From The Pulpit

01/17/2023

Just a Pentecostal thought…

The Norwegian explorer Ronald Amundsen is credited with discovering the North and South Poles in the early 1900’s.
On one of his trips to the North Pole, he took a homing pigeon. When he arrived, he released it from its cage and let it go free.
Some time later, imagine his wife’s delight when she went outside their home in Norway and saw the pigeon circling in the sky above their house!! It’s arrival was proof the he was still alive!!
In the same way, on the Day of Pentecostal, those 120 believers in the Upper Room were filled with delight at the Spirit’s arrival because they knew…
-Jesus was alive!!
-He was in Heaven with the Father.
-He had kept His promise.
-AND had sent the Holy Spirit to empower them and come along side them on the earth!!
This reality is still truth today!

06/28/2022

“Therefore, since we have been JUSTIFIED by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rm. 5:1)
In the NT, the word “justify” is a legal term. It means “to acquit, to find innocent, to declare righteous”.
In God’s Court, we all stand guilty of breaking His law because of our sin and because we are sinners.
But through our faith in Christ, instead of seeing our SIN, God only sees His SON and the blood He shed to cover our sin.
So the convicted are acquitted, the guilty are innocent and the unrighteous are found righteous!!!
This is the good news of the Gospel for me, for you and for the world!!!

06/26/2022

Three thoughts about the Roe vs Wade decision:
1) As Christian people, and part of the IPHC family, we are pro-life. We value ALL life (womb to tomb) because people are made in the Imago Dei - the image of God. We humbly celebrate the overturning of the Roe vs Wade decision in 1973. I believe this decision can and will protect a countless number of unborn lives. So we humbly celebrate.
2). We must keep in mind that there will still be unplanned pregnancies, u***d mothers and families in crisis. We, as Christians, have a responsibility to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We cannot turn our backs on the these people. We need to pray for and support ministries and organizations that offer help and hope to these women and families. (Such as the “Alternative to Abortion Ministry” in the IPHC.) We MUST show the compassion of Christ.
3). We live in a divided nation. This Supreme Court decision has only added to the discord. As the “right” and “left” scream at each other, the CHURCH must rise above the hate and vitriol and show a better way - a higher way. We must stand above the fight, like a “city on a hill”, and bear the standard of OUR Lord and King. We must keep the GOSPEL front and center and remember we are a part of a greater Kingdom and we serve a greater King!!!

06/24/2022

"Choosing Your Legacy"
Part 3 of 3

We must pray for our children.
-Here are 5 prayers to pray over your children:
1) Pray for their purity. Ask the Holy Spirit to guard them and keep them pure in heart, mind and body.
2) Pray for their relationships. Pray that they will develop strong relationships with the right people - those that will be a positive, godly influence on their lives. Pray for their relationship with their future spouse. Most importantly, pray for their relationship with Jesus Christ.
3) Pray for protection. The world can be a dangerous place. Pray for a physical, spiritual and emotional covering over their lives.
4) Pray for their witness. Pray that they would not be influenced by evil but would be an influence for good and for God. Let their light shine for Jesus Christ.
5) Pray for their priorities. Pray that they will be saved, love God, serve Jesus Christ and keep Him first in their lives.
Final thought: Parents, God gives you the opportunity to choose your legacy and mold the legacy of your children. You can ignore Jesus and leave their legacy to the fate of the world OR you can choose to embrace Jesus Christ. The choice is yours!!!

06/21/2022

"Choosing Your Legacy" Part 2 of 3

We must INSTRUCT our children.
In Deuteronomy 31, the children of Israel are poised to go into the Promised land. Moses is giving them final instructions and installing Joshua as their new leader. In vs. 13 Moses says "and that their children, who do not know it (God's Law), may hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God..". Moses was stressing the need for the Word of God to be passed down from generation to generation.
The need is still the same!! Babies aren't born loving, serving and fearing the Lord. They're born spitting, snorting and screaming. They must LEARN to fear the Lord - and we, as parents, must teach them.
I once read "If we don't teach our children to follow Jesus Christ, the world will teach them not to." We all want our kids to learn and excel at different things. We want them to excel in math, science, English, history, sports, etc, and there's nothing wrong with that UNLESS those things become IDOLS that replace God as being first in their lives. And parents, our influence helps them determine the priorities in their lives.
Here are 4 probing questions for parents:
1) Does your personal commitment to the Lord show your children what it means to be committed to the Lord?
2) Is God a high priority in your home or is He constantly put on the back burner?
3) Do you encourage your children to choose the things of God over school stuff, sports stuff and social stuff?
4) By the example you set, do you show your children that God is optional or essential?
May God raise up and army of moms, dad, grandparents and guardians who are on a mission to teach children the fear of the Lord!!

06/20/2022

On this week after Father's Day, I want to share some encouraging words for parents. This is from the message "Choosing Your Legacy" preached yesterday. It's part 1 of 3...

We must LOVE our children.
This might seem like a no-brainer but sometimes, in the frustrations of parenthood, we need to be reminded of this simple truth
- "Behold children are a heritage from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward." (Ps. 127:3)
The Message says it this way - "Don't you see that children are God's best gift? The fruit of the womb is His generous legacy?"
When Jesus was being baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist, God the Father spoke over His Son and said "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Mk.11:1) God took the opportunity to remind His Son that He was loved, valued and treasured. If our heavenly Father expressed love to His divine Son, how much more do we as earthly, imperfect fathers and mothers need to express to our children that they are loved, valued and treasured.
Just as the Father's love is unconditional, we must follow His example. We must love our kids...
- When they are doing right, making us proud and living the way we raised them to live.
- When they are trying to find their own way, making mistakes and making choices we feel are not the best.
- When they hurt us, disappoint us and kick against everything we tried to teach them. (Sometimes it requires "tough love", but it's love none the less!)
Remember this: The Prodigal Son would have never come home if there had not been a good Father loving him and looking for him, ready to welcome him home.
It is love, God's love expressed in us, that makes it possible for our children to thrive!!

06/20/2022

Hey everybody!! My name is Martin Jackson. I'm a Christian minister in South Carolina. For a long time, I've wanted to start a page where I can share sermon notes, devotional thoughts and words of encouragement for faith and life. Well - this is it!! I hope to post a couple times a week and share words that will be a blessing to you and help you along the journey called LIFE!!

06/20/2022