WHEN DOES THE CHURCH SAY NO??

 

 

 

WITH SO MANY FINANCIAL PROBLEMS ON THE RISE, THE CHURCH HAS HAD TO TAKE ON A NEW ROLE IN THIS DAY IN TIME.  WE SEE SO MANY THAT ARE IN NEED OF MONEY, FOOD, CLOTHING, SHELTER AND HELP WITH VARIOUS CONDITIONS.  WE AS AN ACTIVE CHURCH IN OUR COMMUNITY, DO OUR BEST TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE.  OFTEN TIMES WHEN OUR RESOURCES ARE LIMITED THEM THEY SEEM NOT TO TAKE NO VERY WELL.

 

 

HERE LIES THE PROBLEM, SOME OF THOSE WHO ARE GETTING THE HELP ARE NOT TRYING TO HELP THEMSELVES.  THE CHURCH IS NOW MOVING FROM A HOUSE OF PRAYER, A PLACE TO GAIN STRENGTH AND TO WALK STRONGER IN FAITH, TO A PLACE WHERE SOME COME JUST TO SEE WHAT THEY CAN GET.  WHEN DO WE STOP ENABLING THOSE WHO REPEATEDLY FIND THEMSELVES IN THE SAME PREDICAMENT?  WHEN DOES ENOUGH BECOME ENOUGH?

 

 

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT ON YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS SUBJECT.  HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO BUILD OUR COMMUNITIES WITH MUCH NEEDED HELP?  HOW DO WE HELP PEOPLE WITHOUT ALWAYS GIVING THEM MATERIAL THINGS?  HOW DO WE STOP HANDICAPPING THEIR ABILITY TO TAP INTO RESOURCES THEMSELVES?   LETS TALK ABOUT IT!!

 

 

PASTOR HOPKINS

 

 

HOW DOES THE CHURCH HANDLE THOSE WHO FALL?

 

 

  OFTEN TIMES THE FALLEN CAN'T BE RESTORED BECAUSE OF THE MINDSET OF THOSE IN CHURCH.  WE SOMETIMES FORGET WHERE GOD HAS HAD TO BRING US FROM AND WE TREAT THE FALLEN AS FAILURES.  THE FALLEN ARE NOT FAILURES. THEY ARE THOSE, WHEN HELPED BACK UP, ARE SOME OF THE GREATEST PEOPLE AND WILL DO SOME OF THE MOST AMAZING THINGS YOU WILL EVER SEE!

 

THREE THINGS WE NEED TO DO WHEN DEALING WITH THE FALLEN: 

 

1)  LOVE THEM BACK, NOT RUN THEM AWAY!

 

LOVE IS POWERFUL BECAUSE IT HELPS THE PERSON TO KNOW, IN SPITE OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED, YOU ARE STILLED LOVED BY THOSE AROUND YOU.  DON'T REMIND THEM OF WHERE THEY WENT WRONG, BUT ENCOURAGE THEM TO MAKE IT RIGHT!

 

2)  PRAY FOR THEM! 

 

PRAYER HAS ALWAYS BEEN, AND WILL ALWAYS BE, EFFECTIVE TO THE THE FALLEN!  IT'S NOT OUR PLACE TO KNOW WHERE THEY WENT WRONG ALL THE TIME.  SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE FIXED BY GOD.

 

3)  BELIEVE IN THEM!

 

SOMETIMES JUST SHOWING A PERSON YOU BELIEVE IN THEM, REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY WENT WRONG, GIVES THEM COURAGE TO MOVE FORWARD.

 

THOSE OF US WHO HAVE FALLEN UNDERSTAND HOW IT FEELS TO FALL.  IT IS MY PRAYER THAT THE CHURCH CONTINUES TO HELP STRENGTHEN THOSE WITH SHORTCOMINGS.  I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED, A BETTER YOU IS A BETTER US!!!  MAY GOD FOREVER BLESS YOU.

 



 PASTOR HOPKINS!

 

 

 

WHY SHOULD WE GO TO CHURCH??

 

 

 

THIS QUESTION HAS BEEN ASKED TO ME COUNTLESS NUMBERS OF TIMES.  I THINK IT IS AN IMPORTANT QUESTION THAT NEEDS TO BE ANSWERED.  I HAVE SEEN SO MANY PEOPLE REFUSING TO COME TO CHURCH BECAUSE THEY DON'T SEE A NEED. WHEN THOSE OF US IN CHURCH ARE NOT DEVELOPING INTO WHAT WE SHOULD BE. WE WHO SHOULD BE STRONG IN OUR FAITH ARE JUST AS WEAK AS THOSE WHO HAVE NO FAITH. 

 

 

HERE ARE THREE REASONS WHY I FEEL CHURCH IS IMPORTANT: 

 

 

1) IT HELPS US TO LEARN HOW TO WALK IN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

 

IT'S DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW SOMEONE WHOM YOU DO NOT KNOW!!

 

 

2) IT HELPS US TO FIND PURPOSE AND OUR DESTINY IN WHICH GOD HAS FOR US.

 

I CAN HONESTLY SAY WITHOUT THE WORD GUIDING ME, I KNOW I WOULD HAVE  TAKEN THE WRONG PATH.

 

 

3)  IT GIVES US HOPE, WHEN WE HAVE NONE.

 

I FINALLY FOUND SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN THAT WAS WORTH BELIEVING!

 

 

NOW I KNOW SOME WILL READ THIS AND FORM THEIR OWN OPINION OF CHURCH.  I WILL ADMIT, WE HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES TO DEAL WITH IN THE CHURCH.  YOU SEE, THAT IS THE BEAUTY OF IT, TO WATCH GOD CHANGE THE UNCHANGEABLE, WATCH HIM HELP THE HELPLESS, AND GIVE DIRECTION TO THE LOST.  I DON''T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD!!!

 

 

  PASTOR HOPKINS!





 

 

DETERMINED TO MAKE IT

 

 

IT IS AMAZING WHAT A MADE UP MIND CAN DO.  OFTEN TIMES WE FAIL IN LIFE BECAUSE WE ARE SIMPLY NOT DETERMINED ENOUGH TO OVER COME.  WHEN LIFE SEEMS TO TREAT YOU UNFAIR REMIND YOURSELF OF WHO YOU ARE. 

 

 

HERE ARE THREE THINGS DETERMINED PEOPLE WILL DO:

 

 

1) DETERMINED PEOPLE  FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE AND NOT THE NEGATIVE!

 

 

2) DETERMINED PEOPLE LOOK AT OBSTACLES AS IF THEY WERE OPPORTUNITIES!

 

 

3) DETERMINED PEOPLE PURSUE PURPOSE WITH PASSION!

 

 

TODAY SET YOUR MIND TOWARDS THE THINGS OF GOD.  DON'T ALLOW ANYTHING, OR ANYONE, TO TALK YOU OUT OF WHAT GOD HAS FOR YOU.  BE MORE DETERMINED THEN EVER TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS, AND WALK IN THE DESTINY GOD HAS FOR YOU.                                                                                                                              

 

 PASTOR HOPKINS!