection. But, the sad part is, most people seem to be looking for evidence of resurrection in others instead of within themselves.

The question we should be asking is this: “Is there proof of Christ’s resurrection in my life?”

As a Christian, you should have three blaring pieces of evidence of the resurrection in your life.

First, are you moving toward purpose, fulfilling the call on your life? Second, do you outwardly profess your faith in Jesus? Finally, are you exhibiting inward peace that can’t be defined as anything else but the peace of God?

How you answer these questions demonstrates the proof of God’s resurrection power in YOU..

The church will receive the promise of awakening when the people rise up in their resurrection! It’s great to have intellectual knowledge of the resurrection. It’s great to know that Jesus is alive – now PROVE IT!

The proof of awakening is in a church rising up. The proof of awakening is in what you do in your life, the quality of the decisions you make, and in the relationships of the people you touch.

Saints, Jesus has been resurrected… now allow His Holy Spirit to awaken you today.

Love,

Pastor Steve

PS Oh, and don't forget to lie down on the inside sometime.

A Path to Patience…

Have you ever prayed, “Lord give me patience…right now”?

Wouldn't it be nice if it worked that way? It would except for the fact we’d all be spoiled brats if it did.

Whether you are a new believer or have been walking with the Lord for a while, sooner or later you learn that God’s timing is often not ours.

Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” It’s that proper time that requires our patience the most, but it can also benefit us the most.

We need to believe the things we think about and long for will come to pass. The word God gave us, the vision we have, the dream we have, the desire in our hearts that we’ve been hanging onto for years will bear fruit…if we’re willing to rest in Him. Remember the scripture, God will not be mocked; we will reap what we have sown.

Would it hurt any of us to be more patient? Oh sure it may hurt our flesh. I tend to get antsy a four way stop signs. But, does it really hurt us that badly to wait? Of course not, in fact, it could benefit us in more ways than we can imagine.

If we became more patient as a people, we would become a better father, mother, husband, wife, student, leader, child of God. Say this to yourself: A path of patience leads to a perfect outcome. Now, say it again.

You will never question an outcome of the Lord if you are on a path of patience. As a person led by the spirit, when you stay on a path of patience you can rejoice and celebrate knowing you can expect a PERFECT outcome!

Who doesn’t want to see better outcomes for their life? Staying on a path of patience will enable you to receive perfect, Godly outcomes.

You can do it; you can become more patient.

Love,

Pastor Steve

A Perfect Plan

If there’s one simple truth I want you to know today, it’s this…

God’s way is not man’s way. Sounds simple, but it’s a fact.

Sometimes, we do everything in our own power to know what God’s plan is for our lives. But, I’m here to say, unless we’re staying in the word, praying, fasting and giving…odds are it won’t be revealed to us. Never forget the power of the 3-fold cord – praying, fasting and giving.

The plans God has for you are pretty clear in scripture. Jeremiah 29:11 says God’s plans are good and not evil and are meant to prosper you. God also has a plan to win the world for Christ by equipping us to be significant in this life so we can lead people into eternal life through abundant living.

As it says in Ephesians 4, God’s plan is to give the Body of Christ the 5-fold ministry of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to prepare the Body for works of service so that the Body of Christ is built up and becoming mature. In short, God’s plan is for believers to be built up so they can grow up!

Remember, our lives are fishing bait for others.

Our lives should attract unbelievers to come to a knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is through Kingdom living and growing in Christ that we become equipped to do works of service for the glory of God.

That’s what BCC is all about…becoming equipped to do works of service for others. And so with that, I have a couple of questions for you.

How much are you contributing to the work of BCC? How much are you contributing to being the church of the Lord Jesus Christ?

I am not referring to financial contributions, although God does ask for that, I am calling you to works of service that begin with your heart.

The call that is placed on your life is to make a difference in the lives of those around you. God’s perfect plan for your life is to be mature in Christ and to be prosperous so that you can give to others.

Love,

Pastor Steve

A Perfected Mind

Clearly, our mission as a church is to impact the community with the power and grace of God. To help single mothers, couples seeking divorce, teens that are lost, older people seeking purpose - we gather together to help people. But, there’s absolutely no way we can do that…unless our thinking is right!

Our church’s vision is about living in the Kingdom of God; it’s not about food or drink…it’s not about what we wear or where we live. The Kingdom of God is right thinking, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The best example of right thinking in the scriptures we can find is with Jesus.

What would happen if we let our minds take on the mind of Christ? What could happen in this community if we started to think more and more like Jesus?

The most significant prayer I could ever pray over you is to ask God to help you think right. Imagine if we let the mind of our Master be the Master of our minds. Pray that prayer everyday: “Father God, let the mind of my Master become the Master of my mind.”

Faulty thinking will lead you to negative reactions and responses. Think about it… you cannot get a bad result if you are thinking right. If right thinking means we have the mind of Christ, what do you think that centers around? How about love? If you are thinking love…how can your outcomes ever go bad?

But when our thinking does go south, when thoughts enter our mind that are not Godly, we must take them captive and reconcile them with God’s Word. The battlefield of the mind is most often where we are attacked. Sometimes, thoughts of temptations come but the Lord promised he would always provide a way of escape when we use God’s Word to defeat the temptation.

Sometimes thoughts come to us challenging us about who God said we are. Saints of God, I don’t want there to be any doubt in your mind about who you are. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, in the image of God, chosen, set apart, more than a conqueror and victorious in this life. You mean so much to God that he sent his son, Jesus, to die for you. That’s how much you mean to God.

If you have any doubt who you are today, stop doubting and believe what God says about you.

Love,

Pastor Steve

A Peculiar People

What does an awakened people look like?

Well, they look peculiar. What’s another way to say it? Well, I guess you could say, we are unique, set apart, or just living in the Kingdom of God.

What does it mean to be a peculiar person? Peculiar people do things God’s way. We look different than the world. God would say we are a chosen people, and so we need to act like it.

If we begin to act like peculiar people and develop peculiar habits, the habits of the people would become the habits of the church, and at that point, we would become more effective in fulfilling the vision of the church.

Several weeks ago, I gave you 7 habits of peculiar people to help you become more effective in your walk with the Lord. Remember the bookmark I gave you? Allow me to refresh your memory. Peculiar people:

· Understand Scripture as the guide for their daily life

· Seek God daily in prayer

· Are devoted to following Christ no matter what

· Live each day guided by the Holy Spirit

· Are accountable to God’s house and His people

· Are obedient in separating themselves from the spirit of the world

· Seek to serve the body out of thanks to God

Think about these habits… take an inventory. Who are you becoming more like? Are you living the habits? A highly effective church is full of people with habits that make a difference not only in their lives, but also in their community.

I believe these habits will impact your life unto to the fourth generation.

If it quacks like a duck, then it’s probably a duck…you are a peculiar people so be peculiar.

Love,

Pastor Steve

Protecting the Church…

What do you think would happen if we really understood the fact that we are the church?

Can you imagine the possibilities that would unfold in our lives, business or school if we really understood that fact? I personally believe we would experience a new sense of God’s power and grace in our lives, we’ve never felt before.

The truth is, God’s move in our lives can be limited if we don’t know our role as His chosen. We don’t want to have any doubts about why we do what we do. That’s why I am encouraging you today to think of our church a little differently today…we are not a social club, organization, or even a building. Yes, we have been blessed by God with a new building, but it’s the changes we make in people’s lives that will be noted in heaven.

We have a powerful vision set before us. But, for us to fulfill it…we have to protect the sanctity of the church as a whole. That means keeping our dukes up and protecting the church. We are here to help people…plain and simple. God sent Jesus to earth to give us abundant life now and eternal life after that. Bixby Community Church is a church of refuge, restoring people to live God’s best now.

We have to remain effective. And, there’s no way we can do that unless we as a people protect the church’s reputation. Be careful who you walk, stand and sit with. Think about some of the things we say, the jokes we laugh at, the things we do. We have to be accountable to God and each other for our thoughts and actions.

We also have to protect the people. The currency in the Kingdom of God is relationships. We need each other and the only way we can carry out the vision of Bixby Community Church is through people.

Remember, God wants to increase His power in our lives, but first He needs to know we’ve fully awakened as His people. The promise of what God can do through us and for us, will be fulfilled by protecting the vision and reputation of the church in this community, and by bringing in those who desperately need His hope.

You see, the awakening occurs in our lives because we purpose to wake up. Awakening doesn’t happen just because we attend services. Awakening occurs when we purpose it to happen in our church, our families and in our lives.

Saints of our Lord Jesus ...Awaken to Abundant living!

Love,

Pastor Steve

NEW LOCATION! - Come join us!

Happy Valentines Day!

Today we celebrate love, starting with the love of Christ. What a blessing it was to have our first service in our new location at 12816 S. Memorial Dr.

Thank you to everyone that lent a hand, a hammer, a truck, ideas and more. We appreciate all of our Deacons, our leaders and every member of BCC. This new church location is about you and it exemplifies the community that you have become.

Already in 2010, we have added 15 new members.

We now have a place to gather on Sunday mornings for coffee and fellowship. There is more room for the kids and the youth and lots of room for visitors.

This Saturday, the BCC Leading Ladies will be meeting for fellowship.



Wednesday nights we will be exploring the book of Mark. Come join us at 7:00pm. Also, our Community Groups are back. We're starting up next Sunday, February 21st. Not part of a Community Group yet? Come to church and we'll get you connected.

God bless your week.