Your Habit Will Determine Your Future

1. Challenge Yourself to Do the will of God

How do you challenge yourself?

Make an effort to make Godly daily decisions everyday.

Use your God given talents for God service.

Seek to become Faithful rather than Fearful.


2. Pick-up the pieces: your gifts,talents,and skills.

Don't let fear paralyze you.

Don't let your past failures torment you.

Don't let your lack of resources stop you.

Don't let your heart be fulled with wickedness and laziness.


3. Open yourself up to be use by God.

God is searching our hearts and making sure that our habits have not became an idol. Ex. 20:13

God is looking for a willing person to change their bad habits.
*Good habits produce good behavior.
*Bad habits produce bad behavior.

God will honor anybody as long they honor Him first.

God will reward a faithful and good servant.

Jack Canfield says, Habit is something you do so often it becomes easy. In other words, it’s a behavior that you keep repeating. If you persist at developing a new behavior, eventually it becomes automatic.

The Good news is that you can reprogram your mind at any time you choose to do so; by the Word of God.

Women of Wisdom Conference

Rejuvenating! Invigorating! Wow! The Women had a good time.

Key points To Overcome a Family Slump

How did Joseph handle the slumping economy?
How did Moses handle the slump in his family?
How did God handle the slump to mankind?

How can you overcome a slump in your life?

1. Make your Life and Your family available for God service during a slump.
2. Teach your Family to be sensitive To God’s word during a slump.
3. Look for partners who are not in a slump
4. Every day remind yourself that God want to use you for his service.
5. Read inspiring biblical stories, biographies and autobiographies.
6. Be thankful. There is someone worse off than you are.
7. Build excellent support around you.
8. Don’t be afraid; See yourself getting things done.
9. Make plans do something for God every week.

THE KINGDOM VISION

THE KINGDOM VISION

Step 1 Vision comes from God
What is God’s vision?
God is building a Kingdom
God is building a Kingdom through His people

The Gospel of Jesus is the Message of the Kingdom
Jesus preached the Kingdom
Jesus taught his disciples to pray for the Kingdom to come on the earth:

Matt. 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.

Neh. 1:2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and [certain] men of Judah; and I asked them (Nehemiah asked) concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem

Vision begins with a burden
Vision is the blueprint that God has put in your spirit
Vision cannot be turn-off
Vision is in everybody

Step 2 Connect with the King
There is a Kingdom principle
Nehemiah understood the Kingdom principle
He turned to the King for the answer to his vision:

The King of the Universe
Neh. 1:4…I sat down and wept, and mourned [certain] days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

The King of the Natural
Neh. 2:5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.

Step 3 Seek Favor from the King
Matt. 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Seek favor from the kingdom of God, which is KING JESUS

The King gives power to the Gospel Vision

Step 4 The King or the Kingdom is the fuel for the Gospel Vision
Neh. 2:5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.

The Spiritual King
The Natural King

THE KING FUELS THE VISION
So, WE NEED A KING!
The King removes the burden
e.g., The City Walls

The King has the resources
e.g.,The heart of Man is in God's hands...God causes man to give to His purpose.

The King of Kings is the Ultimate resource
e.g., Jesus gave his Life

The King fuels the Vision
King’s Letter for Protection Neh 2:7 I also said to the king, "If it please Your Majesty, give me letters…

King’s Letter for Provision Neh 2:8 And please send a letter to Asaph, the manager of the king's forest, instructing him to give me timber.

King’s Body Guards
Neh 2:9 The king, I should add, had sent along army officers and horsemen to protect me…


The King of Kings
The King Give us the Keys (Matt. 16: 18, 19)
Jesus makes this statement to Peter in which he promised to build his church, immediately said in the same breath: "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven…"

The King Sacrifice His Life
He brings people into the Kingdom
by his death, buried and resurrection
which opens up to us the gift of salvation.

The King Gives us Authority through Prayer
Nehemiah started with prayer! He
did not wait, or use prayer as a last resort.
Prayer is where he began.


The Church and the Kingdom

The Church and the kingdom apply to God's people
The Church is God’s people who are called out
The Kingdom is God’s organization in which Jesus reigns over

Hearing and believing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the means into the Kingdom.

Easter@Brasa

In the good old days of church life, Easter was a time to invite family and friends to a special event or special service. The numbers would swell on that Sunday morning causing people to feel good about the service but without any true connection. The visitors would not return until the following Easter, and the next week's attendance returned to what it was before. However, we approached Easter as another opportunity to reach and connect with people. So we had church “out of the box”—so we had Easter at Brasa, Brazilian Restaurant.

Discovering your next step in Christ is not always easy. We’ve designed ways to help you grow on your spiritual journey as you move toward reaching your potential.

Here are a few steps to rediscover your FAMILY during EASTER.

True or False Questions: (T/F)

Family Celebrate Their Faith Together

1. __Everyone has sinned.

2. __The Result of sin is death, but God gives life through his Son.

3. __Jesus came to die for your sin.

4. __There is no other way to be with God except through Jesus.

5. __If I believe God raised Jesus from the dead, I can be saved.

6. __We should live for Christ.

7. __If I ask Jesus to come into my life, He will save me.

Family Cultivate Close Relationships

1. __Every Family should have a day or night out.

2. __The result of some fresh air and exercise strengthens relationships.

3. __Families are ordained by God.

4. __Families should sit down and eat together.

5. __If I have a game night with my family, they will enjoy it.

6. __We are formed for God’s family.

7. __If I take one of my family members out to dinner, they would enjoy it.

Family Goals

1. I will develop real and true community within my church family.

2. I will intentionally cultivate my relationships with Christian friends and spiritual mentors.

3. I will regularly connect with my immediate family (parent, siblings, kids and spouse)

So here is my question: Can Easter be celebrated anywhere so that we can reach the lost.

The Most Significant Thing

The most significant thing God is teaching me is how to bring joy to the city of Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill. In the bible, the evangelist, Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. What this means, I think, is that God is looking for willing people like Phillip and me to share the gospel of Christ to their city. Thank God for Philip; he was obedient to share the good news and the result of him sharing, was that the city was filled with joy. I believe as a Christian our major goal is to share the goodness of God. Right now, God is teaching me to preach His grace to His people so that they can understand the joy, peace and the forgiveness of their sins--as long as they surrender. Finally, God is teaching me that His Word is the power unto salvation, evangelist Philip preached Jesus to the city, and the multitudes with one accord heeded to the Word of God that was spoken by Philip. Then God’s joy came to the city when the gospel was heard and then the people were full with joy. That is what God is doing in my life right now--teaching me to bring the Word, the gospel to the city so there is joy. Also, He has let me know that the city will not just stop here in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area--but the boundaries of the city will be enlarged. God is also teaching me to withdraw from my comfort zone and to walk, teach and preach in the His zone.

DISCIPLINE A BROTHER BACK INTO RIGHT STANDARD WITH GOD

My reaction to a ministry leader who has fallen into sin would be to use the recipe laid out in the Word of God in efforts to discipline and to help restore him spiritually. I believe that the New Testament is the guide for us to use to reconcile any fallen brother back into the right standard with God. The Book of Matthew distinctly describes how an individual or the church should respond to a fallen brother or ministry leader. This response encompasses a process of discipline. Today, millions of churches have forgotten the importance and usage of the Word of God in church discipline.

The purposes of church discipline are for the spiritual restoration of a fallen brother, the subsequent strengthening of the church as a whole, and for glorifying the body of Christ. When a brother in Christ is rebuked and he turns from his sins and is forgiven, he is reconciled back in the right standard with God, along with the right fellowship with the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, the response to a fallen brother requires active discipline—a step-wise process, which Jesus has set forth in the book of Matthew (18:15-17). This process includes: (1) steps to be followed by the individual, whom the leader has offended or who knows of the leader’s sin; (2) if there is no reconciliation, the process of discipline moves to a plural level where witnesses are used to confront the leader who has sinned; (3) if needed further action involves the church body; (4) finally, if the faults of the leader are not resolved—he is to be treated as an outsider.^t

The bible states, in Matthew 18:15-17, Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear [thee, then] take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell [it] unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

MEET WITH THE BROTHER PRIVATELY

The primary step of church discipline begins on an individual level and then moves to the plural level and dimensions of the church body. Matthew 18:15-17, says, "If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the fault. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back but if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If that person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. If the church decides you are right, but the other person won't accept it, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.”²

Meeting with your brother privately and pointing out his fault is an unknown discipline within the present church. The church has become very unconsciously inactive. We have allowed the most extreme and unwarranted behaviors in the church to go on without any consequence and this has destroyed the unity and the purity of the church. Our failure to approach our brother with his sin has caused a hindrance in the unity of the Body of Christ.³ Furthermore, the failure to discipline has caused a complacently among church membership and responsibility. Church discipline starts on an individual level, and our biblical response for the purity of the church should be to confront the fallen brother privately. Despite biblical warranting, private confrontation in the church has been regarded as wrong and, some how, has been reflected as a negative or judgmental response. Nevertheless without private confrontation, this primary step in discipline has become neglected, and this has led to us losing the sense of community and mutual responsibility for one another.³ Scripture supports restoration in that, “we who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.”⁴ Often we have given excuses such as, "Well, it's not really any of my business, is it?" Discipline is costly because my brother's business now becomes mine.

MEMBERSHIP IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DISCIPLINE

Members of the church have failed their responsibility because they frequently quote, but have misinterpreted the scripture: Matthew 7:1 "Judge not, that you be not judged."⁴ It is imperative to understand that God’s Word is the judge, and our lack of understanding has certainly put hesitancy in the hearts of many in regard to dealing with sin in the membership. I believe the fear of rejection has deterred us from correct discipline because we only anticipate in our minds what a faulty leader will say to us: "Mind your own business. You have no authority to tell me what I can and can't do. I am the leader" This anticipation of rejection and rebuttal has led many people to fear approaching a church leader concerning sin in his life. Talking directly about personal sin with an offender is difficult; it makes us feel uneasy and uncomfortable; however it is our biblical responsibility. To fulfill this responsibility, private confrontation should be done with gentleness, in love, out of compassion, and seeking to encourage³; the major purpose for private confrontation is to resolve the problem without fueling unnecessary gossip and restoring the brother.

MEET WITH THE BROTHER WITH OTHER WITNESSES

Secondly, if the private confrontation doesn’t work or is unsuccessful and the brother continues to sin and refuses to listen to the one who has confronted him privately—the next step is to approach the brother with one or two more witnesses. In some cases this can be very difficult because the lack of biblical understanding from other believers within the church. Some witnesses will simply want to ignore the problem, and feel in time it will go away. They will say things like: "…give him time to heal, or so that he can deal with the problem.” I believe the lack of haste responsiveness by the witnesses gives time for the brother to become callous towards the sin and the church. The witnesses goal is to discipline and it is not time to compromise or negotiate, discipline has to be demonstrated so that others will not stumble. In addition, the two or more witnesses have to know the consequence of the punishment before meeting with the brother, so there will be no confusion during the period of confronting him. I have been in a situation where we attempted to discipline a brother, and the witnesses begin to stall from fear of driving the person away, especially if the brother is a major financial contributor to the church. However, discipline was to be granted, while others were convinced it was too harsh. The witnesses’ purpose of talking to the fallen brother is so that “by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.”² In other words, the witnesses are present not only to confirm that the sin was committed but, in addition, to confirm whether or not the sinning brother has repented.

Following these steps, if the two or more witnesses were not successful—it is the responsibility of the church leadership to bring about a reprimand to the accuser, openly.

This has to be done with Godly wisdom, but reprimand is strongly recommended. This step tends to be neglected because usually the guilty brother is not faithfully attending church. Damages can be made within the church without the believer showing up, so there has to be a public announcement and often this process is fearful among leadership because of the fear of legal reprisal in the form of lawsuits.³ I believe pastors struggle with this step because of the false concept of discipline and their observation of past personal abuse. In their minds discipline is associated “with heresy hunts, intolerance, oppression, harshness, mean-spiritedness, self-righteousness, legalism, etc. Many cases pastors are related to this fear of being labeled a cult and being too strict toward their members.”³ The responsibility of the appointed leaders is to openly or literally name the person and his sin from the pulpit to the congregation in love. Scripture confirms open reprimand, which it states: “An open rebuke is better than hidden love!”²

HARSHED DISCIPLINE TO THE BROTHER

Finally, treat him as an outsider if the fallen brother doesn't repent. Sit him down from his appointed duties or put him out of the church until he does repent. This will allow the church to maintain a true relationship and keep the commandments of God. Jesus taught that discipline is the key to discipleship. Jesus said to the people who believe in him, "You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings.”² The real question of discipline and discipleship is whether we will apply the Biblical discipline in our churches today.

In conclusion, I am an advocate of biblical discipline and if you are aware that a ministry leader has fallen, we should use the New Testament to guide our fallen brother into right standard with God. The process starts with the offended individual confronting the brother privately. If no result, then we should confront him with two or more witnesses and if this does not work—the church should openly rebuke the brother’s sin. This will allow the reconciled leader to yield the fruits of holy living, holy correction, and holy purity. Lastly if the brother continues in sin, the church’s responsibility is to ostracize the fallen brother from the fellowship of the church.¹ The Church should seek God for mercy for our fallen brother in hopes we can restore him back into the fellowship.

Bibliography

1. John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew 16–23 (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988)
2. The Living Bible, Paraphrased (1971). Wheaton, IL, Tyndale House
3. “Reflections on Church Discipline: "Article," Enjoying God Ministries 27 (Sep 07, 2007): enjoyinggodministries.com/enjoying-god/reflections-on-church-discipline/
4. The Holy Bible, New King James Version (1982). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. This is based on the Authorized Version of 1611, commonly called the King James Bible

TWO KEYS TO SUCESS

Rom. 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.

Success begins with God

nFirst Key: Offer Your Life To God

lDaily living unto God

lDaily laying aside for God

lDaily service for God

Rom. 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Success will end in this World System
(Success is in The Kingdom of God)

§
Second Key: Resist the behaviors of this world system.

n
The knowledge of God’s Will (Word)

lRenew your mindset

lRenew your attitude