Why I preach the message of repentance! When I, we, you, in fact everyone stands before Jesus Christ, the only thing that will matter is; DID I make the CHANGE of DIRECTION in my life when the Savior of mankind came calling and beckoned me to follow Him. The Savior who took all my sins to the Cross, forgave me of everything, and made me a new creation in HIM. That will matter most!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
His Word to me for 2011
Simplify, Position myself to hear His Word, and Raise the level of my expectation for the things of God.
These three things, the Lord has spoken to my heart to accomplish early in 2011. If I can, and if I DO what He has encouraged and challenged me to do, amazing advances will we see regarding the Kingdom, our Family, and our influence to others.
What are you doing that the Lord has spoken to you on? Whatever He says, do it...that's what Mary told the servants at the wedding at Cana. Whatever He (the Lord) says to do, do it and don't delay.
Follow Him in 2011, you won't be disappointed.
These three things, the Lord has spoken to my heart to accomplish early in 2011. If I can, and if I DO what He has encouraged and challenged me to do, amazing advances will we see regarding the Kingdom, our Family, and our influence to others.
What are you doing that the Lord has spoken to you on? Whatever He says, do it...that's what Mary told the servants at the wedding at Cana. Whatever He (the Lord) says to do, do it and don't delay.
Follow Him in 2011, you won't be disappointed.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
When I think about what the Lord has done…
I just finished making my final preparations for tomorrow's sermon at The River in The Woodlands, and put in a worship album to unwind with as my mind settles in on the message and I sit to ponder what God will do for our folks tomorrow. As I sit here by the fire, still listening to this music, I am overwhelmed with the Lord's goodness to me and my wife. I think I'm the most blessed person in the world, obviously you all would say the same I'm sure about your life. But I just have to give God praise tonight. I love Him so much. He's done so much in my life. Oh how I pray others feel this way when you think about Jesus and what He's done for you.
Please know that whoever you are, I'm praying for you to hear His voice, feel His love and embrace in your life. If you don't have a home church, I invite you to ours. You can find us at www.TheRiverAG.org. The Lord is moving in this very hour, your life is dependent on His grace and forgiveness. I hope you find this as a help. Jesus saves, heals, delivers, and is coming again SOON! I love You!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Happy Anniversary – The River www.TheRiverAG.org
This Sunday July 12th, 2009 The River will celebrate its Five Year Anniversary service with special guest Eli & Mary Gautreaux, Chi Alpha Directors at Sam Houston State University, Huntsville and South Texas District A/G Chi Alpha Director. Service begins at 10:30 am.
The River officially began ministering to the community of The Greater Woodlands Area July 4th, 2004 out of Tinseltown Theater. After six months in the Theater a full-time church facility became available on Hwy 242 in The Woodlands. We thank God for the journey and look forward with great anticipation for what lies ahead for our church body.
Vision for the future is expanding. The group pic is taken from a Chi Alpha meeting of young adults that have started the journey of walking with Jesus. The River has always desired to minister to this generation of young adults and will now move passionately in that direction as we launch in the next few weeks "Thursday Nites", a ministry to the young at heart with a relaxed, but fully engaged night of fellowship, acoustic worship and the Word.
The five year journey has been a foundation building season for us, filled with challenges helping us to grow stronger. Now a new season of building the structure is upon us. Come this Sunday, July 12th and help us celebrate the New Beginning of our next season.
Pastor David Summerlin, Pastor
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The Bible and it's parallel to our lives
The call of God on a man or woman's life is amazing. I always tell people that ministry, or the call to ministry is a God thing. It can't always be understood or figured out, it's just a God thing.
When I read the Bible and examine the lives of great men and women, I find so many similarities to my own life, however, I am not in the least bit saying I live up to their standards, or even come close to the dedication and commitment they had to the Lord when they walked this planet. But, I do see so many life experiences that they went through that I find myself going through along this journey. For instance, Elijah, when he stood against 450 prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18) on Mt. Carmel challenging the people of Israel to remove the idol worship of foreign God's and choose the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as their only God. I see in Elijah a dedication and an extreme commitment to bring truth to the people, so much so, that he is willing to stand before the whole congregation and speak things that many do not want to hear. We live in this type of generation today, many people don't want to hear that God is a jealous God, and that He will not compete with idols in our lives. He will be first in our lives and will never play second fiddle to another, because He is God, and to accept anything less would be to reject His own commandment to the nation of Israel, "Thou shalt have no other God's before me". (Exo. 20:3)
After the intense confrontation between Elijah and these prophets, Elijah runs (1 Kings 19:4) into the wilderness asking God to take his life (where did all the boldness go?) after hearing word that Jezebel, who represents an evil spirit that controls weak spirited people, makes threats on his life which causes fear and confusion to arise. No doubt Elijah had right intentions when confronting the prophets. He wanted to see the people of God serve and worship the true God of Israel. His love for the nation gave him the boldness to speak out in tough times. However, right after the greatest victory and demonstration by the hand of God, Elijah finds himself running for his life in fear and doubt.
It is most important for ministers and people called of God to rightly divide the word of God, separating soul (mind, will, emotions) and spirit (the hub of man that God speaks to). This is done by spending time in prayer and the Word. God's Word is "quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword..." Heb 4:12. Elijah was a man of God and still dealt with fear and confusion. Attacks will come to the mind. Ministry can be a very lonely place, it was for many of the prophets of God, up to the last O.T. prophet John the Baptist, one called of God to prepare the way of the Lord. His fiery messages didn't impress the religious of the day, but to the lost and hurting, they where a refreshing wind of hope that something better is on the way. I want to be like John, speaking a message that something better is on the way. Jesus Christ is coming soon and we in ministry have a mandate to speak the truth and prepare the people no matter how lonely of a place it may seem to be. We must remember what we preach "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" Heb 13:5, that apply's to God's messengers as well.
Stay the course, keep up the fight, Jesus is coming for His Bride!
When I read the Bible and examine the lives of great men and women, I find so many similarities to my own life, however, I am not in the least bit saying I live up to their standards, or even come close to the dedication and commitment they had to the Lord when they walked this planet. But, I do see so many life experiences that they went through that I find myself going through along this journey. For instance, Elijah, when he stood against 450 prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18) on Mt. Carmel challenging the people of Israel to remove the idol worship of foreign God's and choose the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as their only God. I see in Elijah a dedication and an extreme commitment to bring truth to the people, so much so, that he is willing to stand before the whole congregation and speak things that many do not want to hear. We live in this type of generation today, many people don't want to hear that God is a jealous God, and that He will not compete with idols in our lives. He will be first in our lives and will never play second fiddle to another, because He is God, and to accept anything less would be to reject His own commandment to the nation of Israel, "Thou shalt have no other God's before me". (Exo. 20:3)
After the intense confrontation between Elijah and these prophets, Elijah runs (1 Kings 19:4) into the wilderness asking God to take his life (where did all the boldness go?) after hearing word that Jezebel, who represents an evil spirit that controls weak spirited people, makes threats on his life which causes fear and confusion to arise. No doubt Elijah had right intentions when confronting the prophets. He wanted to see the people of God serve and worship the true God of Israel. His love for the nation gave him the boldness to speak out in tough times. However, right after the greatest victory and demonstration by the hand of God, Elijah finds himself running for his life in fear and doubt.
It is most important for ministers and people called of God to rightly divide the word of God, separating soul (mind, will, emotions) and spirit (the hub of man that God speaks to). This is done by spending time in prayer and the Word. God's Word is "quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword..." Heb 4:12. Elijah was a man of God and still dealt with fear and confusion. Attacks will come to the mind. Ministry can be a very lonely place, it was for many of the prophets of God, up to the last O.T. prophet John the Baptist, one called of God to prepare the way of the Lord. His fiery messages didn't impress the religious of the day, but to the lost and hurting, they where a refreshing wind of hope that something better is on the way. I want to be like John, speaking a message that something better is on the way. Jesus Christ is coming soon and we in ministry have a mandate to speak the truth and prepare the people no matter how lonely of a place it may seem to be. We must remember what we preach "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" Heb 13:5, that apply's to God's messengers as well.
Stay the course, keep up the fight, Jesus is coming for His Bride!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Did I go or was I sent?
This question has haunted me at times since I began ministering in 1986. It seems as though true success has evaded my grasps in most every area of my life, as a Pastor, Evangelist, and Accountant with my own business, husband, father and child of God. Nothing has ever come easy for me, or my family. It seems there has always been a challenge to succeed, or at least what most consider success. After a while one begins to question whether he/she is in the will of God or not. We live in an era of church ministry that is bombarded with success preaching, dominion theology, ask and it shall be done faith, and God wants His people to be successful sermons. How does the small church Pastor compete with the mega churches of today? Statistics as I understand them point out that 95% of most churches are under 100 in attendance. In recent years, there has been an exodus from the ministry by scores of preachers that have given up, whether because of finances, church splits, personal sin, or whatever, there are fewer and fewer ministers that are sticking with it, refusing to bail out, refusing to crater to hard times or challenges to their ministry.
At times, I listen to and read articles from a website that I really like called sermonindex.com. Today as I was researching and studying I came across an article that really ministered to me, and to be quite honest it gave me a rebuke that I needed. I’ve included a portion: “What do you focus more on – where is the greatest desire of your heart? Do you seek more after revival or after Christ and Him being formed in you? Do you seek more after signs and wonders or after Christ and Him being formed in you? Do you seek more after ministry and results or after Christ and Him being formed in you? Are you content to never see revival, signs and wonders and give up your ministry counting all these things as dung to become more Christ like? Christ and Christ being formed in us must be our supreme focus and the desire of our heart and only then will these other things flow naturally from our lives and only then can we truly be used of God by the Spirit.”
Oh how I pray to crucify this wicked flesh of mine. That part of me that craves attention, craves worldly success, and even craves to be known as one that “did it right in Jesus”. That kind of thinking is a false humility and craving of the flesh. I pray to be hidden in Christ, to be conformed to his image, which is His greatest desire for our lives. I repent of trying to bring results so others can see what we are doing for the Kingdom. I pray to know Jesus as Lord and King. Lord if I went, and was not sent, forgive me. Lead me into your perfect will and deliver me from the deception of my flesh. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Can God fearing Pastors really survive this generation and continue preaching an uncompromised message of repentance filtered through grace? What if the results don’t come in? What happens if people refuse to listen? Do these things mean we’re not in the will of God? Maybe we did “just go”, and were not sent. What about Noah, a preacher of righteousness who warned the people of his day of a coming Judgment and only his family was saved? And Moses, after he was called from the burning bush, struggled in the desert for 40 years until he was empty of himself and his own ability to deliver the nation of Israel. If Jesus Christ himself were living and walking among us today, how many would follow him? If history repeats itself, as it does so often, it wouldn’t be that many. In His greatest hour only a few remained faithful and continued to walk with Him.
In conclusion, as a minister of the Gospel, one sent by the Lord, I’ve learned that I must leave the results up to God and preach or prophesy in love what the Lord has given me, nothing more and nothing less. “Also, I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” Isaiah 6:8 “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matthew 10:16
At times, I listen to and read articles from a website that I really like called sermonindex.com. Today as I was researching and studying I came across an article that really ministered to me, and to be quite honest it gave me a rebuke that I needed. I’ve included a portion: “What do you focus more on – where is the greatest desire of your heart? Do you seek more after revival or after Christ and Him being formed in you? Do you seek more after signs and wonders or after Christ and Him being formed in you? Do you seek more after ministry and results or after Christ and Him being formed in you? Are you content to never see revival, signs and wonders and give up your ministry counting all these things as dung to become more Christ like? Christ and Christ being formed in us must be our supreme focus and the desire of our heart and only then will these other things flow naturally from our lives and only then can we truly be used of God by the Spirit.”
Oh how I pray to crucify this wicked flesh of mine. That part of me that craves attention, craves worldly success, and even craves to be known as one that “did it right in Jesus”. That kind of thinking is a false humility and craving of the flesh. I pray to be hidden in Christ, to be conformed to his image, which is His greatest desire for our lives. I repent of trying to bring results so others can see what we are doing for the Kingdom. I pray to know Jesus as Lord and King. Lord if I went, and was not sent, forgive me. Lead me into your perfect will and deliver me from the deception of my flesh. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Can God fearing Pastors really survive this generation and continue preaching an uncompromised message of repentance filtered through grace? What if the results don’t come in? What happens if people refuse to listen? Do these things mean we’re not in the will of God? Maybe we did “just go”, and were not sent. What about Noah, a preacher of righteousness who warned the people of his day of a coming Judgment and only his family was saved? And Moses, after he was called from the burning bush, struggled in the desert for 40 years until he was empty of himself and his own ability to deliver the nation of Israel. If Jesus Christ himself were living and walking among us today, how many would follow him? If history repeats itself, as it does so often, it wouldn’t be that many. In His greatest hour only a few remained faithful and continued to walk with Him.
In conclusion, as a minister of the Gospel, one sent by the Lord, I’ve learned that I must leave the results up to God and preach or prophesy in love what the Lord has given me, nothing more and nothing less. “Also, I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” Isaiah 6:8 “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matthew 10:16
Monday, May 5, 2008
We invest in others...Do we invest in ourselves?
This past weekend my wife and I, along with six other couples from our church had the privilege of attending "A weekend to remember" hosted by the ministry of Family Life. This is our second year in a row to attend this conference and we hope to continue attending each year until we see Christ.
One thing we as minister's do very well is invest time and energy into the lives of other families, and one thing we do very poorly is invest time and energy into our own, specifically our marriage. It's one thing to spend time with your children, and quite another to invest in or spend time with your spouse. One thing I have realized as a minister is; I'm more effective for others when my marriage is healthy and flourishing in Christ. My wife and I have had a great marriage for some 27 years now. It hasn't been without struggle, but has been a good marriage. However, three years ago I began to become the man of God that my wife really needed. Preaching, teaching, singing, and leading others to the Lord doesn't qualify me as a man of God. I believe what does is when I become the priest of my home, which demands time spent with my wife. Being a shepherd over her, as well as my kids. Considering her needs and always remembering she needs me as much or more as everyone else does, and that she is honored as my first priority of ministry.
Take time today to bless your spouse. Give your marriage to the Lord and allow Him to build your home. Let Christ and His principles become the foundation of what your home is about. "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." Ps. 121:1
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)