A.J. Dummitt

Love Is Why - April 5, 2020

LOVE is the Reason
“LOVE IS WHY” SERIES

Luke 19:10
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Matthew 22:37-39
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

 

1 Corinthians 13 (NASB)
1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body [a]to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 [b]bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of [c]prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I [d]became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror [e]dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the [f]greatest of these is love..

 

It started and still remains because of HIM.

Human love is dependent upon the one who is loved.

There are two things that attract us to other people. The first is appearance.

The second thing that attracts us to people, of course, is personality—people who just ooze charisma.

There’s nothing “wrong” with human love, but there is one problem with it, and that is it cannot endure all of LIFE’S storms.

Divine love is based on the lover.

We have 7 teams that are motivated by the Love of God…the WHY for EVERY TEAM:

Evangelism Team – We reach out to our community to share God’s love with those who are hurting.

First Impressions Team – Because we have experienced God’s love in our lives, we do our best to make sure everyone that steps foot on our campus has a warm, welcoming and loving experience here.

Creative Team – The world is changing and people pay more attention to what they see in pictures, and on video and social media – so we use these mediums for good to share the great news and the effects of God’s love with them.

Worship Team – An atmosphere that welcomes the presence of the Lord, has the power to help people experience the LOVE of God in our services – so the worship team organizes, practices, and ministers with the goal of leading us all into the presence of the Lord.

Care & Follow Up Team – We not only want to welcome people and host people displaying God’s love, but we want you to know that you are not just a number, and that we are here for you for the long haul. If your desire is to get closer to God, and experience His love more deeply – the care and follow up team will continue the first class experience you had while you were with us. Because we love people with God’s love and we keep reaching out to them no matter what life brings them.

Kid’s & Students Team – Experiencing the Love of God happens much more naturally at a younger age, before major hurts and callouses have a chance to develop – so our Kid’s and Student’s team is motivated by God’s love to help our younger members have this experience.

Life Groups Team – The more you know God’s love for you and you experience His true transforming love in your life – the more you are able to love those around you, and encourage them to have the same experience. Our life Groups team is motivated by love to help us be Better Together and experience the Love of God to it’s fullest.

 

So what can you do today that will enable you to completely and fully experience God’s love for your life?
Ask God to forgive you, and remove any sin from your life – All of us have past mistakes and sins, many times it is those things that cloud our perception to the fact that Jesus loves us no matter what. The devil will use those things to make you feel unloved and unworthy of love. So ask God to cleanse you of all those things today! There is no one here that is worthy, but there is a proper way to deal with your guilt and shame – that is to turn it over to God at this altar and LEAVE IT THERE! That is when Love can come in.

Be Baptized today in Jesus’ Name – to wash you completely. His love made a way for you to be clean – why not take that step today to be identified with Him in baptism and have every stain from your past washed away?

Be filled with God’s love through receiving His Spirit – God’s Spirit will enable you to love the unloveable and will bring joy and peace into your life everyday. When you receive it, you will speak in a language you didn’t learn in school. This is the initial evidence that you are receiving the same experience that they did in the church described in the book of Acts.

If you have never had a personal Bible study that covered the main themes of the whole Bible, – Make sure you check that as one of your next steps today on the connection card. You will not regret studying the Word of God. This is how we know and experience the love of God – through the understanding of His Word! If you aren’t quite ready to make that large of a commitment – start with doing 30 Days to Life with a friend.

This church has several ways for you to be involved in acts of service and love, no matter what stage of relationship with Jesus you are in. The reason we want to be the best church we can be is LOVE!

Why don’t you make a place to pray right now in your home, in your living room or family room or wherever you are watching from and ask God to lead you closer to Him today. If you are not sure what your next step is after you have prayed – why not us right after service and get some spiritual advice on how to move forward.

Call or Text us at (270) 351-6060.  — God bless you.

Grace & Truth - Stand Firm, Love Well Series - April 1, 2020

GRACE and TRUTH

Part 1 – Stand Firm, Love Well Series
Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Text: Daniel 1:1-6 (NIV)

Daniel 1:7 (NIV) The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

✓Change our IDENTITY .

Daniel: “God is my judge”
Belteshazzar: “Lady, protect the king” Male
Hananiah: “Yahweh has been gracious”
Shadrach: “I am fearful of God”
Mishael: “Who can compare to my God? No one!”
Meshach: “I am despised, contemptible, and humiliated”
Azariah: “Yahweh has helped”
Abednego: “the servant of Nebo”

 

When culture shifts, we must know WHO WE ARE.
Daniel 1:8 (NIV) But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.

✓Compromise our STANDARDS .

When culture shifts, we must REAFFIRM OUR CONVICTIONS.

Daniel 1:9-10 (NIV)

Daniel 1:11-14 (NIV) Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

✓Create a CONFRONTATION .

When culture shifts we must RESPOND THE RIGHT WAY .

John 1:14 (KJV) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

TRUTH : God’s standard.
John 17:17 (NIV) Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
GRACE: GOD’S FAVOR .

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT) God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

Without truth, we are CORRUPT . Without grace, we are CONDEMNED .
Without truth, WE BECOME WORLDLY . Without grace, WE BECOME JUDGMENTAL .

Truth without grace is MEAN . Grace without truth is MEANINGLESS .

Truth and grace is MEDICINE .

Grace INVITES us to be free. Truth SETS us free.

 

John 8:1-11 (NLT) Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

HOLD HIGH God’s truth.

FREELY GIVE God’s grace.

Faithful To Heal and Deliver - March 29, 2020

Faithful to Heal and Deliver
He Is Faithful

TEXT: Psalm 103:1-4

Psalm 103
A Psalm of David.
 Bless the Lord, O my soul:
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits:
 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;
who healeth all thy diseases;
 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

Psalms 107:19-21
Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble,
and he saveth them out of their distresses.
 He sent his word, and healed them,
and delivered them from their destructions.
 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,
and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

 

How many known diseases are in the world today?

According to the World Health Organization a few years ago there are at least 14,199 codes for diseases or sicknesses that are know to modern medicine today. One thing you can be sure of is that the list will grow.
Who knows when and where the next infectious disease will show up – and that is very unsettling to us.

In a report a few years ago by the American Medical Association the people who classify diseases, etc…stated that there were 39 general categories for diseases in the world past and present. I found that somewhat interesting because the Bible tells us that Jesus received 39 stripes upon his back – and it also tells us that BY HIS STRIPES we are healed! For every general classification of disease with every sub-classification below it – Jesus already paid the price for the HEALING!

Isaiah 53:4-5 (KJV)
Surely he hath borne our griefs,
and carried our sorrows:
yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him;
and with his stripes we are healed.

So the Bible tells us that Jesus was outwardly wounded – for our transgressions. Transgressions are sins that we commit against others, and are usually outward sins. Then the Bible tells us that Jesus was bruised or inwardly wounded for our iniquities. Iniquities are inner sins or hidden sins that are usually not known to anyone else.

When they told Jesus – they said “he whom thou lovest” is sick…and I’m sure Mary and Martha did not understand why Jesus did not just rush right in and save the day. In fact you kind of hear in in their tone with Jesus throughout the conversation in John 11.

Just because Jesus doesn’t respond like we think He should does not mean that He doesn’t love us or that He doesn’t care about what we are going through. That is where our faith and trust in God come in…

I want you to know today that God really does care about you and what you are going through – He is working all things together for good – and He is going to get the glory when all is said and done!

(Jesus) loved me enough to be LATE! Sometimes Jesus does His greatest work in us and through us when all of the “conventional” methods have failed and we are left scratching our heads about why He didn’t perform the way we thought He would!

What issues do you face right now that you want God to “show up” to help you with?

Mark 6:12-13
And they went out, and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

Until the fall of man in the Garden and sin entering the world – there was NO SICKNESS and no disease.

The good news for everyone of us today is that Jesus Christ can not only heal, but he can also forgive and cleanse us from sin which is at the root of all disease and sickness!

Luke 5 and Mark 2 – Story of the Lame Man

Mark 2:3-12
And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was:and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

If you have sin in your life – you need to REPENT and ask God to forgive you – and you need to be prayed for…we will pray for you. The scripture says that the prayer of faith will save the sick…

Name some things God is dealing with you about right now:

 

James 5:14-16
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

The Pentecostals early last century handled the quarantine of the Spanish Influenza…they obeyed the requests of the government – but they acted in faith and prayed and cared for those who were sick and dying. l believe that we as the people of God need to pray and believe more than ever before – we will see healing, we will see deliverance – In the Name of Jesus through faith!

What are you believing God for right now? What will you step out in faith to receive?

The Blessing of the Anchor - March 25, 2020

The Blessing of the ANCHOR
Wednesday Teaching (Online)

This week we will be discussing our ANCHOR – our HOPE!

Hebrews 6:15-20
And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

– The anchors of the ancient days on the sea worked because of their sheer weight and friction as they lay at the bottom of the sea. In modern times, the anchor has a long cable attached to it that allows it to actually drill into the bottom of the ocean floor, or to lodge into the coral reefs or a bed of rocks. Still it works on the same principle: To keep the ship steady on the seas.

– In an age of great change, when morality is scoffed at, when at times the world even encroaches the borders of the church, when the straight paths of righteousness are frequently avoided, men have chosen substitute anchors to try to hold them in place in the stormy seas of life.

-Because of the lack of anchors, men often spend themselves in perilous pursuits. There is the search for significance, a search for some semblance of value as they live out their lives. Because the wrong anchors are chosen, life loses it’s value. Life becomes nothing more than a seeming quest for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

-The word “anchor” only appears four times in four verses. Yet, Paul makes an allusion to this word when he wrote to the Hebrews. There is nothing like having the Creator to be able to anchor the soul.

-Paul knew the great Jewish minds that He would be addressing over this particular issue. The Holy Ghost, driving both the mind and pen of the Apostle, faithfully warns of apostasy in the opening segment of the chapter. It is the Holy Ghost that is commanding that men be faithful to their God. Yet, as it often is with the Holy Ghost, the closing segment of this chapter confers to men great comfort.

We have to understand WHO we are TRUSTING in…
This – is the REASON for our HOPE which is the ANCOR of our SOULS.

Our Hope is Jesus

It is knowing that we will spend eternity with Him
Knowing that He will wipe every tear from our eyes
We can endure the storms of life because of our PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE Hope that is wrapped up in Jesus Christ.

Our hope is not in GOVERNMENTS

Our hope is not in SCIENTISTS

Our hope is not in MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS or FIRST RESPONDERS

Our hope is not in BANKS, MONEY, or FINANCE

THE ONLY TRUE HOPE OF A CHRISTIAN is JESUS CHRIST and ETERNITY WITH HIM.

To rely or hope in anything else will only lead to drifting and loss of purpose in this life and the life to come.

 

WHY WE NEED THE ANCHOR

-The anchor has the capacity to hold the wind-tossed, the storm-torn, and the weary sailor can find rest in the most perilous times of life.

A. To Hold During the Storm
– There is a small debate about the purpose of the anchor during the storm. A small group of sailors say that it is best if the anchors rest in the sterns and bows of the ship. They hold that the ship should be able to “roll with the flow.”

– The vast majority of sea-worthy sailors determine that the anchors should be dropped to the depths. The anchor should find the lodging among the rocks thus holding the ship in a steady position throughout the tossing. The anchor holds and keeps the ship from capsizing.

– The great howling around the ship, the creaking of the timbers, the tremors of the mast are all a physical part of the storm, yet the anchor holds.

1 Peter 4:12-14 — Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

John 16:33 — These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

– The anchor can relieve the dread of destruction. The anchor of Jesus Christ is of such quality that no matter how strong the storm is, the heavier the strain that comes upon it, it’s hold grows deeper and firmer. The storm, no matter how great, does not drive men from the Savior it merely anchors their soul deeper in the Rock of Ages.

B. To Hold The Ship During Discovery

– There are certainly times that the sailor will drop his anchor because he has found great wealth in the sea. When the sailor finds the productive place that the great catch is made, the anchor must be sure.

– There are times in life that God wants us to stay directly where we are. Nothing that God does is without purpose. He does not suddenly entrust men to a great soul overnight. Great buildings are not built overnight. They are built nail by nail, board by board, and brick by brick. Great souls will find themselves at times static without any seeming growth.
-Yet, God who has determined the purpose for our lives directs that the anchors remain down in the depths. There are great treasures that are coming to the nets below.

Luke 21:19 — In your patience possess ye your souls.

Hebrews 6:11-12 — And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

-Patience is the journey of the making of a man or woman of God. Keep the anchors buried there are some great reasons that we have been placed in such a place:

Love

Joy

Peace

Longsuffering

Gentleness

Goodness

Faith

Meekness

Temperance

-Let the anchor stay down long enough until you are free from:

The acid of bitterness.

The heat of anger.

The rival of jealousies.

The rot of covetousness.

The snare of the substitutes.

The lethargy of complacency.

– The anchor holds men against drifting away from the more important things that can be harvested from the sea of life.

Noah anchored deep and built an Ark.

Joseph anchored and delivered the world with God’s help through a global famine.

John anchored his soul and became the disciple of love.

Daniel anchored and walked out of the lions den.

Aholiab and Bezaleel anchored long and worked patiently and crafted the furniture of the Tabernacle.

Peter anchored and came back from failure to preach the most popular sermon in the entire New Testament.

Ruth remained anchored and in her patient gleaning found destiny at the hand of the kinsman-redeemer.

– A great prayer life is not built overnight. A great command of the Word of God is not captured overnight. A great ability of fasting is not found in the unstable life. Stay anchored to the place that God has determined for you to be.

C. To Give Rest

– Another purpose of the anchor is to give rest to the soul.

Matthew 11:28 — Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Job 34:29 — When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? and when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only:

Psalm 36:7-8 — How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

– The anchor of Christ has brought rest to many souls throughout history. There is nothing like taking the struggles of life and placing them on an altar. In doing this, we affirm, “God I have done all that I can do, You have to take it from here.”

-How much easier it would be if we could learn this in the beginning, to take the difficulties to the Lord in prayer.

D. To Keep the Ship From Losing Ground

– Another purpose of the anchor is to keep the ship from losing ground. There are times that the ship must navigate around the dangerous rocks of the headwaters. The anchor is run out and dropped, then the sailors will work the cable and swing around the treacherous point.

– It takes time, effort, and great energy to operate a ship in this manner. Yet, by doing this no ground is lost. In our quest for revival, the ship must not lose ground.

Repentance is not a loss of ground, it is the seed bed of growth.

Sacrifice is not the loss of ground, it is the strong cost and effort of revival.

Scheduled prayer is not a loss of ground, it is the energy of revival.

Daily being in The Word of God is not a loss of ground, it is the only way to keep moving forward.

– The ship does not lose ground when the anchor of Christ is guiding it around the horn. There is nothing that unifies and consecrates a life like some strongly held hope.

The Trash Man Comes on Wednesday - Guest Speaker Ron Elliott - March 15, 2020

Guest Speaker Ron Elliot preaching about how the Trash man comes on Wednesday.

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