To Be Like Him

We all have goals and dreams, or at least we should--goals for education, relationships, careers, finances, kids—and the list goes on. There are things we want to accomplish for God in fulfilling His plan for us. Some goals seem within reach or attainable, but others seem impossible to achieve or so far off in the future we tend to lose sight of them. Many times we get so caught up in the daily routine of living that we forget we are here for a purpose. When rubber meets the road, there is but one thing that should constantly be on our hearts and minds. If we had to narrow life’s “to do” list down to one aim or goal it should be this; TO BE LIKE HIM. What does that mean in real life? Well, Philippians 2:5 says we “must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” Verse 8 says Jesus humbled Himself in obedience to God. So, in all of our doing, we should ask ourselves if we are doing it in obedience to God, or are we just going through the motions and making our own plans? Jesus’ goal was pretty clear: to do the will of His Father. In order to achieve that, He had to take on the form of a servant. His life’s goal was to please the Father. If we’re going to be like Jesus, it must be ours as well. How did He demonstrate this? He did it in one simple and profound way. Jesus loved. That’s who He was and what He was all about. That was God’s plan and will for Him. Everything He said and did was motivated by it and bathed in it. Jesus was not focused on Himself, but on the needs of others. Jesus was powerful in His life and ministry on earth because of love. Seem like a tall order? Yes, it can. But the good news is there’s hope for all of us! Philippians 2 goes on to say in verse 13 that “God is working in you, giving you the desire and power to do what pleases Him.” We can hold on to that word! So, when we fall short and miss it, we can repent and then get right back on track, thanking God for the word He gave us saying HE is at work in us. So, let’s keep that before us. Our aim is to be like Jesus; our desire is to do what pleases our Father in every area of our lives. Because HE first loved and found us, we are empowered to reach out with the very same love. Jesus didn't have personal contact with or touch every human being on the planet, but I'm confident that as He constantly pursued pleasing God, He impacted everyone He was supposed to. We can do the same. We can't do it all, but we can do what He needs us to do; touch those that only we can touch. We can be like Jesus!

God's Kingdom Is..

Matt 4:17 NIV, From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

I am excited about launching a new series titled “God’s Kingdom is…” The moment we call on Jesus to be our Lord we are placed in a new kingdom. Many of us have heard about living in God’s kingdom but we are not experiencing the benefits of being a part of it. Living in God’s kingdom requires a new way of thinking because His kingdom operates on different laws. What works in this natural, earthly kingdom will not work in God’s kingdom.

Consider this, if Jesus is your king and you are in His kingdom, every need in your life would be supplied and you should know NO lack because He is watching over you. Religion has offered a substitute for kingdom living. Religion will do nothing except hinder humanity from God’s plan. Jesus never called us to a religion but to His kingdom on this earth. His kingdom should dominate the world’s system. Religion will prepare man to leave Earth but kingdom living will prepare you to live on this earth successfully.

This series will be all about how to live as a believer on this earth. As we make a few adjustments in our walk with God, get ready to experience kingdom living at a different level in 2011.

Stress Free Living

It’s the time of year again that we’ve launched into the Christmas season full steam ahead. For children, thoughts are on candy, presents, and being out of school for a few weeks. For some parents and adults, it can be a time that adds more stress to an already busy and full life. How will you manage all the extra parties? How will you pay for the gifts?

Is it possible that part of our problem around the holidays is that we are trying to cram a year’s worth of love, celebrating, remembering, etc., into a mere month? God has called us not just to celebrate the life of Jesus, be generous, or spend time with family and friends for one month in December. Rather, he wants us to celebrate Jesus and be kind, the other eleven months of the year, as well.

It is possible to have a stress free Christmas season if we will remember what our highest priority should be. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. A stress free Christmas will require us to come to HIM each day.

My purpose in writing this is to encourage you to schedule God time at the start of every day. It will be well worth the investment of your time. Something else that can keep us on track this time of year is to have a thankful heart. Let’s stay focused on what we do have rather than on what we don’t. Also, try to reach out to a friend or family member and let them know how much you value them.

Have a God-filled, stress free holiday season!

Building for Generations

When we stop to consider all that has happened in the short existence of ECBC, we just have to take a moment and give thanks to Jesus! I am also thankful for the family of ECBC for the way you have brought this vision to pass. A few Sundays ago I had the privilege of announcing "Building for Generations". This is the next step that the Holy Spirit has directed ECBC to take to make room for more of our community in our church. Since 2007, 1681 people have given their hearts to the Lord in our services! This is something to celebrate. That number has left me nearly speechless. Yet, there is more to do, more people to reach, and more to accomplish for the Lord.

God is positioning ECBC for legacy. We are not a single generational church. If Jesus does not come back in our lifetime, I want your kids and my kids to take off from where we left off. How do we pass off vision to this next generation? WE MODEL IT! We become what we want them to be. ECBC is in position to shape Orlando and to impact families.

Building for Generations is not about buildings but about reaching more people. Our rock solid commitment to reach people will never change. No church ever succeeds unless a lot of people want it to. This vision will not happen by accident, but by all of us coming together around a single purpose. Can you see it now? I am not talking about the new campus but can you see the lives, being changed by the love of God?

Heb 6:10 (AMP) "God is not unrighteous to forget or overlook your labor and the love which you have shown for His name's sake in ministering to the needs of the saints, as you do".

Independence Day

We, as Americans, are getting ready to celebrate our nation’s birthday soon. What a great land we live in! It is great because it was founded by Godly men and upon Godly principles. This July 4th at ECBC, we are going to have a huge celebration called Enduring Freedom. We will take a look back and celebrate the heritage of our country. But, just looking back will not keep our nation on the path God has for her. I believe for America to continue to be strong, the local church must arise and make an impact.

Have you ever thought about what it takes for a church to impact society? It really just comes down to practical ministry or meeting the needs of people where they are and help in areas where they lack. The heart of ECBC is to make a profound difference in people’s lives, which will ultimately cause them to be drawn to God. Did you know the Bible says in Romans 2:4”…it is the goodness of God that leadeth thee to repentance.” When the church works to reach out and meet the needs of people in a tangible way, it establishes a platform to share the good news.

For the last several years, God has directed and allowed our church to meet the needs of families in our community through Operation Backpack. For $15/backpack we can show God’s love to families in a real and tangible way. By investing into these young ones, hope can be restored in the fact that someone cares for them.

I want to inspire, stir, and motivate you to get involved this year in Operation Backpack in every way possible. We need your help in purchasing backpacks, volunteering the day of the event, and in prayer. Plan on getting involved this year and let God use you to touch someone’s life and make an impact on our community!

Judge Him faithful!

At East Coast Believers Church we have declared 2010 to be the year of the American Harvest! Did you know that the American Harvest includes anyone that you know or care about who has not made a decision to serve the Lord? I spent six weeks ministering on this subject leading up to Easter Sunday. I am happy to report that 51 people gave their hearts to Christ on Easter in our services. God is faithful! Also, we've had many reports flooding in of family and loved ones of ECBC members getting saved in the first quarter of this year.

Hebrews 11:11 says, "By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised." Did you notice that Sarah judged God faithful who had promised? Our part in standing for our family or for any promise of God is to judge Him faithful. Many Christians make the mistake of thinking that God is too busy taking care of the "big things" to be interested in dealing with the things that interest us. If it is important to you, it is important to God! We need to be like Sarah and judge Him faithful.

My encouragement to you today is to not become weary in what God has placed in your heart concerning those who you care about and love. He will move heaven and earth on your behalf if you will give Him the opportunity to. We give Him access to move in our situations by judging Him faithful. So no matter what problems you are facing right now, you can rest in His love for you. There is no problem that is too insignificant for Him to handle. He is not just God Almighty, He's your heavenly Father who loves you!

Yours to Count On,

Pastor Norm and Dina

Easter Changes Everything

I read a quote recently by the well respected Christian Author Philip Yancey about Easter. He said, "In many respects I find an un-resurrected Jesus easier to accept. Easter makes him dangerous. Because of Easter, I have to listen to his extravagant claims and can no longer pick and choose from his saying. Moreover, Easter means he must be loose out there somewhere."

Easter is by far the most important event on the Christian calendar. For Christians, our entire belief system rests on the fact that we have a living savior-- that Jesus actually died on the cross and after three days He rose again. You can’t have a living faith with a dead savior. Paul made this claim in I Cor. 15:14, "And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty."

Without the resurrection, our preaching is useless and all who have put their faith in Christ is lost. It could be said that if the resurrection is not true, what difference does it make if David slew Goliath; Daniel spent a night in the lion’s den or if Jesus walked on water or fed the multitudes. But, we know that Jesus not only arose from the grave that day but He is still alive today! We are walking in the benefits of His resurrection every day.

Our faith is not based on a set of morals or creeds but is based entirely on the resurrection of Jesus Christ! The fact is no one can ever take away that experience of resurrection in your life. There was a day when you accepted Jesus as your resurrection and at that moment He became alive to you and in you. You received resurrection life the day you became born again.

Many people know the story of Easter but have not experienced the life-changing power behind the story. I cannot think of a better time to invite someone to hear the story and experience the same power that raised Christ from the dead. My encouragement to you this year as we approach the Easter season is to ask God, "How can you use me to introduce someone to the real Easter story?" This is the year of the American Harvest and we are the generation of harvesters!