“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’” Isaiah 6:8 (ESV) Isaiah had a life changing experience. He looked up and saw the Lord in all of His holiness. Isaiah looked inward and recognized his own sinfulness in light of God’s holiness. Isaiah then looked outward and detected the sinful condition of others. In this life changing experience, Isaiah heard God’s call and responded with instant obedience. Isaiah said, “Here I am! Send me.” Will you make an impact upon every generation? Are you willing to allow God to call you to a new level of living? God’s grace always matches His assignment for your life. Where God guides He always provides. There is never a better moment than now to obey God instantly and make yourself totally available for His use. God can do more in you and through you in the next six months than all the previous years of your life combined. God values the work He does in you more than the work He does through you. Before God used Isaiah to make an eternal impact, God had to do an internal work in Isaiah’s life. The internal work always impacts the eternal work. Don’t bypass what God wants to do in you. Isaiah came face to face with the holiness of God in worship. Isaiah’s worship led to a personal assessment of his morality and then the morality of those around him. After God did this great work in Isaiah, He invited Isaiah to join His world redemptive activity. You have a chance to make an eternal impact for every generation. Are you available? Look upward! Look inward! Look outward! Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Category: God’s Agenda
“‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’” Jeremiah 1:5 (ESV) Allow God’s agenda to become your agenda. Before you were born, God existed. God is eternal. That means that God has always been and God will always be. God was never born and God will never die. Yet, you have a beginning. You have a birth date! Nine months before your birth date, you were conceived. Thus, you have a date of conception. To know the heart of God for you, we must travel even further back into time. Before God formed you, He knew you. Wow! That means that you were not an accident. You were created by God for a divine purpose. Before you were born, God set you apart. The concept in the language of the Old Testament is that of being sanctified. Before you were born, God had in mind exactly what He wanted you to become and God had in mind exactly when He wanted to introduce you to life on planet earth. God orchestrated all of this before you were born. Before you were born, God set you apart to participate in His kingdom activity. God loves you and has a purpose for your life. God’s purpose for your life is for you to experience His redemptive love personally and then for you to join Him in expressing His redemptive love locally and globally. You have a massive mission to fulfill on this planet during the time God gives you. Don’t waste it! Don’t allow busyness to rob you of your divine destiny! Don’t allow anything to steal your passion for God and your zeal to be on mission with God! Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
Running the Christian Race
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.” 1 Corinthians 9:24 (ESV) Life is not a sprint, but a marathon. The Greeks had two athletic festivals: the Olympic games and the Isthmian games. Paul’s audience would immediately connect this running imagery with the Isthmian games in their city of Corinth. Instead of receiving a gold, silver, or bronze medal like in our current day Olympics, only one prize was awarded in the Isthmian games. The winning runner would receive a wreath. Nothing was awarded to the runner who came in second or third. Only one person got the prize! Paul is encouraging us as believers to run in such a way as to get that prize. We are to live the Christian life with passion. God desires our best and God deserves our best. So, how are you running the Christian race? Are you running with passion? Too often, we divert our passion to other venues. We rob God and we give our best to that which has no eternal value. How you live is just as important as how much time you have left on this earth. The quality of your life is just as vital as the quantity of your remaining days. How will you live your life? If you had only a short time left to live, would your passion in the race of life be vertical? Would your passion for God and His agenda be evident? Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8 (NIV) Isaiah had a life changing experience. He looked up and saw the Lord in all of His holiness. Isaiah looked inward and recognized his own sinfulness in light of God’s holiness. Isaiah then looked outward and detected the sinful condition of others. In this life changing experience, Isaiah heard God’s call and responded with instant obedience. Isaiah said, “Here am I. Send me!” Will you make an impact upon every generation? Are you willing to allow God to call you to a new level of living? God’s grace always matches His assignment for your life. Where God guides He always provides. There is never a better moment than now to obey God instantly and make yourself totally available for His use. God can do more in you and through you in the next six months than all the previous years of your life combined. God values the work He does in you more than the work He does through you. Before God used Isaiah to make an eternal impact, God had to do an internal work in Isaiah’s life. The internal work always impacts the eternal work. Don’t bypass what God wants to do in you. Isaiah came face to face with the holiness of God in worship. Isaiah’s worship led to a personal assessment of his morality and then the morality of those around him. After God did this great work in Isaiah, He invited Isaiah to join His world redemptive activity. You have a chance to make an eternal impact for every generation. Are you available? Look upward! Look inward! Look outward! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’” Jer 1:5 (NIV) Allow God’s agenda to become your agenda. Before you were born, God existed. God is eternal. That means that God has always been and God will always be. God was never born and God will never die. Yet, you have a beginning. You have a birth date! Nine months before your birth date, you were conceived. Thus, you have a date of conception. To know the heart of God for you, we must travel even further back into time. Before God formed you, He knew you. Wow! That means that you were not an accident. You were created by God for a divine purpose. Before you were born, God set you apart. The concept in the language of the Old Testament is that of being sanctified. Before you were born, God had in mind exactly what He wanted you to become and God had in mind exactly when He wanted to introduce you to life on planet earth. God orchestrated all of this before you were born. Before you were born, God set you apart to participate in His kingdom activity. God loves you and has a purpose for your life. God’s purpose for your life is for you to experience His redemptive love personally and then for you to join Him in expressing His redemptive love locally and globally. You have a massive mission to fulfill on this planet during the time God gives you. Don’t waste it! Don’t allow busyness to rob you of your divine destiny! Don’t allow anything to steal your passion for God and your zeal to be on mission with God! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
Running the Christian Race
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” 1 Cor 9:24 (NIV) Life is not a sprint, but a marathon. The Greeks had two athletic festivals: the Olympic games and the Isthmian games. Paul’s audience would immediately connect this running imagery with the Isthmian games in their city of Corinth. Instead of receiving a gold, silver, or bronze medal like in our current day Olympics, only one prize was awarded in the Isthmian games. The winning runner would receive a wreath. Nothing was awarded to the runner who came in second or third. Only one person got the prize! Paul is encouraging us as believers to run in such a way as to get that prize. We are to live the Christian life with passion. God desires our best and God deserves our best. So, how are you running the Christian race? Are you running with passion? Too often, we divert our passion to other venues. We rob God and we give our best to that which has no eternal value. How you live is just as important as how much time you have left on this earth. The quality of your life is just as vital as the quantity of your remaining days. How will you live your life? If you had less than one month to live, would your passion in the race of life be vertical? Would your passion for God and His agenda be evident? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
Grace Works
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Cor 9:8 (NIV) Doing God’s work God’s way requires God’s grace each day. Good works will not produce salvation, but good works are the fruit of salvation. You can flourish in good works because God’s grace always matches your assignment. God will grace you with all you need to accomplish His mission. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Eph 2:10 (NIV) “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17 (NIV) Activate your faith by doing the good works God created you to do. What is it that God wants you to give your life to? Where does God want you to allocate your time, energy, and resources? God has good works that He has prepared in advance for you to do. God is able to give you the grace you need to live a life of instant obedience. His grace is more than enough. Are you willing to respond to God’s invitation to join Him in His activity? Are you willing to be used of God to benefit His kingdom and to bring Him glory? God still chooses to use human instrumentality in fulfilling His agenda. God will make it possible for you to abound in every good work. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
Staying On Mission
“Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem.” Luke 13:22 (NIV) In the final six months of His earthly ministry, Jesus stayed on mission with God. Embracing the reality of His impending sacrifice for the sins of the world and enduring the agony of the cross, Jesus continued to travel and teach. Jesus extended personal touch ministry as He remained focus on the mission of seeking and saving the lost. As Jesus did life on the dusty roads, He made room for others. We spend so much of our time on our way to the next activity or event. Think about how many times each day you find yourself on your way to fulfill a commitment or to meet a deadline. There are so many tugs on your time and attention. As you are on your way, God wants you to make the most of that transition time. Maybe you are on your way to work or on your way to school and you decide to maximize the travel time by praying for others. You could use your daily commute to quote Bible verses or to sing songs of worship and praise to God. Be creative in how you use your time when you are on your way. Instead of viewing time sitting in a doctor’s office as a waste of time, capture those moments to read God’s Word or to text message notes of encouragement to others. Allow God to use you to be a blessing even during times of transitioning from one event to another or from one meeting to another. Keep the main thing the main thing. Staying on mission with God is a perpetual discipline that requires sensitivity to God’s activity. God wants to do a work in you so that He can do a work through you. Give God room to work! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Categories
Joining God (2)
“News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.” Acts 11:22-23 (NIV) What did the evidence of the grace of God look like when Barnabas arrived in Antioch? What did he see about the church in Antioch that made him think of the grace of God? He noticed that the Lord’s hand was with them and that great numbers of people were brought to the Lord (Acts 11:21,24). He witnessed sacrificial and spontaneous giving (Acts 11:27-30). The church in Antioch was serious about prayer, fasting, Christ-exalting worship, and missions (Acts 13:1-3). Had Barnabas not been willing to leave his comfort zone in Jerusalem and travel 300 miles north to Antioch, he would have missed seeing the evidence of the grace of God in the church in Antioch. Barnabas would have missed joining God in His redemptive activity in Antioch. Barnabas would have missed personally seeing the free expression of the loving kindness of God at work in the midst of Jews and Greeks worshiping together. What is keeping you from joining God in His redemptive activity? As Henry Blackaby says, “You cannot stay where you are and go with God.” For you, it may not mean a physical relocation. Joining God always produces a spiritual change in you so that you surrender fully and completely to His agenda. Be willing to leave your comfort zone in order to join God in His redemptive activity. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Categories
Joining God (1)
“Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.” Acts 11:19-20 (NIV) Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire next to Rome and Alexandria. It was located three hundred miles north of Jerusalem. The city was a pagan metropolis with a population of about 500,000 people. Those who had been scattered by the persecution in Jerusalem in connection with Stephen were sharing the message of Christ with Jews in Phoenicia, Cypress, and Antioch. Some men from Cyprus and Cyrene began to share the message of Christ with the Greeks in Antioch. “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.” Acts 8:1 (NIV) “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” Acts 8:4 (NIV) The believers were willing to bloom where God planted them. Even though relocated as a result of persecution, they chose to share the good news of Jesus wherever they went. To join God in His redemptive activity, you must be willing to bloom where God plants you. Think about your current life situation. Think about those in your sphere of influence. God has you right where you are so that you can share Christ with those He has brought into your path. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Categories
Your Future
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Jer 29:11 (NIV) God has plans for your life. Where are you currently in relation to God’s plans? Have you had some bumps along the way? Have you experienced any delays or detours? God factored in your response to His plans before you were ever born. God knew how you would navigate the path He has for you. Remember, nothing catches God by surprise. God sees the totality of your life from beginning to end. He knew when you would be born and where you would live and even the personality you would express. God’s plans always prevail. “But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” Psalms 33:11 (NIV) “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” Prov 19:21 (NIV) You can anchor your life in God’s plans. His plans are to prosper you, to give you hope and a future. Your future goes beyond this present life. Your future includes eternity. God’s plans stand firm forever. Where Satan puts a period, God puts a comma. God’s purpose prevails. You may not know what tomorrow holds, but you know who holds tomorrow! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Categories
Space Invaders (3)
“‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’” Jer 1:5 (NIV) Allow God’s agenda to become your agenda. Before you were born, God existed. God is eternal. That means that God has always been and God will always be. God was never born and God will never die. Yet, you have a beginning. You have a birth date! Nine months before your birth date, you were conceived. Thus, you have a date of conception. To know the heart of God for you, we must travel even further back into time. Before God formed you, He knew you. Wow! That means that you were not an accident. You were created by God for a divine purpose. Before you were born, God set you apart. The concept in the language of the Old Testament is that of being sanctified. Before you were born, God had in mind exactly what He wanted you to become and God had in mind exactly when He wanted to introduce you to life on planet earth. God orchestrated all of this before you were born. Before you were born, God set you apart to participate in His kingdom activity. God loves you and has a purpose for your life. God’s purpose for your life is for you to experience His redemptive love personally and then for you to join Him in expressing His redemptive love locally and globally. You have a massive mission to fulfill on this planet during the time God gives you. Don’t waste it! Don’t allow space invaders to rob you of your divine destiny! Don’t allow anything to steal your passion for God and your passion to be on mission with God! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor