Category: Invitation

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God's Nature Invitation John 3:16

The Greatest Invitation

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV) Of all the invitations you will receive in a lifetime, there is no invitation that comes close to the significance and magnitude of the greatest invitation extended to you by God. His invitation affects your level of living on earth and your eternal destiny. Your response to the greatest invitation will determine where you spend eternity. “Whoever believes” includes you. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13 (ESV) “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Pet. 3:9 (ESV) To believe in Jesus is to place your total confidence and trust in His redemptive work. Jesus lived a sinless life, died a substitutionary death, experienced a miraculous resurrection, and ascended to heaven. What will you do with what He has done for you? How will you respond to the greatest invitation? The miracle of the manger can become your miracle. Jesus left the glory of heaven to come to this broken planet in order to provide you with the greatest invitation to come into a personal relationship with the Savior of the world. I responded to the greatest invitation on March 28, 1979, by transferring my trust from myself to Jesus alone for salvation. In that moment, I became a child of God, filled with His Spirit, and adopted into His forever family. Have you made peace with God by responding to the greatest invitation? Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

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Invitation Rest Yoke

In the Yoke

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) Jesus invites us to find rest for our soul. He knows just what we need right when we need it. His invitation to join Him and to find rest in Him is the antidote to our fast pace lifestyle. As one person said, “If we don’t learn to come apart, we will come apart!” Why do we feel guilty when we slow down? Why do we gravitate toward the performance trap and end up equating productivity with spirituality? Sometimes the most spiritual move we can make is to slow down and experience the rest Jesus offers. Be sure to notice in our verse for today that there is a prerequisite to encountering His rest. We must be willing to come to Him. We must be willing to take the initiative to respond to His invitation. That just doesn’t fit our adrenaline addicted society. We tend to long for the next high or the next rush. Will that deliver what we need most? Perhaps the invitation is to come to the place of total reliance upon God. If I yoke up with Him, then I will have to be willing to go where He goes and embrace the pace He sets. Remember, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Rely on the strength Jesus provides. Articulate your need to Him through prayer. Have a meaningful conversation with the One who gave His life for you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Invitation Jesus Rest

The Rest Jesus Offers

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) Jesus is always on time. He knows just what we need right when we need it. His invitation to join Him and to find rest in Him is the antidote to our fast pace lifestyle. As one person said, “If we don’t learn to come apart, we will come apart!” Why do we feel guilty when we slow down? Why do we gravitate toward the performance trap and end up equating productivity with spirituality? Sometimes the most spiritual move we can make is to slow down and experience the rest Jesus offers. Be sure to notice in our verse for today that there is a prerequisite to encountering His rest. We must be willing to come to Him. We must be willing to take the initiative to respond to His invitation. That just doesn’t fit our adrenaline addicted society. We tend to long for the next high or the next rush. Maybe we can just capture a few more sips of caffeinated coffee. Will that deliver what we need most? Perhaps the invitation is to come to the place of total reliance upon God. If I yoke up with Him, then I will have to be willing to go where He goes and embrace the pace He sets. Remember, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Sounds refreshing! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

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Experiencing God Invitation Sensitivity

Responding to God’s Invitation

“Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.’” Jonah 3:1-2 (ESV) Jonah received an invitation from God to go preach against the city of Nineveh. Jonah chose to run in the opposite direction. As you know, God pursued Jonah through a storm and rescued Jonah by way of a large fish. After Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of that large fish, God caused the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry ground. God came to Jonah a second time to invite Jonah to become involved with Him in His work. This time Jonah obeyed God and joined God in His activity. Let me share the third Experiencing God reality with you: God invites you to become involved with Him in His work. God takes the initiative to bring you into a right relationship with Himself and then invites you to join Him in His activity. God saves you so that you can serve Him and continue the ministry of Jesus upon the earth. You cannot detect the activity of God unless God chooses to reveal it to you. It is imperative that you live in an ongoing intimate love relationship with God so that you can recognize His voice and respond to His invitation. God allows you to know Him so you can join Him. Pursue God daily and join Him wholeheartedly! Obey what God says to you and watch how God uses you for His global glory. You are so special to God and He has done so much to prepare you for the assignment He has for you. Don’t bypass your love relationship with God. Respond to His invitation by practicing instant obedience. Declare with passion, “Lord, I’m Yours! Use me for Your glory!” Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Invitation Rest Yoke

In the Yoke

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Mt. 11:28-30 (NIV) Jesus invites us to find rest for our soul. He knows just what we need right when we need it. His invitation to join Him and to find rest in Him is the antidote to our fast pace lifestyle. As one person said, “If we don’t learn to come apart, we will come apart!” Why do we feel guilty when we slow down? Why do we gravitate toward the performance trap and end up equating productivity with spirituality? Sometimes the most spiritual move we can make is to slow down and experience the rest Jesus offers. Be sure to notice in our verse for today that there is a prerequisite to encountering His rest. We must be willing to come to Him. We must be willing to take the initiative to respond to His invitation. That just doesn’t fit our adrenaline addicted society. We tend to long for the next high or the next rush. Will that deliver what we need most? Perhaps the invitation is to come to the place of total reliance upon God. If I yoke up with Him, then I will have to be willing to go where He goes and embrace the pace He sets. Remember, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Rely on the strength Jesus provides. Articulate your need to Him through prayer. Have a meaningful conversation with the One who gave His life for you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Invitation Jesus Rest

The Rest Jesus Offers

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Mt. 11:28-30 (NIV) Jesus is always on time. He knows just what we need right when we need it. His invitation to join Him and to find rest in Him is the antidote to our fast pace lifestyle. As one person said, “If we don’t learn to come apart, we will come apart!” Why do we feel guilty when we slow down? Why do we gravitate toward the performance trap and end up equating productivity with spirituality? Sometimes the most spiritual move we can make is to slow down and experience the rest Jesus offers. Be sure to notice in our verse for today that there is a prerequisite to encountering His rest. We must be willing to come to Him. We must be willing to take the initiative to respond to His invitation. That just doesn’t fit our adrenaline addicted society. We tend to long for the next high or the next rush. Maybe we can just capture a few more sips of caffeinated coffee. Will that deliver what we need most? Perhaps the invitation is to come to the place of total reliance upon God. If I yoke up with Him, then I will have to be willing to go where He goes and embrace the pace He sets. Remember, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Sounds refreshing! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
God's Nature Invitation John 3:16

The Greatest Invitation

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV) Of all the invitations you will receive in a lifetime, there is no invitation that comes close to the significance and magnitude of the greatest invitation extended to you by God. His invitation affects your level of living on earth and your eternal destiny. Your response to the greatest invitation will determine where you spend eternity. “Whoever believes” includes you. “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12-13 (NIV) “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) To believe in Jesus is to place your total confidence and trust in His redemptive work. Jesus lived a sinless life, died a substitutionary death, experienced a miraculous resurrection, and ascended to heaven. What will you do with what He has done for you? How will you respond to the greatest invitation? The miracle of the manger can become your miracle. Jesus left the glory of heaven to come to this broken planet in order to provide you with the greatest invitation to come into a personal relationship with the Savior of the world. I responded to the greatest invitation on March 28, 1979, by transferring my trust from myself to Jesus alone for salvation. In that moment, I became a child of God, filled with His Spirit, and adopted into His forever family. Have you made peace with God by responding to the greatest invitation? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Following Invitation Jesus

The Ultimate Invitation

“As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’” Mark 1:16-17 (NIV) Have you come to know Christ? When did that eternal transaction take place in your life? Where were you when you recognized your sinfulness and your desperate need for Jesus to come to your rescue? Conversion is the redemptive work of God in a person’s life. Your conversion is the event of being delivered from the kingdom of darkness and brought into the kingdom of light. Your conversion is the event of being adopted into God’s family and being filled with the Holy Spirit. As a child of God, you have received the ultimate invitation to know Jesus personally. Jesus invites you to come to Him and enjoy an abiding love relationship with Him that is eternal. Your salvation event is followed by a process of knowing Jesus more intimately. Your conversion is followed by ongoing transformation and spiritual maturation. After you have been adopted into God’s family, you walk with Jesus to work out what God has worked in (Php. 2:12). You are yoked up with Christ to fulfill God’s mission on earth. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor