Weekly Devotions with WG Pastors
Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
The writer is exhorting us to stir up one another. As a church family we can encourage one another in love and good works. By doing this we will help strengthen our brothers and sisters as we see that Day approaching. What Day? The Day that our Savior returns.
The best way to stir up one another is by example. Jesus said in John 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
So I encourage you to keep that special relationship that we have here at Worship Generation. To be a witness to the World that we are God’s Children, true Disciples of Jesus Christ. We will be known by our love for one another.
An unbelieving World will see this special love that we have with God and ourselves. They will be drawn to the Lord and put their trust in Him. And just like David said in Psalm 34:8
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
God is good
Pastor Bob
Ephesians 1 - “By the will of God”
In the beginning of Ephesians chapter 1, Paul starts his greeting to the church with: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Notice that Paul knows that he is an apostle by the will of God. God equipped Paul and gave him an assignment to share the good news to the Jews and then on to the gentiles. In this time of uncertainty, we can also know “by the will of God”, He has us where we are and who we are with. I encourage you to not lose sight of the ministry opportunities God brings you in your work place, with your neighbors, at your school or with your family. These settings may be for a life time or for a moment, but God allowed it. God used the time Paul was under house arrest to write so many of the letters we read. If Paul became consumed with the hardship and frustration of his physical surroundings, he would never have the peace to hear from the Holy Spirit and write these letters to us. The journey we are on is going to be unpredictable. We have a choice to fly solo and let our emotions drive our decisions or seek our Father and trust God as He leads the way. The latter will strengthen our faith and allow us to see the unique ministries God has for each of us. Understanding we (Christians) are completely covered by the grace of Jesus Christ, we can also endure all things with the peace God extends to each of us.
God bless you this week,
Garett
2 Timothy 4:5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
On New Years Day I taught Luke 17:1-10. Then at the end I talked about the Saturday night service in 2nd Timothy 4:6-8. I like to read the whole chapter and as I read it verse 5 stood out.
At Seaside Terrace we have a good size group of believers that love to sing and hear the Word of God. We have been getting a lot of complaints from non-believers. One man that reads many languages and is a mighty evangelist is being hit the hardest.
After the service he wanted to talk with me about the threats he was getting from some people and the management. He was fed up and very angry. We prayed and then I told him what Joey had said the night before.
Now put yourself in this picture. Here I am a 62 year old man counseling an 85 year old man. I said to him even though my pastor is only 50 years old he does have wisdom. I told he what Joey said about picking your battles. This is what he needed to hear. He had that peace back. This man had fought the good fight, he had kept the faith and he is ready to finish the race.(2nd Tim 4:7)
God is good
Pastor Bob
“…and be sure your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23
Moses had seen the effects of sin on an entire generation. He had also seen that God deals with sin. An entire generation of Israelites could not go into the promised land because of unbelief, murmuring, complaining, idolatry, immorality, and a host of other sins. Out of that generation, only two would enter…Joshua and Caleb. Moses knew that for sure sin is found out. Notice he says “and be sure”. God doesn’t miss a detail and He doesn’t compartmentalize our lives.
There is not one day more “holy” than another. We are not to act like Christians the day we go to church and then be different on other days. Their are physical laws like gravity that we can’t violate or we pay the price and likewise their are spiritual laws that are just as certain. ”Do not be deceived, God is not mocked.
Whatever a man sows that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”
It’s a sobering word…and it’s true. As we reflect on this time of year and the birth of Christ, our Savior, we need to reflect on the great lengths He went to pay for our sin. I have a newborn at home and he is amazing, but he is so helpless. He needs everything done for him. It’s hard to believe that Jesus was born like one of us. I can’t comprehend the depth of His love for me. Paul said that the love of Christ surpasses knowledge. His love for us goes way beyond what we could ever fully comprehend. It is His kindness that leads us to repentance. As the text says, our sin will find us out. Let’s not play with sin, but turn from it and truly repent. Let Christ’s incarnation remind us of how much it cost Jesus to be our Savior.
God bless,
Jeremy
1 John 4:9-10 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Love was defined for humanity in the sending of Jesus. Love was made real, tangible, comprehendible to humanity through the salvifical plans of God the Father. As Humanity seeks to define what Love is, all organizational skills or protocol to find love are prolonged because the root of love has been redefined in creation rather than a Creator. Our peers, friends, family seek to find love in a created entity rather than in the Creator & Definer of Love. Though our timeline to find Love is limited, we are willing to go to unlimited places in search of our definition of Love.
Though the Bible clearly defines the purpose and definition of Love, the world seeks to redefine Love for themselves. They want to give love a better name. They want to recreate Love with earthly ingredients. In doing so, they dethrone the Creator & Initiator of Love.
When it comes to loving one another, the Christian is called to love without expectation, unlike the world who loves with many expectations. We should Love with an expectation that Our God is working through our love. As we “live through” Christ we will define love through our actions and behaviors. We will clarify what “Love” is to people who are seeking ways to Love and be loved. In this, they will be able to “Behold, what manner of Love the father has bestowed upon us that we might be called children of God”. They will be able to recognize the One who initiated Love and defined love.
People want to be loved, people want to know what love is. Since the church has the ingredients to solve this dilemma, we need to be proactive in the preaching and teaching of this love. I encourage you to really take hold of the power of this Gospel this Holiday Season. Depend on the Gospel, for it is the Power of God unto Salvation. People are broken and they need to know that God So Loved them. In a season of giving, they need to know that because God loved them, He Gave. In His Giving, God restores.
Be Encouraged,
HM
Psalm 51 – Repentance
Pastor Joey taught Luke 13:1-9 Saturday night and I taught it on Sunday afternoon. As I was driving home Psalm 51 came to my mind. This Psalm is all about repentance. It is a prayer of repentance of David after the prophet Nathan had confronted him about Bathsheba and Uriah. (2 Samuel chapter 12) It has 19 verses that are to the heart and that’s what I want to talk about. Verse 1 “Have mercy upon me, oh God.” Verse 3 “For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is always before me.”
David is asking God to “Blot out all my iniquities.
“Create in me a clean heart, oh God and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Verses 9 and 10)
What we are seeing here is the Lord giving David a completely new heart. This is an example of God’s total and complete forgiveness.
Isaiah 1:18 “Wash me, and I shall be as white as snow.” When we come to repentance we receive a new heart, we become a new creation. Our sins are no more. I think that it is important to note that God doesn’t just repair our old hard heart, no He gives us a new heart. One that bears good fruit like we see in the parable of the fig tree.
It is amazing how sin can rob us of joy in life, but repentance can restore that wonderful joy of salvation. In verse 17 David writes “Restore to me the joy of your salvation. And uphold me in your generous spirit.
I was so encouraged by our pastor and so blessed with Psalm 51. I hope that this blessed you all as much as me.
God bless,
Pastor Bob
Romans 8:22-23 Be Ready!
Lately, everywhere we look there are movies or books caught up in the end times. News reports on wars breaking out or rumors of wars to come. News clips of natural disasters hitting with higher frequency and record intensity. Even in our own personal lives, we experience financial and medical hardship and uncertainty. Paul said in Romans 8:22-23 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only [that], but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. But are we? Joey mentioned the term “normalcy bias” where we can let the routine we see overrule (in this case) the warnings God has shown humanity. Last Saturday Joey shared from Luke 12:35-59 where Jesus gave warning after warning to be ready, watching with our lamps burning for Christ’s second coming. Like Paul said in Romans, we join in these groans because this fallen world is not our home. We (Christians) won’t feel home till we can be in the presents of our Lord.
Some Christians have looked at major events in the past; say the people of that period felt Christ’s coming was soon. Using those examples, they justified a view that we don’t know when and we that we shouldn’t be concerned over the matter. We don’t know when, but Christ placed great importance on what we should be doing in the meantime. In the USA we can slip into this view easily due to our comfortable lifestyles and literally no persecution of the church. The changes we have seen in recent years are a wakeup call to many. Remember, God is on the thrown, Christ is interceding for us with the Father and Satan’s days are numbered (read Revelation, we win!!). Let’s not be found sleeping but excited with where God placed us. Christ wants us sharing the good news of the gospel (the world is hungry for good news), our lamps burning bright, our garments girded and ready to work, reading His word, praying and watching for signs. This will keep us in His will and grow our faith as we trust everything to Him because He is faithful.
God Bless,
Pastor Garret Frisby
Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. “
I was listening to a radio program that gave this verse as a reference. I prayed about it and read this verse over and over. It really stood out to me. I got really excited about what it said. It is such a beautiful prayer of hope, joy and peace. I got all warm and fuzzy each time I read it, and I was going to share this with all of you. Finally after I was so puffed, and about to pop, God stopped me long enough to ask, Robert do you want to know what I want to teach you? I stopped and listened.
It’s not about feelings. Feelings can fool us. Feelings change all the time. Our feelings can change depending on what we eat or how much sleep we get. Don’t put your faith in joy or peace. Our belief is based upon the fact that God said it. The power in this verse is in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Finally I was on the right track. I started a journey to discover the power of the Holy Spirit.
First stop was Genesis 1:2 “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” This is the power of the Holy Spirit in creation. Job 25:13 “By His Spirit He adorned the heavens.”
Second stop, Christ’s birth Luke 1:35 “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
Third stop, The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1st Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
Fourth stop. I will end here. The power of Holy Spirit has the ability to break a hard heart. A person with a hard heart can listen to family or a preacher a million times and not make a difference, but by the power of the Holy Spirit that person can be saved. 2nd Corinthians 3:3 “Clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not in ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart” Galatians 4:6 “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your heart, crying out “Abba Father”
So join me on this journey. I have just touched on a few points. What a much deeper study this was for me when I finally stopped to listen. I pray “That you may abound in Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
God Bless,
Robert Lewellen
Psalm 90:16 Let us, your servants, see You work again; let our children see Your glory.
As we begin to serve the Lord, it is our goal that others would benefit, and that the Lord would be magnified through us. As servants of God, we get the privilege of seeing people benefit from our service. As we co-labor with Jesus, the kingdom of God is edified and equipped for the work of the ministry. We see their countenance change at the distribution of Grace and Mercy from the Word of God. As the Saints are equipped, the very word that equipped them, is the same word that becomes the source of life for their surrounding peers.
In this verse we see the Psalmist imploring that God would let his people see Him work again. This prayer not only affirms that the heart of the people was right, but it implies that the past and current situation had been lacking the power and presence of God. Though they had been serving, working, laboring, their actions may have lacked the power of God. This was the very thing that the Psalmist placed on the table as he met with God. He wanted the servants to see the Working of God amongst the people. He wanted the next generation to see His glory through the effective labor of the nation of Israel.
We have all read the Historical Compromise of Israel as they struggled to keep a Monotheistic Culture. Currently, we are observing a nation try to rebuild and redefine their foundation with a cornucopia of spiritual/political perspectives. Though both entities experimented with possible solutions and agendas, we can all agree that these “solutions” also lack/ed the power and presence of God.
We the Redeemed, the Church, should continue to pray this Psalm into the next generation. That the current servants would keep their hands to the plow, not looking back (Luke 9:62). That the children of our church would be encouraged in the serving aspect of their Faith in Jesus. That the next generation would see the Glory of God in every aspect of ministry through the serving team. May our labor continue to show His character, not only to the unbeliever, but that our children would see His glory.
God Bless You,
Hector Mora
Deut 6:23-26
“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ‘
Many of us are very familiar with this text and usually read it as God’s blessing toward us. Yet there is very specific instruction being given here to the spiritual leadership on how they are to bless God’s children. To be spiritual leaders in the home, in the workplace, with the relatives, or wherever… and have God use us to ‘bless’ others- whether it be our children or someone we barely know- has got to be one of the greatest experiences in the Christian life. It could be something as simple as an encouraging word or something a little more complicated like a guy in a truck helping you dig your car out of 3 feet of snow in freezing weather after you’ve hit a patch of ice. True story… just a Christian brother driving by that night and decided to be a blessing and give us a hand.
Yet it’s a very quizzical thing when you’re in fellowship, in the word, doing all the right things and then one day find yourself lacking in the ‘being a blessing to others department’. And it’s not that you need to be changing tires in sub-zero temperatures, it’s not about the dramatic, but more so… it’s the state of the heart. And truly for these men to stand before a nation and bless them with such words… they themselves needed to understand and believe the words first. To know that He’s gracious, that He keeps them, that He gives them peace. The same is true today as it was then. Like the psalmist would put it in psalm 103, “Bless the Lord O’ my soul, and forget not all His benefits”. It is a very difficult thing to ‘Bless’ others when I myself have forgotten or am ungrateful of how God has ‘Blessed’ me. It is so easy in today’s society to forget or devalue all that God has blessed us with in not just family, health, friends, and a home… but also grace, peace, joy, forgiveness, and even Salvation. But when we not just simply ‘acknowledge’ these things… but believe and understand that it is God who has given us these things… we become grateful and allow for God to come in by His Spirit and change our countenance… our hearts… and our ability to be a ‘blessing’ to others. We are then able to be ‘gracious’ even as He has been ‘gracious unto us’. We are then able to forgive & encourage even as He has forgiven and encouraged us. We are then able to ‘Bless’ others… even as He has ‘Blessed’ us! May we “forget not all His benefits”!
God Bless,
Pastor Alex
Psalm 71:3
Be my strong habitation, To which I may resort continually;
You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress.
This passage is from one of the Psalms of David. I love to go through the Psalms and pray through them as I read them. In this Psalm, David is pouring out his heart to God regarding help and deliverance from his enemies. I see David as a humble, broken man that is dependant on the Lord for his deliverance. He is not trying any clever schemes, or using manipulation to try to work through his difficult situations, but instead he is crying out to God for strength and patience and deliverance. The Psalms give us a glimpse into the heart of David, where we see why God calls him a man after His own heart. David pursued the heart of God and desired to have his heart conformed and shaped after God’s. Not that David was perfect, but he pursued the One who is perfect. That is what the Psalms of David bring out. That is what they reveal. Notice over and over, time and time again, David goes in and out of one difficult situation after another, and what I find amazing is that his feelings and heart, the deepest issues and concerns, are not recorded in any conversations to friends he had. The deepest issues and concerns, joys and struggles, confessions and praises are all poured out to God in the Psalms. This is what made this man great. He was dependant on the Lord. He was humble before the Lord. He was grateful to the Lord. He was in awe of the Lord. He spent time with the Lord. So when he found himself in a difficult situation, as is the case of this Psalm, and his enemies seemingly are on all sides against him, he goes to the Lord, who is there for him all the time. He comes to the One who has been faithful time and time again and he can say with confidence in the midst of great opposition, “You are my rock and my fortress.” Trials, difficulties, opposition shouldn’t drive us from Jesus, but instead drive us to Him. Jesus said to his disciples to not be surprised or thrown off coarse by trials, but instead to look to Him and trust in Him. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
An old hymn says it so well:
‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word; just to rest upon His promise, just to know, “Thus saith the Lord.”
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er! Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!
O for grace that we would trust Him more.
May the Lord bless you this week,
Jeremy
Isaiah 43:1-13 “I work, and who will reverse it?”
In this Chapter of Isaiah, we see the God of the Old Testament begin to clothe himself in the Promises of the coming Messiah. He begins to communicate His agenda to his children as they would gather from the ends of the earth to declare His Promises over their lives. As they would come together, they would apply Verse 10, and begin to experience the reality in Verse 11.
Throughout history, the God of the Universe has continued to persevere in Love towards Humanity. Through the Church, his Love has been manifested and dispersed to unloved and un-churched people. We, the church, not only get to participate in God’s love toward the unbeliever, we also get to experience God’s Love for the church. We get to experience the very presence of the Holy Spirit as He teaches us and brings clarity to all-things Jesus. When the Israelites only had a glimpse of what God was going to do, we the church have the opportunity to worship a Christ who has risen and is coming back for His Church.
Before the sun was created, His majesty illuminated the earth. Before there was a need for light, He was the Light. Before we could admit our sinfulness, for the joy set before Him, he endured the cross, despising the shame. From the point of our salvation until now, there is no other god who can reverse His Working. He is the Author and the Finisher. Him who has begun a good work will finish it. He works in us and through us, and no foreign god can reverse it. Be encouraged, His gifts are irrevocable. That which the Lord has done in your life cannot be taken or edited out of your life, it is the evidence of the Living God working in and through you. Who can reverse it?
Be Encouraged,
Hector Mora
“…the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.” - Exodus 37
Monday August 15, 2011
The latter portion of Exodus describes, with great detail, the layout of the tabernacle. The description is very specific because it is a pattern of the heavenly things. The Holy place would have the table of showbread and the lamp and the alter of incense, but beyond the veil, into the Holy of Holies was the ark of the covenant. Within the ark were the Ten Commandments, representing the law. Above the law was the cover of the ark, which was known as the mercy seat; and above the mercy seat where two cherubim. The text says, “the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.” The tabernacle gives us a pattern, a picture in a sense of what the angels in heaven are in awe of, amazed about, in wonder of…and it is the mercy seat. This is a picture of Christ Himself. The law only shows us that we are sinners and the mercy seat would cover the law. It is well said that the mercy seat was “the place where God would show Himself merciful in forgiving sin.” But the final touch on the mercy seat that would provide propitiation for sin is blood. Blood would need to be sprinkled on the mercy seat. All of this points to Christ, the Lamb, that was slain for our sins. God didn’t tell the Israelites, “I’ll meet you at the law,” but at the mercy seat where He said, “there I will meet with you” (Exodus 25:22). We can only come before God on account of His mercy, and the mercy seat is a picture of sin being covered over and grace extended. God meets His people at the mercy seat. He doesn’t meet us by keeping a list of rules, dos and don’ts, etc.
Jeremy
When we don’t know what to do – 2 Chronicles 20
Monday August 1, 2011
In the Old Testament we see God fighting for and with the Nation of Israel. We see Him fighting battles on behalf of his Sovereignty, and the Faithfulness of His name. Again and again, we see God working through the availability of humanity as they decide to yield their incapability’s to a capable God.
Such was the case with Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20 as the enemies of the Nation of Israel decided to come together to overtake them and their land. It was more than the Nation of Israel could handle, and verse 3 says that King Jehoshaphat was full of fear. After proclaiming a fast and setting himself to seek the Lord, Jehoshaphat began to proclaim the statutes and characteristics of God to the people. He began to call out the Faithfulness of God shown through His Word (2 Chron. 20:5-11), proclaiming His Nature over the situation at hand. Concluding his prayer with this simple statement, “For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (2 Chron. 20:12).
It is in these times that we as Children of the Most High God forget God’s past record and become vulnerable in our faith. All of a sudden we realize that “We are prone to wander, prone to leave the God we love…” and we must ask that God would “bind our wandering hearts” to Him. That He would be our joy in the valley, our strength as we climb mountains, and that we would see His glory at the mountaintop. In seasons where we are clueless as to what God is doing; we have to place our confidence in the fact that Jesus is still on the throne. In light of that, be excited to “Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established…” (2 Chron. 20:20). Though we may be crushed, we are never forsaken. Though we are stuck down, we are never destroyed. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim.1:7).
Be encouraged Church! Maranatha!
God Bless,
Hector
And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.” – Exodus 33:18
Monday July 25th, 2011 – Pastor Alex Lopez
I love this story. But for the longest time, I’ve always been held up on the timing of Moses’ request. When you really think about it, the people have just finished building the Golden calf, Moses breaks the Ten Commandments upon seeing the people- double bogey… and so God finally says ‘get out of my way Mo.. I’m going wipe these stiff necked people out’! Moses intercedes and God responds by saying ‘ok, but I’m not going lead these people, I’ll send my angel’. Moses intercedes again by saying these are yourpeople… and God agrees to lead them and go with them. At which time Moses decides to make his request!!! I don’t even think that God’s anger has begun to settle and he drops this bomb of a question on the Almighty who was just about to wipe out an entire nation!
And I ask myself, what got into Moses that he had the boldness, the audacity, the fearlessness to ask such a thing? And the answer is a very simple one- Jesus. He had experienced GOD and he desired MORE. He had seen the Power of God in the Plagues and the Protection of God in the Pillar of fire… but in the end what he desired most was what he saw in the burning bush- The Presence of God- to see His glory.
It’s obvious that Moses’ question didn’t anger the Lord but I bel