God is an ever present God

It’s possible to experience God. Recent surveys of younger generations suggest that it’s not that they reject the reality of God but rather that they haven’t seen God at work in their families. In their lives. They say that there’s a disconnect between what they see in Church on Sunday mornings and what they see at home, or anywhere for that matter.

Many people, having not experienced God working in their lives, attempt to explain this by saying that there is a god but that god doesn’t speak to us today, we are beyond that age of miracles. Having said that, I have often said “Don’t think for one minute that the God that you’re not experiencing now you will be experiencing in heaven”. This suggests that there is a God to experience, whether we’ve experienced Him or not. Our lack of

experiencing God does not limit God or define Him.

In recent weeks I have shared that God is an ever present God. He is all around you. He is always at work around you. This same God is pursuing a continuous love relationship with you, that is real and personal, and He is inviting you to become involved with Him in His work. But..... how do we know His work? How do we discern His will for us and our role in His work?

I would like to suggest that God still speaks to us today. My study, spiritual disciplines,

devotional time, and experience, reveal that God is alive and well and He is engaging us,

all the time. The Scriptures teach that God speaks to us today through His Holy Spirit. In

doing so He uses the Bible, two-way prayer, circumstances, other people, and yes, the

Church, to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His way. I have found that there is no limit to the ways that he will use to reach out to us. SO WHY DON’T I EXPERIENCE GOD?

My suggestion is that, if you haven’t already, start reading God’s word at least 15 minutes a day. Practice SOAPing. Read the SCRIPTURE. Write down what it says. OBSERVE. APPLY what it says to your life, not someone else’s. PRAY and ask God to speak to you, believing that He will. It’ll take a while, so don’t give up. He will gradually change your perception, giving you a new point of view.

Pastor Brian

God is Always at Work

God is always at work. It falls upon us to see Him working and then to join Him. It could be said that this is no easy task and so for the next weeks both during Sunday morning worship and our Bible study at 11am we are going to attempt to discern just what the Bible says with regards to how we can discern the will of God and hopefully experience Him in our lives. We will investigate 7 basic principles that were developed from the Scriptures by Henry Blackaby. Reading Blackaby’s book and hearing him speak had a transformative effect on my life. I grew in the depth of my relationship with Him. Sometimes God uses the writers of books to give a different perspective of His word, even to those who read the Word daily. Beginning February 2, 2025 at 11am we will study these 7 Biblical principles:

1. God is always at work around you.

2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.

3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.

4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit, through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the Church, to reveal Himself, His purposes and His ways. This is the meat of the matter!

5. God’s invitation for you to work with Him ALWAYS leads to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.

6. You must make adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.

7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work (in you) and through you.

I would like to invite all of you to join us as we all seek to grow in our relationship with

God through Jesus. If you like you could buy the book Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. It doesn’t matter which edition. We can also begin by doing SOAP together. Reading Scripture at least 15 minutes a day. Observing what the Bible is saying. Applying the passage to our lives and Praying that God will speak to us through His word and then help us to apply it 24/7.

Special announcement: Beginning 2/7/25 on communion Sundays we will celebrate

birthdays and anniversaries during our fellowship time at 1030 am. Please join us as we

have some fun celebrating!

Brian

Seek and Ye Shall Find

It’s a NEW YEAR! We survived another trip around the sun! I hope we more than survived. I hope that each one of you THRIVED! If you didn’t perhaps a few changes could help us all experience growth in 2025.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to

harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV

https://bible.com/bible/111/jer.29.12-13.NIV

These verses are filled with encouragement and HOPE. These promises were given to Israel during a dark time for them as a nation, a time of scattering. Previously, God has spoken to them to bloom wherever they’re planted, wherever they’re scattered. He promises to regather them from the nations, back to Jerusalem.

The verses apply to us as well, as we are God’s adopted children. Adopted into His Family by the sacrifice of Jesus our Messiah. We also can find that we are scattered or have drifted away from Jerusalem (church, faith , intimacy with God, etc.) simply by the

busyness and/or the circumstances of LIFE. God wants us to have an intimate relationship with HIM and so HE reminds us that He has plans for us. We matter to Him. He plans for us to prosper. He simply asks that we call on Him. In doing so we express our need for Him and acknowledge that He is the source of blessing in our lives. The Word of God states repeatedly that ANYONE WHO SEEKS HIM, WILL FIND HIM.

OK preacher, I’m in, but how do I do that? Try doing what I do. Set aside 15 minutes a day (or more if you like) and spend time with God.

SOAP.

During this time S- read Scripture. I’ll be presenting you with several reading plans as we move through the year. We can read together. O-Observe, as you read, what the Scripture is saying. A-Apply the Scripture to your life, not someone else’s life. Yes I know that they need it but not any more that you do! P- Pray that God will speak to you as you read the Scripture and Apply your Observations to your life.

Trust me when I say that this simple discipline will radically transform your life.

I’m Hoping that YOU find HIM,

Pastor Brian