What has God call you to do?

Over the past several weeks, we have been taking a look at the life of Nehemiah.  This past week we talked about what happens when you are pursuing a vision that God has given you;  you should always do your homework.  In doing so, it will do one of three things - confirm the vision,  make you realize that this wasn’t God’s vision or it will cause the vision
to be more focused.

parenting with wisdom

This week we continued to look at parenting and what God’s word has to say about this important subject. It is vital that we equip our children with tools that will help them navigate through life – our focus this week – wisdom.  We see in Ephesians 5:15 that we must “Pay careful attention , then, to how you walk – no as unwise people but as wise”. 

Wise people know that we are all one decision away from doing irreversible damage to ourselves and others and they create a system of accountability to protect themselves. 

Based on the book of Proverbs, here is what a wise person will do:

You will never accomplish God’s will by ignoring the wisdom of God.

a father on mission

Hey, church family.

I received an email this week of a great story of God working in the lives of a father and son in our church.  Just wanted to share it with you so we can all look forward to celebrating with them.

Kevin,

I wanted to let you know that the 9:30 a.m. service on Sunday really spoke to me. While on vacation two weeks ago, I shared with my 8-year-old son about what it means to be a Christian. We were in Orlando, watching the Falcons vs. Packers game and drinking root beer in the hotel lobby after spending most of the day at Epcot, and we had the best father/son conversation. My son had many questions, which we discussed, and then he wanted to know how he could ask Jesus into his heart. I told him to confess his sins and ask Jesus into his heart, and he did that in the car around halftime. To remember that date, last week we bought some root beer labeled 10-9-11 and wrote on it all the things that happened that day and then taped the paper in the front of his Bible. (I have to be honest—one of my mentors in Ron Riley’s class suggested this.) I have been very encouraged by the "Man Up" series that Ron Riley leads. Also, your message on Sunday morning and the song the choir sang twice (Moving Forward) reaffirmed to me that I need to be bold and make my decision.
I have decided to be baptized with my son on November 13. . . I wrestled with getting baptized for many years after I made my life-changing decision in 1994 in Daytona while on a missions project. What better way is there to remember that special day than with my Heavenly Father and my son!

on mission with god

Over the past three weeks we have looked at a life that is, “On Mission with God”.  What does that look like?

On Sunday we talked about a life on mission with God is a life that allows Christ in you, to live through you.  It’s not just claiming this new life and sitting on it…it’s letting other people know about the new life that you have found.  The points we looked at were:

1. Don’t count yourself out – No matter what you’ve done, no matter who you are right now, Jesus died for you and He loves you.
2. Don’t count your friends out – The fact that Jesus can change anyone is a great reminder that God’s gift of eternal life is not just for me.  In the Bible we saw that Matthew, a tax collector, invited the worst of the worst people over to his house for a dinner party.  These were Matthew’s friends…his co-workers.  Matthew’s guest of honor for the party was Jesus, he wanted to introduce his friends to Jesus.  Matthew realized that there was no one beyond the reach of Jesus.
3. Up close we are all the same…we’re sinners – It really threw off the self-righteousness crowd in Matthew’s day that Jesus would eat with these people.  In Matthew 9:12 we are reminded that those who are well do not need a doctor, but those that are sick.
4. Religious devotion does not mean you are on mission with God – It’s time to move from a religious exercise that makes us feel better about ourselves to the mission of pointing people to Jesus.

In closing the service, I asked that everyone take a look around…we have empty seats that need to be filled.  I issued a challenge for us to get out into the community and bring someone with them next Sunday… and remember…don’t count anyone out!

he knows my name

I shared in my message yesterday about an encouraging e-mail that I had received. As you read the e-mail below, some of you can relate to this young lady’s story, but we can all celebrate the work that God is doing in her life…

“I wanted to thank you for Sunday. God uses each message to reach people where they are and that was evident for me Sunday. Your message was great but it was last song that God used to impact me in a real way. I won't go into detail but I've been struggling a lot lately with my dad. I wish so much that he would have been open and honest with us, to have loved us they way other dads love their kids. I have hurt for the relationship I never had with him and I'm coming to the realization that unless God does a miracle in his life I will never have that relationship. When they sang, "I have a father, he calls me his own, he'll never leave me, no matter where I go." I was reminded that God has always been the father I never had and I find tremendous comfort in that. But I struggle with "Why" everyday - Why does pride keep us from doing what's right, How can you hurt someone and keep going about your life not giving that person a second thought. I know I can rest in my Savior's arms and trust that He is in control and that song meant a lot to me.

We also began a series titled, “On Mission with God".  We looked at John 15: 1 - 8 and talked about God being the true vine, and how we must stay connected to the vine in order to bear fruit. 

The 8 Secrets to Fruitfulness are:

1. You can’t get fruit juice from plastic fruit.
2. Maximum fruitfulness requires a gardener.
3. The pruning process is essential to much fruitfulness.
4. Branches need to focus on the vine not the clippers.
5. The branch that is dependent on the vine will be fruitful.
6. The alternative to fruitfulness is emptiness and ugliness.
7. Living connected like a branch results in amazing fruitfulness.
8. Fruitfulness is God’s will for you.

A special thank you to Pastor Mike Landry for the use of his notes.

courage

I asked this question on Facebook this past week: "What is a verse in the Bible that gives you courage when you are struggling with fear and weakness?"  Here is a list of Bible references that I got in response.  Use them this week in your time alone with God and live a life of courage!

educator appreciation day

School is back in session and we want to encourage, thank and pray for all the educators in our community. We all probably have a few favorite teachers, principals, coaches or school staff who have impacted our lives.

I still remember my third grade teacher, Mrs. Leonitis, making me hot tea on a day when I didn't feel so well. I also remember Coach Spears (my chorus teacher), Mrs. Maxwell and Mrs. Stephens (they worked in the front office), Mr. Darville (a college professor), and many others as well. I remember them because of the investments they made in me and I admire them for their dedication to my education and development.

Educators are truly heroes and many times are not recognized for their heroic acts.  On Sunday, August 28, we want to say thank you to educators in our community and pray for you as you continue to make a difference in the world through your profession.

fasting

On Sunday morning, I challenged the church family to explore the Spiritual Discipline of fasting. I spoke about some resources that are available to help you. To read more,
click here.

Dear Church Family,

It is a great honor to serve the Hebron family as Senior Pastor.  My family and I are humbled and excited to have this opportunity.  I know without a doubt that God has called me to serve this church, in this way, for this time.  I am looking forward to seeing God continue to move in and through this great church.  I am committed to seeking God's direction daily and leading our church to follow God and the mission of, “Connecting people to Jesus Christ and His lifestyle.”  I will continue to be a student of the Word and teach it in a spirit of humility, but without apology. 

God has been challenging me through study of His Word and prayer, to get uncomfortable in my walk with Him. He has shown me that for Hebron to move in the direction that God wants us to go we must pray, serve, and invite like never before.  This will not happen because we have a new Senior Pastor, it will not happen with more programs or services, but it will happen as we join together as a family of believers and seek Him, serve Him, and invite others to know Him.

I realize that it is impossible to fill the shoes that have been vacated by our former Pastor, Larry Wynn.  God has used him in incredible ways for so many years in this community and I know the ripples of his service will continue in our church, and in our community, for many years to come.  I am one of those ripples and words could never express my thanks and appreciation for Larry and his influence on my life.  I will never be able to fill his shoes, but God has not called me to fill them.  He has called me to serve Him and I am willing to follow wherever He leads.

I will continue to be who God created me to be, lead in the way He has called me to lead, and serve in the way He has gifted me to serve.

I look forward to serving alongside you and I am so excited to see what only God can do in and through Hebron.

Serving Together,

Kevin Miller
Senior Pastor, Hebron Baptist Church

He must increase, but I must decrease - John 3:30