Assurance Church

Assurance Church Tidbit - June 9, 2008

2008-06-09T19:11:00.001-07:00

Assurance Church Tidbit – June 9, 2008

Feel free to pass along to others…

Here you go…another edition of the tidbit….

Online Sermons

To listen to last weeks sermon à http://blog.13gen.com/ ( you can download a sermon by right clicking on the grey “download” link under each sermon and save it to your computer. (as of 6/9/08 – I’ve used up the space on the podcast, but I’m working on it…)

Family Day

This Sunday is Family Day/Father’s Day. We are catering BBQ. We are asking every family to bring a dessert….and your swimsuit if you want to go swimming.

Friday Night Service – 6/27

We will have a Friday night service on June 27. This will take the place of our Sunday morning service. I’m looking forward to it!

Pagan Christianity

Two more Pagan Christianity meetings….6/22 and 7/13

Sunday Sharing

This next Sunday we are starting a sharing time over a chapter of the Bible we are all reading. The chapter for this week is Ephesians 1. Take some time read it, pray over it and see what kind of insight the Holy Spirit gives you. Then, if you want, share it on Sunday!

Do you want to read Ephesians 1 in a different version? You can go here à http://www.biblegateway.com/ If you want to look at Greek and Hebrew words, you can go here à http://www.studylight.org/

Prayer Request

a). Pray for Thomas Machala as he and his wife go through a separation. There are kids involved. Pray that the courts see things fairly and everything is done for the betterment of the kids.

Resources - http://assurancechurch.com/RESOURCES.html

Family/Personal Bible Study*

Right at the beginning of his letter to the Ephesians, Paul started praising God for all the rich blessings God showers on Christians. Paul reminded the Ephesians of all the advantages they enjoy in this life, as well as in the next. Paul’s prayer of praise can serve as an encouragement to all who have grown weary in their faith.

OPEN

1. Who would you say has been the greatest blessing in your life? Why?

EXPLORE

2. What type of blessings does God give to believers? (1:3)

3. When did Christ choose us to be his people? (1:4)

4. What does God’s grace provide for the believer? (1:6-7)

5. What is the special mark of ownership that God reserves for believers? (1:13)

GET IT

6. What is significant about the fact that God’s blessings are described as heavenly and spiritual?

7. What does it mean to you to be “chosen” by God to be his child?

8. Why is it good practice for Christians to count their blessings?

9. What does this passage teach you in your understanding of God’s grace?

APPLY

10. For which of God’s blessings can you be especially thankful for this week?

*taken from the iLumina Bible Software

Old Tibits?

Would you like to view old issues of the tidbit? You can visit à http://groups.yahoo.com/group/assurancechurch/

Subscribe

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March 15, 2008

2008-03-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

I was busy Saturday, March 15th. I had the privlidge of performing the ceremony for two special couples.

Dan & Torie Domzalski were married at Ella's Garden in Tomball.

Jacob and Rita Hegar were married at Shirley Acres.

Congratulations to both happy couples!

Jason & Allison Crissman

2008-03-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

Jason & Allison were married at Le Jardin on March 8, 2008

We wish you the best!

Wedding Congratulations!!!!

2008-01-21T11:26:00.001-08:00

Scott and Kara Bergmann - Jan. 19, 2008

Scott and Kara were married in their new beautiful home in Tomball. Congratulations!!!!!

Bob and Pam Gardner - Jan. 19, 2008

Bob and Pam were married @ Ella's Garden in Tomball. Congratulations!!!!

We wish you both good luck and a happy life together.

Out of the Box

2007-09-09T11:42:00.001-07:00

Sermon - 9/09/07 - Out of the Box

Cool Websites

2007-07-03T23:46:00.000-07:00

I wanted to pass this website along. It documents movie reviews and even study guides with Scriptures, to discuss with your kids.

http://www.christiancritic.com/

Also, I found this 3d video and interactive site on Solomon's Temple and Ezekiel Chapter 1 - the site says that Noah's Ark is coming soon!

http://the3dlounge.com/bible/

Peace!

Responsibility Pt.1

2006-03-19T18:38:00.000-08:00

Responsibility pt.1

The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That's the day we truly grow up.  John Maxwell

Romans 12:1-8 talks about our responsibility as Christians.  We have a responsibility to do what God wants, a responsibility to be Christ’s body, and a responsibility to action.

Paul says admonishes us to present our bodies as a “living” sacrifice.  When someone sacrifices’, they know their end.  Think about a baseball who has been asked by the coach to sacrifice his at bat, or someone who sacrifices to help with a kidney or bone marrow transplant.  They know their end….they know what is supposed to happen, they will lose something.  But when they sacrifice, they also know that it is for a good reason. Just think about Jesus’ sacrifice.

As Christians, we should sacrifice to be holy.  That means losing our desires and passions.  But in reality, are we really losing?  Our sacrifice only brings us closer to Christ.  But, it’s not easy.  Paul talked about nailing our passions and desires to the cross and crucify them there. (Galatians 5:24-25)  The cross stuff is not easy…  We’ve seen the movie. (

Mediocre

2006-03-08T22:38:00.000-08:00

Mediocre

Have you ever been around one of those Christians that seem to rub you the wrong way?  It’s not because they are immoral or ultra sinful (although there are plenty of those), but because they seem to love Jesus more than you!  If you are mature enough in your faith….their “crazy” behavior causes you to re-evaluate your walk and faith for the better.

We all need those “crazy” Christians in our lives.  And, we should be that “crazy” Christian in someone else’s life too!  People are at different levels in their faith, but we should never desire to stay at our current level!  We should always desire and seek to grow and become more Christ-like!

What a privilege it would be for someone to look at you and say, “I want a faith like him.”  Can someone say that about you?

Matthew 5:48 (The Message) - "In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.

Hope

2006-03-05T08:48:00.000-08:00

HOPE

Let's hope you feel better now.
As you read this first quote, what kinds of feelings, thoughts does it evoke?  Does it make a difference to know that this quote is attributed to Dr. Jack Kevorkian? I have another quote.  This might speak a little more, say a little more to us.

And I hope that five years and 10 years from now, I'll be a better man, a more mature man, a wiser man, a more humble man and a more spirited man to serve the good of my people and the good of humanity.
What do you think?  Does it make a difference that Louis Farrakhan said it?

These two people, that we mostly don’t respect, used a very powerful word; hope!  Hope is defined: to desire with expectation of obtainment.  Romans 8:24 - Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it.

From day to day we hope for many different things.  We hope our cars start in the morning when we get ready for work.  We hope that our kids will learn and excel in their education.  We hope that we are able to pay the bills.  We hope that the leak under the sink isn’t something more serious than tightening up clamp.  But as Christians, we have a greater HOPE!  What is it?

Hope is a very enduring force.  1 Corinthians 13:13 - There are three things that will endure--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love.  Now love is the greatest, but hope is right in there with it and faith.  My question to you tonight is, do you hope?  Does your hope play an important part in the way you see this life and other people?

Hope VS Wishing

I think sometimes what we say we hope for is merely a wish.  When we wish, we have a desire for something.  It doesn’t necessarily mean we are waiting expectantly.  It doesn’t mean we will actually obtain it.  We just wish!  We might wish to; win the lottery, get a better job, meet someone new.  But if it doesn’t happen, oh well!

But if you hope for something, you are saying that you are waiting expectantly and you know you will obtain it.  It is fundamentally a difference in attitude; oh well vs. this is happening!  What if we wished for our salvation?  What if we wished that Jesus would come someday?  Now, what if we hope that Jesus comes someday!  Doesn’t that make a difference?  It sure does!  Some people might say that I’m playing word games, but I’m not trying to.  I believe this is an important part of our faith.  Again, 1 Corinthians 13:13 doesn’t say faith, wish, and love.

Characteristics of Hope

We can identify things by their characteristics.  If it acts like a duck, quacks like a duck, etc….  It must be a duck!  The same is true with hope.  When we are full of hope, we show the characteristics of hope for all to see.

Let’s look at the Scripture and identify some of these characteristics…

Romans 15:13 - So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hope is given by God.  It is given to His children as they believe in the promises that He has given.  It is realized through the power of the Holy Spirit and is accompanied by happiness and peace.  And what is the promise that He has given?

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 - And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died. I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with these words.

So we can identify that Hope:

Is given by God to His Children who believe in the promise of Salvation through Jesus Christ

Comes through the power of the Holy Spirit

Will bring happiness and peace to those who experience it.

What does this all mean?  Basically, if you are tying to live for God, you will experience true hope!  Not just for this world, but for eternity.

1 Corinthians 15:19 - And if we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world.

The Mission of Hope

And what are we to do with all this hope?  Hope has a purpose outside of us.   The Scriptures say…

1 Peter 3:15 - Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.

As you live as a person of hope, people will see it in you and ask you about it.  Our hope should be so important to us, that we are willing to share why we are so full of hope!  Hope has a focus on other people.

Questions to consider

Do you find yourself hoping or wishing for the things of God?

How can the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope?

Can you be happy and at peace when things aren’t going well for you?

Are you ready to share your reason for Hope with somebody?

Official Apology...

2006-01-22T18:27:00.000-08:00

I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.

Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.

Mohandas Gandhi

I officially apologize for every Christian who has proclaimed to know Christ and walk in His ways, but does not prove it by his/her actions.

Christians are not perfect, but we should try to be an example of Christ in everything we do and say. We look like fools when we say we have the answers to save the whole world, but then don't practice what we should. We have become like the religious leaders of Jesus' time - Matthew 23. Could we get back to the simple things of the faith; loving, forgiving, showing mercy, serving?

SUBS

2005-12-18T22:39:00.000-08:00

My Internet Explorer became corrupted somehow the other day.  I don’t know how it happened, but somewhere between bits of data, something messed up!  I hate it!  Because you don’t realize how dependent you are on this computer stuff until it stops working correctly.

So, I tried reloading stuff and running anti-virus and ad-aware programs, but to no avail!  Every time I would hit the little blue “E”, my screen would lock up!  So, I stopped hitting the little blue “E” and used the MSN Explorer to download Netscape until my brother could help me fix my IE.

With Netscape, I can get online and everything, but it’s not the IE that I’m used to.  I know that it’s a substitute and will very soon be uninstalled for my IE!

By definition, a substitute isn’t the real thing.  We sometimes substitute things in our lives, like I’m doing with Netscape, realizing that we will switch out later.  It’s only temporary.  But sometimes, we get stuck with the substitute.

This last week I’ve been thinking abou the Seinfeld episode called “The Strike.”  In the episode, George recounts the dreaded “Festivus” Holiday that his dad created.  It was a funny episode and is going to be on later this week – you can find it listed on TV guide online.  But, some people took the “TV” holiday and made it their own.  Just do a search for “Festivus” online and you will find all kinds of stuff: websites, books, you name it!  If you go to Google and use their video search, you can even find some video of a festivus celebration somewhere.  It even has it’s own entry in Wikipedia.  Here is a little portion:

An aluminum pole is generally used in lieu of a Christmas tree or other holiday decoration. Those attending participate in the "Airing of Grievances" which is an opportunity for all to vent their hostilities toward each other, and after a Festivus dinner, The Feats of Strength are performed. Traditionally, Festivus is not over until the head of the household is wrestled to the floor and "pinned."

You can hit the link to read more about it ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivus

Now, it’s a funny episode and everything, but why would normal people want to celebrate this holiday?  Why would they want to “substitute” Festivus for Christmas?

Doesn’t Christmas have everything we could want?  Look at what the angles said in Luke 2:9-14 – Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!"  Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven--praising God: "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors."

Good News!  Great Joy! …… for EVERYONE!  The Savior of the world has come!  Now we can experience PEACE on EARTH to everyone that GOD FAVORS – or allows to hear the GOOD NEWS!

What else could we want?  Why would we want to substitute this for any other holiday or thing in our lives?

Even if we don’t PLAN on substituting Christmas and the GOOD NEWS for other stuff, we do it by our actions.  Pleas ACT on the GOOD NEWS this SEASON!  Don’t allow a substitute to come take the place of the REAL THING!

The Star!

2005-12-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

This is way to cool!!!!!

http://www.starofbethlehem.net/

The author of this website is going to be in Houston on December 20th at First United Methodist Church – Downtown.  He’s supposed to have a presentation using software technology which allows you to see what the ancient magi saw….
This is possible (read the website). I’m planning on being there!  If you want to go, let me know!  The website is  http://www.fmhouston.com/Calendar/EventDetails.aspx?eventId=146
You can view a promo video of the presentation by going to this link.  You have to have Quicktime installed and it takes a little bit to load, be patient.  ( http://www.starofbethlehem.net/assets/video/Star_Church_Promo_med.mov

Peace,
Todd

This last week...

2005-12-04T20:10:00.000-08:00

This is a message sent to the Assurance Church Yahoo! Group – Spiritual Tidbits.  Feel free to forward this email.

This last week was so….  Although I don’t get overly emotional, I am physically drained.  It was harder than I thought to see my grandfather pass away.  His passing has been on my mind every holiday for the last couple of years now.  He was 90!  Every holiday I would think in the back of my mind, “this could be the last holiday I spend with my grandpa.”  So, in a way, I was kind of preparing myself a while back.  But still….

My brother and I were the last ones to leave the gravesite.  I figured the family wanted someone to stay behind till the very end, so I told my dad and uncle that they could go on to the house and my brother and I would meet them there.  We stayed until they poured the last of the dirt!

Because we didn’t have church this Sunday….(thanks everyone for understanding), I wanted to share a little bit of what I was going to talk about.

When I returned to my car, I turned on talk radio (it is my habit to do that when no one is in the car with me).  There on the radio was Rush Limbaugh talking about the servicemen who were killed in Iraq this week.

Rush wasn’t talking about my grandfather.  I don’t know if he would have really cared.  It didn’t seem like the people cutting me off on the road seemed to care either.  We went back to the funeral home to pick some stuff up that we left behind – one of the directors was there – he seemed to care – but it is his job.  The minute we left, he probably didn’t care anymore.

What I’m trying to get at is – we make a difference in the lives of people.  There are some that don’t care, there are some that we truly affect.  It is our life that speaks to them though.  My grandfather touched a lot of people.  In the last couple of days I’ve heard some new stories, and I’ve even read some nice stuff people have written online at http://www.legacy.com/HOUSTONCHRONICLE/Guestbook.asp?Page=Guestbook&PersonID=15815669  But there were a lot of people that didn’t know him.  It’s not his fault, nor is it their fault.  It is just the way we connect with other people, the paths that intersect with other souls….

As we connect with people this week…and the next….and the next…. think about how you are touching them!  Are you making an impact?  Are you making an impression that will last?  More importantly, are you making an ETERNAL difference in their life?  That could be the nicest thing anyone would ever say about you – “they turned me on to Jesus”  or “I saw Jesus in him/her.”

When it’s all said and done, what else is there?  You, Jesus and Eternity – somewhere………

I have posted last weeks sermon online.  It’s God’s Ancient Remedy for Stress Relief and Peace – Shabbat.  You can listen to it here ( http://www.13gen.com/PICS/shabbat.wma
Feel free to download it, copy it or pass it along if you would like.  It’s not too big of a file – about 2 megs.  If you want a copy to save to your hard drive, let me know.

Peace,
Todd
www.assurancechurch.com
http://360.yahoo.com/todd_sepulveda

Do you part!  Forward this email to some friends and spread His Word!

Raw, the Potter, and Play-doh

2005-11-20T19:52:00.000-08:00

Sermon Title: Raw, the Potter, and Play-doh. Click the link to listen.

Online Sermon - Click Here!

American Christianity

2005-11-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

As a person I am very pessimistic. As a Christian, and in my faith, I am very optimistic. In American Christianity, I am optimistically pessimistic!

Am I the only one fed up with American Christianity? There are little pockets of true faith, but the majority…..oh man!

I found a book I read in college, The Democratization of American Christianity, Nathan O. Hatch. http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0300050607/ref=sib_dp_pt/104-1087011-7119157#reader-link

I can’t remember it very well, but I’m going to dive into it again. On one of the first pages it has this quote…

“Tendencies, which had found no political room to unfold themselves in other lands wrought here without restraint…Every theological vagabond and peddler may drive here his bungling trade, without passport or license, and sell his false ware at pleasure. What is to come of such confusion is not now to be seen.”
Philip Schaff, The Principle of Protestantism, 1844

I think we know now where we have come….

A letter from the past....

2005-11-06T09:54:00.000-08:00

33 A.D.

My Friends in Christ,

I wasn’t sure why I was doing it, but climbing the tree was the best thing I ever did! I can’t believe that I had spent my life before Christ thinking that all I ever needed was money in my pocket and food on my table. Meeting Jesus was the best thing that could ever have happened to me!

I wish I could describe to you the change that happened in my life that day. Realizing that someone cared enough about me to come to my house and take an interest in my life would have been enough. It’s kind of lonely being a tax collector. But, Jesus went beyond that. He told me about the love of God and how the Father wanted a relationship with me.

It was hard to find out that they had treated Him so badly when they crucified Him on the cross. But I know now that it was the plan all along. He is close to me now, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

My friends, let me give you some advice:

The most important thing in this life is Jesus. I know that now. I spend my time away from the office reading Scripture, praying and fellowshipping with other followers. And, when I get the chance, I’m always looking for opportunities that would allow me to tell someone else, who might be in a tree somewhere, about the joy of living for Jesus.

Also, let me tell you this. There are a lot of people who don’t believe that anything good has happened to me because of my past life. I don’t let those people bother me. I just say a little prayer for them and go about my business.

If tomorrow doesn’t come for me, I know that I have lived my life finding out the most important secrets of all! I can pass from this life, knowing that I’m passing into eternity because of Jesus Christ.

God bless you all,
Zacchaeus

And more blessings...

2005-10-31T20:29:00.000-08:00

This last Sunday I talked a little about a sermon I heard. The thing is, is that I heard this sermon almost 2 years ago. The weird thing is that it has really stuck with me.

If we are honest, we will have to admit that most of the sermons we hear go in one ear and out the other. I can’t tell you what I preached about a couple of months ago (without looking at my notes on my computer), and you can’t tell me what I preached either. But there is always that one sermon….

This sermon was based on Ephesians 1:3-14. The preacher was Louie Giglio and the church was my computer screen and speakers…..it was online!

Ephesians 1:3 says, “How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ.”

If you examined your prayers, how many times would you find that you are asking God for more blessings? The fact is that He has blessed us with “every spiritual blessing” already! What more could we ask for?

I’m not going to repreach what I spoke about on Sunday here. Actually, this article has very little to do with that! More importantly I want to share with you some online resources that might be a blessing to you when you are searching for more of God!

http://webcastingtechnologies.com/722/ - is the place where I heard Louie’s sermon a couple of years back. However, Louie has moved on. But you can experience modern worship with powerful and relevant messages. It is a whole service online! The only bad thing is that the sermons aren’t archived – so you can’t find Louie’s original message on “blessings” – or whatever he called it…..

http://www.enewhope.org/video/ - New Hope Christian Fellowship – Pastor Wayne Cordero. He is an awesome minister and you will be truly blessed. The only downfall is that the video screen is kind of small.

http://www.live365.com/stations/177334 - “Anointed Sounds” with Dj Bennybee. Hit the link and you can hear worship music online. You have to keep the small window open to hear the music, but you can minimize it!

http://www.coastlands.org/teachings.php - The Coastlands Foursquare Church – Pastor Daniel Brown. You can listen/read video, audio, and articles. The thing I love about this website is that you can save them to your hard drive and watch them when you want. They also have multiple ways to search for a specific topic.

http://www.rzim.org/publications/realaudio_index.php - Audio messages that you can download from Christian Apologist Ravi Zacharias.

I hope you find your sermon that “sticks” with you. Although the “blessings” message was a good one… I’m sure there is something out there for you.

Do me a favor and take some time to pass this email along to some friends and help this ministry get the “word” out.

Peace!

Cool Website

2005-10-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

Check this website out!

http://www.breakfastwithfred.com/core.php?content=home

Response?

2005-10-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

I can’t believe no one ever responded to that last post….

Stupid

2005-10-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

Chrsitians are so stupid sometimes!

Connected

2005-10-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

I received some bad news this morning.  A friend, who I have known since I was way little, passed away of a heart attack.  It’s hard to believe because he is younger than me, and I’m not really that old.  I was really stunned to hear the news and immediately my mind start racing.  It was hard to go to school and focus while I was thinking and processing this…  His parents are devastated.  He was an only child.  His wife of 1 year must be in shock too.  I can’t even begin to imagine what they are going through.

In all this, one word kept coming to me: connected.

As I processed this tragic event and this word, so many meanings came to me.

Connected: I haven’t seen Nick in such a long time.  His parents were real close to ours back in the day and I used to see him a lot.  Although he was younger than me, and closer to my brother’s age, he was mature for his age and we got along.  I still remember his room, it was so cool – it had the Star Wars wall paper up!

But, as the years passed and we all kind of went our separate ways, I lost touch.  I spoke with him briefly over the AOL instant messenger.  But, we never got together to catch up.  I regret that!  It would have been great to know how he was doing and see him.

● In all our busyness, it is worth it to forget those that were a part of our lives at one time?  Wouldn’t it be right to make the effort to touch base every once in a while?

Connected: I already mentioned that his family is in shock.  He was an only child and has only been married for about a year.  His family will miss their connection with Nick.

There is an important connection here.  There are people in our lives that love us and we love them back.  People also hurt us, and we in turn hurt them back.  With all the time we spend on the junk of this life, we should try to focus on making “good” connections…loving connections…

● Is it really worth it to hold the grudges and hurts that people who are connected to us inflict on us?  Yes, some are done on purpose.  But some are done on accident.  Because we are hurt, we tend to not forgive and choose instead to break our connection with people.  It’s times and events like this that help us to remember that some things are just not that big of a deal!

Connected: The cool thing about death, is that for some, it isn’t the end of the line.  I know that Nick was a Christian.  He was connected to Jesus!  This is the most important connection anyone can make!

Can you imagine being connected to God?  That is exactly what Jesus did for us.  His sacrifice on the cross allows us to be connected to God.  And it isn’t a superficial connection either.  It is a super, super, super, heavenly, super glue connection.

● Is Jesus your Lord and Savior?  Can you say you are connected to Him?

Connected: Because Nick is a Christian, and his parents and family are Christians, one day they will be reunited in Heaven.  The parent/child or husband/wife relationship won’t be the same, but he will know his parents and wife, and they will know him.  Once the initial celebration of being in Heaven and worshipping Jesus slows down – they will embrace and talk about their days on Earth.  It will be a joyful time!

Heaven is an awesome place!  Jesus said that He was leaving Earth, in the New Testament, to go and prepare a place in Heaven for his “friends.”  It’s been a while now, Heaven must look spectacular!

● This world is not all there is.  Everything we work for and strive for will mean nothing compared to Heaven!

I hope that you can connect a little with this short note.  I know that it is the course of action to deal with our own mortality when we hear bad news like this.  But, for the Christian, the end of our mortality only leads to our immortality.  Ask yourself – is all the junk of this world worth it?  No – not if it gets in the way of your relationship with Jesus and your loved ones!

Values pt2...

2005-10-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

This week I spoke about Values. Let me give you a quick summary….

We all have values. Some of us have different values, i.e. someone who doesn’t have kids isn’t going to value kids etc….

But, if you are a Christian, there is a place that we all start from. Jesus mentioned it in Mark 12:28-34 and you can find the same theme in Jude Jude 17-23.

Mark 12:28-34 - One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the discussion. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: `Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' The second is equally important: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these." The teacher of religious law replied, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbors as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law." Realizing this man's understanding, Jesus said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Basically, the Scripture says that we should value: God and others. This should be our starting point. What takes the place of spot # 3, 4 or 5, is up to you. But, it should honor God….

The Bible doesn’t only say that we should value, but we should examine our values to see how we are doing…

2 Corinthians 13:5 - Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine. Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is among you, it means you have failed the test.

I hope you spend some time thinking about what is important in your life. We clutter our lives with so much junk, that we can surely benefit from “chunking” some of the junk!

I have a “value” worksheet on the E-group website. You can check it out! Let me know if you have any problems getting to it.

Let me leave you with this…..

If we don’t live our lives examining our values, we are leaving to chance: who we are, who we are becoming, and ultimately accomplishing our purpose.

Values

2005-10-15T21:35:00.000-07:00

If we don’t live our lives examining our values, we are leaving to chance: who we are, who we are becoming, and ultimately accomplishing our purpose.

2 Corinthians 13:5 - Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine. Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is among you, it means you have failed the test.

360 Yahoo!

2005-10-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

http://360.yahoo.com/todd_sepulveda

Early Church and stuff....

2005-10-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is very long…. I typed it out over two nights.  I hope you take some time to look it over…….
_________________________________

I’ve been thinking about the early church lately.  It must have been so exciting.  Christians gathered together (they weren’t called Christians at the beginning) to pray and the walls shook!  The Apostles performed the same kinds of miracles that Jesus did.  And, they all brought a little something to the faith.

It must have been a little scary too!  There was always the threat of Roman soldiers persecuting Christians on command from their superiors and probably just for the fun of it too.  If the threats from soldiers wasn’t enough, they had to make sure the Jewish rulers weren’t trying to kill them as well.  Identifying yourself as a Christian could mean that your were thrown out of the synagogue and disowned by the Jewish community that you knew.  But, some were and they counted it worth it.

Besides the excitement and the fear, the early church was probably really unorganized too.  This is one reason why Paul writes to the church at Corinth and gives them a little guidance on what a gathering should look like and feel like.  It is recorded in

1 Corinthians 14:26-33

26What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. 27If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God.
29Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
Does that part of Scripture reflect our current church culture?  Not just our small home fellowship, but other churches as well?  The answer would be no!  I wonder if the early Christians would even recognize one of our “modern day” gatherings?

When was the last time you had a word to share?  When was the last time you prayed in a group?  When was the last time you led a song or gave some insight into the faith?  In the famous words of the Wolf Brand Chili commercial, “that is just too long!”

What would it take for fellowship to look, feel, and act more like it must have looked, felt and acted in the early days of the faith?

Well, for one thing – it should be made up of people who are “participating” in the faith.  Christianity and our church services weren’t supposed to be spectator sports.  But that is exactly what they have become.  They were supposed to be about people who have had a touch from God, learned something new, had a testimony or a good report, shared an inspiring Scripture they read or a conversation they had.  It was supposed to be about bringing a song from your heart, praying with no fear, opening up and trusting.

Second, our weekly gatherings should be a crescendo, a culimination of 6 other days of walking with Jesus.  It is a celebration – that we wouldn’t want to miss!  It should be a joyful time and not a chore.  We should come with expectation, “What is the Spirit going to say to us today?”

Third, we need to remember that we don’t need perfection.  I’m sure the early church gatherings had bumps in the road.  Can you picture it, “Where are we meeting this week,  In the catacombs or at Joey’s house?”  I’m sure they didn’t always sing on key and they had issues about what to do with kids.  When it comes down to it, if we were perfect, Jesus wouldn’t have needed to come anyway!  It’s ok if things are always smooth or out of order – it would be expected in the early gathering I’m sure!

Lastly, the early church formed community.  There is Scriptural evidence that they met in homes and in large meetings at “Solomon’s Portico.”  We never see a church service in the New Testament the way we know church today; where you can go inside, sing, pray, read the Bible and not really know anyone who is sitting around you.

The world is desperately trying to fill the gap that the church has left by creating community in so many different ways.  I could sit here an list a bunch but let me just turn your attention to one.

Yahoo has started something called 360.  It is your own webpage that allows you to stay “connected” to your friends, family, or just the public.  On your 360 page you can share photos, your blog (online journal), the groups (email groups) that you are involved in, feeds that your subscribe to, lists like favorite movies, books, and TV shows, reviews, online radio stations, and all the friends and “community” that you have created…. I visited one 360 that had over 150 friends!

To make it fun, I created my own.  You can see it here - http://360.yahoo.com/todd_sepulveda

I “invited” one of my old school friends to be listed as one of my friends on my page – his name is Thad.

The sad thing would be if my 360 page becomes more of a community than the church I attend.  I hope that would never happen.  I hope to do my part so it doesn’t.  I hope you will do your part too!

Todd

p.s.  If you need a “Daily Bible Log” or a “ Prayer Focus” sheet, you can get them on the yahoo group for the church, under the files section - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/assurancechurch/  or you can get them on the church website – www.assurancechurch.com

You can do all kinds of free stuff at Yahoo – like create your own webpage – very easily, create your own interest group, email, and get your own 360!  If you do any of those, let me know so I can add you to my community! ;-)

Pick - Swords or Grace?

2005-10-02T21:06:00.000-07:00

I’ve been studying on the topic of “priests.”  Tonight’s sermon was going to be on the priesthood.  I will still deliver it next week – family day.

But when I was reading, I came upon this Scripture that really stuck with me.  The context – Moses is on Mt. Sinai with God.  He’s been up there for a while.  The “recently released from slavery” people of Israel get tired of waiting on Moses (and God) and had Aaron make a golden calf.  You know the rest….they worshipped a “thing” that couldn’t hear, see, smell, touch, etc…

Moses is alerted by God and gets back to the camp…

Exodus 32:25 - When Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control--and much to the amusement of their enemies-- he stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, "All of you who are on the LORD's side, come over here and join me." And all the Levites came. He told them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Strap on your swords! Go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other, killing even your brothers, friends, and neighbors." The Levites obeyed Moses, and about three thousand people died that day. Then Moses told the Levites, "Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Because of this, he will now give you a great blessing."

Isn’t it a good thing that God doesn’t deal with us like that today?  If so, we might have to constantly “watch our backs” to make sure some servant of God wasn’t coming to strike us down when we weren’t serving God to our full potential.  That is living under fear!

Aren’t you glad we are living under God’s grace….  The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all our sin and brings us to a right relationship with the Father.  But, there is this warning…

Hebrews 10:28-29 - Anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Think how much more terrible the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God and have treated the blood of the covenant as if it were common and unholy. Such people have insulted and enraged the Holy Spirit who brings God's mercy to his people.

This week, as you go about working, eating, sleeping; doing the “common” things – remember the LORD – who should be worshipped “uncommonly.”  What can you do “uncommonly” for Jesus this week?

Aha Moments

2005-03-26T16:17:00.000-08:00

We’ve all had moments when the light has come on. These are times that I would like to call Aha Moments! Maybe you can remember a time when you were stuck, when you were tired, when things weren’t going so well, and then something happened, and the light came on – Aha! Your blood started pumping….your adrenaline rushed…you suddenly received new energy to continue on.

The followers of Jesus had Aha moments on that first Easter Sunday. There at least three that I would like to suggest…

Aha Moment No. 1 – In the spiritual, seeing is not believing. But faith mixed with the Word is powerful.

Aha Moment No. 2 – Jesus expects us to cling to Him.

Aha Moment No. 3 – Jesus desires us to get out and spread the Good News.

I know I’m not explaining all these Aha Moments! But you can search for yourself and find them in John 20:1-23. Maybe the light will come on for you. Aha!

SHAPE

2005-03-12T21:30:00.000-08:00

Your Spiritual Gifts + Heart (What you're passionate about) + Abilities + Personality + Experiences are your SHAPE. God has SHAPED you to serve others! Here are some links that you can use to help you know your shape a little better....

http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi - Spiritual Gifts Test

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm - Personality Test

http://haleonline.com/psychtest/ - Personality Test

PEACE!

2005-01-31T17:29:00.000-08:00

PEACE!

Reformat

2005-01-31T17:12:00.000-08:00

My brother gave me a new computer. He hooked me up on a network to my old computer so I can take my time and copy over the stuff that truly matters and that I use. I will make better choices when I download something and install it on the new computer.... All the stuff I've loaded on my old computer has either placed spyware on my hard drive, was not the program it promised, or just slowed my computer down.

Thank goodness that I didn't have to reformat my old hard drive and start completely from scratch...

but...

How great to let God reformat our heart, our mind... to start fresh and make better decisions and put the stuff inside that only truly matters.

PEACE!

Other side of the cross

2005-01-23T17:01:00.000-08:00

Old Testament
Judges 4:6-9 (NLT) - One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. She said to him, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: Assemble ten thousand warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor. I will lure Sisera, commander of Jabin's army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him." Barak told her, "I will go, but only if you go with me!" "Very well," she replied, "I will go with you. But since you have made this choice, you will receive no honor. For the LORD's victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.

Jesus and the Cross....

New Testament
Hebrews 11:32 - Well, how much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.

On the other side of the cross, the unhonored can receive honor. Everything changes for the better. There is newness of life.

The Father's S ong

2005-01-09T16:44:00.000-08:00

The Father's Song

Matt Redman

I have heard so many songs
Listened to a thousand tongues
But there is one
That sounds above them all

The Father’s song
The Father’s love
You sung it over me and for eternity
It’s written on my heart

CHORUS:
Heaven’s perfect melody
The Creator’s symphony
You are singing over me
The Father’s song
Heaven’s perfect mystery
The king of love has sent for me
And now you’re singing over me
The Father’s song

This is an AWESOME song....

I love the idea that God could gather all the angels in Heaven and sing a love song over me....it would be a perfect song. And, can you really imagine the "King of Love" sending for you? What an awesome picture that is.

PEACE

Cool Resource to Check Out

2005-01-06T19:44:00.000-08:00

http://www.everystudent.com/

Peace

No Hold

2005-01-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

"That nothing holds us like the hand of God."

The New Living Translation
Revelation 3:11 - Look, I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.

2 Timothy 1:13 - Hold on to the pattern of right teaching you learned from me. And remember to live in the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.

Ezekiel 3:14 - The Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I went in bitterness and turmoil, but the LORD's hold on me was strong.

The Message Bible
Deuteronomy 13:4 - You are to follow only GOD, your God, hold him in deep reverence, keep his commandments, listen obediently to what he says, serve him--hold on to him for dear life!

Psalm 63:8 - I hold on to you for dear life, and you hold me steady as a post.

Psalm 91:14 - "If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says GOD, "I'll get you out of any trouble. I'll give you the best of care if you'll only get to know and trust me.

Luke 8:15 - "But the seed in the good earth--these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there's a harvest.

New Year

2004-12-31T17:03:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

I wonder how many things will be started in the next couple of days...things that will be started, but never finished.... We've all been there!

What should we be starting????? "Think on these things..." "...whatever is honorable, etc.."

Could this be a banner year to serve God? Could be? Maybe not?

If there is one thing that I would want for my church, and for myself this year...is that this year will be a year of prayer, a year in which nothing else would hold my attention like the presence of God, a year that nothing else would guide me like the Holy Spirit, a year that nothing would have the hold on me like the hand of God.

Peace

Some Internet Resources to Check out

2004-11-27T17:10:00.000-08:00

Bible Scripture Lookup - http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible
The Blue Bible Online (for serious study) - http://www.blueletterbible.org/
North Point Community Church – Young Believers Internet Video - http://www.webcastingtechnologies.com/722/
Online Sermons of Jim Cymbala - http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/viewcat.php?cid=35
Online Sermons of Keith Green - http://sermons.christiansunite.com/Keith_Green.shtml
Online Videocast – Wayne Cordero’s church - http://www.enewhope.org/

Election

2004-10-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

In the big picture....does this election really matter? I mean, God isn't Republican or Democrat! If we were living in another country that didn't have democratic elections.....God would still be God. I'm grateful that we live in this free land and everything.....however, I bet it makes it easier to go without God because we don't have to have faith for anything...we have everything we need....or do we?

Peace!

Colossians 3

2004-08-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

Colossians 3 is so cool.....

So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. 2 Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ--that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. 3 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life--even though invisible to spectators--is with Christ in God. He is your life. 4 When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too--the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. 5 And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. 6 It's because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. 7 It wasn't long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. 8 But you know better now, so make sure it's all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk. 9 Don't lie to one another. You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. 10 Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. 11 Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ. 12 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. 13 Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. 14 And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. 15 Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. 16 Let the Word of Christ--the Message--have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! 17 Let every detail in your lives--words, actions, whatever--be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.[JC] 18 Wives, understand and support your husbands by submitting to them in ways that honor the Master. 19 Husbands, go all out in love for your wives. Don't take advantage of them. 20 Children, do what your parents tell you. This delights the Master no end. 21 Parents, don't come down too hard on your children or you'll crush their spirits. 22 Servants, do what you're told by your earthly masters. And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. 23 Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, 24 confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ. 25 The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being Christian doesn't cover up bad work.

Bringing Up Boys

2004-08-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

We have a date for the "Bringing Up Boys" video seminar that we will be presenting. The classes will be held on Thursdays @ 7p.m. They should last about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. The first class will be held on Sept. 9. It's the Thursday after Labor Day! The class is FREE!!!!!! All you have to pay for is the workbook. The workbook costs around $9.00 at most Christian bookstores.

If you are interested, or know someone who would be interested, drop me a line!

Pay it forward...

2004-08-11T05:55:00.000-07:00

I never saw that movie...(with the "I see dead people" kid) pay it forward. But I think it would be a great idea. I hate it when people are not nice when it doesn't cost them hardlly anything.

Peace!

Traitor...

2004-08-05T07:05:00.000-07:00

I visited another church last night. I guess you can do that if you have a small church! Because of a new video seminar we are starting in September, I cancelled Wed. night small group for the month of August. I'm sure a lot of people wouldn't agree with something like that...

Anyway, I have a couple of observations in visiting this "big" church...

1. Even big churches have trouble getting people there on Wed. nights.
2. There is a wide range of musical tastes in regards to church music...(we must remember that).
3. I think it is very cool....when other churches pray for their bro's and sis's in other churches.
4. There are loons in every church....hehehe ;-) (accept in ours, of course).
5. It's good to see people really praying and seeking God.
6. I really like and I'm very comfortable in home church.

Peace!

My power, His power

2004-08-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

Matt Redman, in his book, The Unquenchable Worshipper, quotes Oswald Chambers, "Complete weakness and dependence will always be the occasion for the Spirit of God to manifest His power."

Holy Spirit...please manifest Your power!

Peace!

We shouldn't say...

2004-08-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

..."God knows my heart." Instead, we should be asking, "Do I know God's heart?"

Peace!

Family Day

2004-08-01T21:50:00.000-07:00

The first Sunday of the month is Family Day at our church. We usually celebrate the Lord's Supper and everyone brings some food to eat after service. Like usual, I pigged out! So many desserts, so many calories! hehehe ;-)

Went over the 3 p's of our church...
1. Pursue Growht
2. Provide a Hand
3. Plant a Church

See the website for more....

Peace!

Spiritual Agitation

2004-07-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

I think God lets us get spiritually agitated every once in a while. I think it serves to help us not get comfortable with our relationship with Him. The problem is....is that it can cause someone to turn away from God as well. When you feel spirituall agitated, you realize that something is bothering you. If you don't have a good focus on God and the leading of the Spirit...you could look to something else to try and fix what is bothering you.....

I don't know...I'm rambling. I went to the Christian bookstore today. I've been in a bad mood recently.... stress and everything. I wanted to kill some time so I walked around and looked for a new book to dive into.

I found some that I would have normally bought. "Jesus as life coach" seemed kind of interesting. I'm usually drawn to those leadership type books. I also picked up the "Wild at Heart" journal. I just got Christianity Today and read the article on John Eldredge. I thought maybe I needed to do some more manly things...like go buy a gun! hehe.... When I picked up the journal, I read something about dealing with your past issues. The problem is, is that I don't feel I have any unresloved past issues with my dad or mom or childhood or whatever. I'm sure if I dug deep enough I could come up with something....like..... Oh yeah, I'm hurt that dad sold his 69 Jag before I was of driving age. I never got to drive it...or at least legally! ;-)

Whatever on the journal.... Maybe I'll do it some other time. I just felt really restless. Email me if you know what I mean! I finally just bought two cd's. The new Matt Redman cd and Darrell Evans - Consuming Fire.

I'm going to listen to my new cd's. Peace!

Home Church

2004-07-08T06:54:00.000-07:00

Well, last night for our Wed. night meeting, we included the kids. Always in the past, we have had them in the back while someone watched them. However, I don't recall reading in the Bible where Jesus had a seprate meeting for kids. It was kind of chaotic, and I'm sure some were uncomfortable....But we read Luke 19 and prayed for those who had prayer needs. Next Wed. we will have some food and little distractions for the kids... I know it wil take some time for them to get used to it, but I think it would be really great if they participate.

Summer

2004-07-06T15:31:00.000-07:00

Why is it that when Summer comes around...people seem to wig out in regards to spirituality? If you talk to people who have been in ministry for a while, they'll tell you that you never start a new ministry in the Summer.

I realize that people go on vacation and stuff, but shouldn't that only be one or two weekends out of the whole Summer?

Thank God He never takes vacations!

My first entry

2004-07-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

This is my first entry. It is a test entry.