End of 2019

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting

Review Last year

Salvations - We have seen may people pray to receive Jesus. Some followed through with Baptism, but I know there are more of you who may need to obey Jesus with Baptism.

Outreaches - Easter… Fall Festival … Back Pack School Supplies … Fuel the Future … Thanksgiving Baskets … Christmas Angel … Shop with a Cop… Nursing Home Ministry … NO Women’s and Children’s Shelter x3 …

Ministry - Couples Night … Sunday Services … Wednesday Services… Ladies Night Out … Joy Fellowship … Ladies Bible Study… Youth Ministry … Children’s Ministry & Tweens … Rivarde Juvenile Services, JPCC - Jesus, I was in prison and you visited me...

Bridges College -

Let’s talk about you. When you come here you are on a spiritual journey.

At River Church we want you to ...

Know God

The most important thing in life is to establish and develop your relationship with the Lord.

Find Freedom

We want to help you get free of addictions, strongholds and hangups…

You have to get to the point where you don’t what ???? in your life any more.

Discover Purpose

9/10 Christians don’t know their role in this life.

Everyone has a role in what God is doing on the earth… you just need to find it.

the next step is where it becomes fun...

Make a Difference

God want’s us to make a difference in the world.

Question of the day is...

How are you doing right now?

What are you doing to be better in each area of your life? If you leave things alone, it gets worse.

Entropy: A gradual decline into disorder

If you leave stuff alone things get worse… body… relationships… Spiritual life…

Don’t wait until it gets bad, do something now.... book Change before you have to....

Joke - couple married 60 years… old man sitting on the couch watching TV.. Old lady came and sat by him and started nibling on his neck.... he just got up and let them room… she asked, did I do something wrong… No, I’m just going to get my teeth,.

God has vision for your life, but you have to work to keep it. It’s easy for Entropy to creep in. Our world… out culture has a natural tendency towards disorder and dysfunction.

Ephesians 1:16–18 NIV

16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

Paul - I want to you to know God better.

I keep asking for: you to know God.... for god to answer your prayers… to heal you… to provide for you… I keep asking.

Ephesians 1:18 NIV

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

He prays that the eyse of our hear may be enlightened

… that you know the hope to which he has called you. He has called each one of you.

9 out of 10 Christians don’t know their role.

Everyone of you has a calling on your life.

then you get the glorious inheritance.

We have to know what we are supposed to do so we can get to the glorious inheritance...

Psalm 2 I give you the nations as your inheritance…

What is your inheritance?

People who came to faith in the last 3 years, inmates at JPCC that come to faith, Inmates at Rivarde Juvenile who come to faith and see their lives change, kids & families of Fuel the Future, people who come to an out reach, kids who received school supplies, families who received thanksgiving baskets...

But we don’t get our inheritance until we discover our role and we don’t discover our roles until we get free of our hang-ups and you can’t find out your purpose if you don’t know God. Go get your teeth

How are you doing with God?

1. Keep a close watch on my spiritual temperature.

Your spiritual life has a direct impact on the rest of your life. You are not an earthly being having a spiritual experience, You are a spiritual being having a physical experience… that’s the part that will last forever. You get a new body in heaven. Life with the spiritual lense that you are a spiritual being.

If your relationship with God is great, it will impact every area of your life… You need to live with that view… take care of your spiritual man

Romans 12:11 NIV

11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

You were excited last month, but you are slacking off.

You know what you need to do…

Get back to reading the OYB

We have done a lot of stuff, but look what John says

Revelation 2:2–5 NLT

2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. 4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 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.

If your Spiritual Temp is not what it should be…

What do you do? You look at how far you have fallen? Turn back to the Lord and do the things you did when you first came to Christ. You do that best with others who are trying to do the same thing.

We want to see you find freedom, and the best way to do that is with others.

Be sure to …

2. Make time for authentic relationships with other believers.

You may already be doing this, but our natural direction is away from this…

Get involved in a ministry team… join a group, go to the Ladies night out, go to men’s events… Wed nights… events…

This is important… don’t let yourself experience Entropy on this and isolate yourself from others.

Hebrews 10:24–25 NIV

24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

We all need to spur others to good deeds… we all need that from time to time.

You need relationships where someone can look you in the eyes and say, what’s wrong… no you are lying and I am not leaving you alone until you tell me...

Get involved....

Remember you are all called… but too often we experience entropy in the area of finding our purpose. You either over inflate yourself or under-inflate yourself. You think too highly or too lowly of yourself.

You need to

3. We need to see ourselves they way God sees us.

Romans 12:3–6 NIV

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;

highly - incorrectly

sober - in your right mind

faith - how God sees you...

Romans 12:4 NLT

4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function,

We are each part of the Body and we need all the parts to do what they are supposed to do.

Romans 12:5 NLT

5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

We all belong to each other…

We are made to make a difference.

What creates Entropy in making a difference? we live for here and now…

4. Live for heaven, not earth.

If you get too comfortable here… we have it great here… LSU, Saints… Many people are living a good life…

Paul says look out…

Philippians 3:18–20 NLT

18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

Conduct - they were living for their pleasures… Our football teams can become our gods… attendance is impacted by games… Saturday LSU games impact church attendance… noon Saints games impact attendance… Let’s not let that happen.

Philippians 3:20 NLT

20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

Stay focused on heaven...

we are going to all stand before God & We will answer two questions...

Why should I let you in to heaven?

Jesus

Second Q

How have you used what I gave you?

1 Corinthians 3:13–15 NLT

13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

Vacations, Family and football are all ok… but stay focused on heaven.

Businesses take inventory this time of year. Walmart is a master at using their inventory and stocking things when they anticipate selling what they have. We need to take inventory.

Close eyes?

How are you doing with God? Freedom? Purpose? Living for Earth or Heaven?

Pray for this…

Salvation prayer -