Good morning family and friends. I hope that everyone had a blessed and enjoyable weekend. For anyone who is struggling and unsure of where your life is heading, here are some words of encouragement if you trust in The Lord! Shalom and have a blessed week!

Isaiah 43:19 (King James Bible)

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness,and rivers in the desert.

Ministry Moment #10

Set The Captives Free

04/09/2016

What is it that holds you captive? Literally or figuratively? Mentally or physically? Carnally or Spiritually? It is a well-known fact that there are many vices and habits that once tried, can hook us and pull us into a situation where we may feel in bondage. Oftentimes, it is a behavior that seems harmless at first, or something that appears to be “cool” or the “in thing”. In an attempt to be popular with the opposite sex, or fit in with a certain crowd, we don’t properly peruse and assess the dangers of things like drug use, smoking, vandalism, delinquency, and a host of other self-destructive habits. The sad thing is that many of us are unaware as to how quickly these things can drag us down into a spiral of personal despair via physical deterioration, diseases, collapse of morale, and disconnection from family, friends, colleagues, and church. The sad fact is that these are all tricks and deceptions of the enemy who seeks not only to pull us away from the things of God (YAWEH in the Hebrew text), but also to defile our bodies, which the Bible tells us are our temples of the Holy Spirit which is in us, which we have of God, and is not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19). We must present our bodies as a living sacrifice; holy and acceptable unto God (Romans 12:1). Substances that distort and/disorient our minds can prevent us from communing with God, and warp our realities, causing us to do self-destructive acts unto ourselves and others. Add to the above stated behaviors, financial bondage, job pressures, and relationship issues, and the picture should be clear that there are a multitude of issues that can cause us to feel like captives searching for a way to be free.

Fortunately, there is one who came down to walk among men and had to die for us and pay our sin debt in full. He knew that our sins were not a burden that we could bear ourselves, and that if not atoned for, would forever hold us captive with no means of escape. What Jesus (Yeshua in the Hebrew text) accomplished on the cross was a feat that no one but he could accomplish as he was (and is), the perfect, sinless, lamb of God. Not only did he die for us, but he showed us the way, the truth, and the life, to get to be with the Father; for as it is written, the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Crist our Lord (Romans 6:23). What Jesus did for us does not give us license to continue to sin; and although humans are sinful by nature, as our flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh (Galatians 5:17); we cannot do the things that we wish.

So where are you? Do you feel like you are being held captive without a means to break free? Realize that it is entirely possible to free yourself by committing yourselves to the one who came to preach deliverance to the captives (Luke 4:18) and paid it all.

Shalom,

Minister E. Lionel Perry

04/09/2016

http://thumbs.webs.com/Members/viewThumb.jsp?fileID=425851210&zsize=square

I'm wishing everyone a happy Resurrection Sunday!

I don't use Easter as it is a pagan traditional holiday that was incorporated with Christianity to make it more palatable to the early Romans, although the early Europeans and Catholics have an "unsubstantiated? " story of Mary Magdalene presenting an egg to Roman Emperor Tiberius Caesar that turned Red before his eyes.

Anyway, Hallelujah! He is risen! Give Him praise and thanks today for what He, The Christ has done. If the Resurrection did not happen, we would be lost and the basis of our Christian faith would be null and void. This bears repeating with emphasis: If the Resurrection did not occur, than the basis for our faith in our hope for redemption is insignificant! Meditate on this as you enjoy your Resurrection Sunday! Shalom and be blessed everyone!

Minister E. Lionel Perry

3/27/16

Food for thought on this Friday morning.

When it seems that you are under a fast and furious attack from the enemy; remember that we are redeemed and if we acknowledge this and truly understand the power of God, we may stumble sometimes but we will not be defeated but rather, be delivered. Shalom!

Min. E. Lionel Perry

Psalm 107:2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.

 Food for thought;

The Bible makes it clear that there are multiple spiritual beings around and that all are not working for our good (Daniel 10:13 and Revelation 12:4 are a few examples). Anything and anybody can be your god (idols, money, celebrities etc.) and who you commit your eternal soul to is your choice, but realize that there is a Most High God (YAHWEH in Hebrew) who is for us, loves us, and want us to be with Him when our earthly lives are over. That is why He sent His only begotten son down to Earth to show us the way. Trust in Him and His glory and commit your soul to the one who truly cares for us. Shalom!

Min.E. Lionel Perry

Ministry Moment #9

My Yoke is Light

03/14/16

All of us have things in our lives that weigh heavily on us and make us feel burdened. If we are not careful, these pressures can have us feeling like we are yoked to them and that they are controlling us and our movements. Given the fast paced, high pressure society that we live and work in, our yokes can be so heavy until we are literally weighed down to the point of almost being broken and unable to move or function. While everyone’s burdens are different: some financial, some physical, some spiritual, and various others, releasing the weight of the yoke is essential in order to gather ourselves and to restore and renew our strength.

In the aspect of our spiritual yoke, there are multitudes of people who follow the teachings of the world and the ruler of it (Satan), who, as (2 Corinthians 4:4) states; has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the good news. They do not understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. As strong believers in Christ, we have the foundation in which to make the enemy depart from us, if we submit ourselves to God as in (James 4:7), but we have to be constantly aware of the traps that are used to ensnare us, and unbelief is like not having a strong defense which leads to spiritual vulnerability. The full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11), is an absolute necessity to resist the wiles of the enemy who seeks to enslave us.

Now, contrast the situations in the preceding paragraphs to what Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) stated in (Matthew 11:18-20). “Come to me, all that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”.

Once we trade in our old yokes for the yoke of Jesus Christ, we will find a much easier burden to carry as we cast our cares upon Him and His strength. He is fully able to carry the loads that we cannot handle on our own. The one caveat though, my brethren, is that once we take on the yoke of Christ, we have to be careful not to release it and return to our old yokes; which unfortunately, happens to some believers. The world has a way of producing false teachers in “tickling the ears” (2 Timothy 4:3), but the true teacher, who is the way, the truth, and the life (John 4:16), promises us an easier path if we would only just hear Him and believe. Shalom!

Minister E. Lionel Perry

03/14/2016

I must Tell Jesus-Candi Staton

https://youtu.be/OstTuwrKM2Q

Food for thought from a God fearing, thinking, conscious brother (Yes, I'm making trouble again for some).

   My spirit has been troubled by these FB posts showing stacks of money asking people to type "Amen" if you want this, or that God is going to bless you with it for "naming it and claiming it". While The Most High indeed wants to bless us, these posts make it appear that God owes us something, and that He is nothing more than a piggy bank who only exists to do our bidding; especially when we are desiring things of the world. Maybe that’s why after typing "Amen", days, months, years later, some of you are still in that that same mode. If you only pray for worldly things, you may only get corrupted worldly things which results in a reflection of the corrupted world; (greed, corruption, wickedness, selfishness, perversion, lust etc.). God (YAHWEH) is the creator of everything, but some of us treat Him like He is stupid. Everything in our prayers should revolve around if it is God's will to allow us to have things as He is the creator of everything. If you truly read the Bible, you will know that God is faithful, but He is not mocked. For every blessing, there is a requirement that we open our "third eye", and commune with God on a supernatural level for supernatural blessings and healing, but once again, it is His will as to whether He thinks you deserve it or not. If He thinks you can’t handle it, you won't get it despite what some FB post says. Jesus (Yeshua) made it plain several times that He was among us to do the will of The Father for those who would believe. So now, do you truly believe, or are you running around doing everything that’s popular with the world, (foul mouth, corrupt speech, hateful, spiteful, along with other things mentioned earlier)? or are you seeking to connect with God on a higher level for your blessings.

Shalom,

Minister E. Lionel Perry

2/15/16

If You Are a Christian, Please Stop Doing These 5 Things

By Jarrid Wilson

“There is nothing wrong with trying to be relevant, but there is a line between being trendy and completely disfiguring the message of Jesus.”

Here is some stuff Christians should stop doing.

1. Telling people “I’ll pray for you” without actually praying for them.

Guilty as charged. I can’t think of anybody who hasn’t done this at one time or another. And while most of us don’t actually mean to forget, it’s probably best that we just set aside time on the spot to pray for people. Are we really so busy that we can’t stop and pray for someone’s needs? We need to make sure we are fulfilling our duties as Christians and actually follow through with them. One prayer could be the tipping point to someone coming to know the love of God. Don’t miss the opportunity to speak life into someone because you don’t think you have time.

2. Attending Church on Sunday, but ignoring God’s voice the rest of the week.

Ouch! This one stings a little. Many of us get in the habit of making God just another addition to our weekly check-list, but the reality is that our entire lives should revolve around him. God deserves #1 priority in each of our lives, and to treat him any differently would go against the foundations of the Christian faith. Evaluate the way you are spending your time, money and energy. If you want to see a change in your life then you need to begin giving God the place of honor he deserves. Stop treating God like the last kid picked in doge-ball.

3. Praying for God’s provision when we have yet to use what he has already provided.

Way too many of us tend to treat God like a personal genie. Prayer was given to us as an open line of communication between us and God, but the harsh reality is that way too many of try to use it like a drive-thru at a fast-food restaurant. You don’t get to pick and choose the way God provides, but you do get the opportunity to trust his plan and have faith in his promises. I can’t begin to explain how many times I’ve ignored God’s provision because it wasn’t wrapped the way I intended it to be. Every time we purposely ignore God’s provision, we are indirectly telling him, “I don’t trust your plan.”

4. Trying to be so relevant that we actually hurt the message of Jesus.

There is nothing wrong with trying to be relevant, but we need to understand that there is a BOLD line between being trendy, and then completely disfiguring the message of Jesus. We can’t expect to bring any change to the world when we don’t look any different from it. I’m a firm believer that Jesus came to reclaim culture and not abolish it, but this doesn’t mean we need to water down His message so that it’s easier to swallow.

5. Telling people that “God will never give you anything you can’t handle.”

Why should we stop saying this? Because it’s a lie. … We’ve completely twisted 1 Corinthians 10:13, as this verse is pointing toward temptation, and even then it states God will be there if things get too tough. The reality is that God just might give us things we can’t handle so that we will gaze toward him for the extra help. Mind blowing right? Realize that not everything is going to go the way you plan, think or hope. Sometimes stuff is going to hit the fan, and in order for you to get through it, you are going to NEED to rely on God’s comfort, peace and understanding. We weren’t meant to do life alone.

www.churchleaders.com

5 Things We Do Today Instead of Preaching the Word

By James MacDonald

James MacDonald: I wish I could tell you that most pastors are preaching the Word, but I can’t.

Excerpted from his talk given at the Acts 29 Lead Pastors’ Retreat in June 2011:

I wish I could tell you that most pastors are preaching the Word. I can’t—some are not preaching the Word. So here are five things we may choose to do instead of preaching the Word.

1. Entertaining

“Music, drama and video, felt needs, topics, more stories”

None of those things are wrong—unless they displace the preaching of the Word of God. Some teachers will tell you that you need to tell stories in your sermons or you will bore people. I’m not bored. If you’re not bored, no one is going to be bored. Can you take hold of the Word of God and take hold of a group of people and make them listen because you have something to say?

Are you bored? The greatest sin in ministry is to bore people with the Bible. Martin Lloyd Jones said, “Preaching is theology coming through a man who is on fire. A man who can speak about these things dispassionately has no right whatsoever to be in a pulpit and should never be allowed to enter one.”

You have to get the Word of God, let it grip your heart by the power of the Holy Spirit, and drive over to church with something to say.

Now if a story fits in, I might tell you a story before I sit down, but don’t make that your thing. If people come up to you afterwards and say, “I love that story you told,” it should make you crazy. Really, that’s what I am? I’m a storyteller? The Gospel is the main story that you should be telling.

2. Sharing

We hear a pastor say, “There are some things I just want to share with you today…”

Since when is the man of God some Dr. Phil and Oprah combo? You’re supposed to proclaim a message. If you’re not preaching, glory is not coming down. You have to preach the glory down—people have to hear a word from God.

3. Wooing

“Careful, careful, don’t offend, always comfortable, never pressured, just a pinch of truth, when they’re ready to handle it.”

The preaching of the gospel has become so watered down that the non-elect can’t even reject it.

If you don’t have people walking away from your ministry saying, “This is a hard word, who can accept it?” then you don’t have a ministry like Jesus had.

I just hate this notion that we can be so clever and sophisticated that we can remove the offense from the gospel. It is foolishness to those who are perishing; it is the power of God to those who are being saved. It is the aroma of death to those who are perishing; it is the aroma of life to those who are being saved.

Listen, preacher: If you don’t want to be the aroma of death to those who are perishing, you can never be the aroma of life to those who are being saved. That’s why preaching is hard work.

4. Intellectualizing

“I’ve been thinking and researching this in the original languages…”

We’re supposed to love God with our heart, soul, mind and strength. And preaching that stops at the shoulders is defective preaching. It has to move me—it has to call me to action—mind, emotions and will. If you’re just preaching your theological construct, you’re blowing it.

Stop preaching the scaffolding around the Bible and preach the Word—what God actually says.

John Calvin said, “God deigns [considers it proper] to consecrate to himself the mouths and tongues of men in order that his voice may resound in them.” Your preaching is at its best when your people have forgotten that you’re even standing there, and God’s Spirit is moving through you. I am afraid that we’ve lost sight of this.

5. Abbreviating

“Twenty minute sermons”

I don’t know how it works at your church, but for us it takes five minutes to set the rig up and another five or 10 minutes to take it down. If you’re only preaching for 20 minutes, that gives you five minutes to drill. You’re not going very deep, are you? It takes some time.

Romans 10:16: Jesus said, “He who hears you, hears me.”

“He who hears you,” Jesus said, “hears me.”

Yet there’s no pridefulness, is there? It’s so humbling. It’s a crushing weight, isn’t it? I tell people the weekly message preparation is the crucible of my sanctification. Never get in a habit of getting up in the pulpit when things aren’t square everywhere. That by itself will keep you going in the right direction. “He who hears you, hears me,” Jesus said. I love that challenge—to be that person.

http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/153918-james-macdonald-5-things-we-do-today-instead-of-preach-the-word.html/3