National Day of Prayer Week

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Thursday is the national day of prayer in our beloved country.

In years past we have hosted a prayer time on the first Thursday of May during the lunch hour at the church office.

This year we decided to try a different tack. Each of our growth groups agreed to suspend their regular studies in favor of intercessory prayer.

Two options remain this week. Tonight you can attend the Mitchell growth group and pray. Thursday you can attend the Herrbach growth group (meeting at the Heffelfinger’s that night only) and pray.

If you do not normally attend either of those growths, no matter, you are still welcome. We encourage you to come out and pray for our nation and our church, especially during this capital campaign season in which we are engaged.

Someone sent me a link to Justin Taylor’s blog suggesting what it might look like to pray for awakening in one’s church.

We might pray in such a way that these kinds of things would result:

  • hundreds of people coming to Christ,
  • old animosities being removed,
  • marriages being reconciled and renewed,
  • wayward children coming home,
  • long-standing slavery to sin being conquered,
  • spiritual dullness being replaced by vibrant joy,
  • weak faith being replaced by bold witness,
  • disinterest in prayer being replaced by fervent intercession,
  • boring Bible reading being replaced by passion for the Word,
  • disinterest in global missions being replaced by energy for Christ’s name among the nations, and
  • lukewarm worship being replaced by zeal for the greatness of God’s glory.

Oh that God would give us an army of intercessors at OGC that would pray for awakening in the church and revival in our land!

How Not to Waste a Serious Call to Consider Our Ways

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Sunday #2 of 5 in our capital fund raising campaign for our building program is now history.

Praise God for fourteen intercessors that evening seeking God at the church office. We pleaded with Him to help us as a people not waste the serious call to consider our ways as commanded by the prophet in Haggai 1:5 & 7.

The second sermon in the series is now available on our website. You can access the audio file here. The text is Haggai 1:12-15. Here is a synopsis of the message:

Here is the banner we need to wave high over our capital campaign and eventually, Lord willing, over our construction project – Zech. 4:6 – Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Church, we are no more equipped or strong or numerous or rich to pull off a 2.5 million dollar building effort than these poor rabble were to rebuild Yahweh’s glorious temple, unless God stirs us up for the task. I can’t do that for us. The elders and deacons can’t. God alone can do this. This is what we need to ask for and see if we are to move ahead and succeed. Move ahead or not, I beg of you, let us not waste this serious call to consider our ways, even as the people of Israel did not. Make the most of this opportunity. Respond positively to the invitation. Listen for God to speak through His word. Look for God to support through His promise – I am with you. And live for God to stir up through His Spirit. Make these five weeks count. Exchange hours on Facebook for time on your face before God in His word. He will speak. However He does, through whatever promises He encourages, and in whatever way He stirs us to act, let us do all for His pleasure and glory and our great joy.

Be encouraged church of God. I received a gift of $1000 from OUTSIDE our church this week toward the campaign. This is only the beginning. God is working. He relishes the faith upon which we are acting and praying (Heb. 11:6).

Battle for the Bible (CRI National Conference)

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The Christian Research Institute will hold its 2010 national conference, Battle for the Bible, from May 6-8 in Tampa, Florida.

Here is a brief description of the event’s components from the conference director:

Our event starts on Thursday evening May 6th for a special National Day of Prayer service with Dr. James White, Hank Hanegraaff, Lee Strobel, Steve Camp, Joe Hancock and Steve Kreloff.  It will be an evening blessed with incredible worship and corporate prayer. Friday May 7th begins with James White, Hank Hanegraaff, Lee Strobel, and Steve Kreloff and ends with the “Is the Bible True” debate.  Saturday May 8th is a strong day of conference and worship with Joe Hancock, James White, Lee Strobel, Hank Hanegraff, and Dr. Tom Ascol.  The program will conclude at 8PM.
Our congregation has been granted 100 free tickets, first-come-first-served, to the conference. Click on the website here and when you register use the code GEN300 and you will get in for free. Pretty sweet.

Look Away From Self & Towards Christ

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Someone sent me this great word by J. C. Ryle recently:

Look not to yourselves! You are by nature wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked; you cannot make atonement for your past transgressions, you cannot wipe out a single page in that long black list. And when the King shall ask you for your wedding garment you will be speechless. Look simply unto Jesus, and then the weight shall fall from off your shoulders, the course shall be clear and plain, and you shall run the race which is set before you.

The Puritans used to say for every one look at self you need to take ten looks at Jesus. May the gospel of Christ empower us to live a life worthy of the calling to which we have been called.


The Truth About Ministry Fundraising

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For some reason this subject is on my mind these days.

I ran across a helpful article to guide us through the maze of seemingly endless appeals that come in letter form day after day.

Here is a sample of what the author says:

But I am suggesting we become informed givers. Don’t be a ministry zombie and give on impulse – for any reason. Give because you’ve researched a ministry, believe in what it’s doing in the world, have confirmed its integrity and track record, and then prayed about the gift.

Whether you are considering giving to OGC’s capital campaign on May 23 or some other ministry, this article has some helpful insights to guide you along the way. I commend it to you.

You can read the piece here.

A Serious Call to Consider Our Ways

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This morning’s sermon from Haggai 1:1-11 is now on the website. You can listen to the audio here.

By way of recap, I summarized the message this way:

The challenge to build anything for God and glory of His kingdom compels us to a rigorous examination of our everyday commitments and priorities as a people belonging to Him – in light of the demands of our God in His word, the dissatisfaction of our hearts in this world, and the difficulties of our circumstances in these times. Let us give ourselves to zealous reflection and examination regarding the supremacy of God in our lives. Let each of us do what He tells us in terms what commitments we can or cannot make over the next three years to sacrificial giving toward a facility for Orlando Grace Church. And remember, let us rely on the power of the gospel of Jesus as a people liberated from sin and selfishness by the work of the cross and the filling of the Spirit in our lives to seek first the kingdom and His righteousness for His glory, our joy, and the joy of others who will come to know Him as a result.

Day one of our capital campaign is nearly over. Will you join me in responding positively to a serious call to consider our ways?

The Queen Grace

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Tomorrow we embark on a five-week journey the likes of which OGC has never experienced before – a capital fund raising campaign for our first ever facility.

I will preach from Haggai 1:1-11, A Serious Call to Consider Our Ways. Why not take some time this evening to meditate upon the passage to prepare for the message?

Whatever happens in this process of believing God for a significant amount of money to help fund our building project, we must not fail to approach these weeks without what Octavius Winslow called “the queen grace.”

Truly is faith the crowning grace of all, and a most costly and precious fruit of the renewed mind. From it springs every other grace of a gracious soul. It has been designated the ‘queen’ grace, because a royal train ever attends it. Faith comes not alone, nor dwells alone, nor works alone. Where faith in Jesus is, there also are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, patience, godly sorrow, and every kindred perfection of the Christian character, all blending in the sweetest harmony, all uniting to celebrate the glory of God’s grace, and to crown Jesus Lord of all.

Among other reasons, faith is the queen grace because of what Heb. 11:6 teaches: without faith it is impossible to please Him.

We simply will fall flat on our faces and fail to please God if we don’t approach this campaign with eyes and hearts of faith.

May the queen grace descend upon us as we navigate these next several weeks, examining our hearts as to the nature of our priorities, seeking to hear from Him as to what He would have us do in the way of sacrificial giving, and believing that He is and is a rewarder of those who seek Him.


Friday Men's Night Out at PC's Place

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I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. Time to try it.

Nancy left for NC today to visit her ailing Mom for a week. I’ve got Friday night open. I’m wondering if any of the OGC brothers care to join me for some grub and a night of fellowship.

I’ve got a ton of venison burger in the freezer so I am willing to grill as many quarter-pounders as necessary. If Bambi doesn’t suit your palate, bring your own meat to grill and we’ll throw it on the fire.

Also, bring your own beverage of choice. I’ll throw in the sides, unless this gets too out of control. Then I will have to start making assignments.

Thing is I need to know who’s coming so shoot me an email at revheff@gmail.com so I can plan accordingly.

Probably shouldn’t do a blog post without throwing in some Scripture, so here is my biblical justification.

First Corinthians 16:13 – Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Come prepared to share some little known truth about yourself and get ready to pray for and be prayed for.

Pass the word!

Who knows, maybe this will become a tradition.

30-Day Spouse Encouragement Challenge

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Nancy Leigh DeMoss has a one-page article in the Spring 2010 issue of Life Action Ministries Revive magazine that recently caught my attention. She called it The 30-Day Husband Encouragement Challenge.

She leads with Proverbs 31:12 which says that the virtuous wife does her husband good, and not harm, all the days of her life. One way to do that, Demoss argues, is through encouragement.

She issues this two-part challenge:

  1. For the next 30 days, commit to say nothing negative about your husband–not to him, and not to anyone else about him.
  2. Every day for the next 30 days, tell your husband something that you appreciate about him; then tell someone else about it.

Among the numerous responses from women who have taken the challenge illustrating  the power of affirmation of encouragement was this one:

This hasn’t been easy going for me. There’s a lot of hurt and anger and resentment toward my husband to overcome. But you have encouraged me to remember why I fell in love with this guy, what was so special about him. You’ve given me hope for my marriage. I may not be able to change my husband, but I can change m heart and attitude toward him with God’s help. My husband is talking to me more–really talking from his heart. We still have a long way to go, but it is working. Every day gets a little easier, and some of that anger and resentment is fading away. I married a great man. I have just forgotten to nurture him in the day-to-day busyness of our lives. I love my husband (emphasis added).

It seems to me that the challenge can certainly cut both ways. Husbands may very well need to take on the same commitment toward their wives.

Perhaps this is something of what Paul means when he writes in Romans 12:21, Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Does God want you to take the 30-day spouse challenge?