Restoration Church

Standing in the Storm, part IV -- 6 February 2022

Standing in the storm.Week 1
Matthew 7:24 Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice...is like a wise man who built his house on the ROCK.
1) Life-giving power of the word and 2) Life-saving power of the word (Psalm 107:20)
Week 2
Matthew 14 The disciples in the storm doing what they were told to do. Jesus walks out on the water to them in the storm. Storms of correction and perfection, discipline and revelation.
1) He is aware of your storm and He will meet you in that storm 2) to listen to Him and 3) to keep your focus on Him
Week 3
Hebrews 12:1-3 Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us...we do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
1) Fix our eyes on Jesus 2) listen to Jesus (the Word) and 3) learn from Jesus
Week 4
Hebrews 12It’s a marathon so we must learn to endure. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, he endured the cross for the joy that was set before him.
It’s a marathon. Prepare yourself. There will be some twists and turns. Up some hills and down others. Keep your eye on Jesus (the Word). Mature believers must develop the ability to focus on Jesus. Not others. Not your people and not your pastor. You need people but they’ll let you down. You need a pastor but don’t let him/her be your Messiah.
Do the hard stuff. It’s worth it. Walk in the Spirit and not the flesh. Do that stuff that your flesh doesn’t want to do. It’s worth it. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and expect the supernatural. Go ahead and get out of the boat, do what The Word tells you to do, go ahead, trust it.

Standing in the Storm, part III -- 30 January 2022

1 out of 5 Christians deal with mental or emotional health issues yearly.  When people think about mental health, they typically picture mood disorders like schizophrenia, OCD, or a bipolar episode. What many don’t realize is that common symptoms like stress, anxiety, and depression are also tied to mental health. Among Christians, it’s easy to dismiss these emotions as personal flaws in our moral character, but nothing could be further from the truth. It’s been estimated that nearly 1 in 5 Americans experience some kind of mental health incident each year, and like any physical ailment, these shouldn’t go left untreated.
John 5:25
...a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.
Start the day with a commitment to put your relationship with God first, start with a good focus
Get rid of relationships and things that force you to focus on the wrong stuff
Embrace the idea that your ability to focus on JESUS will determine whether you survive the storm

Standing in the Storm, part II -- 23 January 2022

What is a storm? There is a metaphorical storm as well. Divorce, miscarriage, bad news on the biopsy, pink slip, the company downsizes and you’re a little old and overpaid, pandemic, another report from the school board, realizing what they’re teaching your children at school. A storm is that situation or event that makes it almost impossible for you to be at peace, almost impossible to worship. It is that situation that demands you dwell on it, make it your new reference point, and you must fix it before you do anything else...
If you are in a storm right now, you are in it for one of two reasons, and it is one of two kinds of storms:
You are somewhere you aren’t supposed to be doing something that you are not supposed to be doing, and you're in a storm, a storm of CORRECTION.
You are somewhere you were called to go doing something you are called and gifted to do, and the enemy doesn’t like it and you, my friend, are in a spiritual battle, a storm that involves spiritual warfare. This is why Ephesians 6:12-13 says we wrestle not. Wrestling is a full contact, physical sport.

Standing in the Storm -- 16 January 2022

If you are like a smart carpenter who builds his house on solid rock, when the rain pours down, the river floods, a tornado hits—but nothing moves that house. It is fixed to the rock.
“But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”
Jesus said, “If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter, a wise man...” Or, if you hear these words of mine and put them into practice...obey these words...you are wise...nothing will move you.
Notice, he didn’t say, if the rain comes, if it begins to flood. Verse 27 says, when the rain comes... Stormy season - The rain of immorality, chaos, and confusion is falling and the flood of fear is rising, and the wind of compromise is blowing all around us...where have you built your life, your house?
We don’t want to hear the word only, listen to teaching from the word only, we want to do what it says. For the word says, if you do what it says, God will bless you for doing it. As the rain of deceit falls and the flood of fear rises and the winds of compromise are blowing all around us, if you have built your house on the rock, Jesus said that nothing will move that house.

Opportunistic Living --9 January 2022

First Things First -- 2 January 2022

First things FirstThe importance of starting right. 
Mark 9:29So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
My experience with fasting. When I come to the end of my journey…what brings about effectiveness in ministry? Prayer and fasting.
He roots me in my identity as a son
He awakens longing
He settles the traffic
He awakens me to His voice at a greater level
It is a choice of me putting myself in a weak position in order that He might put Himself in a position of being strong in my life. It is a deliberate focus on emptying myself, becoming less in order that He might become more.
Fasting should be called slowing. It’s a paradox because while you’re fasting, everything slows down. God positions you in slowness and yet it is a catalyst to speed up the activity of the Kingdom in your life.
We live in such a noisy, chaotic culture. The spirit of this age screams at us and it is almost impossible to not get concerned with “things too difficult for me.”

31 October 2021

Receive the Word of God as delivered by Pastor Mike Atkins.

24 October 2021

Join us as we are blessed by guest speaker Dr. Michael Reynolds.

This Is That, Week 3 -- 17 October 2021

Destruction of monuments, Cancel Culture, Dismantling the Nuclear Family Redistribution of Wealth.
This would supposedly rid the world of poverty. But somehow it has never worked out that way. History reveals that wherever this principle has been implemented, the poor have gotten poorer. Equality cannot be engineered. History proves that the poor do best in economically free societies and do the worst in societies where they are controlled in one way or another, whether it be by socialist, or fascist or authoritarian regimes.
One thing we learn from history is that we haven’t learned anything from history.
How then shall we live? What are we to do?
Review what the Bible says.
Refuse to Live by Lies
Resolve to Follow Christ and Not Just Admire Him
Rethink Small Groups

This Is That, Week 2 -- 10 October 2021

This is That - Acts 2:16 “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.”  Either they didn’t know about it, didn’t believe it altogether, or they didn’t recognize it.
Joshua 14:7-8 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, 8 but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.
I am bringing you a report according to my convictions. We must not sit back, silenced by fear, hoping someone will do something and get us back to normal. This is no time to retreat, this is a time to live by convictions. This is a time for resolve.
What have we learned in the past 19 months?
We are Vulnerable
The Bible is Credible
Life is Uncertain
Jesus is Sufficient
How then shall we live? What are we to do?
Pray, fast, and repent
Stay in the word so you can walk in faith - fear is rampant, knowing what’s coming will help
Get your house in order - make sure your kids are being discipled
Follow wholeheartedly
Look for opportunities to share your faith