Hello My Name is...
Pastor Erica Silva
6/29/2014
Hello My Name is...
How do you introduce yourself?
Hello my name is loser, addict, worthless, used etc. Or maybe you introduce yourself
Hello my name is funny, smart, loved, forgiven etc.
There are 2 different, yet distinct perspectives of how we label ourselves.
1. The Negative Perspective
(fill in the blank with whatever the label is)
A. Defeat
B. Regret
C. Broken
John 10:10 I came that you might have life and have it abundantly. (Message says More and better than you ever dreamed of) (Amp. Bible says to the full, till it overflows)
2. The Positive Perspective (fill in the blank with whatever the label is)
A. Cheerful
B. Grateful
C. Child of God
Romans 8:37b-39 “None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I am absolutely convinced that nothing---living or dead, angelic, or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable---absolutely nothing can get in between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our master has embraced us.
Growing Deeper Roots Part 2: Intimacy
Growing Deeper Roots
Ephesians 3:16-17
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 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
Colossians 2:6-7
And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Mother's Day, Mary's Way
Mother's Day, Mary's Way
Luke 1:26-38
Heavenly Treasure
Matt.6:19-24
So here are the questions you need to ask yourself:
~Are my priorities earthly or heavenly?
~Is my focus on God and his priorities or on this world and its priorities?
~Am I a slave to money and all it brings?
NOW let the Holy Spirit help you answer these, then take it to God in prayer, asking him to help you have heavenly priorities.
For your benefit, for the benefit of the kingdom of heaven, and for the glory of God. Heavenly Treasure!
1. Invest in Eternity
2.Gain a Clear Focus
3.Let God Be Your Master, NOT Money
After Easter
Acts 1:3-11
But what does the ascension mean to us today? It means that...
1 Jesus returned to heaven like He promised
2 That the Holy Spirit is available to us NOW
3 That we have a representative in Heaven
4 That we will see Him again
Easter Sunday
Palm Sunday
Beautiful Things
Pastor Erica Silva
3/30/14
Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nostrils, and the man became a living person.
Hope: As an Anchor
Hope As An Anchor
Pastor Fredi Vega
3/23/14
Hebrews 6:19
This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain of heaven into God's inner sanctuary.
Four reasons that we can have hope as an anchor of the soul...
#1.) Holy Spirit’s Presence
#2.) Obstacles Present Opportunities
#3.) Prayer Connects Us with God
#4.) Expected Future
2 Cor. 4:8-9, 17-18 says...(NLT)
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit.
We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going…
For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!
So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen.
For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.
And forever is a long, long time.
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the presence behind the veil.”
Prayer:Breakfast of Champions
Prayer:Breakfast of Champions
Psalms 5:3-8,11&12 (NKJV)
Pastor Fredi Vega
3/16/2014
Psalms 5:3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up. 4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You.
5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. 6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear (awe) of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. 8 Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face.
11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. 12 For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
5 Tips From Psalm 5 To Gain Nourishment Through Prayer...
1. ASK EARLY
Ephesians 3:16 says, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”
C. S. Lewis wrote: “The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.”
2. HATE EVIL
If God hates evil then what should we do or how should we feel about it?
Romans 12:9 says, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”
3. SEEK MERCY
Matthew 5:7 says, “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.” And if we don’t treat others right how can we expect God to treat us right AND answer our prayers?
4. LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY
And when you live in the presence of God in prayer how can you not WANT TO live right? It's a choice! We must pray to be right and to live right in this world.
5. FIND REFUGE
If we believe He's our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble, why would we not want to be constantly talking to Him and seeking His grace?
Hebrews 4:16 says, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
If God is our refuge and strength, let us pray, asking for mercy and grace constantly. WHY? Because we need Him!
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.
Prayer is the breakfast of champions...
The most important meal of the day! So let's eat!!!
Finding Peace
Pastor Fredi Vega
3/9/14
John 14:27
The Bible tells us how to find peace...And here are 5 ways...
(1) Receive God’s pardon.
“...Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)
When you read God’s word, have you ever noticed that Paul always started his letters with…”Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:3)?
Paul always ordered them as “grace” first and then “peace.” Never peace before grace. And that's NOT accidental -- The only way you’ll ever have God’s peace is to first receive God’s grace. We are saved by grace!
And Jesus Christ is the “Prince of Peace”!!!
(2) Trust God’s purposes.
“...Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.” (Colossians 3:15)
(3) Understand God’s perspective.
“...And the peace of God,which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:7)
(4) Focus on God’s presence.
“...You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)
The choice is simple – will we focus on God or on our own problems?
What we focus on determines our level of personal peace. Someone once said, “If you look at the world you'll be impressed. If you look at yourself you'll be depressed. If you look at God, you'll be at rest.”
Keeping our mind focused on Christ is the key to peace!!!
God’s Word says, “As a man thinks, so he is.” So you are not what you think you are, but rather: what you think ----is what you are.
· 75% of the general population experiences some type of stress every two weeks.
· 75%-90% of all visits to the primary care physicians are stress-related complaints or disorders.
· Nearly half of all worker-related turnover in the market place is stress related.
The solution to anxiety and stress is to get your focus back on God…
Psalm 46:10 says…Be still and know that I am God.The word for</strong> “be still” in the Hebrew means, “to ease up” or “let go!”
(5) Ask for God’s peace.
Phil.4:6,7 says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Seasons and Times
Pastor Fredi Vega
Due to Microphone issues no sermon was recorded today we apologize!
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8,11
For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
No matter what season you are in it is temporary!
It may be painful, but you must know from Gods word you are not there forever!
Finish The Race
Finish The Race
Pastor Fredi Vega
2/23/2014
Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith,
let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.
And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.
Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne.
Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won't become weary and give up.
3 Things "Coach" Paul would share with us:
1.Be Inspired by those who have gone before us!
2.Be prepared for the struggles that will come!
3.Focus your attention on JESUS!
Overcoming Offenses
Do to technical difficulties, there is no audio for this week. But here are the notes for Pastor Fredi's sermon on Overcoming Offenses.
Overcoming Offenses Pastor Fredi Vega February 16, 2014
Main Text...Colossians 3:12-13
5 Basic reasons to confront someone that has offended you
Point 1. To resolve misunderstandings
Most offenses are the result of something that somebody said that was taken out of context or a rumor that develops out of a half truth...
If we would just take the time to go to the source and find out the facts...a lot of things would get cleared up before they got out of hand.
Instead we don't confront anyone, we stew on the offense silently, and we grow bitter & resentful...
Point 2. To maintain peace in the Body of Christ (Eph.4:1-3)
We need peace & unity in the church... and whenever there is friction and turmoil between believers it affects the whole body.
In fact it hinders people from entering into worship and receiving from God's Word.
Also it creates an uninviting atmosphere for visitors, it may hinder people from coming to Christ, and it can even grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph.4:30-32).
Point 3. So Satan can't have an advantage over us...(2 Cor.2:10-11)
Satan can hinder our spiritual life! And if we're not careful he can use an offense to deceive us into falling away by holding onto bitterness and unforgiveness.
So while you think you are justified in hating someone for what they did...Satan has you right where he wants you...
Point 4.
Hold the offender accountable... to not repeat his actions to harm the faith of others (Matt.18:6)
People who offend you may go on to offend somebody else if they're not stopped!!! So STOP them!!!!
Confronting their offensive behavior might cause them to think twice before hurting someone else.
Point 5.
To restore a fallen brother (Gal.6:1)
Christians must make EVERY effort to restore other believers that fall into sin!!!
We are our brother's keeper! And if it weren't for the grace of God we might be headed in the wrong direction too. So we confront in love in order to restore!!!
So that even if you think someone else MIGHT have something against you... your first inclination should be to seek restoration by confronting offenses...
And Jesus gave us these steps so that obedience to the Word of God would bind us together and grow us in love.
The Way of Love
I Corinthians 13:1-8
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;[a] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages[b] and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!
