Inner Peace

There was a somewhat somber mood in our group this morning as a sister of one of the participants passed away Friday from a long illness.  As only God could orchestrate, the topic for discussion was "inner peace," of which our man openly stated he had none of that coming to the park this morning.

But, God spoke to his heart, and to all in attendance, with another look at our verse from the previous week...

Romans 15:13, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

I do not know of anyone who does not want PEACE.  Whether that is “world peace” or “inner peace,” all want PEACE.  God promises INNER PEACE for Christians who desire such.  In fact, it is another GIFT He wants to give us.

But, rest assured, it is not anything like “world peace.”  Listen to what Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, MY PEACE I GIVE UNTO YOU : NOT AS THE WORLD GIVETH (capital letters for emphasis), give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

So, let us focus on 5 things from these two verses:

1.      the God of hope is the one who can fill us with HIS PEACE, if we are “believing.”

2.      it is HIS power that provides His peace.

3.      He gives, not like the world.

4.      Let not our hearts be troubled (agitated, stirred up)

5.      Let not our hearts be afraid (timid, fearful to extent of backing off)

“World peace” is based on circumstances and human beings.  INNER PEACE is based on fellowship with God.  If we are not experiencing INNER PEACE, all must take a look at two things:

1.      am I a child of God?  Once that is settled, we must ask…

2.      what is wrong with my fellowship with God?

With a proper fellowship with God, HE can fill us with all joy and peace if we believe and trust Him.

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Christ in the Park ministry

a ministry of

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

(email) leemccm@gmail.com

(blog) christinthepark.blogspot.com 

(Facebook) Christ In The Park

P.O. Box 633244   Nacogdoches, TX 75963              936-559-5696

Hope

Sunday, 8-5, was a positive day at the Park ministry.  Thank You, Lord, for those who were present and participating.  And for showing us how You are making a difference in some lives.

The following is the handout for the day…about “Hope.”  It hit the mark with at least two of the people struggling with such…

Romans 15:13, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,

that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

True or False? – A person without HOPE in something or someone, is a person with not much to live for.   ___________

The word, hope, means to “have expectation, confidence, trust.”  It can be as much as a “confident expectation of good.”

Two things are important for us to know:

1.      HOPE comes from our believing

2.      HOPE is sustained by Holy Spirit  (His power)

·         1 Corinthians 13:7-8, love believes  &  hopes

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails.”

Whose LOVE is this love?

·         Proverbs 13:12

“Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life

Q – What or Who are you believing & hoping in ?

The fellowship was good as usual.  The fellowship always leads to “other” discussions that involve spiritual matters.  Amazing how quickly two hours goes by!

Thanks always for your prayers!

To receive each post to this blog, go to www.christinthepark.blogspot.com and register in top right corner.  Follow instructions to start getting an email of each post.  To look at ALL posts, look at LOG of posts on blogsite.

Christ in the Park ministry

a ministry of

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

(email) leemccm@gmail.com

(blog) christinthepark.blogspot.com 

(Facebook) Christ In The Park

P.O. Box 633244   Nacogdoches, TX 75963              936-559-5696

Rick and Abby West

Two great friends, Rick and Abby West, led out last Sunday, 7-22, while Barbara and I were with family at the beach.  They reported 9 in attendance, with discussion centering around these verses:

• 2 Peter 1:16
• 1 John 1:1
• 2 Peter 1:20-21

The Word of God is used of God to touch ready hearts!  It is beautiful to see those who do not miss a Sunday at the Park!

patience and comfort

“The gifts of patience and comfort”

Romans 15:5-6, “Now the God of patience and comfort grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God…”

These are great verses showing two gifts from God available to all Christians: patience and comfort.  And the Apostle Paul prayed this for the Believers at Rome (something we could pray for all Believers today).  It is important to note Paul prays that all would be “likeminded one toward another.”  The original Greek word translated to English is phroneo, that means not only ‘thought’ but also the ‘affections,’ and ‘action.’

And God tells us that being ‘likeminded’ (in thoughts, affections, and actions of patience and comfort), we glorify God.

‘Patience’ here is a word meaning to abide, or endure, no matter the circumstances.  It is associated with ‘hope.’  It is a quality in a Believer (a gift of the grace of God) that does not surrender or succumb under trial.  Believers can stick with other Believers no matter what happens.

‘Comfort” here is a word meaning an exhortation, admonition, or encouragement for the purpose of strengthening and establishing the Believer’s possession of redemption.  When God comforts one Believer through another Believer, He is doing so to help the one being comforted to KNOW that he truly IS a Christian, and to strengthen his faith.

Let us be Believers who are letting God grant patience and comfort (with the biblical meanings described here) to other Believers through us…’likeminded’ in thoughts, affections, and actions.

To receive each post to this blog, go to www.christinthepark.blogspot.com and register in top right corner.  Follow instructions to start getting an email of each post.  To look at ALL posts, look at LOG of posts on blogsite.

Christ in the Park ministry

a ministry of

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

(email) leemccm@gmail.com

(blog) christinthepark.blogspot.com 

(Facebook) Christ In The Park

P.O. Box 633244   Nacogdoches, TX 75963              936-559-5696

Bold and Confident Access to God

A powerful and beneficial discussion was held at Christ In The Park today.  Wow!  And all sorts of relevant questions opened the doors for further benefit to the participants.  Here is the content of the handout for the morning:

Bold & Confident Access to God

     Ephesians 3:11-12, “According to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him.”

     The Apostle Paul tells Believers that we can approach, have access, and speak to God because He has granted us that privilege.  Look at the following verses to see how that is further explained.

Hebrews 4:16, “Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Ephesians 2:18, “For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”

Hebrews 10:19, 22, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus…Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

     Wow!  What a wonderful gift from God…we can boldly and confidently march right up to His throne of grace and obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.  (It helps to know that “grace” is that which God will DO for us in our time of need).

TRUTH found its way to the surface, including a diagram and discussion about how easy it is for our enemy to move someone away from absolute truth, including such things as Believers’ access to God.  Well, amen!

To receive each post to this blog, go to www.christinthepark.blogspot.com and register in top right corner.  Follow instructions to start getting an email of each post.  To look at ALL posts, look at LOG of posts on blogsite.

Christ in the Park ministry

a ministry of

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

(email) leemccm@gmail.com

(blog) christinthepark.blogspot.com 

(Facebook) Christ In The Park

P.O. Box 633244   Nacogdoches, TX 75963              936-559-5696

God Created Me For His Good Works

Greetings from Christ In The Park!  This was the handout for discussion this morning.  We had a good question and input time, along with excellent fellowship.  Plus, one of the guys and I had a discussion about how he could earn some money…he is going to call me this week, and we will do some research on the idea, grab a bite for lunch, and have some fellowship mid-week!  Amen!

Enjoy what all rallied around in God’s Word this morning…

God Created Me For His Good Works

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

The New Man (new “me”) is a creation of God by the Spiritual Birth, not our physical birth.  We ARE His workmanship, His creation, His “making.”  And as a Christian (New Man) I am created for God to do “good works” (spiritual works) through my earthsuit.  God has ordained (prepared beforehand) us to live (walk) in those good spiritual works FOR HIS GLORY.

Psalm 100:3, “Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.”

Ephesians 4:24, “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

Titus 2:13-14, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

The Bible is clear that Christians are a New Man, a Spiritual Man.  Look at all the wonderful things God’s Word (the Bible, the Holy Scriptures) has to tell us about His creation…us.

·         we are the sheep of His pasture

·         we are created in righteousness and true holiness

·         He is our Savior.  He gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity

·         He has purified us unto Himself a peculiar people

·         He has made us zealous of good works (spiritual works)

WOW!  How wonderfully made we are IN CHRIST!  Hallelujah!

To receive each post to this blog, go to www.christinthepark.blogspot.com and register in top right corner.  Follow instructions to start getting an email of each post.  To look at ALL posts, look at LOG of posts on blogsite.

Christ in the Park ministry

a ministry of

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

(email) leemccm@gmail.com

(blog) christinthepark.blogspot.com 

(Facebook) Christ In The Park

P.O. Box 633244   Nacogdoches, TX 75963              936-559-5696

Christ is my righteousness!

CitP blog, 7-1-18, “Christ is my righteousness”

Today was a real blessing with “Christ In The Park.”  We had a good discussion about how Christ is our righteousness, and all that entails…or, at least a lot of what it entails!  And, we got into some good discussion about how God designed humanity, including delving into the makeup (actually, creation) of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, then the makeup (or, begatting) of Fallen Man (sinners) & the makeup (or, creation) of Regenerated Man (Saints).

Whew!  Lots of content…

But, here is what the handout for discussion this Sunday had to say:

I Corinthians 1:30, “Of God are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us righteousness”

WOW!  Nothing we ARE or DO is righteousness before God, BUT Christ Jesus is MADE unto us righteousness…not of anything we do, or of our doing…but OF GOD’s DOING.  We cannot get any more righteous than that!  Hallelujah!

This is a huge Truth that all Believers need to know, realize, accept, and appropriate (let it become real to us).  IF we do, this is Truth that MAKES US FREE from having to perform to please God.

God never intended for anyone to “perform” (do) anything to please Him.  God never intended Christians to “perform” (do) anything to please Him.  God only accepts what Christ DOES through Christians.

Churches have been teaching falsehoods for generations, and too many Christians are living in defeat because they think they are not pleasing to God.  God forbid!

Thanks, again, for everyone’s prayer support!  God is doing some amazing things among these folks who have no church (or, at least a “recognized” local gathering of the Body of Christ), but are a part of “The Church” (the real Body of Christ).  Well, amen!

To receive each post to this blog, go to www.christinthepark.blogspot.com and register in top right corner.  Follow instructions to start getting an email of each post.  To look at ALL posts, look at LOG of posts on blogsite.

Christ in the Park ministry

a ministry of

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

(email) leemccm@gmail.com

(blog) christinthepark.blogspot.com 

(Facebook) Christ In The Park

P.O. Box 633244   Nacogdoches, TX 75963              936-559-5696