Seize the Moment – Day 252
Walk in a Manner Worthy!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, November 24.
Are you walking in a manner worthy of the calling of Jesus Christ?
Paul says in Ephesians 4:1-3, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
The Koine Greek word translated “worthy” means “fitting or proper in corresponding to what should be expected—proper, properly, fitting, worthy of, correspond to.”
So, when Paul exhorts us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling, he is saying: ensure your life corresponds with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Do you live like someone who has been saved? When people see you, do they think of God’s grace—do they see Jesus?
Speaking of grace, a major emphasis of Paul’s writing is that we can’t do this on our own power, but under the authority, or power, of the Holy Spirit.
From Ephesians 4:1-3, Paul gives some criteria to know whether you are walking in a manner worthy of the new life we have been given by God’s grace through Jesus Christ:
- Humility
- Gentleness
- Patience
- Bearing with one another in love
- Eager to maintain unity of the Spirit
- Eager to maintain the bond of peace
Interestingly, there are some intersections between these criteria and Paul’s fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.
So, how are you doing in your walk? Does your life demonstrate Monday-Saturday what you proclaim when you gather as His Church on Sundays? This is our faith and our witness.
Seize the moment and walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
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Seize the Moment – Day 251
Praying Big Prayers!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, November 23.
Paul prays big prayers for the congregation in Ephesus in Ephesians 3:14-21:
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Through Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross of Calvary we are invited—commanded—to approach the throne of grace boldly, with confidence. We are to pray big prayers according to the revelation we have been given of our God.
I have heard many people say they don’t pray big prayers because they think God has more important things to take care. That kind of attitude shows our lack of understanding of God’s perfection and immensity, and that is why Paul prays for you to know how BIG God is—intimately and thoroughly. Paul prays for you to filled with all the fullness of God. These are big prayers; are you praying big prayers for your family, church, community, and world?
I’m praying big prayers for you and Jesus’ Church. Would you join me in prayer?
Seize the moment and pray God’s Word today. Pray the promises of God.
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
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Responding to Jesus by Giving Thanks – Week 4
A Table of Blessing
A Little History: The pilgrims did not have it easy on that first trip. They landed in November near Plymouth Rock and had no time to prepare for winter. They had to rely on whatever they could find by foraging and getting by on what they could find.
Governor Bradford proclaimed a time of celebration after their first harvest.
In Psalm 9, David writes,
I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
I will be filled with joy because of you.
I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.
I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will constantly speak his praises.
I will boast only in the Lord;
let all who are discouraged take heart.
Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
let us exalt his name together.I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
freeing me from all my fears.
Testimony: The Upchurch Family (5:36)
Psalm 66
Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!
Sing about the glory of his name!
Tell the world how glorious he is.
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
Your enemies cringe before your mighty power.
Everything on earth will worship you;
they will sing your praises,
shouting your name in glorious songs.”Come and see what our God has done,
what awesome miracles he performs for people!
Give Thanks for all those around us!
We do it all for Jesus!
I do nothing for the applause of man, but I do everything for the applause of his nail scarred hands.
We have been in this facility for almost 16 years. (31:34)
We began in a house in 1910 and now, for many of you, you are back in your house!
We have lost some of our saints this week. (34:00)
But we celebrate! We know where they are.
You can listen to the message here:
You can watch to the message HERE.
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Seize the Moment – Day 249
Hymn: “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come”
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High” (ESV)
The first thanksgiving was decreed by Governor Bradford in 1621 in honor of the pilgrims’ harvest. But it wasn’t until 1941 that Congress passed a bill proclaiming the fourth Thursday of each November as Thanksgiving Day. And this hymn has become a tradition of this holiday. So what is the history of this hymn?
Henry Alford was born in 1810, and was raised by his Anglican clergy father and grandfather to have a special love for God’s Word. He became a renowned biblical scholar, earning his degree from Cambridge. He was later assigned to be the vicar of a small parish and connected well with the people there because he had a knack for explaining things in a way the simple people could understand.
He wrote this hymn to celebrate the beautiful harvest festival in the English countryside. He wanted everyone to join in, recognizing the glory of God’s breathtaking creation and lovingly responding to a faithful God with praise!
Wake up and recognize all that God has done in your life! Why? Because a thankful heart is pleasing to God!
“Come, ye thankful people, come!Raise the song of harvest home.All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin;God our maker doth provide, for our wants to be supplied.”
YOUTUBE:
raise the song of harvest home;
all is safely gathered in,
ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide
for our wants to be supplied;
come to God’s own temple, come,
raise the song of harvest home.
fruit as praise to God we yield;
wheat and tares together sown
are to joy or sorrow grown;
first the blade and then the ear,
then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we
wholesome grain and pure may be.
and shall take the harvest home;
from the field shall in that day
all offenses purge away,
giving angels charge at last
in the fire the tares to cast;
but the fruitful ears to store
in the garner evermore.
bring thy final harvest home;
gather thou thy people in,
free from sorrow, free from sin,
there, forever purified,
in thy presence to abide;
come, with all thine angels, come,
raise the glorious harvest home.
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Seize the Moment – Day 248
The Gift of Hope!
Early this morning, as I was spending time with the Lord, in His Word and in prayer, I received the sad news that our beloved sister in the Lord, Gay, passed away. Please join me in praying for her family and friends as we all grieve this loss. Also, please join me in praying for the family and friends of our beloved sister Vee Ann who passed away last week. I will be conducting her service tomorrow morning. While we grieve our losses, let us surround these families with faith, hope, and love.
We all need faith, hope, and love in these dark days so let us turn to God’s Word for the living hope—Jesus Christ.
Listen to Ephesians 2:4-9, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
The only hope that will never disappoint us is our hope in God’s love to us through faith in Jesus Christ. “But God”, those two words in Scripture change everything. Never forget those two words, no matter how difficult your trials and tribulations, “but God”…
Death – but God
Disease – but God
Depression – but God
Disappointment – but God
COVID-19 – but God
Seize the moment and rest in the promises of God for your life and the lives of your loved ones. Whatever giant you may be facing today, “but God”… This is the gift of hope!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
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Seize the Moment – Day 247
Thankful to be Blessed!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, November 19.
I’ve noticed that more and more people are using the word “Blessed!” to describe themselves, their families, and their situations.
Listen to how Paul starts off his letter to the Ephesians in 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”
In the NIV, the first “blessed” is translated “Praise” as in “Praise be to the God and Father…” That should tell us something right away about this rich word.
It is true and right for a Christian to say they are blessed; for in Christ we have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. This is an amazing truth of God’s Word and one of the promises of God to us! Praise be to God who has done this and given this gift to us!
What does it mean to be blessed? It means that we are forgiven and adopted by the Father, redeemed through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and sealed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Please keep reading Ephesians 1:3-14 to learn more.
Jesus Christ has blessed us, brought us to God, by taking all the curses of God that we deserve for our sin onto Himself and has given us His relationship with God—His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). In Christ, God will never withhold any blessing from you because you rightfully and legally belong to Him as an adopted son with right of inheritance as one of His chosen people.
That is a Good Father. This is your heavenly blessing as a child of God!
Seize the moment and be thankful: you have been blessed to be a blessing!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
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Seize the Moment – Day 246
The Right Time for Right Relationships!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, November 18.
Have you ever had a hard time with relationships?
Paul exhorts us in Galatians 6:1-2, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
Let me highlight three simple principles to help us have right relationships:
- “ANYONE” means every person and “ANY TRANSGRESSION” means any and all offenses which you can think or imagine. We need to make a premeditated decision to forgive and grant grace to people.
- We are called to restore the person “in a spirit of gentleness.” Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23) which means if you feel like you can’t do this all the time every time, you are right! God invites you to submit to His Spirit and let Him love people through you! As Christians, we don’t represent ourselves or our self-interest; we represent Jesus and the Kingdom of God.
- Focus on being healthy. Right now, people are ¾ of the way to a meltdown and we are all feeling it. I truly believe many people are walking around looking like they have it all together, but at the moment, they have the emotional intelligence of a teenager. Paul says, “Keep watch on yourself, lest you be tempted.” We are called to be emotionally and spiritually intelligent enough to rise above the hot mess of our circumstances to be different; to not give ourselves over to the offenses and irresponsible behaviors of the people around us.
With all that is happening, right now is the right time to focus on right relationships!
Seize the moment and remain faithful to God and others.
Have a wonderful day!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
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Seize the Moment – Day 245
True Freedom!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, November 17.
What does the Bible say about our freedom?
Paul explains in Galatians 5:1, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
From what has Christ set us free? In one word: sin. Sin is rebellion against God and His revealed will for our lives. The Bible teaches us that we all have gone our own way and done what it is right in our own eyes and that prevents us from being members of His household (Romans 3:23). You see, sin separates us from God and from the true freedom He has for us.
Sin breaks relationships! That’s the bad news, but what is the good news?
But, when we confess our sin, and turn away from its control of our lives by surrendering to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we receive eternal life and are set free from sin; we are now forgiven to live a new way—“the new way of the Spirit” (Romans 7:6).
In a renewed relationship with God!
In Galatians 5:13-14, Paul says it this way, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Love! Love is the test of your freedom! The test of your freedom is how you walk in the Spirit which is most clearly made visible in how you think about and treat other people.
True freedom is the freedom to live and love in healthy relationships—first with God and then with others.
Seize the moment and walk in true freedom—Love God and love people!
Have a wonderful day!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
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Seize the Moment – Day 244
Live the Real Deal!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, November 16.
Do you know how bankers learn the difference between real money and counterfeit bills?
They study the real thing so that they know what is right and true.
In the same way, Paul calls us not to live according to the “elementary principles of the world”, but according to the Word of God. Listen to Galatians 4:3-7:
In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So, you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Listen to three contrasts between the counterfeit and the real:
Press into God so you can know the real from the counterfeit?
Seize the moment and live for the real deal—you are not a slave to fear, you are a child of God!
Have a wonderful day!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
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Responding to Jesus by Giving Thanks – Week 3
“The Perfect Prayer for All Circumstances!”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NAS95)
Let me just confess, up front, that I have been tested on this sermon… every step of the way this week. I am preaching this message to you as a fellow learner of the Way of Jesus. So much has been going on and frankly, not a lot of it has been praiseworthy. As we approach this teaching, I do so with humility towards its application, but with conviction of its truth!
Please pray with me…
I was taught that when you don’t know what to pray, then you say the most important two words you can say to God—“Thank You!” Thanksgiving is worship!
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Today, I am going to emphasize and try to make sense of “in everything give thanks” because Paul teaches us that “this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” As hard and nonsensical as this command sounds, Paul backs it up with a statement that cannot be denied… it is the will of God to give thanks in everything.
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification.”
There is that big statement again, “the will of God”… but this time, it is for our sanctification!
Let’s play the wonderful systematic theology game called “connect the dots”: our ability to give thanks in all circumstances is connected to our sanctification. Here is the interpretation that has a built in application: I cannot fulfill the will of God to give thanks in all circumstances apart from the consecrating work of God to make me holy unto His plans and purposes—my sanctification. The only way to pray the perfect prayer of thanksgiving in all circumstance—to cultivate the attitude of gratitude—is by being in union with Christ, yoked to His easy yoke and light burden, abiding in His vine, carrying my cross, built on the rock…
“But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.”
This is getting deep! How deep are you willing to dive into God’s Word? Our ability to give thanks always for all the people who are the beloved brethren of the church is not dependent on our abilities, but is connected to the reality that we, each one of us, are the chosen of God, who have been set apart/consecrated for this purpose by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
Thankfulness is a work of God’s Spirit that has been gifted to us and is being worked out in us through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit as walk by faith and not by sight.
Let’s follow the logic loop here and see the importance of this to our discipleship: God’s will for my life is that I pray without ceasing while always rejoicing and giving thanks to God in all circumstances. This is possible because God’s will for my life is my sanctification, which is God’s work to choose me and set my life apart, make me holy, consecrated for God’s plans and purposes, for His glory and my good. When I am able to sincerely pray the perfect prayer, it is because I am on the journey of sanctification! Therefore, the more I can honestly say “Thank you” to God in all my circumstances the more God is at work in me for His glory.
“Thank. You. Those two hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying points to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.”[1]
Your sanctified self, the best version of you to the glory of God, is always giving thanks and always rejoicing because the more we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), the more we will then trust that God is working all things together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28)!
“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.”
Do you know the big fancy word for being conformed to the image of His Son? Sanctification!
The ability to pray the perfect prayer is intimately connected to God’s perfecting work in our lives. It’s that simple. Our gratitude and ability to intimately express it to God is a shining light to God’s glory in us—the reality that we are in union with the One to whom we give thanks!
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
Does it sound impossible to give thanks in all circumstances? Does it sound impossible to pray the perfect prayer every time in every situation?
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”
Say “Thank You” to the One who can bring about His will in your life in every circumstance. Turn to Him each and every time. He invites us to complete surrender—absolute dependence.
That is what this is about—it is about a life-perspective that looks for the opportunity to be a part of God’s perfect and pleasing will in all things, but it requires an emptying of self, a forsaking of the paradigm—my will be done. You have heard me say: “every crisis is an opportunity.” That is truth, but it requires a sanctified mind to see that truth and believe it in the way we respond.
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
What does it mean that this presenting of yourself as a “living and holy sacrifice” is “your spiritual service of worship”? It is the ultimate commitment of praying the perfect prayer no matter what—it is faith in God and trust in His will; it is thanksgiving unto God for who He is, what He has done, is doing, and will do in every circumstance!
Your spiritual service of worship is to be sanctified to a place of continual praise to know and walk in what is God’s will, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. It is the life of believing God for His promises!
The perfect prayer of giving thanks in every circumstance is God’s will for your life because it will transform you through the renewal of your mind. It is circular logic and it requires to grace to enter into the flow. It is the river of life and its current will nourish you and lead you.
We cannot live lives of gratitude until we have surrendered ourselves to the One who has given us all things and in all things teaches us to give thanks. We can only bear the fruit of gratitude as we love Him and give ourselves to Him. And the more we love Him and give ourselves to Him the more we learn to trust Him, the more we thank Him, the more we love Him and give ourselves to Him.
It is a perpetual cycle of thanksgiving, which is our eternal destiny—our perfect union in glory—the life of complete worship, which truly, to be frank, is the life of absolute surrender! This is the only way to have rest for your soul—it is the life of the yokefellow who has learned to be completely submissive to the will of the Father—gentle and humble in heart—like Jesus, who lived by the power of the Spirit. It is the life that abides in the Vine and bears much fruit.
The perfect prayer… those two hallowed words… Thank. You. I can’t think of a time when it is not the perfect prayer even though I can think of plenty of times in my own life when it was not the prayer I prayed. May the Lord close the gap between my will and His will until there is not a circumstance in my life that thank you is not the first and last words on my lips.
You can listen to the message here:
You can watch to the message HERE.
Footnotes:
[1] I don’t expect many people to catch this, but I just want to point out that this is a modification of a memorized section of General Douglas MacArthur’s 1962 “Duty, Honor, Country” speech that all West Point cadets must memorize and recite so many times in their Academy years that it is tattooed to their brains. J
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