Please Pray - and Come Out Tonight!

I’ve been putting myself under a lot of pressure with this Great Investment thing. Especially with the preaching, it just feels like if I do a good job of casting the vision and inspiring faith, it will go well, and if I don’t – it won’t.

Which is really stupid.

Some of you have said that the sermons have been helpful in dealing with this issue. But some of you claim to have recently seen Elvis alive, so I take that with a grain of thought.

Whenever I feel preaching pressure, I try to remind myself that God once spoke through a donkey (Balaam – Numbers 22), and then I lighten up.

My words aren’t really all that important; the nice video we made, the fantastic brochure and publications that Karyn put together, the testimonies and music, all of it is good. Hats off to the team of staff here who made it all happen, and to Tim Bailey – our campaign chairman who kept the vision alive. But these all are to get you thinking.

BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU WILL DO, WILL NOT BE TO THINK. IT WILL BE TO PRAY. We want to motivate you to get to that point. Because if you do, God will help you know what to do.

I invite you to come tonight. Even if you didn’t sign up, even if you didn’t fast – just come and pray. We won’t be asking for commitments or putting any pressure on you about the campaign.

This is prayer time only.

And don’t forget to spend some time with your family in prayer together. There is a guide in the back of our prayer guide. Prayer Guide

Here is the scripture that stuck out to me this week as I was going through the guide. Because I think the biggest problem we have in this campaign is the problem of the “What If’s.” The economy, the politics, the expenses, health care, retirement, etc.

I could give it all away if I knew what was going to happen in the future.

To which Jesus says:

Matthew 6:25 -"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I know that most of you reading this today from Parkview are struggling with it. It’s commitment weekend this weekend. It’s D (ecision) Day.

What is holding you back?

Pray about it.

See you tonight,

Tim

Comments

[Debbie H.]

Your sermons, the DVD, the videos, the music, everything has been such a great help in understanding the whole Great Investment issue. I just can't say enough of how well everything is presented... Thanks to all concerned.

[Amy Womack]

Tim and Church family,
I would like to thank everyone who helped Saturday night, at the service, with my son. My son took ill and everyone was so helpful. I was scared and did not want my son to know how much. People came from everywhere to help, I could not believe it. I am happy to say he is doing much better. I could not believe the support I got. Thank you very much for everything and the prayers.
Amy Womack and Sean Nordsell

[Paula]

Yes we are still our JESUS CHURCH!
Come on out and PRAY...MAKE GOD HAPPY :)

[Donna R.]

I am a newcomer to fasting. Never tried it before, but wanted to this time. Though I only participated in the 'juice-fast' (only one small bottle), I wanted to tell you of a miracle that occurred because of - what I believe to be - my participation. I know the fasting was meant to only be for the growth of the church, but I have a 54-year old uncle that was very close to dying yesterday. His liver was failing and he has been in and out of the hospital for months. This past week he was admitted while in distress because his lung has a hole in it that the doctors are unable to locate and because of the failing liver, his abdomen was filling up with fluid and that fluid was being absorbed into his lungs rapidly. They were tapping a liter and a half almost daily since last Tuesday. He has been on the transplant list for a few months, but his platelets have been so low because of the various problems that they could not do any type of surgery because of the risks involved. I visited him last week, and we both very tearfully discussed his dying. He was very jaundiced and down to about 110 lbs. I wanted to be sure that he was right with God and so you can imagine that conversation. I don't know if it was right or wrong, but in my prayers I told God that I was fasting not only for the church, but for my uncle as well. They were set to release him and have him return on an out-patient basis when necessary. We thought they were basically sending him home to die. Yesterday, our day of fasting, as he was checking out, they came in and said they had a liver for him! He was a candidate because he had Hepatitis and so did the donor, but a milder type. Not only was this an answer to prayer, it was a custom-made answer. I think that if the deceased person had not had Hepatitis, that liver might have gone to someone else. I told God that if He would heal my uncle, I would tell everyone it was His doing. The surgery was today. All went well. Believe in miracles. They do happen. I am a witness.