Heb 9:22 and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.


At Grace, we have been studying the Power of the Blood! As of late, I have been reminded that anything and everything that comes from God, comes to us because of the Blood of Jesus. His power, protection, Grace, Healing, anointing, His presence etc... It is all because of the Blood. I have noticed in this "church hour" that we live, there is very little said or preached about the Blood. It is my opinion/conviction, this is a mistake. The most powerful weapon we have against the forces of darkness we often ignore. I want to implore the family of Grace, to utilize this wonderful weapon that we have been afforded! The Blood... I've noticed when we preach about the blood a few things happen. #1 I come agasint great spiritual attack. #2 the Church comes under spiritual attack as well. #3 God shows up and does some crazy/amazing things! Today, I plead the Blood of Jesus over us all!

Is there any Joy in the Church?

Psa 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

Many times as Christians, we find ourselves at Sunday Worship out of a sense of duty, or obligation. We contemplate in our minds and wrestle with the option (at least mentally) of going or not going. So many things we could do and catch up on, not the least of which is rest and relax. It's ok, we all do it sometimes. I head a joke the other day about a lady who went in to wake her husband on Sunday morning. She told him countless times to get up and get ready. Finally after several futile attempts, she pulled the cover off his head and said, " Are you getting up?" in a very stern voice I might add. He replyed and said, " I don't want to go today." To that she retorted, "You have to, you are the Pastor." We All do this at some point.

Psa. 100:2 says, (Read it carefully) Serve the Lord with Gladness. There should be a sense of Joy in our service. There is no worse feeling than being a part of church and the Kingdom, out of dread, fear, obligation, and duty. That my friend is religion. But there is an incredible level of blessing that is experienced when there is a heart of Joy in serving the Lord! Our duties become our delight. Our ministries are filled with power and energy. Our churches take on a new level of excitement and we are contagious.

There are many laws in God's word. Exodus 20 gives us the 10 commandments. Duet. is filled with the "Old Law". Jesus even gave us New Testament law when He commanded we love one another... I believe the command to "Serve the Lord with Gladness" is an eternal law we've forgotten & is much needed to be restored. People who serve God with joy are the people I love to be around. They fuel me, they energize me, they inspire me. ON the other hand, folks who are never filled with this joy, they drain me. They bore me. They are a leech to my spirit. You know the type. You see them at the store and hide in between the isles, hoping they won't spot you. You time it just right when they are passing by you step to the next isle. When they finally move on you run check out so you don't get in that lengthly conversation that leaves you feeling wore out and dirty. (Just an analogy, hahah)

I've found joy is obtainable only when we realize the power of God's Grace. If we are trying to live out of self effort, joy alludes us. If we are living half hearted toward God, it's not present. But when we are living a Cross Centered life and constantly reminded of what Calvary did for us personally, then the Joy of the Lord truly is our Strength!
Grace, Grace, Wonderful Grace!

Perserving The Blessings of God!

When I was a kid, growing up in a rural farm town in TN., all the towns people use to do something called canning, or preserving. They would gather the produce from that years harvest and put them into jars. It was a way of preparing and preserving. When winter came and food was needed, they'd go to the cellar , or canning room, and pick out whatever it was they wanted to serve that day for lunch or dinner. From fruit and vegetables, even some meats were canned or preserved! It was an old fashion way of making sure your family was taken care of months in advance. Some of the conversations about those canning's still ring clear. While eating the produce some of us kids would ask questions like, " Did those green beans grow in our garden?" to which our grandparents or an elderly voice would reply, " Yep, you picked that very bean!"... Our hearts would swell as a little kid, thinking, we actually had part in this meal! More importantly we would be learning about past experiences, hard work, preparation and planing.

I read in the scriptures this past week about something of a similar nature.

Exo 16:32 Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'"
Exo 16:33 And Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the LORD to be kept throughout your generations."
Exo 16:34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept.
Exo 16:35 The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

God instructed Moses to "Can" or preserve some of the miraculous Manna from Heaven. It too was to serve a dual purpose. First of all it was to be placed as a memorial before the Ark or Testimony, as a memorial of God's provision throughout all generations. When God provides and supernaturally makes a way, we should always remember those times and share it with others. It brings continual glory to the Lord. Don't ever get tired of telling your story! God doesn't get tired of receiving Glory from it!

Secondly it served as did many other memorials, to prepare the future generations to expect God to show up in their lives. Several times in Scripture God commanded a memorial to be set so the future generations would see (altars, stones, etc.) and ask, "What does this mean?" And the patriarchs , would respond by saying, "God made a way for us." and give their testimony. Any by their testimony it prepared the following generation to be open to God's incredible power to work in their very own lives!

So I wonder what I'm preserving today? What am I putting in the "Can" today that will speak of God's goodness to my little girl? I sure hope it's something that will sustain her years down the road when all that is left of me is the memories I've left with her.

I think as parents, grandparents and mentors, we all have the responsibility to "Store up" godliness and our testimony of how Jesus Christ changed our lives, so that our little ones can hear those stories and expect Jesus Christ to do the same in their lives.

I agree with the great Apostle who said, 3Jo 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

What are you serving on the table today? Hopefully it is Victory from the past that speak of God's unfailing love. And something that speaks of hope for this generation!