Holiness

Romans 2:1-29

1 Peter 1:13-16

Leviticus 20:7-8

We often hear about holiness in the church world but I have found that most either don't know what it means or misunderstood what it means to be holy. Upon reading and studying about this subject in the Old Testament I became somewhat discouraged. Who in today's world could possibly keep all of these rules and guidelines? Then I began to read the New Testament and instantly my worries were relieved. Using the three areas listed above along with the Old Testament and other studying I arrived at this conclusion. There is no way that we can become holy through our own power. We are not under the same law as the saints of old. The New Testament tells us that with the greatest sacrifice ever made, we were then forgiven for all of our sins. This does not excuse us from sin but it does allow for us to repent and attempt to get right back on track. More than anything God wants a relationship with us and like any other relationship, it evolves. While this relationship with Him evolves and changes so do we. We aim to please Him more and more as we come to love Him increasingly. "I am the LORD who sanctifies you," (Leviticus 20:8). Holiness is a process; it’s a walk with God. As you walk with God he makes you holy

As always, be well,

Pastors Hines

Halloween Celebration

Hello All!

As we all know the Marriage Retreat for our married couples on CFC is coming up soon ( check the upcoming events tab on the right)! In addition to this Janis Barney and the Children's Ministry will be hosting a Fall celebration for the children on October 28th! Come dressed in your favorite costumes and enjoy games, movie night, treats, and so much more! For more information and volunteer sign-ups please contact Janis Barney or Kamaria Hines.

Be Well,

Pastors Hines

The Battle of Two Wills (continued)

Galatians 5:19-23

Romans 7:13-25

One obstacle of walking in the Divine Will of Christ is submitting to our flesh. We often hear this but what exactly does this mean? What is the "flesh" exactly? Galatians 5:17 says, "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh." Then it goes on to list characteristics of the flesh. It is still possible to fall into the temptation of these acts once we become saved. The difference is before we were saved we practiced these things or did them habitually. Once we came to Christ we obtained God's Divine Will. This will comes with boundaries that were not present in our lives before. The characteristics of this will and of the Holy Spirit include, "...love, joy, peace, forbearance...", among others. These conflicting ideals create the battle of the two Wills. You have to begin to feed the spirit of God within you. You can begin to do this by studying the word of God, surrounding yourself with others who are attempting to walk in the same direction. It is a process and it isn't an easy one by any means but walking in the favor of God makes the process worth more than we can imagine.

Be Well,

Pastors Hines

Thought For The Week

Life is too short to waste time hating anyone

-Author Unknown

The Battle of Two Wills

Matthew 26:36-44

Romans 12:1-2

John 5:30

We often hear that God grants us a "free will" but what exactly does this mean? Does it mean that we are allowed to do as we please but ultimately remain in His plan? Does that even qualify as our own will? The Bible mentions that God has more than one plan, or will, for our lives; the Divine Will and the Permissive Will. The Permissive Will is what God allows when we push past what He has chosen us to do. Even when we push past we are still under the grace of God. However there are consequences ( i.e. the belly of the whale, going blind like Sampson, being excommunicated like Adam & Eve, etc.). Although His grace covers us in our Permissive Will, our impact and effectiveness in His kingdom is diminished because of the consequences. We end up creating our own Homemade trials. It goes without saying that the abundance of consequences and lack of benefits makes this path less than desirable. In the Divine Will, we fulfill our kingdom purpose and are able to impact so much more and so many more. Not to mention the perks ( i.e. blessings from God). If you are at a crossroad and don’t know what to do just stand still –do not be impatient. If you’re in the Permissive Will right now, like most of us, God’s grace is sufficient. Just submit and allow God to get back on track ( like he did for Jonah). Yes God gives us options, but when you look at the evidence, isn't the right choice pretty obvious?

Be Well,

Pastors Hines

Thought for the Week

Cherokee Parable of the Two Wolves

An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life…

“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.
“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

“One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed,
arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies,
false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

“The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity,
humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth,
compassion, and faith.

“This same fight is going on inside you
and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute
and then asked his grandfather,
“Which wolf will win?”

The old chief simply replied,
“The one you feed.”

Does My Life Really Matter?

Exodus 35:1-9; 25:1-7

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself,"Does my life matter?" Have you ever wondered exactly why you are here? A parallel can be made between a field goal attempt in football and the significance of our lives. You would be hard pressed to determine a role in the pictured scenario that is more important. Yes, one may seem more glamorous but no role can be done without. Our lives are the same way. It takes each individual realizing that they are significant in their role and acting in that role for the whole group to be successful. When you consider giving up & quitting ask yourself who will be affected? No matter how you got here and under what circumstances God meant for you to be here. Everyone of us has God’s Seal of Approval. Consider the fact that we all arrived on this Earth the exact same way that Christ did. Isn't that amazing? Your purpose was so significant to God that he deemed us worthy enough to arrive the same way his only Son did. Three things to remember if you ever begin to doubt your importance are 1) You are significant to the "right" people, 2) You are significant to more than you realize, 3) You matter to your Father. In Exodus chapters 25 and 35 God shows us that no material was unworthy to adorn his tabernacle. He even called for goat hair, which may have seemed less precious than the other materials, to be used. You encounter people and situations on a daily basis that need just what you’ve got. Whether its your smile or a kind word- Give ‘em your goat hair!

Be well,

Pastors Hines