Jesus Loves the Little Children

This past Sunday God showed how amazing He is once again.

The KidzLive Team began a new series called REACH. It focuses on salvation and how we can all follow Christ with our entire lives. I had the opportunity to step in on some of our small groups and listen to our teachers. They began to share a compelling and relevant story about how we can follow Christ and accept him as the leader of our lives. They planted the seed.
As the children came back into our large group time, we had a moment of prayer in which we asked all the children if they wanted to accept Christ into their life. We had seven children accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. This was amazing in itself and we are still rejoicing in this great news. However, the part that touched my heart even more, was when a mother of one of the children who accepted Christ approached me in tears. She gave me a hug and began to share her story. She told me that when she was seventeen, a man approached her at a bus stop and told her about Jesus. That was the day her life was changed forever. But, then she looked at me and said this, "My daughter is a Christ follower now. She doesn't have to wait seventeen years to know how great a life can be with Christ in it. I am so thankful for this day and the future that she now has ahead of her."
God is truly amazing. And for this little girl, as well as the other six children, the reward of knowing Christ is now theirs.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23

Spring Interest Group Fair a Huge Hit

The response Sunday to our Interest Group Sign-Up was overwhelming. I am so excited about the possibilities of reaching our friends and neighbors through these groups. If you are not familiar with I-Groups, they are just simply groups built around a common interest for the purpose of outreach and relationships. If you are interested and did not get a chance to sign up, email Carl at carlnichols@yourfamilyplace.com
Groups for the Spring
Men's Golf, Ladies Aerobics, Youth and Men's Sports, Jewelry Making, Mom's and Kid's Day Out, Family Fun Day, and Fishing.

WE ARE GOING FORWARD

Your response Sunday was amazing! 85-100 people responded with a commitment to move forward. We are all so excited, this is our finest hour since Hurricane Katrina. We are a little overwhelmed with follow-up, but we will be in touch with everyone as soon as possible. Thank you for being a great church. Our future is bright. In the meantime, continue to pray, put God first and grow in love.

FORWARD in love,

Forward In Love - Sunday, January 27

“This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome”
1 John 5:3

How do we love God? How does God define love? There is one way and only one way to prove love; it is obedience. Why does God define love in terms of our obedience? It is because obedience is the closest form we can have to His love. His love can only be comprehended by His actions. His love cannot be understood abstractly in theory or by a variety of definitions. It is in God’s actions in the death of His Son that we can even begin to understand the depth of His love.
Unless love acts, it is not love. If God had done nothing to impact the state of humanity, we would have proclaimed him a hypocrite. How could someone say they love and do nothing? God’s love for us must take on action; our love for him must take on action. This is why love is obedience.
Action is a big deal to God, because it is a big deal to us. He knew there was no other way that we could better understand that He loves us than to show us. Therefore, there is no better way for us to love God than to show Him. The way we do that is to obey God.
If you are a parent, you know the unique joy that you feel when your children simply do what you ask them to do with a good attitude. It almost makes you feel… well, loved. Somehow, God must feel this way.
“To obey is better than sacrifice” 1 Samuel 15:22 To obey God is better than telling Him you are sorry. Keep moving forward in love!

Forward In Love - Saturday, January 26

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
John 21:17

The people that I know that are the deepest in God are the ones whose true personality is hard to detect. My theory on that is that the fruit and gifts of the Spirit fill in the blanks in our personalities. Having said that, sometimes God works through our personality, sometimes in spite of it. Neither really matters. The true point is to be guided by God’s Spirit, not by our personalities.
When we are united with God, by the indwelling of His Spirit, that is not the end, but the beginning. Jesus’ prayer for us was that we would be one with the Father, like He was one with the Father. Jesus and his Father had such a oneness that God could send Jesus to earth so He could be spent for us.
The Apostle Peter now realizes the point of Jesus’ hurting question—”Spend it out”. Don’t talk about how much you love me. Don’t tell about the hurting question. Feed my sheep. Jesus has some funny sheep. Some are worn out, some are dirty, some awkward, some fighting sheep and some have even gone astray. It is impossible to run out of God’s love and it is impossible to run out of God’s love for me, if I stay connected to the source.
Now that you have received God’s love, are you feeding His sheep? The point of God’s love was not to be hoarded and spent only on us, but to feed others. Who are you feeding?

Forward In Love - Friday, January 25

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?”
John 21:17

Have you felt the hurt of Jesus in the quick of your life? Satan never hurts you there, neither does sin nor human affection; nothing gets through to that place but God’s word. Under the weight of this question, Peter was awakened to the fact that in the true center of himself he was devoted to Jesus, and he began to understand the purpose for Jesus’ persistent question.
After this questioning there was no delusion left in Peter’s mind; he wouldn’t allow himself to be deluded again. There was no need for a passionate discourse to prove his love. Jesus’ question revealed to Peter something that probably surprised even him-he really did love God. After three times, the only thing left for Peter to say was, “Lord, You know all things (I have nothing to hide) You know I love you.”
Peter was beginning to realize just how much he did love Jesus. He didn’t try to prove it; he didn’t cite examples; he just seemed to live in the hovering reality of his love for God. He did love God, but he didn’t realize how much until Jesus questioned his love. Jesus’ questions always reveal to me something about myself.
Jesus was skillfully and patiently revealing the true condition of Peter’s heart to him. Jesus doesn’t ask us questions until the right time, but usually at least once, he will corner us where he will hurt us with his relentless questions; and hopefully, like Peter, we will realize that we do love Him more deeply than any answer could ever reveal.

FORWARD In Love - Thursday January 24

The third time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
John 21:17

Probably the most piercing, soul searching, vulnerable question of life, “Do you love me?” As the honesty of that question cuts to the heart, I cannot imagine how it must have felt when Jesus asked it. We know to have Jesus ask you this question is an unsettling experience, because later in this verse we learn that the Apostle Peter (Simon, son of John) was hurt by it.
The depth of our love is only discovered by the hurt of Jesus’ question. Peter loved Jesus in the way that any natural person loves anyone else. His love was temperamental, based on his personality, but it did not touch the center of his person.
Until we get wounded out of every deception about ourselves, God’s word and Jesus’ questions are not penetrating our rough exterior. Jesus’ questions hurt like no sin can ever hurt, because sin numbs your feelings. Jesus’ question intensifies your feelings, until to be hurt by Jesus becomes the greatest hurt you have known. God’s word pierces our soul until there is no deception, no manipulation in us.
Jesus’ question was not sentimental. When Jesus asks you questions, polite answers just don’t work. There is never a mistake about the hurt that God’s word brings; the point of the hurt is not pain, but a deeper revelation of God’s love and your heart in light of it.
Let this question pierce your heart today, “Do you love me?”