06/06/12 - Wednesday Night - Mike Barker

Mike Barker teaches in this Wednesday evening celebration.

Wednesday Night
Mike Barker
Wednesday, June 6, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast

06/03/12 - Vision Sunday - Everett Spencer

Everett Spencer recasts the vision of LifeGate Church in this Sunday morning celebration.

Vision Sunday
Everett Spencer
Sunday, June 03, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

Vision Sunday

LGC Vision Statement: We are a regional church sharing the life-giving message of Jesus with West Georgia and the world.

Define what it means to be a “regional church”

Acts 1:8 – But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Mark 16:15 & 20— And then He told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone… and they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following…

Regional Churches…

1. See the great commission as a commandment
(In other words we know the church is the hope of the world and we know that this gospel must be preached everywhere without compromise)

2. Express His personality (Pastor Tony has been explaining to us what it means to take the LORD’s name in vain-we know we represent Christ and we do it with passion) Exhibit His Power (the power that works in us to change us into His image, the power for the miraculous and the power to love one another) & Extend His Kingdom (this is why we plant churches locally, nationally & around the world)

3. Regional churches grow in a healthy & consistent way (Mark 4)
Our Core Values:  (Healthy)
Life-giving, Christ-Centered, Spirit-Empowered, Team Ministry, Ministry of Excellence, Have Fun

4. Regional churches avoid “small church mentality”
Through connecting & serving

1 Corinthians 12:27—You are the Body of Christ and members in particular.

05/28/12 - Route 456 PT3 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "Route 456" in this Sunday morning celebration.

Route 456 Part 3
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, May 28, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

Don't fight like a man.  Win like Jesus!

Key Verse: (JBP) vs. 10-12: “And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.”

•   Vs. 1-9: Practice submission and righteous authority. 
•   Vs. 10-12: Predictable resistance-we have an enemy and we will face opposition.  Be proactive rather than reactive.
   -   There is no 'armor of man' that will prevail in these battles.
   -   Make sure the “Battle is the Lord’s” and not ours. 
•   Vs. 13-17: The Full Armor of God:
   -   Unlike the ill-fitting armor of Saul on David, this armor will fit perfectly. It is our responsibility to become familiar with it and skilled in its use.
   -   Belt of Truth: Note how the belt protects the vulnerable reproductive organs.  What are we reproducing?
   -   Body armor (breastplate) of Righteousness: Protects the vital inner organs.  Right-standing with God. Use the 'I Am' card.
   -   Shoes: Peace ‘comes from’ the Good News and that prepares you.  Does this tell us one of the biggest attacks will be worry and fear? 
   -   Shield of Faith: full length shield, not the shorter shield.  Able to hide behind it.  The attacks hit the shield instead of me.
   -   Helmet: Get our thinking in line with our salvation.  (Romans 8). 
•   Vs. 18-24:  Prayer—Submit so you can stand.  Stand by kneeling. 

So What:
•   Get in the Word  (SOAP and “I AM” Card)
•   Get Connected (Local Church, friendships, intentional discomfort)
•   Get Involved (Dream Team and Servolution) Vs. 21-24—note the last thing Paul writes to these folks he loves so much—stay up to date, stay involved. 

05/23/12 - A Tree Planted - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore teaches on "A Tree Planted" during this Wednesday evening celebration.

A Tree Planted
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Wednesday, May 23, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

Psalm 1: 1-3 “Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”  (vs. 3 TNIV: They are like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither whatever they do prospers.)

•   The joys…plural, indicating a lot of joy!
•   Delight in the Word, (MSG) “Thrill to God’s Word”;
•   Like trees planted (stable, settled, permanency); along the riverbank—access to the ‘life supply’
•   Bearing fruit in season—on time, when it is needed or expected
•   Leaves never wither—leaves are a sign of what’s going on with the roots
•   Prosper in all they do—success because they are pursuing the things God pursues, valuing what God values, putting their hands to those things He is doing.

Jeremiah 17:7-9 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
 and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
 or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. 9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?” God does and reveals it to us by His Word.  We can be deceived by our own leading, which is why we must embrace His Word and His Spirit.

Psalm 92:12 “But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.”  Palms are always connected with victory in the Bible—1st time mentioned is Exodus 15 at Elim where the Israelites arrived weary and worn and left refreshed and ready to win.  The last place is Revelation 7 where it is used to describe those who have won the victory and overcome the tribulation.
(AMP) 12 The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible].
13 Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 [Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment].
15 [They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.


Ephesians 3:16-18 “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.”

Romans 11:16 “And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.”

Jesus’ teaching on a foundation of 3 strong roots for the tree:
Matthew 6
1.   Praying
2.   Fasting
3.   Generosity

05/20/12 - Route 456 PT2 - Pastor Sheryll Ashmore

Pastor Sheryll Ashmore continues the series "Route 456" in this Sunday morning celebration.

Route 456 Part 2
Pastor Sheryll Ashmore
Sunday, May 20, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

Route 456-Ephesians 4, 5 and 6
Embracing the New Life
Not Adding to the Old

Last week we looked at Ephesians 4-Living like Jesus
This week we look at Ephesians 5-Loving like Jesus
Next week we finish with Ephesians 6-Winning like Jesus

We have been given a new life!  It is not an addition to our old life.  So many times we simply try to “add to” our old life.  We believe the Bible and we love Jesus, but it becomes an addition to who we are.  We don’t allow this wonderful gift of Salvation to revolutionize our lives and make us new.   

The Book of Ephesians is a guide to truly successful living.  The first three chapters tell us the amazing things we were given when we ask Jesus to be our Lord.  The last three tell us how to walk it out in our everyday lives. 

Chapter Five describes the life of the Christian who loves others like Jesus.  It is a life of imitating God; following the example of Christ and showing our love by putting others ahead of ourselves.  

It is a life without: (Verse 3)
1)  Immorality-Using people to serve yourself and your own desires
2)  Impurity-Using religion for your own good
3)  Greed-Selfishness; using things to serve yourself

When I bring these things with me into my new life, it gets very complicated.

A life filled with the Love of God is:
1)  Full of praise and thanksgiving-Verses 18-20
2)  A life submitted to each other out of our love for Christ-Verse 21

So What?
Psalm 139:23-24 says this:  Cross-examine and test me, search me and know my heart.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Romans 12:2 tells us that God changes us by changing the way we think.

We must submit our lives to Him on a daily basis.  Keep our hearts wide open to His Word; respond joyfully as He shows us those areas of our heart where we need to embrace the new and let go of the old.  Then we will experience the life God has planned for us-a life of thanksgiving; a life filled with great relationships; a life of influence so that we can share Jesus with people in need.

05/13/12 - Route 456 PT1 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore begins the series "Route 456" in this Sunday morning celebration.

Route 456 Part 1
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, May 13, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast


Sermon Notes:

Route 456

Big Idea:  We have been given a ‘new life’, not an addition to our old life.  Too many times we have complicated life because we do not embrace the ‘new life’ but add it onto the parts of the ‘old life’ we think we want to keep.  So, like the old house that is continually being renovated, it becomes hard to navigate.  Instead of simplicity we have to go through a bedroom, a bathroom and the den to get to the kitchen.  Ephesians 4, 5 and 6, like Jesus’ description in His 1st message in Matthew 5, are a description of the new life we have been given.  Paul is encouraging us to leave the old life behind and embrace this new way of living.  Like the ‘wineskin’ analogy of Jesus, patching the 2 together will not work. 

Like the Israelites after God brought them out of Egypt, He is teaching us His way of life, and how to ‘re-present’ Him well as His children on this earth.  Instead of our old, self-focused, go-my-own-way independent lifestyle, He wants us to embrace this new life that is others-focused and requires us to be interdependent.  The result is rich and satisfying life, the simple life, instead of complicated life that continually requires my effort to sustain.

Main Points from Ephesians 4:
1.   Christians should be as one, as God is one (we need each other and are connected to each other-compare to Trinity). Vs. 1-6

2.   God’s gifts vary, but it is the same God who gives (for our good.  Let the gifts be a blessing to you.  We want pastor's to pastor, prophets to prophesy, etc. because our good-maturity results) vs. 7-13

3.   True maturity means growing up “into” Christ.  Maturity is defined by the Word.  The world will also define it.  The world tells you what to think. God teaches us how to think.  (compare world's definition of open-minded with the Word's). Vs. 14-16

4.   Have no more to do with the old life! Learn the new. Embrace the new instead of 'adding onto the old'.  Stop believing the lie.  Vs. 17-27.

5.   The new life means positive good. Re-present (Exodus 20:7).  The natural outflow of putting on Christ is the Good-ness of the Kingdom.  Vs. 28-32


So What:

•   “Those who are deceived don’t know they are deceived.” Frangipane.  Get honest with God, asking Him to ‘open the eyes of your heart’ to see the areas we justify and rationalize that are not ‘from Christ’.  Remove the “hidden and unknown” areas of our lives that will destroy us by shrinking the “Private” areas.   Honesty, humility, feedback from trustworthy sources and God.
•   SOAP—don’t do it alone.  SOAP groups, family groups.

05/09/12 - Exodus PT2 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the teaching on "Exodus" in this Wednesday evening celebration.

Exodus PT2
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Wednesday, April 09, 2012

www.mylifegatechurch.com

Listen now: Download today's podcast