03/28/12 - Life Giving Culture Under Assault - Everett Spencer

Everett Spencer  teaches on "Life Giving Culture Under Assault" in this Wednesday evening celebration.

Life Giving Culture Under Assault
Everett Spencer
Wednesday, March 28, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast

03/25/12 - Prayer - Pastor Michael Adams

Pastor Michael Adams teaches on "Increasing Our Prayer Life Effectiveness" in this Sunday morning celebration.

Increasing Our Prayer Life Effectiveness
Pastor Michael Adams
Sunday, March 25, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

Increasing Our Prayer Life Effectiveness 

Prayer is key in our walk with Christ and keeps us grounded in WRM. It changes us and empowers us to change the world.

James 5:16b
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

"The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayer-less studies, prayer- less work, or prayer-less religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks our wisdom but trebles when we pray." Samuel Chadwick

"The prayers of God’s saints are the capital stock in heaven by which Christ carries on His great work upon earth."  E.M. Bounds


Basis for Prayer:

The disciples were in a prayer saturated culture but they had never heard the way this man, Jesus, prayed.

Matthew 16:15-19
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

1.  Know Who Jesus Is
2.  Build the Church
3.  Keys to the Kingdom


Power Filled Prayer:

Matthew 6:5-13
7"When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9Pray like this: Our Father in heaven,   may your name be kept holy. 10May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth,   as it is in heaven. 11Give us today the food we need,* 12and forgive us our sins,   as we have forgiven those who sin against us. 13And don't let us yield to temptation,*   but rescue us from the evil one.*


ACTS Prayer Model

Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication

03/21/12 - Wednesday Night - Mike Barker

Mike Barker teaches during this Wednesday evening celebration.

Wednesday Celebration
Mike Barker
Wednesday, March 21, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast

03/18/12 - Unbreakable - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore teaches on "Unbreakable" in this Sunday morning celebration.

Unbreakable
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, March 18, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

Big Idea: If we want to be ‘unbreakable’ in the “What Really Matters” stuff, then we must stay ‘broken’ before God.

Key Scriptures:

Psalm 51:16-17 (GNT) “You do not want sacrifices, or I would offer them; you are not pleased with burnt offerings. My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God; you will not reject a humble and repentant heart.”  (Our sacrifice—the ‘do-ing’ is not more ‘works’ to become better, but the honest recognition that He is God and we are not.  That He is all we need and we are not.  That when our ‘god’ becomes small enough for us to understand, he is not big enough to be our God, but maybe our ‘knowledge’ has instead made us big enough to be our ‘god’.)

James 4:6 (NKJV) “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”’  (We have enough opposition in this world, why get on the opposing side from God.  Note Jesus’ and Joshua’s encounter in Joshua 5:13-14…(my paraphrase) Joshua: “Are you friend or foe?  Whose side are you on?” Jesus: “I think the better question is “Whose side are you on?”  Joshua’s response = fall on his face in humility, submitting his agenda to God’s.)

All of us need more grace.  Grace is what bridges the gap between where we are and God’s ideal for us.  Without God’s grace we will never live the life He intended us to live.  Without grace our lives become more complicated instead of simpler, depending more on our abilities, talents and resources to sustain and simply maintain, or hold desperately onto, what measure of life we have attained.  We focus on our own abilities, or lack thereof, and either one is pride.  The result is less grace, which means more effort, which makes a more complicated life.  The vicious cycle of complicated life seems inescapable, driving us to the ‘breaking point’, overwhelmed, frustrated, and exhausted.

The answer—don’t wait to be ‘driven to the breaking point’—learn to live ‘broken before God.’  We need more grace, so we need more humility.   Humility is easy when we seek God for in His presence we see ourselves.  Our agendas are revealed (Genesis 46:1-4 So Jacob set out for Egypt with all his possessions. And when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac. 2 During the night God spoke to him in a vision. “Jacob! Jacob!” he called. “Here I am,” Jacob replied.
 3 “I am God, the God of your father,” the voice said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation. 4 I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring you back again. You will die in Egypt, but Joseph will be with you to close your eyes.”   See: Luke 11:34—no ‘folds’ in our eye= no hidden or personal agendas.), the absurdity of our pride is uncovered (Job 38 – 41.  Note particularly verses like 38:2-4 and 40:1-2).  (Also note that every instance of someone encountering God face to face in the Bible results in that person hitting the ground recognizing how inadequate he/she is in the light of His glory.)

Hebrews 6:18-20 “So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.”
 (MESSAGE) “We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.”


Keys to “Unbreakable”:

1.   If our trust is in anything other than His promise, His Word and His power to keep them, we are ‘setting ourselves up’ for a fall.  …So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie…

2.   Our responsibility is to run to Him with our lives—both good and bad.  He must be our ‘refuge’—the place we seek help, protection, advice, shelter. …we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence…

3.   When our agenda doesn’t match His, His is better.  When we trust Him, the consequences of those choices will be His to handle.  When we choose our way, the consequences of those choices will be ours to handle.  …It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us… 


The Result:  A life lived broken before God is rare and beautiful—and becomes sought after by others.  Consider the 1955 double-struck penny.  Pennies are commonplace, but the ‘brokenness’ of this penny makes it more valuable and sought after rather.

So What:

There is no one on this planet “totally surrendered to God”.  We all ‘fall short’ of His glory. (Romans 3:23)  Be honest.  Answer the questions God asked Job.  Honesty precedes humility and humility precedes holiness.  Get honest with yourself and God.  Stop justifying and rationalizing and you will find grace to bridge the gap between where you are and where God wants you to be.  Find that and you find the Simple Life—What Really Matters. 

Hebrews 12:26-28 “When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.”  (note—receiving what is ‘unshakeable’ is not the result of our effort—it is the result of simply responding to Him with thankfulness, reverence and love.)

03/14/12 - The Nine P's of Winning - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore teaches on "The Nine P's of Winning" in this Wednesday evening celebration.

The Nine P's of Winning
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Wednesday, March 14, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

The Nine P’s of Winning: (Dr. Frank Luntz has discovered in his study of great leaders, that they all practice 9 principles of winning.) 2 Corinthians 2:14 CEV “I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory.”

1. People-Centered.  Recognize what is missing in the lives of others and then try to address it.  Jeremiah 22:15-16 ‘a beautiful cedar palace does not make a great king! Your father, Josiah, also had plenty to eat and drink. But he was just and right in all his dealings. That is why God blessed him. He gave justice and help to the poor and needy, and everything went well for him. Isn’t that what it means to know me?” says the LORD.’

2. Paradigm Breaking. Winners are not improvers; they are game-changers. Three attributes define paradigm breaking: (1) the attitude of never settling for normal or average, (2) the practice of purposeful reinvention and (3) the necessity of using skilled communication to lead yourself and others in a new direction.  (Noah and the Ark—totally busted a paradigm! Proverbs 22:29 “Do you see any truly competent workers? They will serve kings rather than working for ordinary people.”)

3. Prioritization. Winners know how to separate what must be done from what should be done — and that has a direct correlation to what they say and when they say it.  The urgent is not necessarily the important.  (Jesus’ prayer in John 17:4 “I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”)

4. A Pursuit of Excellence. If you’re not driven to seek excellence in all you do, you’ll live in the land of “good enough”. Without a burning desire to offer your best in everything you do, it’s almost impossible to find the internal strength to strive for excellence. (Daniel 6:3)

5. Partnership.  In fact, winners have 4 groups of people in their lives: mentors, models, friends, and partners.  Honest, open communication is paramount for these relationships.  (Jonathan and his armor-bearer 1 Samuel 14:7 “Do what you think is best,” the armor bearer replied. “I’m with you completely, whatever you decide.”)

6. Passion. There isn’t a winner anywhere who doesn’t bring passion to what he or she does or how he or she communicates.  (Acts 26--Paul and King Agrippa)

7. Persuasion. Winners don’t preach; they persuade. They listen to other points of view and adjust where necessary, but when they know they have heard from God they are able to communicate it in such a way that others take ownership.  (Joshua 1:16 ‘They answered Joshua, “We will do whatever you command us, and we will go wherever you send us.’ Joshua about to cross the Jordan into the promised land.  Compare to Joshua and Caleb unable to persuade the others to cross over before.)  Resource:  Everybody Communicates Few Connect

The 3 C’s of Persuasion:
*   Credibility--Authenticity and knowledge. Be real and really believe what you are saying.  Make it yours, not a “parroted” version that belongs to someone else.  Know what you are talking about—take the time to study and learn.
*   Common Ground—The latin root of communication means ‘common ground’.  Make things a ‘win-win’.  What will it benefit me if I do buy in to what you are saying?
*   Connection—Make the emotional connection—practice empathy and sympathy.  Touch a ‘felt need’.

8. Persistence. Winners know how to succeed over the long haul. In fact, they know that life is not a sprint, it is a marathon, and they know that failure is not final.  (Joseph—10 tests from Dream to Destiny Psalm 105:19 “Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph’s character.”) Pride, Pit, Palace, Purity, Prison, Prophetic, Power, Prosperity, Pardon, Purpose.  Resource: From Dream to Destiny by Robert Morris

9. Principled Action. Bernie Madoff will be known not for what he temporarily achieved, but for how he achieved it and, ultimately, how miserably he failed.  Character and integrity are the foundations of winning.  (Moses—not remembered for how he started, remembered for his integrity in the long haul.  Numbers 12:3 “Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth.”  PMS: the big 3 traps:  Power, Money, Sex

03/11/12 - Safe - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore teaches on "Safe" in this Sunday morning celebration.

Safe
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, March 11, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

Big Idea:  God is not an ‘impartial’ judge—He is blatantly and unfairly for us. 

Psalm 3:2-4 So many are saying, “God will never rescue him!”
Interlude
But you, O LORD, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. I cried out to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy mountain.
Interlude
Salvation is the only “sure thing” on this planet.  I am safe in Him.  Everything around me can be failing, nothing is working, life seems so precarious and unpredictable. But he is a strong tower, my refuge, The Holy Spirit is the 3rd base coach waving me on in spite of the overwhelming evidence that says I will not make it.  Jesus is home plate and I slide in a cloud of dust.  The crowd is screaming, the opposing team is celebrating their play against me, but through the dust and above the roar of the crowd comes the voice of the umpire—my Heavenly Father—SAFE! 

1.   “There are three types of baseball players: those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happens.”  (Tommy Lasorda) Everything I trust in can fail, but God remains sure. 

Habakkuk 3:17-19 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.
(For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)

2.   “If you're going to play at all, you're out to win.” (Derek Jeter) Make God our first appeal, not our last hope.

Job 13:15 NKJV “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him…”
(NLT) “God might kill me, but I have no other hope. I am going to argue my case with him.” Job’s friends were telling him that his case was so bad, his wrongs so grievous, that going before God would be dangerous, maybe even deadly.  Job’s response—Even if He gets so mad at me that He kills me, He is my only hope.  We are in this to win—and He is for us—working to bring about the win. 

3.   “The only thing I can do is play baseball. I have to play ball. It's the only thing I know.” (Mickey Mantle)   What if running to the Lord was what we did well?
Isaiah 65:1 The LORD says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name.”  How many times do we let our past, our circumstances, the noise of the crowd, stop us from simply calling on the Lord?  How many times does our pride, our self-reliance stop us from winning?

If you knew the home plate umpire was on your side, would you be more aggressive in going for home?

Psalm 62:2 “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.”

03/04/12 - Vision Sunday - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore recasts the vision of LifeGate Church in this Sunday morning celebration.

Vision Sunday
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, March 04, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

Vision Sunday, March 2012
Our Vision: (What we are purposed to do as a church)
A regional church sharing the life-giving message of Jesus with West Georgia and the World.

Our Model of Ministry: (How we are going to accomplish that purpose)
MOVING PEOPLE FROM EXPERIENCE TO DESTINY

“Christ loves us and by his blood he set us free from our sins.  He lets us rule as kings and serve God his Father as priests. To him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 1:5b-6

Big Idea

When Jesus was on Earth, the majority of His attention was given to two groups of people: the lost and leaders.  He has not changed.  Our attention should be on seeing the lost saved, then “making disciples” (Matthew 28:18-20) by helping the saved lead at the highest level possible.  Note in Revelation 1:5-6 that 2 of the 3 Biblical avenues for the Holy Spirit (Kings, Priests and Prophets) are mentioned.  Jesus made us Kings and Priest but we need a prophetic voice (Ephesians 4:11-12).  The local church serves as a Prophetic voice, equipping and arranging the saints for the work of the ministry, helping saints become better Kings (leaders) and Priests (connectors—from the name of the Priestly tribe: Levi, which means ‘connect’—Genesis 29:33 MESSAGE-“Leah became pregnant yet again—another son. She said, "Now maybe my husband will connect with me—I've given him three sons!" That's why she named him Levi (Connect).”).  If we are going to accomplish, be obedient to, the Heavenly Vision God has given our church, then each member must find our destiny—our place in the Kingdom.  Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:33 when we do that, when we put Kingdom priorities first, then we will find all we searching for in our personal fulfillment—we will live the rich and satisfying life He died to give us. (CEV: “But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what He wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.”)

So let’s look at our strategy, our model for accomplishing what the Lord has asked us to do:

“Christ loves us….”
Experience – Create a culture where people can experience God’s love, forgiveness and freedom.  Create an atmosphere of safety for each other, where people are celebrated, not just accepted or tolerated.  Create an atmosphere where God’s presence is welcomed and our utmost desire.

“…lets us rule as kings…”
Connect – Create a culture where people can connect easily and develop Biblical skills for victorious life.  No one has ever accomplished anything great without connecting to others.  We need healthy connections to empower the life God intended us to live.  We need mentors, models, friends and partners and those connections need to be on the journey of Christ-life with us. 

“…serve God, His Father, as priests…”
Dream Team – Create a culture where people can serve God in their church and develop their leadership skills.  We were designed by God for specific good works, created with a purpose and a destiny—our personal gifts and ministry.  The Bible teaches that those gifts and that ministry, our serving, our doing good, is to be done first within our local church (Galatians 6:10).  In that atmosphere, we learn to serve and lead, as servant leaders, well.  We empower God’s plan for the transformation of this world—the local church.  Again, when we put His plans, His purpose, His Kingdom 1st, we will have all those other things we desire—our fulfillment, our needs, our ministries—added to us.  The Dream Team is our foundation for ministry as a local church.  As each person, each member, becomes a minister, our Kingdom influence grows, creating new opportunities for ministry, creating new opportunities for ministers, and reaching more people for the Kingdom—transforming our region into a place where the name of Jesus is famous and celebrated.

“To Him be glory… “
Servolution – Create a culture where people can fulfill their destiny in
God by sharing His hope all over the world.  As we experience God, as we make healthy connections, as we learn to serve and lead in excellence, God will open great doors of opportunity to us to make Kingdom impact here, and around the world.  We are experiencing that as a church.  It is this “and” way of doing things that releases our destiny.  Instead of “I can do my thing or I can get involved in my church”, we begin to think Scripturally and partner with our local church in our own lives.  Then we begin to make an impact in our church.  Then we begin to make an impact in our region, then throughout the world.  And that fulfills the Great Commission, which is our destiny. 

Because we follow this model, we have students (the next generation who are looking for a voice) who want to pursue ministry as their vocation.  Because we follow this model, those students will have places to serve, to fulfill their destiny as we plant more campuses locally and nationally, and as we find more and more strategic partnerships around the world. 
Because we follow this model, we have young adults who do not plan on leaving their present vocations or careers, but want to fulfill their destiny and are finding opportunities to make a difference, a big difference, in the lives of people here and around the world. 
Because we follow this model, we have men and women in the 2nd half of our life journey who are finding their place as mentors and models to those behind them in this journey--helping marriages, encouraging singles, giving people tools to find freedom, providing resources to entrepreneurs and business people.

Because we follow this model, every person can find their destiny, can find fulfillment and live the rich and satisfying life that really matters. 

The key that makes the model work is movement—moving from experience to destiny.  Are you moving, or are you parked? 

02/26/12 - Really PT3 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "Really?" with part 3, "Love Others" in this Sunday morning celebration.

Really? PT3
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, February 26, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

Matthew 22:36-39 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”  Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”


WRM—What Really Matters
The Great Commandment and the Great Commission define WRM:
*    Love God
*    Love Yourself
*    Love Others

Week 3:  The way we love others flows out of our relationship with God and ourselves.  Today, we will use the supreme human relationship as our subject, but it represents the goal for all our relationships with others and ultimately effects how the world (those away from Jesus) view our Lord.

Matthew 5:31-33 “You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.”

You can’t ‘un-one’ what God has made ‘one’.  (Get this and you get that if you are really saved you can’t be ‘un-saved’.)  But what about those who are divorced, are they now in a state of continual adultery (as has been taught in some religious circles).  Both Jesus and Paul taught that when you did not know you were not responsible, but now that your eyes are open, live by the new standard of the Kingdom.  All of us had old ways of doing things before we met Jesus, now we have a new standard (that’s what the Sermon on the Mount, the Beattitudes, is all about—a new reality—the Kingdom lifestyle.  Now that you know, live it.  If you have been through a divorce, then adopt this new way—marriage is forever.  That means we get rid of the ‘try it’ mentality that results in people marrying people before either are ready or marrying someone God did not plan for you to marry.  This new way of thinking results in a new way of relationships with others, starting with our most significant others—I am in this Forever! )

Ephesians 5:31-32 “As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.”

When we get this way of thinking, In this Forever, it changes everything.  We don’t jump from church to church, relationship to relationship, etc.  The faithfulness of Jesus is portrayed in our relationships with others and the result is others see the Kingdom and different and desirable.  Instead of a divorce rate in the church that matches the unsaved, people see Kingdom relationships that make it through good and bad times because of Jesus.  The result is the accomplishment of why we are on this planet—“We are here for You (Christ)” and then “We are here for you (others)”

John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

When the world sees us loving each other, starting with our most significant relationships, the way Christ loves us, then they know the One we are following is real and alive.  Then, like us, their eyes will be opened to another Kingdom, and they will have a choice to make. 

Today, we will renew our vows to Christ, His Church, Ourselves, and Our Spouses.  For those of you who are single, you will place Christ as a seal upon your hearts, and you will make a vow to the one He has for you, even if you have not met his or her yet. 


3 Keys to Having God’s Grace in our Lives and Our Relationships:

1.   Receive:  Embrace God’s plan, His definition and His way.  Receive His instruction concerning “One-ness” in your relationship with Him, His Church, Your Spouse or Your Future Spouse.  Abandon the excuses, justification and acceptance of any other standard.

2.   Repent: Without repentance, there is no grace.  Without God’s grace, we cannot bridge the gap between where we are and where we should be—either in our salvation or in our relationships with others.  Confess our shortcomings, confess our decisions to disobey—either in ignorance or in rebellion.

3.   Request: Ask for His Grace in this area.  Ask for His grace today as we ‘re-new’ our vows to Him, to His church, and to each other.  Recognize you cannot do this without Him and His grace actively involved in our relationships. 


Vows:

Vows are done in 3 separate areas.  For each one, ask those who wish to participate to please stand.

To Jesus and His Church:

(Intro:  We have allowed this idea of “un-oneing” to effect our relationship with Jesus and His Church.  Instead of “In This Forever” we sometimes have been “In this until it gets tough, rubs me the wrong way, or requires something of me I don’t want to give.  Today, we will renew our vows to Jesus and His Church, proclaiming  “We are here for You” and “We are in this forever.”  If you wish to do this please stand.)

Jesus, today I renew my vow to you as my Lord and to your beloved Church.  I understand my relationship with your church reflects to the world my relationship with you and I vow to you to that I am in this forever and will accurately portray your love in the way my love is seen for your church.  I ask you for grace and the power of your Holy Spirit in this area.  I am yours and You are mine, and we are in this forever.

Singles:

(To those of you who are single:  Today we will re-new our vow to Jesus as the 1st love of our lives, renew our commitment to find completion in Him instead of looking for it in other relationships, and ask His Holy Spirit to “seal our hearts” for the one He has for us if our desire is for marriage.  If you are single and wish to do this please stand.)

Jesus, today I renew my vow to you as my First Love.  I will seek to find completion only in my relationship with you.  I ask your Holy Spirit to seal my heart for the one you have planned for me and I will embrace your plans and direction for my relationships with others, including my future spouse.  I say to you and that one I may or may not know yet, “I am in this forever”.

Married:

(To those of you who are married: Today we will re-new our vows to Jesus and to each other.  Marriage is the supreme human relationship and is designed by God to accurately reflect His love to a lost and dying world.  Our marriages are to be a light to those around us.  If you are married and wish to do this please stand, take each other by the hands.)

Jesus, today we renew our covenant with You and with each other.  We repent for allowing any other standard but yours to enter our relationship.  We declare to you, to each other, and to everyone here that our desire if for each other and each other only.  We commit to You today that our marriage will accurately reflect your love to others.  We ask for your grace and the power of Your Holy Spirit to fill our marriage.  Today we re-affirm to You and to each other—We are in this forever.  (You may kiss your spouse.)

02/22/12 - Living the Life You're Intended to Live PT5 - Pastor Jay Mann

Bremen Campus Pastor Jay Mann continues the series "Living the Life You're Intended to Live" in this Wednesday evening celebration.

Living the Life You're Intended to Live PT5
Pastor Jay Mann
Wednesday, February 22, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast