Life Church Eastover

10/21/2021

This Sunday 10/24 will be our first service as a merged church. I want to invite everyone to come to Living Water in Spring Lake 2040 N Bragg Blvd 28390. Worship starts at 11.

If you have called Life Church home in the past, please come to the place God has prepared for us! We could not be more excited to join the Living Water family.

If you cannot come in person, services are streamed on Living Water Assembly of God FB page, join us there and say hello!

Living Water is a mask friendly facility as we navigate Covid. There are masks available if needed.

10/17/2021

🙌🏻🙌🏻. Everyone is welcome

10/17/2021

We are happy to announce that life Church Eastover will be merging with Living Water AG in Spring Lake. The Lord has opened up a way for all of us to grow together as one church family. Joy and I officially start as Pastors on 10/24.

The address of our new worship facilities are here. You are welcome to start attending today. Church starts at 11am Services are also streamed online. We will no longer be holding services in Eastover.

We couldn’t be more excited about what God is doing and hope you will continue to be a part!

Love in Jesus
-Steve And Joy

Living Water Assembly of God
2040 N Bragg Blvd
Spring Lake NC, 28390

09/26/2021

09/26/2021

The More I Seek You

John 11

When is the Lord enough for you?

This scripture changed how people saw Jesus.
- No one had seen a miracle like this before.

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” - John‬ ‭11:5‬ ‭ESV‬‬
- Jesus loved them individually.

Jesus goes back even though they faced death.
- “The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”” - ‭‭John‬ ‭11:8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”” - John‬ ‭11:14-15‬ ‭ESV‬‬
- Jesus didn’t have to go to Judea, He could have raised Lazarus from where He was.
- He went because people were hurting.

The Jews believed that the spirit of the deceased hovered near the grave site for 3 days in hopes of reconnecting with their body.
- Jesus comes back on the 4th day.

“Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.””- John‬ ‭11:21-22‬ ‭ESV‬‬
- The consensus was Lazarus was gone, that even Jesus couldn’t bring him back.
- Healing the sick and raising the dead are the same thing to Jesus.

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”” - ‭John‬ ‭11:25-26‬ ‭ESV‬‬
- People would take a posture of immobility in their grief, but Mary got up and ran to Jesus.
- Those that were comforting her followed.

“Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”” - John‬ ‭11:32‬ ‭ESV‬‬
- There words changed from “If He had only come when we needed Him!”to “Why didn’t you come?”
- The weeping is described as a loud shouting, an uncontrollable cry.

“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.”” - John‬ ‭11:33-34‬ ‭ESV‬‬
- Deeply moved = frustrated. “He groaned in His spirit”.
- He was upset that death had taken such a hold on his friends.

Then the mocking started.
- “But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”” - ‭‭John‬ ‭11:37‬ ‭ESV‬‬
- Jesus groaned again.

Jesus gave thanks to God then called Lazarus out.
- Jesus voice cut through everything.
- His voice is louder than death.

1. Remember that Jesus is always for you.
- 100%, Jesus is always for you.
- Our love for God becomes conditional on what He’s done for us.
- “Why”: is this happening, am I going through this, etc.

2. Jesus always shows up.
- We’re never alone, even during our grief.
- Jesus destroys death.
- Our perception of death is skewed.
- Death is not the end but the beginning.
- The presence of the Lord is what those in Heaven experience constantly.

3. Jesus always shows up on time.
- The disappointment they felt turned into an experience they would never forget.

Are we people who need the stone rolled away to love Him with all of our hearts, or will we say your presence is enough for me?

His presence is all that I need.

Pastor Steve

09/12/2021

The More I Seek You

Acts 4

In the midst of chaos, nothing else can cause peace besides the authentic presence of Jesus.

2,000 people were saved because of the message that followed the miracle.
- They were threatened to never preach about the resurrection again.

Acts 4 is more relevant than the news delivers to your door each morning.
- In the most technological age, we can’t get unbiased information.

There is nothing that is out of control of the Lord.
- People do evil things but nothing is outside the vision of the Lord.
- We are in a battle, a spiritual battle.

Peter and John did what the word says and prayed, and God presented them with an opportunity.
- they were able to preach a message to the same men that crucified Jesus just weeks ago.
- Peter and John filtered their experience through the scripture.
- They understood that they would face opposition.

The more I seek Him, the more I can rest in Him.
- I know where to find refuge.
- Many times, our prayers are too fast.
- We spend a minute praying to God and then leave out of that place without changing.
- We need to recalculate how we pray.
- We have to see our circumstances through the filter of Gods word.

“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,” - Acts‬ ‭4:29‬ ‭ESV‬‬
- Let us speak Boldly!
- They didn’t pray for an easier life.
They prayed for more of what God already gave them.
- Boldly in Greek: Tell it all!

If you love Jesus now, Tell it all!
- Boldness is standing up and doing it, being filled with the Spirit and going out to Tell it all!
- If you pray for Boldness, but leave that place the same as when you came in, GO BACK!

Miracles are available now!

Check your prayer life.
- If you’re worried going in, you should come out confident.
- We need to filter our lives and prayers through His word.

Pastor Steve

09/06/2021

The More I Seek You

Acts 3 & 4

“While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s.” - ‭‭Acts‬ ‭3:11‬ ‭ESV‬‬
- He was clinging to them because of what God did through them !

“And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.” - ‭Acts‬ ‭3:8‬ ‭ESV‬
- How loud is your shout?
- Is it loud enough to gather others?

“The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.” - Acts 3:13
- He draws their attention to the God they know.
- He calls them out for turning Jesus over to Pilate.
- You didn’t know what you were doing, but now that you have seen this it’s time to repent.

“And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.” - Acts‬ ‭4:3‬ ‭ESV‬‬
- In the middle of talking, Peter is dragged away to prison.

“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed,”
‭- ‭Acts‬ ‭4:8-9‬ ‭ESV‬‬
- They were arrested for teaching about the resurrection.

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.” - ‭‭Acts‬ ‭4:13-14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

They commanded them not to teach or speak in Jesus’ name.
- “So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,” - ‭‭Acts‬ ‭4:18-19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

1. Miracles.
- Miracles can still happen.
- We need an outpouring of miracles for the sole purpose of causing crowds to run in and see what happened.
- The church at large has lost its shout.
- Don’t come up with reasons why you can’t have a conversation with God.
- If he has led you to do it, you are worthy. Set your eyes on Him and never let go.

2. Message.
- Peter told the crowd how and why it happened!
- He took a few minutes to explain, not to put the focus on the miracle, or the man, but on the Lord.

3. Mandate.
- The enemy still uses the same argument today that he used in the garden; “Did God really say that?”
- We get upset about what we can’t do, and forget about doing what God intended us to do.
- “I will never stop shouting about what God has done for me!”

The mandate to tell people who God is reigns over everything else.

See the miracle, prepare the message, give the message.

Boldness comes from seeking the Lord.

Pastor Steve

08/28/2021

❤️