Restoration Church

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

This is That -- 3 October 2021

To begin this series, we will take a look at the book of Daniel where we see an uncanny parallel to what is happening in our own world today. Not only that but we see in this book 6 chapters (50% of the book) where Daniel prophecies regarding the last days. The situation in which Daniel found himself is the situation in which we find ourselves currently. We can learn much from this book.
Lessons from the book of Daniel:
Remember who you are (identity)
Review what God’s word says about your current situation
Renew your commitment to completely obeying God’s word
Understand and value the power of prayer and repentance

Mismanaged Blessings -- 26 September 2021

Blessings must be stewarded. Blessings can have a negative effect. Success ruins the best of us. My pastoral season - while I am enjoying this season, I realize how blessed I was in the early months of assuming the lead pastor role here at RC. Through the years, I’ve seen so many North Atlantan's blessings take them away from where they and their family need to be. Summer baseball all-star teams, job promotions, pay increases...
Blessings that are not stewarded properly stink. Mismanaged blessings can become a curse.

Waze for the Last Daze, week IV -- 19 September 2021

Waze for the last Daze.  The personal, practical, powerful Holy Spirit.
Most people live their life conditioned by their circumstances, their environment dictates who they become, what they do, and what they believe. In general, people fall into ruts and just stay there.
When your plan breaks down and you are forbidden to go your route only to find yourself in a worse situation that is confusing what do you do? You worship.

Waze for the Last Daze, week III -- 12 September 2021

What to do when you don't know what to do.
Spend time listening to God
Believe God and trust God
Do what God tells you to do
Say what God tells you to say

A Dose of Hope -- 5 September 2021

The book of 1 Peter could be titled “A Survival Manual for Suffering Saints.” It presents God’s time-tested strategy for holding up, rather than folding up, in the midst of real difficulty.
Your faith and hope are in the one who raised Jesus from the dead and glorified him.
In other words, your hope is in the One Who, when He did the greatest thing ever done on planet earth, it originally looked like He didn’t know what He was doing, it looked like His plan (His will) had failed (Jesus is crucified). But it had actually worked gloriously, He raised Jesus from the dead and glorified Him….and so your faith and hope are in God. You have a living hope that is alive no matter what. Are hope has been resurrected!
“It’s going to work out, it always does.” -- Rita Ramsey

Waze for the Last Daze, week III -- 29 August 2021

The Twilight Zone...or, entering the twilight zone.
The twilight zone is the mental state between reality and fantasy. When you come home and your extremely messy teenager has cleaned the house from top to bottom, this is an example of a time when you might feel you are living in the twilight zone. Wait. What? Have you felt like this recently?
Let us pause here to tell you that this is the kind of intimate relationship that Father God wants with you today. In all of the chaos and confusion of this day, and it’s a lot, is God with you? Are you with God?
Because we can see and we have entered the Kingdom, God has been and is with us. We see the need for discernment. We see the strategy of the enemy. We recognize that there is a great deception taking place. Exposure. Spiritual World War. Imminent versus Preeminent. Homothumadon. Waze for the last Daze.

Waze for the Last Daze, week II -- 22 August 2021

Remember the daze when you had to pull over and ask for directions? WAZE is most beneficial when you are going somewhere you’ve never been. As long as you have battery (or power) and you entered the correct address, you can just sit back and trust WAZE, even if she changes her mind or the directions on you.
In 536 BC, the temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt, the relationship with God was reestablished,.  The Israelites had a new lease on life but there was no resulting power, only a temple, a worship facility that was having no apparent impact on the people of God or their world. Their rebirth was seen in their return, but their recovery was unseen and abundantly manifest in the rubbled mess called “Jerusalem”, the city of peace.
This is the picture of many believers. They are saved, they have established a connection to God, but have no resulting power that brings real life. No walls. A city with no walls isn’t a city.
As a people, the Israelites illustrate the incompleteness that often besets and bewilders reborn believers. The Jerusalemites, frustrated by their inability to restore their capital city, depict believers who seem unable to regain control of life issues mangled in their pasts. Like those in ancient Judea, so often with us: recovery was so long in coming, the conviction grows that it is never going to happen.
But, then something happens...someone is dispatched by God to come and lead the effort to rebuild God’s way.

Waze for the Last Daze -- 15 August 2021

Do not be deceived, be discerning. Wow! No sensationalism but not ignoring history either. Something is happening in the world.
Covid, quarantine, pandemic, hypocrisy, double standard, silencing, cancelling, racial division (Nation against Nation) BLM, Antifa, Democrats and Republicans giving $3T away to people. Two distrusted presidential elections 2016 and 2020. A media driven by greed. News that is so dishonest it’s almost laughable.
Watch out so that you’re not deceived. See to it that you are not alarmed.
How do you learn to be discerning?
“...do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is...be filled with the Spirit. Discernment will enable you to not be alarmed.
The bridegroom is coming, he might be a LONG time in coming, but He is coming!