It's Not Over

Pastor D.R. McKillop
September 23, 2012

Naomi along with her two sons followed Elimelech out of Bethlehem and into the land of Moab.  Elimelech made a conscious decision to move to protect his investment regardless the real cost.  They continued to live with the Moabites even after the death of Elimelech. They were comfortable there. Her sons eventually married Moabite women.   But in the process so time the boys also died. She felt robbed by Moab, as she reflected on the consequences of decisions made.  Hearing of renewed prosperity in Bethlehem, she started out weeping with anguish for her losses.  The load of grief for what she could no longer produce was overwhelming.  Struggling with emptiness, she encouraged her daughters-in-law to stay behind in Moab.  Ruth chose to follow giving her access to Naomi’s God.     Naomi declared without hesitation, “The Lord has dealt bitterly with me; I went away full and return empty.”    Wrapped in a cloak of defeat, barrenness, and bitterness, she resigned herself to this heartbreaking fate until she recalled something she had left.. a piece of land.  Out of obedience, Ruth gleaned from it.  Ruth’s successful day sparked a flame of hope as Naomi realized that she did in fact have something that was productive.  Ruth, a Moabitess, needed a kinsman-redeemer so Naomi invested all that she had for one last chance of redemption, the only thing that could change the future.  Boaz was willing to buy the field and redeem Ruth but there was an obstacle; someone else had first choice.  Her redemption was now in jeopardy as it was negotiated between an unnamed man (symbolic of the law) and Boaz (symbolic of Christ) at the city gate!   The decision was really down to who wanted the Moabitess. Boaz was willing to pay the price of her redemption. God gave conception to Ruth.  When the child was placed in Naomi’s arms, the supernatural overshadowed and produced life into that which has been barren!

You may feel war-torn as you function on what you know instead of how you feel. Satan will attack by reminding you of your fight with bitterness.  Don’t be intimidated by the backslider whose decisions has led them down a spiraling vacuum of emptiness, bitterness, and strife - their end is yet to be.  Facing giants? Hold on, you will be vindicated by your decisions and stand that you have taken.  Never doubt the fact that you are loved by your Redeemer.

Emptiness creates feelings of restlessness as you deal with your past and struggle with your seemingly vacant future.  Emptiness can create bitterness when we feel as though we are no longer productive; starting on a horizontal level then goes vertical to God.                         

Wake up to the fact that you have a kinsman-redeemer within reach.  The law maybe the closest and have first choice on you but someone wants you even more!  Your Redeemer paid a great price and only He can do what the law is powerless to do! Your future is in the hands of law and mercy!   Satan haunts you with the empty chairs of your yesterdays as he dangles past decisions in front of you. Embrace your Redeemer, let life come forth, move beyond emptiness, barrenness, and bitterness.  Bigger things that you can fathom are in your future.  Look Satan in the eye and let him know that even though you cannot fix your past, you have a kinsman-redeemer and you can make a decision about tomorrow! IT’S NOT OVER!

Backyard Construction

Pastor D.R. McKillop
September 16, 2012

Home is the place where atmospheric conditions are created that impacts everyone including the church.   Yes, it really does matter what goes on inside the home. Daniel prayed regularly within his home.  Cornelius prayers built up a memorial to God.  The The oldest Hebrew son in Egypt knew the value of a home obedient to the Word of God.

An attitude, a lifestyle can be created that goes out beyond the walls of a home and
impacts everything in its path.  When you critize others within the Church, you are attacking the Body of Christ not just a certain individual or family.  Is there a chance
that someone is being tried and hung in the confines of your home without a
trial, without knowing you even knowing what the situation is really all about?

Bitterness is s demonic spirit that left unchecked will grow and multiply like a cancer feeding on whatever it can get into its grasp.  It will link up and interconnect with everything around it.  If you think more highly of yourself than you ought, you are fertile soil for a root of bitterness to spring forth. 

Haman was delighted to be elevated to a position next to the king.  But one man’s
refusal to bow incensed him to the point that he began to plot his destruction.  The plot initially targeted just one Jewish man, but bitterness and his too high opinion of himself broadened his scheme to include all the Jews, including the King’s bride. To implement the plot, he had gallows built in his own home! But what he did not know was that what he was building at home would be his ruin.

The enemy will plant unsuspecting roots of bitterness as life and circumstances ensue.  It assembles very quickly and overnight can become a force to be reckoned with as it twists and thrusts to the very heart of life. Soon, you despise others and their blessings as you dwell on your own trial and circumstances.  Don’t let bitterness take you out over something you have already survived.

Building supplies come one piece at a time looking innocent and insignificant.  The supplies are not the problem but what we chose to construct with them is.  What we build will either condemn the world or us.  Never be found guilty of constructing
something in your backyard to cover sin and a double life.  What Noah built in his back yard was instrumental in the survival of his family.  The line by which Rahab let the enemy spies down over the wall of her home was the same line that saved her family.

Can your children live on what you are building?  What are you going to build with the materials you have been given?  An ark? Gallows constructed from bitterness? A place for the man of God?  Be careful what you say about my brother and sister. Don’t allow bitterness to come between you and someone in the church because if you do, you may become crosswise with the King’s Bride. The King will come to vindicate and measure out to you according to what He finds you hav build at home.   Live so that all He can find are memorials of grace and altars overlade with mercy!

Lost In The House

Rev. Harold Churchill
Pastor in Lewiston, ME
September 9, 2012

God has provided the Church with everything that it needs to be victorious.  Jesus performed many miracles and manifested His glory.  He illustrated His power and the potential power that could be in the church. As the Spirit operated in the early church  souls were added daily.  The gifts God gives are instrumental in blessing the Church and unless you can handle correction positively, demonstrate humility and maintain a teachable spirit, you cannot be used as a conduit to bless the body.

The parables recorded in Luke 15 reveal the value of searching and finding that which we lose.  The Shepherd left the ninety-nine and searched UNTIL he found the lost one.  The lady swept and cleaned UNTIL she found that one lost coin in her own home.  A value was placed on that which was lost.  There was an urgency to reclaim it…. Their search continued UNTIL the lost item was recovered.   

What have you lost? It is time to do a personal inventory. How much do you value what is lost?  Do you have a desire to reclaim what you are missing?  While searching for what is lost, you will inevitably find other things unexpectedly …  things that you had forgotten about.  If not used over a period of time, things get misplaced and have a tendency to lose their value. By sweeping and housecleaning in search of a lost item, we are bound to be dismayed to discover things that hinder us from reclaiming what is of value.   What would we find if we truly did a spiritual housecleaning?  The spirit of pride can lift itself up and prevent us from being flexible in the hands of God.  Worldliness and a love of the world can produce a lustful spirit causing us to lose our identity, separating us from God.  Our attitude while often overlooked by us can be  clearly seen by others. what does our attitude tell others about our attitude and spirit, how does our attitude measure up in terms of meekness, forgiveness, mercy, and unity?  

What have we lost through carelessness, lack of use, cares of life, or fear of failing once again?  What have you lost?  Joy? Happiness? Faith? Your first love?  Have you given up your search for what you once possessed?  Pick up the broom, start sweeping, and discover the powerful weapons of the Spirit that are available to you that have been neglected, lost or forgotten.  What you lost is still in the house. It is still rightfully yours. 

Which Way Now?

Bishop D.H.McKillop
September 2, 2012

There is forever a "Y" in the road of your personal walk with God, constantly choices that must be made that is why we need His hand to guide us and hold us steady.

It started in Genesis with a little bit of light. The world around us  is getting dark and we need to keep an eye open for the least little bit of light.

The lion is a type of the devil (Job 28:8). There is a path…God has a path for us that the devil doesn’t know anything about. We don’t have to worry about the devil getting us. No matter how hard he looks, there is a path we can travel that the vulture’s eye hath not seen. The children of Israel crossed the Red Sea into a place where sands and winds had blown. There was a trackless wilderness they had to walk through but God provided a way.

Humanity is always looking for help, where to go. We may be in a place where we don’t have an answer, but we can have peace and not live in confusion. Living in confusion is very dangerous. We need a word from God that we can anchor to.

We must have a man of God in our lives to be saved. He gives us direction and we tie ourselves to the word that we receive, daily we must allow the Spirit of God to guide us.

As you travel along you can know His will. In order to be guided by divine providence, we have to abandon our own self-will. God’s word must rule. If you want to find the path, you must be governed by the word of God.

The light of the body is the eye. Light and confusion cannot live in the same place. You must have a single eye – be sensitive to move when the Holy Ghost and be prepared to follow. To live for God, you must bypass man’s thinking, even your own. You must find that path, settle some issues in your soul.

As you receive light, you must have a single eye and determine to follow that light or God will turn that light to darkness. Don’t tamper with the light that God gives. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

We Are The Church

Evangelist John Carroll
August 26, 2012

The Greek term translated “church” is “ecclesi”, a compound word meaning “out of” and “to call”. Originally ecclesi had a secular usage meaning a gathering of citizens called out of their homes for a public assembly to make decisions concerning their city. The Bible refers to the church as the “called out ones” – an assembly gathered together for worship, united into one body. It encompasses the local congregation, all those scattered throughout the world who have taken on the Name of Jesus in baptism and the faithful who have gone on to be with the Lord.

In John 10, Jesus stated He had other sheep that He would bring into the church. He was telling them that what there is, is not all that will be. We are called by the preaching of the Gospel. Today the basis of that calling is the grace of God, whereas the Old Testament basis was race.

I Peter 2:9-10 tells us we are a chosen generation. “Chosen” speaks of adoption. He chose us because He loves us regardless of the scars of our past. Like natural adoption, spiritual adoption brings three changes:

1. A Name Change – The child receives a new name and a new identity.

2. A New Birth Certificate – It is as if the child had been born again with new parents.

3. The Documents Are Sealed By The Court – Our former father, the devil, has no access to our records.    

In a natural adoption, because of the inherited genes, the child will still have some of the characteristics of his former parents. In a spiritual adoption, Titus 3:5 tells us we are saved by the washing of re-gene-ration. God re-gene-rates us so we can be like our new Father.

There are three principles that make the church great.

1. The Foundation: It is founded on the Apostles and prophets with Jesus as the chief cornerstone.

2. The Ownership: It belongs to Jesus who said “I will build my church”. 

3. The Duration: Because of its foundation and ownership, the gates of Hell won’t prevail against it. It cannot be stopped or destroyed.

The church is not an afterthought of God. It was His eternal purpose. In all 66 books of the Bible, we not only find Jesus, but also the church. Always remember that no matter what is wrong in your life, you are still part of the church and there is victory in your future! 

Finding Your Place

Bishop D.H. McKillop
August 19, 2012

Hebrews 12:22-23 states that we have come to Mt. Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. The word “city” is a noun denoting a place. Jesus told His disciples He was going to prepare “a place” for them and that place is Mt. Zion. It is the place of “the spirits of just men made perfect”. It isn’t meant to be a place to just visit, but a place to dwell.

Consider Esau, who for one morsel of meat, sold his birthright. Afterward he was rejected and didn’t find a place of repentance though he wept bitterly. A lifestyle of bad habits will affect your character later in life. Some things you won’t be able to change. We have a small window of time to build character in the lives of our children.

In John 18, Jesus went to a garden. Judas was able to lead the soldiers there because he “knew the place”. In Acts 1:24-25 the disciples were trying to choose a replacement for Judas who fell “that he might go to his own place”.

The disciples were in “one place” when the Holy Ghost was outpoured. The place was shaken and they were filled with the Holy Ghost. Likewise we must react when the Holy Ghost falls. Paul told the Corinthians if there was no resurrection, their faith was vain. Without getting in the Spirit and being renewed through the power of the resurrection our faith will be in vain.

The church must be quick to pick up a spirit of immorality or bitterness. As we walk in the Spirit, we will become more like the early church. We will not blend with the world. When praying in the Holy Ghost, we get out of time and into eternity. If we only live in time, life will be hard.

Esau’s lifestyle consisted of spending his days preparing arrows, hunting and disregarding his parents wishes. Jacob, when fleeing from Esau, found a place to rest at Bethel where he had an experience with God. On his way back home he stopped at the same place, but changed the name to El-Bethel – the House of God.

Although Esau wept tears, he found no place – (no place of change)– of repentance. Don’t let the tears fool you. Look for a permanent change (a place of repentance). Desire a “place” where you can constantly say, “I’m sorry, forgive me, change me, help me”. Don’t settle for tears, find the place of repentance, a place where you are forever changed.

The Spirit of God shook Mt. Sinai and the people beheld in fear. God wants to bring us to another mountain – Mt Zion – where the blessings of God will fill our lives. 

No Other Gods

Pastor D.R. McKillop
August 12, 2012

God repeatedly tells us that He is the only God and we must turn to Him to be saved. Paul instructs us to flee from idolatry. We are living in the most idolatrous generation of all time. God, who is a jealous God, sent judgment on the Israelites when they went
after other gods.

All Israel went to Mt. Carmel, but no one stood with Elijah. The idol worshippers cried out and cut themselves to get the attention of their false god. The true God, who was afflicted for us, will send the fire when we worship Him only.

Micah, who lived in the days when every man did that which was right in his own eyes, through the leniency of his mother, ended up with an image. Deciding it was too far to go to Shiloh where the ark was, he started worshipping the image at home. Do we sometimes decide it is too far to get to the glory of God by not pushing to get into the vein of the Holy Ghost in our devotions or church services?

In time a Levite passed by and Micah hired him to be “a father to me”. Then he became “as one of his sons”. He held services for Micah but wouldn’t address the idol problem because Micah fed, clothed and supported him. There are issues that we must allow God to address in our lives. It can make the difference between life or death and Heaven or hell.

As Moses, an ancestor of Micah, descended the mountain with the plans for the ark, he heard the sound of singing. Before he saw the golden calf, he knew something was wrong. Immorality always follows idolatry.

Before Gideon’s victory, he had to tear down the idols of his father. If we can’t worship, we usually have a problem with pride. Thinking too much of yourself is idolatry.

Idols are an abomination to God. Worship can become idolatry if we worship only because others are and not because our heart is in it. Guard against worshipping the works of your own hands. Use music to worship God; don’t worship the music. We can prevent a haughty spirit from rising up if we sing about the blood and think of what God has done for us. 

Burn Now or Burn Later

Bishop D.H. McKillop
August 5,2012

Paul tells us we have a lively hope because of the resurrection of Jesus. Just as He rose from the grave by a supernatural resurrection, we also can experience a supernatural resurrection by responding in the Holy Ghost. We need this Holy Ghost resurrection frequently. No matter what our situation or trial, He never changes His thoughts about us. We can deal with each situation holding on to the resurrection power.

At the end we will receive an inheritance beyond change or decay that was reserved for us when we took on His Name in baptism. We are kept by His power through faith for our final salvation to be revealed in the last day. We want God not only to put within us what we need to pass the final test, but also to take out whatever would hinder our passing the test.

By faith Noah was moved by fear and built the ark. It takes an element of fear to
complete faith. It takes and element of doubt to have faith – if you had no doubt, you wouldn’t need faith. The building of the ark that saved him condemned those around him.

John said that Jesus would reprove the world of sin. The rainbow was the sign that the world would never again be destroyed by a flood. The next time it will be by fire. We who have been baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire will not be accepted by the world because our lifestyle condemns them. We must be saved by fire or be condemned. The fiery trials must burn out the dross now or we will burn later. Life is full of difficult questions and situations, but our desire must be to burn out selfishness and the wrong spirits, attitudes and actions. We need a resurrection to handle life.

In the past the church world went back because they had no proof that God is a consuming fire. Every man’s work must be tried by fire. May God burn out whatever isn’t like Him. Let us enter each service with a sacrifice of fresh praise and a heart that cries for a Holy Ghost resurrection to burn out whatever isn’t pleasing to God.

It’s burn now or burn later!

How Thriving Cities Survive

Pastor D. R. McKillop
July 15, 2012

Before Samaria was a city it was just another hill. But one day an individual made a decision to build there. Here was a place that could provide safety from the enemy.  This was not just any hill, someone set out to find the right place; a hill that would
provide a vantage point from which to see everything that approached. They built their city with walls because this was the only way to control access, to control what occurred there. They had to protect their future. Every city has to have something going out and coming in, this is necessary for its survival, not only must it have walls, it has to have an entrance, so they built a gate.

There comes a time in each of our lives when we pick out our hill and set out to build our city. For security we build walls so we can decide what we will let inside and what needs to stay on the outside.  Building requires enthusiasm we must be able to see things that are not as though they were. Everyone wants peace,tranquility, love, trust, loyalty, and companionship on the inside. That is why we erect wall and install a gate to regulate what comes in and goes out. Our goal is always to build our lives securely so that we may dwell safely and not fear for our future.

As the years rolled on there came a time when Samaria experienced a famine that lasted for seven years. Their resources began to be depleted and then there came the sound of an approaching enemy. They shut their gates to protect themselves. Now nothing came in and nothing went out. Things had progressed to the point where they were starting to eat their future. If you see no way to escape the situations that have surrounded your life remember that God knows exactly what is going on and he has promised to walk with us through each season of our lives. He wants to come in; He longs to supply what is lacking in our lives to add healing balm to our hurts and wounds. Open the gate of your heart and allow the peace of God to enter in.

Mobilizing The Remnant

Pastor D.R. McKillop
Sunday AM, July 8, 2012

Sin upsets God and He does not tolerate sin today any better than He did in Ezekiel's day. He sent four judgments upon the land that was sinning: the sword, famine, noisome beasts, and pestilence. We are facing the same judgments in our day. Sin is crying out to be left alone and every time we pursue revival we are damaging the hold of sin within our sphere of influence.Our goal is to see the balance of power shift that souls may be saved from Hell. The enemy has a problem when the church is productive.

Every time God revealed a judgment He referred back to Noah,Daniel, and Job; the superstars of righteousness in their day. Faith reached out in their everyday life preaching righteousness to the people. Noah overcame the world and saved his family, Daniel overcame his flesh and influenced his friends, and Job overcame the devil even though he lost his family, God restored back to him more than what he had lost. These all died having met the need of their day. We may wonder how we are going to meet the needs of today without these heroes. Yet, there is a remnant! Our focus needs to be on what is left; not what has been lost. Whatever God takes from our lives wasn't needed to accomplish His purpose or He would not have taken it. God works with what remains.

Gideon thought he had what he needed to fight the battle but God reduced him down to what He knew he needed. When the widow was asked what she had in the house, she said, "Nothing, save a pot of oil." She was able to use what she had left to feed the prophet even though she thought  life had taken all she had. Jesus works with the remnant. He has more anointing than we have vacancy.

The remnant is a powerful notice on the devil. He wants you to think only on the remnant and how weak it we are, his goal is to immobilizing us. If the devil doesn't think the remnant is so powerful then why is he so concerned about it and what we do with it? It is time for the remnant to get mobilized and affect this world with our righteous living. Once our righteousness is no longer effective, God will take us out of here. So while we still have time, let's tell everyone we can about Jesus.

Blessed To Be Here

Bishop D.H McKillop
Sunday AM, July 1, 2012

We are living in a crisis hour when all Hell is against us. Peer pressure tries to pull us in the wrong direction but we have a Gospel that is stronger than the powers of this world. If we don’t make up our mind to fight then we will give into the lust of the flesh. We need to realize we are all sinners saved by grace. We have a sin problem and the only way to get rid of it is to go back to the root of the problem and confess it. It doesn’t take a lot of Holy Ghost to change some things; it just takes making up your mind that you are going to change. We have to set pride aside and admit we need help.

The law of sin is at work in our flesh everyday; we can’t pamper it or give in to it. Tell your flesh it is going to do some things it might not want to do. An unrepented sin is a voice crying out for judgement; it has a way of coming to the surface. The Lord will not hear us if we regard iniquity in our hearts. Tell God how unworthy we are to be here and how great He is and ask Him to save us from our secret thoughts. Repentance is no good without confession. God will be faithful and just to forgive us when we confess. It is not a matter of the mouth or the mind; it is a matter of getting it out of the heart.

Stay in the battle. There is no time to rest. This gives way to the enemy. If David had of been out in the battle fighting instead of home resting, he would have not rested his eyes on the wrong thing. When he brought Urriah home from battle to cover up his sin , he found out how dedicated Urriah was to the work of God. So dedicated that he  would not turn aside to do his own will.. He was a true soldier. After David confessed his sin, he threw himself at God’s mercy.

Bring your flesh to God everyday for help. Don’t let it rule you. Set your mind on God and seek His glory.