NOAH AND THE KIDS WHO OBEY

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1

The story of Noah is a story of perseverance and faith despite the lack of outward reinforcement.

By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God.
Hebrews 11:7 The Message

Life is tough. Obeying God can be hard, and there will be times when you wonder if you even heard God right. But amazing things happen when you follow God. Decide to be in this for the long haul. Don’t look back at past mistakes—keep pressing forward!

You’re going to cross the finish line!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

PS Thanks to all who served in making the best JUMP! kids camp ever!

Copyright ©2010 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:35

There is an ache in every heart in every nation that only Jesus can satisfy. We can become numb and stuck in a routine and lose sight of the importance of the basic bread of life. But Jesus knows how to address the depleted soul. He knows how to sustain us, how to cause us to persevere till the end.

Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.” John 6:32

God sustained the Israelites in the wilderness with manna from heaven, but now He has supplied humanity with the true bread that will sustain in this life and for eternity.

People are looking for truth. Pilate, before crucifying Jesus, asked Him, “What is the truth?” but he didn’t wait for the answer before walking away (John 18:38). Now, the world is starting to reach a point where it will listen for the answer.

Jesus is the bread of life that fills the hungry heart. Popular culture doesn’t address the fundamental need for provision that only Jesus can give. There are times when we’ve drifted as Christians and tried to be satisfied with other things, only to find out how empty they were. As we return to Jesus, the guardian of our souls, we find fulfillment and life-giving, sustaining grace.

So don’t back off: Feed on God’s Word every day; stay connected, stay in love with Jesus. Our mission is to make sure that everything we do showcases Jesus. We’ve got this little life moment to communicate Jesus to our generation. It’s not about self-help, philosophy, or figuring out how to be good Christians—it’s all about Jesus.

Nothing compares to knowing Jesus!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright ©2010 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

You know the word which the Lord spoke to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh-barnea. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the Lord my God fully. Joshua 14:6b-8

When the twelve Israelites came back from spying out the Promised Land, only Joshua and Caleb chose the good report. All those guys saw the same land and the same people, but they had different conclusions which produced different results. The bad-report guys died within a week. But Joshua and Caleb not only made it to the Promised Land, they finished as strong as when they started out (Joshua 14:11).

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8 KJV

The essence of good-report people is that they speak from deep-seated conviction and refuse to let the majority sway them. Choosing the good report is not automatic—it takes discipline and a heart filled up with God’s Word. Protracted battles can give us a loss-centered attitude, and it takes some time to get back to the place where we let the God of peace govern our hearts and minds.

When God was about ready to bust those Israelites loose into the Promised Land, the bad report stopped what God was trying to do. Don’t let grumbling keep you from God’s promises. Like Joshua and Caleb, we are called to lift up our eyes and obtain every promise of God, to see this generation come to a vibrant understanding of who Jesus is and what He provided for us when He conquered death.

Finish strong!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2010 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

But I pray that your partnership in the faith may become effective as you fully acknowledge every blessing that is ours in the Messiah. Philemon 1:6 ISV

As we acknowledge the good things Jesus has done in our lives, our walk with God will increase in effectiveness and fruitfulness.

Because of Jesus we are now free from the vicious circle of sin and death (Romans 8:2 Phillips). Jesus took “the certificate of debt”—all the blame and sin that belonged to us—and nailed it to the cross (Colossians 2:14).

And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins . . . But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:1, 4-6 KJV

And you hath He quickened. Ephesians 2 shows the before and after of becoming a Christian. If you’re feeling beat down, socially awkward, or insignificant, Jesus powerfully affirmed your value when He gave His life at the prime age of 33 so that people like you and me can experience freedom from bondage. As you renew your mind with the understanding of what God has done, you’ll break out of the confines of insecurity and apathy and step into greater fruitfulness.

Your purpose: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Don’t manage your expectations for your life. Get in the Word and study your place in Jesus. You are being called out by God for Kingdom purposes beyond what you can even imagine right now—to pray huge prayers, walk in divine influence, be supernaturally natural, shape culture, and change this generation!

It’s good to be alive right now.
Pastor Jeff

Copyright © 2010 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Copyright © 1958-1972 by JB Phillips; The Gospels Copyright © 1996-2008 International Standard Version®. King James Version.

But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:6

Time with God in the secret place is the key to effectiveness. Madake is a common type of bamboo in Japan, and during its growth season will grow up to almost four feet in one day! It can take years, though, for the visible shoots to push through the ground because the plant first prepares for fast growth by developing a strong root system out of sight. Likewise, our public life is rooted in the preparation that happens during secret-place moments.

Don’t despise the day of small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10) or underestimate the value of the secret place. If you stick around long enough and refuse to grow weary in doing good, your strong root system will produce major growth (Galatians 6:9).

Because time in the secret place produces fruit for the public place, it is the subject of the greatest attacks by Satan. Don’t wait to have “enough time” to spend with God. Learn how to fellowship with God even when you are on the run. Take two minutes at the beginning of the day and connect with God. Turn off the car radio and the cell phone and set aside time to be with Him. Whether you’re in the shower, driving the car, or cooking in the kitchen—these are all moments you can use to draw close to God.

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. John 15:7-8

When you abide in the secret place, you are under the protecting shadow of the Almighty. Fear has to leave (Psalm 91:1 NKJV*; 2 Timothy 1:7). God protects you from others’ evil intentions: “You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man” (Psalm 31:20a). And God, who sees what you do in secret, will reward you openly (Matthew 6:6).

The secret place may feel dreary and dry at times, but God promises that if you seek Him, you will find Him (Deuteronomy 4:29). As a result of consistently spending time in the secret place, you will bear fruit, change lives, and reach the world.

God bless you.
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright ©2010 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. *Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright ©1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance . . . You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. Revelation 2:2-5 NLT

This warning to the church in Ephesus is sobering, and the enemy is fighting hard to dull you, but God knows how to rouse your heart and stir you up to the fiery potential for which you’ve been designed and created. If you’ve let your Christian life become blasé, remember from where you have fallen and go back to the things you did at first. Identify the things God has called you to do (including loving Jesus with all your heart) and drop the works you’ve picked up along the way that are not what God intended you to carry.

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11

God is calling us to humble our hearts, remove obstacles, and recommit to walking in love. After all, God is love, and one of the most purposeful things we can do is learn to cultivate this extraordinary love. This God kind of love, agape love, is not just an ordinary expression based on emotion or reserved solely for our nearest and dearest. We are to extend this eternal love of God to our neighbors, our enemies, and the entire world.

Don’t let John 3:16 become religious rhetoric. Instead delve into the Word and rediscover the profound truth of God’s eternal love for you.

We love, because God first loved us!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2010 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13

Meditating on a verse like this will pull you out of regret for the past and dread of the future, and it’ll make you aware that the future God has planned for you is a future with hope. If you read the beginning of Jeremiah 29, you’ll see that Jeremiah is prophesying in order to get four things across to the exiled Israelites stuck in Babylon. He is telling them to build, multiply, ignore the false prophets, and keep hope alive.

This strong exhortation communicates that even though the Israelites had some grim circumstances, God always works for the well-being of His people. Paul reiterated this recurring theme of God’s faithfulness when he wrote as a captive in a Roman prison: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). God is calling us to learn how to abase and abound (Philippians 4:12) and live as Kingdom people who are clear-headed, victorious, and full of love, independent of our circumstances.

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. Proverbs 4:18

Don’t let anything other than the Bible define who God is in your world. The problems come when our meditation shifts from the Word (Psalm 1:1-3) and we listen to the bad report or to false prophets. Take Jeremiah 29:11 into your spirit and let it stir your heart with courage and dispel the dismal outlook that has tried to settle on you. Just like His plans for Israel, God’s plans for you are good plans. Keep building. Keep multiplying. Don’t listen to false prophets. Keep hope alive!

God has good things ahead,
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2010 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

God loves you! When you know you’re loved, you are free to spend life loving and valuing others. If you catch yourself being bitter, you have probably been giving until your tank is empty and trying to operate out of your own strength instead of relying on God. Take some time to meditate on God’s love for you and watch your attitude turn around!

During the holiday season, most of us get extra opportunities to take “pop quizzes” on the love walk! The best way to pass these quizzes is not to imitate your idea of a nice person, but to imitate God. “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (Ephesians 5:1-2). Learn from God and then do it.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

If you’re feeling pressure this Christmas, apply these ten rules for getting rid of the blues: Do something for someone else — then repeat it nine times! Every person has a fundamental need for a Savior, and the best way to introduce people to Jesus is by showing love. It’s the most important thing we can do with our lives. “Kindness has converted more sinners than either zeal, or eloquence, or learning” (Frederick W. Faber).

God bless you and Merry Christmas!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2009 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

On that day, when evening came, He [Jesus] said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. Mark 4:35-39

This journey to the “other side” paints a picture of our lives. Between the initiation and the conclusion of life’s journey, there is this thing called the daily grind, and sometimes we find ourselves in the middle of some stormy weather.

 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. Mark 4:39

When we encounter storms, it’s easy to freak out like the disciples and say to Jesus, “Do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38). That’s pretty insulting when you realize that Jesus’ entire mission was to save the world from perishing. We need the same attitude as David when he encountered Goliath: “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37).

Remember: When God initiates something, He sustains it and brings it to completion. Jesus is “Immanuel,” which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). If He tells you to go to the other side of your situation, you can be certain that He’ll get you there and He’ll be with you every step of the way.

They came to the other side of the sea. Mark 5:1a

 God is with you, and you will make it to the other side!

Merry Christmas!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

 
Copyright © 2009 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.