Revival Update

We have made a change in our revival schedule.  We will continue the revival TONIGHT (Thursday) at New Beginnings (at 7 p.m.).  Tomorrow night (Friday) we will go to Four Corners Outreach Ministries Church (1125 Clarkrange Monterey Hwy).  There will be no Saturday evening service, but we will continue Sunday through Tuesday at New Beginnings.

What God is Doing

What a Mighty God we serve!  We have been in a New Testament kind of revival at New Beginnings since Sunday morning.  The evangelist has been preaching under the power of the Holy Ghost helping us to see that we are living beneath our privilege as Children of God.  He has been calling us to a renewed relationship with Jesus Christ and a walk of holiness.  After he preaches, he calls on the people to respond to the Word—ask God to search our hearts and repent. 

Thus far, we have seen people delivered and healed, and some of our youth and children are receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost.  Today, I am beside myself with excitement and praise to God for what He is doing, and for the fact that He is allowing me to be part of His work.

I announced last night that in light of the mighty things He is doing, this revival will continue.  Tonight will be the last service this week, but we will continue  on Sunday morning and just see where the Lord will take us. 

I am not afraid of the working of the Holy Ghost.  When He is working everything is done properly, His POWER is manifested, and people are saved, healed and delivered. 

Don’t miss this powerful flow of the Spirit!  Get involved!  Help spread the Word.  REVIVAL HAS COME TO CROSSVILLE!!!

The Time Has Come…

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19 KJV).

Jesus read this passage from the book of Isaiah (61:1-2). It referred to the year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25), a time of restoration—debts forgiven, prisoners set free, Sabbath rest. Good news, indeed! After closing up the scroll, Jesus sat down and said something that was quite startling. He announced to them all, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

It had not been very long since Jesus had been baptized by John in the river Jordan. There the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove. Being filled with the Spirit, He returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Having triumphed by the Word of God, He returned to Galilee "in the power of the Spirit" and began His ministry.

Now He was back home in Nazareth, preaching in the synagogue, proclaiming the year of the favor of the Lord, and applying those prophetic words to Himself: "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." For the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him, as at His baptism. And He was anointed, not with oil, but with the Holy Spirit. Jesus, the Anointed One. Messiah in their midst.

Reading through the gospels, we find that Jesus’ ministry was powerful, indeed. Even before the end of Luke 4, we see Jesus preaching the good news of the Kingdom (vv. 31-32, 43 ), releasing people from demonic oppression (vv. 33-36, 41) and healing the sick (vv.38-40). His word went forth with authority, and no one who came to Him for deliverance or healing was turned away. No demon was too great to cast out, no sickness too difficult to cure. Everyone who came, received.

And so it continues—the year of the favor of the Lord—because “Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8 KJV).

Are you in need? There is good news for you! Are you brokenhearted? There is healing! Do you have a physical affliction? There is healing! Are you bound by addictions? There is deliverance! Are you a slave to lust or greed? Oppressed by fear, anger, or a spirit of unforgiveness? There is deliverance, restoration, healing, freedom, and forgiveness of sins!

Memorial Service

Audrey Justus went to be with the Lord on Sunday evening at about 6:30 following a lengthy illness.  It was my pleasure to visit with and minister to her over the past several months.

The family will receive friends at Hood Funeral Home on Thursday, June 3, from 6pm to 8pm.  A Memorial Service will begin at 8.

Please join me in prayer for Audrey’s family in their time of sorrow.

Revival--Now is the Time!

As we announced on Wednesday night, the revival is definitely scheduled for June 13-16 (Sunday night – Wednesday night) with Milton Martin as the Evangelist.  I am expecting this to be a powerful revival of deliverance, restoration, and healing.  Sometimes we become comfortable in our spiritual walk, and we begin to accept the things that come into our lives as “just a part of life.”  All the while, we become less and less excited about our relationship with Christ and more and more concerned with the things of this life. 

I believe that God wants to deliver, restore, and heal His people so that we can be what He has called us to be—individually and corporately.  I believe that if we pray and seek His face and make the necessary preparations (cf. 2 Chronicles 7:14) this revival will not be just a series of meetings, but will be a time of divine visitation! 

Please join me in prayer and make plans to attend (and invite others to attend with you).  Then, come expecting a miracle!

Revival

Experiencing God

For far too long people have gone to church to fulfill an obligation through some ritual and so are reduced to actions without meaning. Church attendance and worship is all about an encounter with God that changes who we are.

This is why at New Beginnings we believe it is time to stop just attending church, and to start experiencing God. We believe that when we come to church we have the right to expect that it will be a time of encountering and experiencing God in such a way that it forever impacts and changes our lives!

If you don't have a home church, come experience God with us at New Beginnings.

Steel to Magnets

Dr. David Jeremiah wrote the following in the April 2003 “Turning Points Magazine”

Jesus never had to worry about turn-out or attendance figures.  The crowds were never far away—sometimes eager to hear Him, sometimes wanting to stone Him.  He was like steel to magnets.  Some were drawn to Him, others repelled by Him.  But everyone knew He was there, and no one could ignore Him.

Baby Bentley

When he first arrived at UT Hospital five weeks ago, the prognosis for baby Bentley was not good.  The family was not given much hope from the doctors; however, several people began to pray and God has worked a miracle.  I am happy to announce here that Bentley came home yesterday and is doing very well. 

Updates

God is simply amazing!  On Wednesday, Audrey Justus was moved from Cookville Regional Medical Center to her home in Crossville via ambulance with an IV bag of dopamine.  The doctor said that once the dopamine ran out, her blood pressure would drop and she would die. 

I got to her house after the bag of dopamine had been depleted, and it certainly looked as if Audrey would pass on to her eternal reward.  We prayed for her and sang to her as she seemed so close to death; however, she began to perk up and talk and even laugh a little. 

At 10 pm I left to come home for the night.  When I returned on Thursday morning, Audrey was raised up in her bed, grinning from ear to ear.  Her color was back and she was quite cheerful.

As of last night, she is still doing well and enjoying being at home—without the dopamine.  Praise the Lord!

Also, I received an update about baby Bentley.  He is still at UT Hospital, but he is doing good.  He is expected to come home in a week or so.  

Please continue to pray for Audrey and baby Bentley.

Update on Audrey Justus

I went to visit with Audrey Justus again today at Cookville Regional Medical Center. Her daughter, Carol, wanted me to be there with them when the doctor came in to talk to them.

Audrey has been in and out of the hospital and nursing home since December ’09 when she had a growth removed from inside her heart. The Lord has touched her several times when it seemed she might not make it. Currently she is on dopamine to keep her blood pressure up. The doctor tried to lower the dosage this morning, but her blood pressure dropped drastically and quickly. He told her and her daughter and son today that without the dopamine, her blood pressure will bottom out and she will die. This, of course, keeps her from being able to go home, which she desperately wants to do.

Audrey assured me, both yesterday and today, that she is ready to go. In fact, she told her children today not to worry. “Everything will be okay,” she said.

In the next couple days a decision will be made about discontinuing the dopamine. We still believe that our God is able to perform a miracle for Audrey…and she believes it, too. In the face of such a grave discussion, Audrey was smiling, laughing, and speaking with confidence about her future. Please join me in prayer for her miracle!

National Day of Prayer

If ever this nation needed God, it is today! 

The National Day of Prayer is currently under attack.  A federal judge in Wisconsin ruled the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional Thursday, saying the day amounts to a call for religious action.

For more information you can go to the National Day of Prayer website.

Update on Baby Bentley

Baby Bentley was born March 27, 2010 and was transported to UT Medical Center very shortly after birth. He has been in critical condition and the doctors have not been very optimistic regarding his condition.

Yesterday I visited with J.J. Fragiadakis and Brittany Lane (Bentley’s parents), and Auntie Connie. I am pleased to report that Bently is doing much better. He is off the ventilator, and as I understand it, they should be taking out the feeding tube soon. The EEG showed improved brain activity, and the doctors are now expressing optimism.

While he is doing much better, he is expected to be in the hospital for a couple more weeks. Please join me in prayer for Bentley and his family.

Things are not always as they appear to be

I recently read an article that contained the following story.  Although it’s several years old, I thought it was worth sharing here.

Two of the best commercials shown during Super Bowl XXXIX   were sponsored by Ameriquest Mortgage Company.  Both had the same message: “Don’t judge too quickly.”

In one ad, a convenience store shopper is standing at the counter and talking on his cell phone. He says to the person on the other end, “You’re getting robbed.” The two clerks hear those words and react by squirting the man with pepper spray, slugging him with a baseball bat, and then zapping him with an electric cattle prod.

In the second commercial, a man is preparing a romantic dinner. He chops vegetables with a large knife, while tomato sauce simmers on the stove. A white cat knocks the pan of sauce onto the floor and then falls into the mess. Just as the man picks up his tomato-splattered cat, his wife opens the door. She sees him holding a cat dripping with red sauce in one hand and a large knife in the other. The scene appears to be unmistakably horrific.

As these ads show, things aren't always as they first appear.

(This story was related by Richard Kauffman, McDonald,
Pennsylvania, as seen during Super Bowl XXXIX—2/6/05).

Back to Sunbright

Pastor Jack Lawson has invited me to minister at Sonbright Christian Center on Sunday evening, March 21.  I am excited to be able to return to the church I was privileged to pastor for over 7 years.  I have heard many good reports about the congregation, and I am thrilled to be able to go back and worship with them.

Several people from New Beginnings are planning to join me on this night, including our Worship Band.  I am blessed to work with such wonderful people in Crossville.  Their love and support mean so very much!

Gospel Singing

Jesus Loves YOU!

This is really cool!

First Time to Minister

I am greatly looking forward to our service tomorrow night!  Our very own, Roger Dixon, has accepted his call to preach and will be giving his very first sermon at New Beginnings tomorrow night.   I know he is a little nervous about his first sermon, so I ask you to join me in prayer that the Lord will calm his nerves and that he will feel perfect liberty as he shares the Word of Life!

Can you see it?

Some of us are not very observant. Something may be staring us in the face, but we cannot perceive it.

Not too long ago my mother replaced some of the art work on her walls in the living room. When my two year old nephew awoke from a nap, he quickly noticed that things were not as they were when he went to sleep.

On the other hand, when I walked into the living room (even knowing that mother had made the changes), never even noticed….that is, until Josiah started pointing around the room.

And so it is with God and God’s people. God is at work, doing a new thing, and many people don’t see it. God is at work, making things happen that have never happened before, and many of us don’t perceive it.

“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19).

These words were spoken by God—through the prophet Isaiah—to the exiled Children of Israel. He insists that they would just open their eyes and look, God is doing a new thing. He is already at work.

He cautions them in verse 18 not to allow their current situation or the things of the past hinder them from seeing what God is doing.

It is easy for us to become so engrossed in our own lives—the difficulties and challenges we face on a daily basis—that we miss out on all the wonderful things God is doing today. But He is doing a fresh, new thing today…can you see it?

The Joy of Difficult Times

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved." ~Helen Keller (1880-1968).

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing”  (James 1:2-4).