What are the opening hours?

Wednesday 6pm - 7pm Sunday 9:30am - 12pm

https://www.skywayparadise.org/

Skyway Assembly of God, 6500 Clark Road, Paradise, CA (2026)

10/31/2023

Dear Ones, this is an excerpt from "Insights with Pastor Ray" written in 2018, from Galatians 3...

Jesus was born of Jewish parents; that made Him a Jew. But He was conceived by the Holy Spirit; that made Him the Son of God as well. Then when He went public, He chose twelve disciples to do life with Him for three years. While that was going on, another young Jew was being educated, indoctrinated and groomed for a life among the Pharisees who hated Jesus and wanted to kill Him. That young man was Saul of Tarsus, later to become Paul the Apostle to the nations of the world outside of Jerusalem. While the twelve were eyewitnesses of all the works and teachings of Jesus, Saul was growing in boldness as he planned to stop them. And when the twelve were with Jesus after His resurrection, Saul was already finding ways to persecute the Jesus followers and eradicate them. With his own words, he recounts how he became 'one sent' from God--an apostle. Nothing short of a divine encounter and divine revelations could so thoroughly transform the hater of Jesus followers into the man who preached the Good Jesus News all over the world and wrote two thirds of our New Testament in the Bible. In our reading today he wrote to the assembly in Galatia to by all means turn away from those who would bring them back under the condemnation of the Jewish law after they had been transformed into new life through the Holy Spirit. Using powerful rhetoric and his own historic testimony, Paul did everything to persuade them to reject religious tradition in favor of faith in God's promises of salvation through His Son Jesus.

There are so many self-improvement and self-fulfilling movements in our culture today, that the false gospel of physical and mental achievements is threatening to take Jesus' place in our daily life. Body and mind are being elevated over development of character and the human spirit. A better human life is being sold as a cheap substitute for eternal life in the Kingdom of God. Don't go for it; while trying to be your best you, remember that you are an eternal spirit, and being a Jesus follower is the way to become the best you of all. Remain culturally free so that you can be led by the Holy Spirit who leads us more into Christ Jesus every day.

10/10/2023

DEAR ONES, we will begin our fall series of messages at Mark 1:1 this Sunday, October 15, as we come together at SKYWAY. The series will continue section by section as we deepen our discipleship with our Lord Jesus.
Please remember those who have had the flu and are in recovery. Thank you for caring for one another during these times, part of our devotion to Jesus--"This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you."
Our guest worship team from Chico will also be with us this Sunday. However, we WILL NOT HAVE OUR POTLUCK until most of our folks have recovered. Blessings all!

09/19/2023

These are the notes from my message last Sunday. ENJOY.
AND SCROLL DOWN TO THE MESSAGE I JUST POSTED THIS MORNING ABOUT NEXT SUNDAY'S SERVICE. God bless.

----------------------------

DISCIPLESHIP SERIES – MESSAGE ONE
BEING WITH JESUS
Pastor Ray Shelton, SKYWAY AG

IMAGINE LOSING YOUR JOB, YOUR POSITION AND YOUR REPUTATION ALL IN ONE DAY. IMAGINE YOUR CLOSEST FRIENDS AND ALLIES, WHO WATCHED YOU, ADMIRED YOU, ENVIED YOU AND WANTED TO BE LIKE YOU, ARE NOW READY AND WILLING TO PUT YOU AWAY FOREVER…OR EVEN KILL YOU IF THEY COULD. THAT IS WHAT IS WRAPPED INTO THIS BIT OF SCRIPTURE.

Philippians 3:7-14 But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.

NO WIGGLE ROOM, NO EQUIVOCATION, NO BACKTRACKING—PAUL MADE CLEAR THAT EVERYTHING…EVERYTHING IN HIS LIFE STRAINED FORWARD IN HIS QUEST TO KNOW JESUS, TO BE WITH JESUS, AND TO MAKE JESUS KNOWN TO HIS WORLD.

IN THE BEST… OR WORST OF TIMES, NOTHING CAN MAKE ME NOT WANT TO BE WITH JESUS. EVER SINCE I UNDERSTOOD FROM JOHN 14, “I AM GOING TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU, SO THAT YOU CAN BE WHERE I AM,” I HAVE WANTED TO BE WITH JESUS. DO YOU WANT TO BE WITH JESUS? I HOPE SO, BECAUSE ALL OTHER OPTIONS LEFT IN THIS WORLD AMOUNT TO BASICALLY NOTHING!

JESUS STARTED IT ALL-- Mark 3:13-15 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him…

IF WE FOLLOW THEIR LIVES AND TRACK WITH THEM THROUGH THE GOSPELS, THEIR BEING WITH JESUS CHANGED THEIR WHOLE COURSE AND COMPLETED THEIR EXPERIENCE IN LIFE. NONE OF THEM WAS EVER THE SAME AGAIN! WE HAVE THEIR PERSONAL RECORDS IN THEIR WRITINGS.

WE HAVE BEEN WATCHING THE CHOSEN TV EPISODES, WHICH DEPICT THE LIFE OF JESUS AND THOSE HE CHOSE TO FOLLOW HIM. IT DRAMATIZES IN WONDERFUL FASHION HOW LIFE WITH JESUS MIGHT HAVE BEEN.

HOW ELSE CAN WE EXPLAIN WHAT APOSTLE PAUL WROTE IN THE ABOVE PASSAGE IN PHILIPPIANS?
• I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. (THINK ABOUT IT!)
• Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. (THINK ABOUT IT!)
• I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. (COMPARE ABRAHAM, OUR FATHER OF FAITH. HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS WAS ESTABLISHED BY GOD BECAUSE HE BELIEVED GOD!)
• I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! … (THIS HAS TO MEAN MORE TO US THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN OUR LIFE!)
• I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. (THERE IS NO ‘SPIRITUAL RETIREMENT’)
• No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (‘JESUS CALLING’ IS NOT A BOOK, NOT RELIGION, NOT A PROGRAM—IT IS A LIFE OF BEING WITH JESUS NOW AND TOMORROW.)

The disciples came to Jesus from all walks of life, mostly by invitation, mostly during the normal course of their life. He called them, trained them, sent them, kept them, all that. But Paul had to be crushed in the road, felled like a tree, to respond to Jesus and become His follower. 72 hours into his adventure, his eyes opened, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and the game was on!

IF WHAT PAUL DESCRIBES IS SIMILAR TO THE WAY YOU FEEL ON YOUR BEST DAYS, LET’S DO A QUICK OVERVIEW OF OUR ‘DISCIPLESHIP SERIES,’ WHICH BEGINS TODAY.

WHAT IS A DISCIPLE?
• A WILLING ‘LEARNER’ AND FOLLOWER – A STUDENT
o Learning to be under discipline and take training
o Learning to obey and follow directions

WHAT IS DISCIPLESHIP?
1. It is first of all, BEING WITH JESUS, owning Jesus as Lord of my life. His lordship must be unquestioned if I am to be His disciple.
2. It is then to accept the Holy Spirit baptism and to begin following Jesus in the Holy Spirit.
3. It is to develop a permanent and holy relationship with all scripture, the Bible being the infallible Word of God.
4. It involves submission to God, resistance against the devil, and being delivered of all pernicious bondages.
5. It is being sent on mission into the world to bear witness of Jesus.

THESE MESSAGES WILL BE THE CORPUS OF OUR SERIES INVESTIGATIONS. WE WILL LOOK AT EACH ONE, WEIGH THE OPTIONS, AND DECIDE HOW WE WILL RESPOND.

‘BEING WITH JESUS…’

EVIDENTLY, RIGHT FROM THEIR FIRST ENCOUNTER, THE DISCIPLES LEFT THEIR FORMER WAYS OF LIFE TO BE WITH JESUS, TO DO LIFE WITH HIM, AND TO LEVERAGE THEIR ENTIRE FUTURE UNDER HIS WATCHFUL AND LOVING EYE.

AT HOME BETWEEN TRAVELS WITH JESUS, THEY SHARED THEIR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND TALKED ABOUT THE WONDERFUL THINGS HE DID FROM DAY TO DAY IN THEIR TRAVELS TOGETHER.

BELIEVING IN JESUS WILL BE THE OUTCOME OF BEING A TRUE FOLLOWER OF JESUS. IT MEANS, NO MATTER YOUR STATION IN LIFE, YOUR JOB OR BUSINESS, YOUR INTERACTIONS IN THE COMMUNITY, THAT EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE WILL BE WEIGHTED BY YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. JESUS CALLING…JESUS CALLING…JESUS CALLING.

09/19/2023

DEAR ONES OF SKYWAY ASSEMBLY,
Please come together this Sunday for a special message to the church. Call your friends and neighbors. Make sure that every SKYWAY brother and sister are alerted to be there this Sunday. Reach out to those who have missed recently. Offer a ride to whoever needs one. Get on the phone and tell everyone you love them and want to see them together. Pray for your pastors and each other. MAKE THIS THE MOST IMPORTANT SERVICE YET THIS YEAR. AND MAY THE LORD BLESS YOUR EVERY DAY THIS WEEK.

Pastor Ray Shelton

09/11/2023

SPECIAL MESSAGE TO SKYWAY AG, SEPTEMBER 10, 2023

Colossians 1:1-2 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

3-8 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints— the faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven, of which you have already heard in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God. You learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also informed us of your love in the Spirit.

• 9-14 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
• so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way:
• bearing fruit in every good work,
• growing in the knowledge of God,
• being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might
• so that you may have full endurance and patience,
• and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.
• He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

THE FIRST SECTION OF THIS CHAPTER IS ABOUT YOU—ABOUT YOUR DEVELOPMENT AS FOLLOWERS OF JESUS.

THE NEXT SECTION IS TOTALLY ABOUT JESUS…

The Preeminence of Christ
15-20 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
• For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.
• He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
• And He is the head of the body, the church;
• He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.
• For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.

MY QUESTION TO YOU TODAY IS THIS:

CAN WE FULLY TRUST SUCH A ONE AS OUR LORD, JESUS CHRIST, TO LEAD THIS ASSEMBLY, TO CREATE A FUTURE FOR US, TO HELP US FIND OUR WAY, AND TO PROVIDE EVERYTHING WE NEED?

IF THE ANSWER TO THIS IS YES, THEN LET US STAND AND CIRCLE ABOUT WITH 3 OR 4 OTHERS, JOIN OUR HANDS, AND PRAY…

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

1. GUIDANCE—“LEAD US”
2. ASSISTANCE—“HELP US”
3. PROVISION—“GRANT US WHAT WE NEED”

09/07/2023

10 THINGS JESUS TAUGHT US ABOUT THIS WORLD
SKYWAY ASSEMBLY, AUGUST 23 | Pastor Ray Shelton

John 15:17-27 This is My command to you: Love one another. If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’ When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me. And you also must testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

JESUS HAD A WAY OF COVERING A LOT OF GROUND IN A SHORT SPACE WHEN HE SPOKE. THIS PARTICULAR MESSAGE WAS PART OF HIS LAST NIGHT ON EARTH WITH HIS DISCIPLES AT HIS FINAL CELEBRATION OF PASSOVER, JUST PRIOR TO HIS ARREST AND TRIAL. LET’S PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO HIS STATE OF MIND, FOR HE WAS ABOUT TO INVOLUNTARILY ABANDON THESE FRIENDS OF HIS. WE CALL IT THE UPPER ROOM MESSAGE.

HERE ARE THE 10 THINGS HE TAUGHT US.

1. If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. (18)
a. Hate, hatred – a powerful emotion that Jesus said is equal to murder, for that is the final expression of hatred.
b. WORLD – kosmos – this doesn’t refer to the earth necessarily, although it includes our planet as part of God’s creation. But it more readily describes the entire systems of organization and operations that are put together in every culture and nation by those who own and run it.
1. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH OUR SYSTEMS AND GOVERNMENTS? CREATED BY PEOPLE! WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOD’S KINGDOM AND THE WORLD’S KINGDOM? 1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world is under the power of the evil one. Joh 12:31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out. Joh 14:30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming, and he has no claim on Me. Eph 2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience. Joh 16:8 And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment…in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world has been condemned.
b. The HATRED described here was in the hearts of those who wanted to kill Jesus to protect their own dominion and their own kingdom.
c. WHO DO YOU THINK OWNS THE WORLD TODAY…AT LEAST IN THEIR OWN MINDS AND DESIRES? And WHAT DO THEY DO WITH JESUS WHEN THEY HEAR THE GOSPEL? What will they eventually want to do to you when push comes to shove?
2. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. (19)
a. When we follow Jesus and trust His word, we demonstrate that we are NOT FROM THIS WORLD, THAT WE ARE OF HEAVEN IN OUR HEARTS.
3. The world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. (19)
4. Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ WHO IS OUR MASTER? THE ABOVE SCRIPTURES MAKE CLEAR THAT IT IS EITHER JESUS OR THE ‘PRINCE OF THIS WORLD.’ (20) THE WORLD SPEAKS OF EQUALITY AND FAIRNESS, BUT IT MUST ALWAYS BE SKEWED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE SYSTEM, NOT THE PERSON.
5. If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. (20)
6. But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me. (21)
7. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. (22) JESUS DID NOT BRING JUDGMENT ON SINS OF OTHERS. BUT BY FORGIVING THEM, HE RELEASED THEM, LEAVING US ALL WITHOUT EXCUSE IF WE CHOOSE NOT TO FOLLOW HIM, IN WHICH CASE WE ‘DEFAULT’ TO THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD.
8. Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well. (23)
9. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’ (24-25) Psalm 69:4 Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs of my head; many are those who would destroy me— my enemies for no reason.
CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT IT WILL BE LIKE TO STAND BEFORE THE GLORIFIED SAVIOR—IN THE PRESENCE OF SPLENDOR AND MAJESTY—AND TRY TO EXCUSE ONESELF FOR NOT BELIEVING IN AND FOLLOWING JESUS? EVERY EXCUSE WILL SOUND EMPTY AND HOLLOW AND BE FILLED WITH SHAME AND REMORSE.
10. When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me. And you also must testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
(26-27)

THE QUESTION IS: “WHAT DOES MY LIFE—NOT JUST MY WORDS—TESTIFY ABOUT JESUS?

JOHN’S FINAL ADMONITION:
1 John 2:15-18 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. :17 The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever. Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour.
1 John 2:24-25 As for you, let what you have heard from the beginning remain in you. If it does, you will also remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.

08/28/2023

GLORIFYING GOD
RAY SHELTON, SKYWAY ASSEMBLY
AUGUST 2023

Psalm 103:19-22 The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command. Bless the LORD, all His hosts, you servants who do His will. Bless the LORD, all His works in all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!

glorify
1. praise and worship (God). --Give praise to, extol, exalt, laud, Worship, revere, honor, adore, give thanks to, bless, magnify
2. acknowledge and reveal the majesty and splendor of (God) by one's actions.
"God can be glorified through a life of scholarship"

I have read scores of testimonies of people who have had heavenly encounters and experiences; and NOT A SINGLE ONE has spoken negatively about heaven or anything they experienced there. In fact, all have seemed to lament their inability to find adequate words to describe the GLORY OF THAT PLACE.

Clearly, where we are now is NOT HEAVEN! But King David cried out, “Magnify the LORD with me; let us exalt His name together.” AND JESUS PRAYED TO THE FATHER, John 17:4-26 I have glorified You on earth by accomplishing the work You gave Me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed.

WHAT IS THE GLORY? IT IS THE “MAJESTY AND SPLENDOR” OF GOD. JESUS SAID, “I HAVE GLORIFIED YOU ON EARTH.”

LET’S EXPLORE HOW WE CAN GLORIFY GOD ON EARTH. LET’S DO SO BY LOOKING AT THE SEVEN THINGS JESUS SAID HE DID TO GLORIFY GOD RIGHT HERE DURING HIS EARTHLY MINISTRY. I have glorified You on earth by accomplishing the work You gave Me to do.

1. I have revealed Your name to those You have given Me out of the world. V. 6
2. I have given them the words You gave Me, and they have received them. V. 8
3. I protected and preserved them by Your name, the name You gave Me. V. 12
4. I have given them Your word and the world has hated them; for they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. V. 14
5. As You sent Me into the world, I have also sent them into the world. V. 18
6. I have given them the glory You gave Me… V. 22
7. I have made Your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love You have for Me may be in them, and I in them. V. 26

IN OTHER WORDS, JESUS CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN… TO BRING HEAVEN TO EARTH, TO DEMONSTRATE HEAVEN AMONG US ALL… TO EXPLAIN THINGS ABOUT HEAVEN WE WOULD NEVER KNOW, TO CONNECT US TO HEAVEN THROUGH HIMSELF… SO THAT HE CAN BRING US TO HEAVEN AFTER WE FOLLOW HIM!

THAT’S HOW JESUS GLORIFIED GOD ON EARTH!

HOW MAY WE GLORIFY GOD ON EARTH?

Take the everyday things of life and give them glory.
1. By doing a good job - at work, home, school, play.
2. By maintaining a cheerful attitude.
3. By being honest and faithful.
4. By obeying the ONE COMMAND Jesus gave us His disciples:
Joh 15:12-17 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. This is My command to you: Love one another.

We glorify him by carrying out the assignments given us as our part of the Body of Christ on earth. It may be internal and unnoticed, or it may be external and highly visible. It doesn't matter. GOD SEES!

1 Peter 4:7-11 - The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray. Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without complaining. As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another. If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God provides… so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever.

THIS IS ALL ABOUT DOING LIFE WITH JESUS ON EARTH WITH JESUS AS HE DID LIFE ON EARTH WITH THE FATHER. WE DO THIS IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE WORD OF GOD. Amen.

08/15/2023

TAKE A BREATH!
Ray Shelton, SKYWAY ASSEMBLY

Isaiah 30:18 So the LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH… BREATHE… TAKE ANOTHER BREATH! WE ARE TALKING TODAY ABOUT OUR BUILT-IN NEED TO PAUSE, BREATHE, REFRESH, REVIVE AND MOVE ON…

BOUNDARY: the limit or extent of something…

THE ORIGINAL CREATION BEARS WITNESS TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND ALL OF THE WONDERFUL BOUNDARIES HE HAS BUILT INTO THIS CREATION. EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE HAS BOUNDARIES.

AS APOSTLE PAUL EXPLAINS IN… Acts 17:24-27 - “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us.

THIS EXPLAINS the whole migratory history of human beings living on this earth, moving from place to place—conquering, settling, colonizing, expanding, and then looking for yet new frontiers. With each migration, existing nations have perished or been conquered, new boundaries have been established, new nations have emerged, and the cycle has persisted from then until now.

BOUNDARIES: What are they, and how important are they?
1. Natural boundaries can be seen in mountain ranges and ocean shores. They spread across valleys and stop at the borders of neighboring towns, cities, and regions. They define nations and neighborhoods. Our maps show where one entity stops and another begins.
2. THEY CAN ALSO BE OBSERVED IN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STRUCTURES. Boundaries are everywhere! They are most commonly referred to as ‘rules’ or ‘law.’ We have rules to live by. We have laws to obey. They are ‘boundaries.’ Whenever we overstep our boundaries or break rules or violate laws, we place ourselves and others at risk.
3. HOWEVER, THERE ARE VERY IMPORTANT BOUNDARIES FOUND WITHIN EACH ONE OF US…ONLY GOD, ACCORDING TO GOD’S WORD, IS UNLIMITED!
a. Physical—size, shape, strength, health… all operate within created boundaries.
b. Emotional—temperament, personality, breaking points… again, operational boundaries. If I overstep these boundaries I risk my health and the wellbeing of others.
c. Spiritual—relationships with the Lord and with each other…IT MUST BE REMEMBERED THAT MY BOUNDARY IS MY SPACE! God exists as a COMPLETE OTHER. All my friends and my family members exist as COMPLETE OTHERS!

LETS EXAMINE SOME OF THOSE BOUNDARIES WHICH ARE BUILT INTO THE CREATION AND SEE HOW IMPORTANT THEY MIGHT BE…

Exodus 23:10-12 - “Plant and harvest your crops for six years, but let the land be renewed and lie uncultivated during the seventh year. Then let the poor among you harvest whatever grows on its own. Leave the rest for wild animals to eat. The same applies to your vineyards and olive groves. “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed.

EVERYTHING IN CREATION NEEDS TO TAKE A BREAK… AND TAKE A BREATH! REST!

Exo 31:17 - It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.’”

HOW OFTEN SHOULD WE TAKE A BREATH?

The late Dr. Robert Schuller, formerly Pastor of Garden Grove Community Church, was closely allied with the American psychiatric community and attended their conventions regularly. I heard him once refer to a presentation given in which the author asserted that our physical and emotional (and likely spiritual) natures have boundaries. THEY RECYCLE EVERY SEVEN DAYS! If we ignore the boundary and push through without TAKING A BREATH! WE ARE PUSHING THAT BOUNDARY AND CREATING A DEFICIT. WE ARE DESIGNED TO TAKE A BREATH! BY TAKING A BREAK!

Refresh; Refreshing (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
“Refresh” occurs a few times in the Old Testament as the translation of nāphash, “to take breath,” figurative “to be refreshed” (Exo_23:12; Exo_31:17; 2Sa_16:14); of rāwaḥ, “to have room (1Sa_16:23; Job_32:20, margin “find relief,” the King James Version margin “may breathe”); of ṣā‛adh, “to support” (1Ki_13:7); and in the New Testament as the translation of anapaúō, “to give rest” (1Co_16:18; 2Co_7:13; Phm_1:7, Phm_1:20; in compound middle, Rom_15:32 the King James Version); also of anapsúchō, “to invigorate,” “revive” (2Ti_1:16), and other words. “Refreshing” is in Isa_28:12 margē‛āh, “rest” or “quiet”; and in Act_3:19, anápsuxis, “seasons of refreshing,” through the coming of Jesus, the Christ…
MEANINGS OF WORDS IN OT AND NT…
• Naphash – to take breath, or be refreshed.
• Rawah – to have room, or find relief.
• Anapauo – to give rest.
• Anapsucho – to invigorate, revive.

1 Corinthians 16:18 - They have been a wonderful encouragement to me, as they have been to you. You must show your appreciation to all who serve so well.
Philemon 1:7, 20 Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people. Yes, my brother, please do me this favor for the Lord’s sake. Give me this encouragement in Christ.
2 Timothy 1:16 May the Lord show special kindness to Onesiphorus and all his family because he often visited and encouraged me. He was never ashamed of me because I was in chains.

PAUL CLEARLY INDICATED HIS PHYSICAL AND WORKING BOUNDARIES EXISTED; THAT WHEN HE WAS WEARY AND NEEDED TO TAKE A BREATH, HE WAS HAPPY TO HAVE THE FELLOWSHIP AND SUPPORT OF THE BROTHERS & SISTERS.
ACTION ITEMS…

1. TAKE A BREATH EVERY DAY… The created day began in the evening and was divided into eight watches of three hours each throughout the night and day before it recycled.
a. Devotional time with the Lord.
b. Conversational time with a spouse or family.
c. Prayer breaks during work hours – even ONE MINUTE!
2. TAKE A BREATH EVERY WEEK…
a. Walk in a quiet place or sit in isolated composure.
b. Meet with friends and seekers for worship and fellowship.
c. Spend a few hours reading positive and refreshing testimonies.
3. TAKE A BREATH EVERY MONTH…
a. There is a first day and last day before it recycles.
b. Take Time to look back and look forward.
4. TAKE A BREATH EVERY YEAR…
a. The Lord gave Israel 3 festivals every year of at least 7 or 8 days to stop work, celebrate and renew their relationship with Him.
b. National holidays recognize Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.
c. We have ‘vacations,’ designed to change our schedule, change our atmosphere and change our habits!

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE PUSH OUR BOUNDARIES OR IGNORE THEM?
• We place ourselves at risk of fatigue, loss of perspective, and even ill health.
• We place our relationships at risk of decline, or even separation.
• We place our efficiency and our effectiveness at risk, an inability to cope with everyday tasks and normal operations.

TAKE A BREATH! GIVE GOD A CHANCE TO BRING REFRESHMENT AND REINVIGORATION!

AT THE JEWISH FESTIVAL OF PENTECOST—ON THE ACTUAL DAY—THE LORD POURED OUT THE HOLY SPIRIT—THE GREATEST REFRESHING THE WORLD HAD EVER SEEN, AS A SIGN THAT HE WOULD RENEW ALL THINGS IF WE WOULD LIVE INSIDE OUR CREATED PURPOSE AND RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.

AND ON THAT DAY, PETER STOOD BEFORE THE CROWDS AND PREACHED HIS FIRST SERMON, ENDING WITH THIS…

Acts 3:19-21 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.

FRIENDS, IF WE ARE IGNORING THE BOUNDARIES AND SIGN POSTS THE LORD CREATED WITHIN US AND DEMONSTRATED BY HIS OWN BEHAVIOR, we place ourselves at great risk.

THIS VERSE CALLS FOR REPENTANCE—THAT IS, TURN TO A NEW WAY OF LIVING BY TURNING TO GOD IN EVERYTHING!

LET’S DO OURSELF AND EVERYONE AROUND US A FAVOR – TAKE A BREATH!

Skyway Assembly of God

10/31/2023

10/10/2023

09/19/2023

09/19/2023

09/11/2023

09/07/2023

08/28/2023

08/15/2023

Address

Opening Hours

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category