Sunday, June 22, 2014

Grace Church - Jun 22, 2014 - Navigate the Victory

Grace Church, Tulsa OK
Pastor Al Poncel

Three Boat trips in the Bible.  

When we are doing what God wants us to do it is not always easy.  

The Great Storm - Sea of Galilee
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Matthew 8:23-27 (ESV)
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23. And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.

24. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.

25. And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing."

26. And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

27. And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?" 

Storms in out lives arise suddenly.

Mark 4:
 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.  
 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
 39And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 

Rebuked can mean to talk strong to or it can mean to take the situation with respect.  



Walking on the Water - Sea of Galilee
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Matthew 14:22-23 (ESV)
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Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.
And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,

Fear gives you spiritual forgetting of what God has done for you.  Peter doubted it was Jesus but Jesus told Peter to come to Him.  Peter got out of the boat and started walking to Jesus.  When God tells you to step put of the boat, do it, it is up to Him to make it work, not you.  

Cast your Nets - Sea of Galilee
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Luke 5:1-10 (ESV)
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On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,
and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."
And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets."
And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."
For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken,
and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men."

Peter knew how to fish but Jesus asked him to do something that was contrary to what was he believed.  And it happened that there was so much he had to call others.  

God wants you to go out to the deep area, and trust Him.  



  • Believe

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Romans 10:9-10 (ESV)
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because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
John 1:12
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John 1:12 (ESV)
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But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
Mark 11:24
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Mark 11:24 (ESV)
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Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have receivedit, and it will be yours.


Believe is an action word.  Put your faith in action when you believe.  God has one law that overrides all others, the Law of faith. 


  • Why do we OBEY in the first place? 5X reasons
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1. It's our duty.  God asked for, expects it.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

2.   We obey for our good.  

God has told some to do things and they do not.  

FAITH.
Deuteronomy 11:26-28 MKJV  26  Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse:  27  A blessing if you obey the commandments of Jehovah your God which I command you today,  28  and a curse if you will not obey the commandments of Jehovah your God, but will turn aside out of the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.

3. We Obey because of FUTURE blessings. HOPE
Ephesians 6:8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

4. We obey because we WANT to. LOVE
I John 5:3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,

5. We obey to bring GOD GLORY., our VICTORY
I Peter 2:12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Philippians 1:27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of.


  • ABIDE
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ABIDE
John 15:7 MKJV  If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you.

Practical Steps to ABIDE
1. READ
2. REPEAT
3. REMEMBER
4. RETREAT – Period of Saturated reading of Bible.
5. WRITE – Journal, write down God's words to you.



  • TRUST
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• Psalm 37:3-4
• Psalm 44:6-8
Trust takes Believe and places it into your Heart.




Believe God, Obey God, Abide in God and Trust God


===============
BELIEVE God, He BELIEVES in you.
1 Timothy 1:12 MKJV  And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who strengthened me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry--

OBEY God, He has GREAT Plans you.
Jeremiah 29:11 MKJV  For I know the purposes which I am purposing for you, says Jehovah; purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

ABIDE in God, He DIRECTS your steps.
Psalms 32:8 GW  The LORD says, "I will instruct you. I will teach you the way that you should go. I will advise you as my eyes watch over you.

TRUST God, He GIVES you rest.
Matthew 11:28 MKJV  Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.


Wednesday, June 18, 2014

SOUL CARE Tough Love Week 2

Grace Church
Chuck McConkey
June 18, 2014

One of the first things that we do when we have a prodigal is want to see where things went wrong, especially in ourselves.


  1. You failed
  2. You are failing now
  3. You will fail in the future
  4. You have many failures in the past.  
Truth is, we all do, we are not perfect parents.  We are armatures and learn as we go along.  And what works for one will not always work for another child.  


Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6 (AMP)
Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Notice it says they "way he should go". Each child is different. 

Because we feel like we fail, we isolate ourselves and hide what is happening with our families.  

When it comes to doing something for your child, can you ever do enough, or is what you do enough.  Difficult children can be tough to raise.  You need to ask God how to help to discipline them rather than just do it on our own.  Children will tell you how you messed up raising them. Go to God and see what is the truth. 

Ezekiel 18
1 The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying, 
2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? 
3 As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.  
4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

If you do not take credit for for the good things that your children do, why would you take credit for their failures.  They are responsible for their choices to God, just like you are.  

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Grace Church - Fathers' Day 2014 - Eating Bacon to the Glory of God

Grace Church, Tulsa, OK
Pastor Robb Yandian


Serving God is Manly
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Acts 10:1-2 (ESV)
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At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort,
a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.

Devout = held God in high reverence.  He feared God with his household.  It was not a healthy respect  like we try to teach these days.  



Prayer is Manly
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Acts 10:3-8 (ESV)
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About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, "Cornelius."
And he stared at him in terror and said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.
And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter.
He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea."
When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him,
and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. 

It is manly to admit you are weak and you need God. You do not have it perfect. A great strength as a man is leading his house, turning to turn God to show that you are not perfect.  


Eating Meat is Godly
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Acts 10:9-16 (ESV)
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The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.
And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance
and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth.
In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air.
And there came a voice to him: "Rise, Peter; kill and eat."
But Peter said, "By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean."
And the voice came to him again a second time, "What God has made clean, do not call common."
This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.





Spreading the Gospel is Manly
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Acts 10:17-33 (ESV)
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Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood at the gate
and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there.
And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are looking for you.
Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them."
And Peter went down to the men and said, "I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?"
And they said, "Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say."
So he invited them in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.
And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am a man."
And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered.
And he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.
So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me."
And Cornelius said, "Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing
and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.
Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.'
So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord." 


Peter's vision was not about the meat, but the people.  Obeying God is manly.  


Talking About Jesus is Manly
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Acts 10:34-48 (ESV)
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So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,
but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all),
you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed:
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree,
but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear,
not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.
To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles
While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.
And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.
For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared,
"Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"
And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.


Witnessing is easy, open your mouth.  You have fears, sure.  But God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.  He talked about Jesus and what happened, the Holy Spirit fell.  

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

SOUL CARE Tough Love Week 1

Grace Church
Chuck McConkey
June 11, 2014

First we define what a prodigal is.  The story can be found in Luke 15.  This is an example of what we will call tough love.

When you have a prodigal what happens


  1. Shock and disbelief, 
  2. Negotiation.
  3. You want to fix it.  
Tough Love - simply refusing to enable your child to practice dangerous or harmful behavior. 

There is nothing shameful in doing this to your child. It is shameful to allow the behavior to continue. 

Tough love is not being mean to them. Adolph Hitler had this kind of tough love.  It is more making sure that they are responsible for their own actions.   

Just as God gives us free will we have to give our children a chance to make a mistake and live with the consequences.  

What is our job in raising a prodigal? If you let them come back into your life you must set up boundaries for what is to happen in their relationship to you and the household.  If this is not done, then they will wind up controlling your life. 

Rainbows - Noah saw one after the flood after the problems. 
Ezekiel saw one when he was in the middle of the battle.  
John saw one in revelation as he was preparing to go into problems
Each was a sign that God was going through the problems with us. 
Let's take the rainbow back as a promise from God. 

When we go through this we are going through a crisis.  

Learn to deal with the loss.  Put a marker in your life, realize life will not be what you want it to be and you have to give up the dream that you had. Deal with it and learn to move on.  

Learn how to express your feelings.  

Find good friends to help you through the situation.  

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Climbing Compainions Pt 3

Blessed

Picking up from verse 7.


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Matthew 5:1-12 (ESV)
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1. Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. The Beatitudes
2. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Could look at this as to get mercy we need to give mercy.  That is not how to take it,  God desires us to have mercy not sacrifice (rule following). Those who obsess about rule following do not have mercy.  People are so focused on the little issues that they do not see the big issue that faces them.
8. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

God is clearly interested in what is inside us, in our heart, not the outward appearance.  People are like junk drawers where you throw stuff in so that the house can look good when company comes.  God wants us to have a clean spiritual junk drawer.  Seeing God means being able to be in His presence.  Christianity is about preaching Jesus so people can receive salvation so that they can not get to the state of being pure in heart.
9. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  

2 Cor says how we have been given a ministry of reconciliation.  We are peacemaking when we are doing this.  Bringing people into reconciliation with God.
10. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Our righteousness is persecuted because it is in conflict with what the world says.
11. "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Salt and Light




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Matthew 5:1-12 (MSG)
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When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.
"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.
"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.
"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.
"Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble. Salt and Light
"Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble. Salt and Light