Tag Archives: Tabernacle of Praise

Going to Take a Break

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As you all can see by the increasing lag time in between my posts, I’ve been getting a little too busy to keep up with this blog within the last month. One of the many hats that I wear at our church is that of an IT professional. We run a network here that allows our ministry leaders to share files and work in our offices on their ministry projects. Recently, the server decided to retire. Which is just as well; it’s ten years old! It served us well–pun intended. And so, this means that I am up to my elbows in getting our new server online! I have been at it all week and I don’t know when I will be able to come up for air. Until I can get all of our ministries online, I am going to take an official blogging break. Too many depend on this network to let it go for long.

With that said, I appreciate your patience with me. I plan to be back within two weeks. Until then, be blessed!

City Wide Prayer Meeting this Friday

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Extra! Extra! Read all about it! 24 Hr. City Wide Prayer Meeting to be held at the Crestline House of Prayer starting at 9 am on Friday July 10 and ending at 9 am on Saturday July 11. You are officially invited to come and join us! If you have any questions, get ahold of me or Jody Varga.

I’m so excited about this coming prayer event. This is the first time that I have been involved in organizing a prayer event involving multiple congregations and organizations. We at Tabernacle of Praise believe that everything that God wants to do in this communigyt and through our church begins with prayer. Almost all of the promises of the Lord for blessings and favor are hinged on whether or not we pray. Check out this verse:

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”   2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

It’s not just enought that we humble ourselves and acknowledge that we need God; we must actively seek His attention and present our requests to Him! It is imperative that we do this as a community.

The Crestline House of Prayer is located above the Parr Insurance company at 224 N. Seltzer St. in Crestline.

This event is being sponsored by Tabernacle of Praise, Peacemakers International and the Crestline Ministerial Alliance in an effort to unite the Church of God within the Crestline area in prayer to confront the issues that our churches, families and economy are facing today. We will be praying around the clock with the door open, so please come when you can and join your prayers with ours!

The Wealth of God

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Throughout the Scriptures we see time and time again God seeking to demonstrate His ability to provide for the needs and dreams of His people. He wants us to know just how rich He is and how we can access His wealth. I believe that I am beginning to realize where His treasury is located. That’s right, folks. I have located the coffers of the Almighty!

Are you ready for it? I am going to disclose a secret to you that could change your life. I am going to tell where all the hordes of God’s wealth are situated. Here we go..

They

are

safely

with

His

Bride. The Church.

And just remember that you heard it here first! Well, actually you heard it somewhere else first.

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.           Ephesians 1:18, 19 (KJV)

Can you believe that Paul prayed that we would be enlightened to know the riches of God’s inheritance in the saints? Honestly, I don’t think it takes a genius to realize this, but it seems that we defy common sense at times. If you stop to think about it, where is the money of most men located? With their wives! At least that’s where it is unlocked for spending. If that woman wants something, she’s going to get it. If you are good to a man’s woman, he’ll be good to you. She has his heart and with it, his wallet.

Not only does the Bride of Christ have the glorious riches of the Lord Himself, they are the riches. I see this in my work at Tabernacle of Praise daily. The good people here provide us with the resources necessary to reach this community with the message of hope. Without them nothing happens. With them anything is possible.

Ah, yes. I know where the wealth is at, and I’m treating her right.

How have you experienced the riches of Christ through the Church? How have you been a blessing to others?

Fiscal Prophecy?

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If the Church could be described in one sentence, the adjective prophetic has to be a part of it. Revelation 19:10 tells us that “…the testimony of Christ is the spirit of prophecy.” Everything that we do should be prophetic, for everything that we do is a testimony of Christ. Our behavior should be so radically, fundamentally different that others see it and know that Christ is alive and present with us.

When our actions are properly testifying of the power of Jesus to change our lifestyles, decision and ultimately, destinies, then in essentially the spirit of prophecy is in operation through us. This is why we work so hard to bring our behavior and decisions into agreement with God’s Word. If we let it all go and do what is easy or natural to us, then we have no testimony and no spirit of prophecy. Thus, we have ceased to be the Church.

For the sake of clarity, let’s define the word prophecy. Biblically, prophecy is both FORETELLING and FORTHTELLING. For example, when the prophets of the Old Testament gave oracles about the coming of a Messiah, they were foretelling future events. When these same prophets were telling the people of Israel and the nations of the world what the Lord was saying, they were forthtelling. The difference is in the dates. Foretelling is concerned with future events, which may or may not depend on the actions of the people to whom it was given. Forthtelling is concerned solely with the present decisions of those to whom it is given. Both are prophecy. Both must be in the Church.

This principle extends into every part of Church life, and in this post, I wish to talk about finances. Today, I have been working on completing numerous action items that were given to me in our Budget Committee Meeting last Monday. Naturally, my thoughts are in the realm of money. I began to realize as I worked on our budget issues here at TOP that we are prophesying through the very act of creating a budget. We are being prophetic with our finances!

We, as a church, are looking at the money God has given us and foretelling and forthtelling what it is going to do. We are, as Dave Ramsey says, naming every dollar. Instead of letting circumstances and whimsical desire dictacte the use of God’s money, we are ordaining the purpose of the cash even before it comes into our hands. Whether you are Calvinist or Armenian, we hope that you are not offended that every dollar at Tabernacle of Praise is predestined. Well, to the best of our ability anyway.

Prophesying to God’s money (It really is His, you know.) will give us a good testimony. We will be a witness to the world of the wondrous works that Christ can bring into our lives. Debts will be paid. Savings will be built. Ministries will get the money they need. New facilities will be erected. This will all be a message to all of the favor of God upon us. To Him be the glory!

Do you create and live on budgets? Why or why not?