Youth Service in Owasso

Another Wonderful Easter at Owasso Pentecostal!

We are thanking God for another incredible Easter Weekend at Owasso Pentecostal Church! God has been so good to us yet again! Despite the dreadful weather on the outside, things were absolutely wonderful on the inside! Great church, great attendance and great response! We indeed serve a GREAT God!!

The 4 Cheeks!

The Boys!!

My Dear Mother and Father

When you have no trumpet, use a sax!

Excited Children and Young People!

The Servant - By Johnny King

THE SERVANT

I could never forget the shame I felt when I discovered it was Jesus who had washed my feet.

We were all arguing about who was the greatest among us, vigorously defending our right to the best positions in the coming kingdom. When someone came sliding along the floor to wash my feet I never gave it a second thought, assuming it was the household servant. It was Peter who realized it first, and drew our attention to Him in his usual emotional outburst. While we were all occupied with pride and arrogance, fussing and fighting about place and position, Jesus, the Master was on the floor washing our feet.

How could we have been so stupid and insensitive? He had just told us that He was about to be betrayed by one of us, that He would suffer and His blood would be shed. But instead of thinking of Him in His time of greatest need we thought only of ourselves and our own selfish desires.

When He was through and had sat back down at the table He told us that we should wash each other's feet. He said that He had given us an example so that we would do as He had done to us and that we would be happy if we did.

After He left and then I received His spirit, I wanted to be more like Him. I began to wash feet. Whenever I had the opportunity I would wash someone's feet. At first my friends made fun of me. They suspected my motives. But as I continued, most of them learned to accept me and many came to expect it. They took for granted that I would wash their feet. I did. Some people felt that I owed it to them. I felt that I owed it to Jesus.

It was not always easy to wash feet. I was accustomed to looking at people eye to eye, not eye to toe. It took quite an attitude adjustment. I had to overcome the bad feelings I felt when washing the feet of someone who did not appreciate what I was doing. Sometimes I would get a kind word but most often I would not. I had trouble with the feet of those who treated me like a servant until I accepted the fact that I was a servant. 

It became a way of life for me. My hands became soft and always seemed to be clean. It seemed to me that my heart stayed soft and clean also. I discovered that it's hard to argue on your knees. It's also more difficult to be proud.

I thought I had finally lost all my pride and was truly a servant and could sincerely wash anybody's feet. But then I came to some feet that were so dirty and so stained that I was repulsed. I'd washed dirty feet before, but these seemed virtually caked with rust. They looked as though they had walked around the world bare. The filth of centuries seemed to cling to them. These were obviously the feet of one much lower than I.

Pride that I didn't know I had rose up within me. Feelings that I thought were long dead let me know they were alive and well. I was shocked at my own reaction to these filthy feet. Old familiar feelings stirred in me and jogged my memory. I had a sense of déjà vu.

I was back in the old room, sitting at the table. I was vigorously defending my right to the best and highest position. I was arguing with the others about who was the greatest. Then I discovered Jesus had washed my feet as I jostled for position.

All my shame came flooding back. Red faced and teary eyed I knelt and touched the dirty feet. Remembering that Jesus, my master had washed my feet while I was consumed with pride and arrogance, I began to scrape at the substance that was caked on these feet. Soon the water in the basin was stained a dirty, rusty brown. Slowly the true color of the feet began to emerge.

One stubborn spot would not come clean. I lifted the foot from the brackish water. I wiped the tears from my eyes with the back of my hand so I could better see. I rubbed the spot on the foot. I splashed water over it. Then, more gently I touched it. A scar ... 

I reached for the other foot, a matching scar. Gasping, I looked up - into the face of, Jesus! He was smiling. He said, "Well done good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many. Enter into the joy of your Lord." Luke 22:24-27 John 13:4-17 

The Reason for the Resurrection!

Romans 8:11, "But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you."


Please note the phrase, "The Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you" and the phrase "quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you."


On Christmas we tell the story of the birth of Jesus Christ.


On Easter we tell about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.


However we must note that Jesus did not come to earth for us to have a holiday we call Christmas. He came so that he could give His life for us! 


Matthew 21 says, "And she shall bring forth a son, and though shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins"


Jesus did not just raise to give us an Easter Holiday, he did not raise from the dead to prove that He was God for he already had power over death, hell and the grave.


Jesus raised himself from the dead so that WE could be victorious over death, hell and the grave!


In 1 Thes. 4:14, Paul writes, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him."


So often we focus on the bloody, gory side of the crucifixion, and there are times that we should. For yes, he was beaten, yes he was bloody, and yes, he did die, but thank God he rose again!


The most important part of the resurrection has not came to pass yet!


His death was important. His burial was important. His resurrection was important.


But.....


He died so that we could be saved!


He rose so that we could go to heaven!


The most important part of the resurrection has yet to happen, and that is the rapture or the catching away of the Church of Jesus Christ!


This is why we preach so boldly the Gospel (death, burial and resurrection of Jesus)!


This is why we preach so boldly OUR RESPONSE TO THE GOSPEL found in Acts 2:38. "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost"


We all need to repent. We all need to be baptized in Jesus Name.


We all also need to be filled with the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost.


"But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you."


God comes into you body and life to dwell.


The word "quicken" there means to restore life, to become alive!


There are many good people who have gone to church their whole life, maybe even attended every Easter service, have sang the wonderful Easter songs and perhaps even prayed, but the scripture tells us that we WILL NOT be carried away into heaven at the rapture, unless we have that same spirit inside of them!


This is the reason for the resurrection!


1 Peter 3:18 "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit"


Eph. 1:13-14 "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. Which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory."


Col. 1:27, ".......Christ in you, the hope of glory..."


Jesus the "Head" was raised, at the rapture, the "Bod of Jesus, the Church will be raised."


Thank God for the Resurrection!!

To My Dear Brother Anonymous

In the halls of greatness, you have now joined yourself with the likes of great, courageous and brave authors who boldly and without reservation signed their name to their writings and positions simply as a brave "Anonymous".


Great and noble men like Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, John Hancock and George Washington among others, all of whom, after boldly declaring their position, courageously signed their name, "Anonymous"!


It has been said, "Throw a stone into a pack of dogs, and generally the one who yelps the loudest, has been hit the hardest."


Whoever you are my dear friend and brother or sister, "Anonymous", I would love to and be more than happy, willing and honored to discuss the merits of the railing accusations you have made and of which you so boldly write. If you desire to visit and discuss this properly, feel free to contact me via the method of your choosing and let me know. 


I have no doubt that you write from your heart with much sincerity and that you no doubt deeply love God as well as me. You simply write as one very mis-informed and sadly one who has judged a matter extremely un-Biblically.


God bless you my dear friend "Anonymous".


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Spiritual Pride

Gal 2:11-17 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?" We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners;  yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!

Pride is one of the most damaging and destructive components in life. Pride in any form and in anybody is a dangerous thing. The well known Proverb reminds us, “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Yet knowing this, so many, so easily fall prey to holding their heads high with this haughty spirit as thought they were especially created out of some form of preferable “dust of the earth”. One does not have to search far to find reasons to think more highly of himself “than he ought”. Whether it is being proud of riches, education, beauty or physical perfection, adornment, clothing or a name, pride in oneself for anything is more often than not, misappropriating the source whereby these things are rendered.

But this blog post is about something even more dangerous than just pride, I am speaking of the far reaching, extremely dangerous and highly contagious spirit and attitude of spiritual pride.

Spiritual pride is at first of course an extreme example of selfishness and self-righteousness, both of which are the opposite of the crucified life in Jesus Christ.

Spiritual pride has at its root the belief that one can make himself "holy" by his own "self-righteousness".

Spiritual pride manifests itself in many ways and in many attitudes.

Spiritual pride allows one to view himself as superior to this brother.

Spiritual pride allows one to view his OWN acts of righteousness as helping him obtain righteousness.

Spiritual pride says, “You don’t look like me, so therefore you’re not as good as me OR as spiritual as me”.

Spiritual pride looks down its nose at someone it perceives as being less “spiritual” than them and condemns and marks them for not “measuring up”.

Spiritual pride has been around for a LONG time.

Jesus dealt harshly with pride and its chief adherents, the Pharisees more than he did about any other subject. He was constantly rebuking his disciples for their constant seeking of hierarchy in the Kingdom and instead telling them to become a servant to be “great”.

Paul repetitively admonishes, exhorts and sometimes even resorts to outright rebuke to teach his converts to Christianity about the gross dangers of spiritual pride.

In some of his harshest writing, Paul rebukes the great Apostle Peter for allowing his Jewish heritage, and his Jewish brethren to draw him away and keep him from dining with Paul’s fledgling gentile congregants in Galatia.

Paul sternly reminds not only Peter, but the rest of his readers, that everything we have and everything we are comes only in our dying with Christ and our putting on of Christ. He reminds us that we CANNOT and yea are NEVER justified or “made holy” by ANYTHING we have done, but only through faith in the saving power of the blood of Jesus Christ.

To be continued…..

Thanks for reading today!

The Works of the Flesh are Made Manifest

In Galatians 5, Paul tells us that "the works of the flesh are manifest." In other words, the works of the flesh will become obvious over time. The works of the flesh are contrasted directly with the fruit of the Spirit. Just as the Spirit bears fruit, the flesh bears fruit—or, produces works. The apples of the apple tree are manifest. You know a tree is an apple tree because it bears apples. And amazingly, this sort of blatant manifestation is also true of orange trees. You know a tree by its fruit. Seems simple enough.

Just so, we can know what is of the flesh because it will produce the works of the flesh. And the works that the flesh will produce is a rather wicked collection of evil works. The flesh will produce adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, hatred, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, and so on and so forth. That is quite a list. No doubt.

But here is where it gets interesting. When we think of the flesh and its works, we immediately think of unrighteousness of every type. And we do so because of the aforementioned list of distastefuls. But Paul tells us that these works are the result of seeking righteousness in the flesh, not unrighteousness. In other words, when Paul warns the Galatian believers about the risk of producing adultery and fornication, he is pointing to their desire to be righteous in the flesh. Think about it. Paul is in full battle array against the Judaizers, a bunch of first-century Jewish-Christians that demanded circumcision and law-keeping of Paul's fledgling Gentile congregations. The Judaizers have almost persuaded the Galatians that they cannot attain righteousness before God apart from circumcision and law-keeping. Paul sees this as seeking righteousness "in the flesh." And Paul insists that this sort of self-righteousness will produce exactly the opposite of what the Judaizers promise. They promise love, joy and peace, but they will produce adultery and fornication.

Of course, the Judaizers were not trying to produce adultery and fornication. They were trying to produce holiness. Problem was, they were teaching the Galatians that they could not really be holy unless they were circumcised and kept the law. Both Paul and the Judaizers were working toward the same goal: both wanted the Gentiles to be holy. But Paul insists that true holiness cannot come from the flesh. It must come from the Spirit. He asks, "Having begun in the Spirit are you now made perfect in the flesh?" He understands by revelation what the Judaizers have missed: to seek righteousness in the flesh is to guarantee unrighteousness. When we set out to be holy in the flesh, we invariably end up with the very behavior we are trying to avoid. Seeking righteousness in the flesh will always produce the works of the flesh. That is a profound irony.

This goes all the way back to our original sin in the Garden. Satan did not tempt Adam and Eve to commit adultery (though that may have been difficult right at first, anyway). He tempted them to discern good from evil, to become like God, to seek God-likeness—or, godliness. Did we get that? The devil tempted Eve to godliness. However, their attempt at godliness produced ungodliness. Why? Because they sought godliness apart from God.

When Paul speaks of "the flesh" in Romans and elsewhere, he is speaking of the righteousness of the flesh, the attempt of the flesh to do right apart from faith in God. When we read references to "the flesh" in Paul's writings we automatically think of adultery, fornication and other forms of human mischief. But when Paul speaks of "the flesh," he is thinking of prayer, giving, worship, church attendance, and other forms of human mischief—at least, it becomes mischief when these good things are done in the flesh apart from the life of the Spirit. In other words, Paul understands that the attempt to serve the Lord in the power of human effort rather than by the power of the Holy Spirit is serving God "in the flesh," and it will always lead to the very ungodliness we are trying to avoid. 

The works of the flesh are manifest.

A very timely piece that was written sometime back, but I thought it needful to be posted here for further consideration, discussion and reflection. God help us to be filled and led by His Spirit!

Copied from Rev. Steve Pixler's blog that can be accessed from this site.

Happy Birthday to my DEAR and PRECIOUS WIFE!!

A VERY Happy Birthday to my dear wife Christie Cheek. She get's "Sweeter as the Days go By!"


She turns ___ ___ today! (You didn't really think I was going to post that did you!?)


I love and appreciate her more than words can say and am so glad she is a part of my world, she is the best "Helpmeet" a man could have!

Happy Birthday Baby!! I love you!!