Our Blog

When the Church Comes Together

It was a joy to share with the church on Sunday what God desires to do in every New Testament church. In Acts chapter 4, Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit and stands up to the religious authorities who want to silence him. In every generation there is a threat to the sharing of the gospel. The threat comes from government, political, cultural and religious groups who want to silence the church. The enemies of the gospel want the church to be silent and retreat behind closed doors.

For too long the response of the church has been to be silent, to stop openly sharing the gospel and to retreat behind closed doors. The church as a whole has feared the threats of society, law suits and offending the culture. The church often times is in full retreat. That was not how the church in Acts 4 responded.  They prayed in verses 24-30 that God would look at those who threatened the church and that God would grant the church boldness to stand up and proclaim the gospel with power.

"And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus."" Acts 4:29-30 https://www.bible.com/59/ACT.4.29-30

God heard their prayer, gave them boldness and poured His grace out on them. He brought the church together and used it wonderfully to accomplish His purpose in Jerusalem.  

In our church, we are praying for a tremendous Renewal Weekend that will take place March 31^st through April 2^nd.  We are trusting God to bring His church at Wilmer together and give us direction and boldness for the future. May God accomplish His purpose in Wilmer and the surrounding area, and use our church to do it.

The Impact of a Fresh Encounter with God

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were always full of the Holy Spirit, on fire for God, and remained in the center of God’s will? That would be great--but it isn’t always that way with us because we are human! We are weak and prone to drift away from a close fellowship with God. We can lose our enthusiasm for the things of God and find ourselves just going through our religious routines. We often think, "There has to be more in having a relationship with God than I am experiencing. What will help me recapture my passion for serving God?"

Often times what each of us needs is a fresh encounter with God. We need for God to rescue us from our apathy and draw us back into intimate fellowship with our Lord. We need a new and fresh revelation of God in our life. That is what Isaiah needed when he went to the temple to pray in Isaiah chapter 6. God drew Isaiah into His presence and allowed Isaiah to see Him as never before. This new revelation of God humbled Isaiah and made him aware of his sin; it led him to repentance and faithful service to God.

A fresh encounter with God will change the direction of your life.  These precious times when we sense the presence of God so real and close to us have a profound impact on how we live and how we relate to others.

Our Spring Renewal Weekend, March 31st through April 2nd, is designed to bring our church together in a time of serious seeking for a fresh encounter with God. Many are praying now for God to move upon us in a time of renewal, refreshing and revival. May we become desperate for an encounter with our God and trust that in His time and in His way, He brings us into a new revelation of His awesomeness and how blessed we are to be His children.  Clear your calendar and save the date, March 31st through April 2nd, and pray for the renewal that only God can bring.