Still in the Game?

Depending on which conference you attended this year, it has been 4-8 weeks since you were at Shabbach. Are you still in the game?

Paul writes in Philippians 3:12, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own…”

Are you still pressing?

Still praising?

Praying?

Word?

Eddie James preached Sunday at Myrtle Beach that we should be seeking more than a one-night stand with the Holy Spirit, but that we should be seeking a life of discipleship...

“that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may GROW UP in all things into Him who is the head—Christ” Ephesians 4:14-15

Are you growing?

Not did you grow at Shabbach- are you grow-ING- as in continue-ING to grow?

Paul continues in Philippians 3:13, “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize…”

When Paul wrote this, he had already wrote much of the New Testament you read today. He had preached around the world and stood before pagans and kings...

-yet he did not think he had arrived-

-he had not got there yet-

-he had more to do-

You cannot live on the fumes of a past experience with God.  You’ve got to strain, stretch, and PRESS toward God.

Keep pushing…..

Keep growing….

Stay in the Game

Read Colossians 1:11-12---This is my prayer over you this week.

John D Smith

Shabbach Ministries 

Rooted?

Sunday Morning at the Pigeon Forge conference, Matt Poole preached on the importance of developing a root system to sustaining a healthy Christian life. Let's rehash some thoughts on roots...

The roots of a plant have two basic purposes:

Purpose # 1: Roots are the part of the plant that ATTACH it to the ground.

Purpose # 2: Roots CONNECT water and nourishment to the rest of the plant.

So how does that transfer over into the Christian life?

Your roots serve to ATTACH you to the ground, stabilizing you from falling over

Your roots CONNECT you to the source of nourishment and water necessary to survive.

So what are you rooted in?

If roots ATTACH you and CONNECT you, what you are rooted in matters.

If you are rooted into the things of this world, then the nourishment you are bringing into your tree will not support the fruit of a Christian life. But if you root into the things of Christ, you can grow into a healthy "plant."

Some things you should root into...

1. Your Church- The community of life found in the CHURCH can help to keep you grounded. Here you can find strength during a storm, nourishment through preaching and support to make sure you are growing in the right direction.

2. Your Bible- The WORD is the single most important source of nourishment that you need for living a healthy Christian life. Get rooted in your Bible and watch as the Holy Spirit begins to feed you with the strength you need to grow.

3. Prayer- Prayer is the ultimate place of communion with God. It is through a root system deeply entrenched in prayer that the Holy Spirit can communicate with us, pruning our life to be more like him.

You branches cannot grow larger than your roots. If you attempt to grow branches that can bear the fruits of Christian life without first developing the root system to anchor you, your tree will come tumbling down. You will topple over with the pressure of trying to live the WORKS of a Christian life without being CONNECTED to the source of life.

2 kings 19:30 says "And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward." Notice the order here-:

TAKE ROOT DOWNWARD BEFORE BEARING FRUIT UPWARD

I encourage you today to begin to strengthen your root system. Develop roots in your CHURCH, your WORD, and your PRAYER life with God. Then watch as your “tree” produces the fruit of a healthy Christian life

>Read John 15:1-11<

John D. Smith
Shabbach Ministries

Did you DIE?

At Shabbach DC, Pastor Daniel Gray preached a powerful word on Sunday asking if YOU had DIED yet. One of the reasons that the change doesn't stick after a conference like Shabbach is that some of us did not DIE. We tried to add God into the mix of a cRaZy lifestyle when what we really needed to do was to put that old stuff to death and be resurrected into a new life in Him. Don't believe me….

In Romans 6, Paul is encouraging the believers to live a life free from sin. His reasoning- because they had DIED to who they used to be. "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?" (Romans 6:1-3, ESV). You must die to who you were to become a new creation in Christ. This is why we refer to the area at the front of the sanctuary as the altar; because this is the area where things are put to death.

So I must ask you, did you DIE at Shabbach?

You cannot live an empowered Christian life and keep your old self on life-support just in-case things don't work out. You cannot simply add Jesus to the mix of what you've always done and expect this thing called a relationship with him to last very long. Rather, you must put to death the old things.

Do I really have to DIE?

When we think of dying, we think of what we LOSE. But that's not the way Jesus sees it. He sees our sacrifice for what we will GAIN. "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." (Luke 9:24, ESV). What you lose NOW for the cause of Christ will pay off in the long run. Jesus pointed out that a seed is only one small thing unless it falls into the ground and dies. But in its death, it is transformed into a new life that can bear much fruit (John 12:24). Paul teaches in Romans 6 that if we die with Christ, we will also be resurrected with him in the power of the Spirit, free from the bondage of sin.

As Pastor Daniel Gray illustrated, when you hold a seed in your hand, you do not simply hold a seed. You are holding a seed that can produce a tree, that can produce fruit, that can produce more seeds, that can produce more trees….. etc. In other words, you contain the potential of a forest when you hold a seed in your hand. The pivotal moment is when the seed falls to the ground and dies. Only then will its potential be reached.

So I encourage you to reflect on your life. Have you DIED to who you were so that you can be resurrected into who he is? When you do, you release a forest of potential and receive the power to walk in newness of life, bearing fruit for the kingdom.

Finish reading Romans 6:1-14,

John D. Smith
Shabbach Ministries