Dear Friends,
Of all the important activities taking place within the Body of Christ today, I believe missions, outreach and evangelism are at the top of God's list of priorities. The bible says that "heaven REJOICES when one soul repents." Think about it for a moment......this is the very reason why Jesus came to the earth. He came to live a sinless life and to die an agonizing death on the cross. He did it so that repentant souls could receive forgiveness for sin and enter into relationship with the Father. He did it, because souls are His highest priority. And, if this is true, then souls should be the highest priority of the Church in general; and, in this case, our local church.
This year, let's make souls our #1 priority! The message of the New Testament Church has always been "Go!"........."GO into all the world and preach the gospel...make disciples of all nations..."; "GO into the highways and hedges and compell them to come in...!" This year, let's get outside of the four walls of the church and GO into our community, city, state, nation and world, with the gospel of Jesus Christ! Let's knock on doors!; let's stand on street corners!; let's visit the hospitals, nursing homes and prisons!; let's take the gospel everywhere we can! Let's get busy doing what's on the heart and mind of the Father! I believe that, as we do, God will bless each of us individually and collectively in the process. He's entrust us with more, so that we can do more for His glory and honor.
Remember, we win in 2010!
Blessings to you and yours!
Pastor H
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Pastoral Thought
"Go and make disciples of all nations…" - Matthew 28:19
"The above-referenced scripture is Jesus' mandate to our church. We are commanded to get outside of the four walls of our building and share the Good News of Christ’s love with people in our community, city and world.
I'm so grateful to God that our church is reaching out now more than ever. Aside from our yearly outreach efforts (Thanksgiving Outreach, Christmas Toy Giveaway), we are now sponsoring consistent outreaches to Pleasant Care Nursing Home and Brother Bennos' Foundation. Recently, we began our Kids' Club Outreach to Laurel Elementary School and our Street Witnessing Ministry. Aside from all of this, the Lord has just blessed us to purchase a 22 passenger bus that will allow us the opportunity to start our Transportation Outreach Ministry to Camp Pendleton and other places. To God be the glory for the great things He is doing!
Please take a moment and pray regarding how you can become more involved in helping us to reach our community for Jesus. God wants to use each one to reach one. Contact the church office and find out how you can help.
Pastor H
I'm so grateful to God that our church is reaching out now more than ever. Aside from our yearly outreach efforts (Thanksgiving Outreach, Christmas Toy Giveaway), we are now sponsoring consistent outreaches to Pleasant Care Nursing Home and Brother Bennos' Foundation. Recently, we began our Kids' Club Outreach to Laurel Elementary School and our Street Witnessing Ministry. Aside from all of this, the Lord has just blessed us to purchase a 22 passenger bus that will allow us the opportunity to start our Transportation Outreach Ministry to Camp Pendleton and other places. To God be the glory for the great things He is doing!
Please take a moment and pray regarding how you can become more involved in helping us to reach our community for Jesus. God wants to use each one to reach one. Contact the church office and find out how you can help.
Pastor H
Friday, March 6, 2009
Greeting from Brazil
Dear Friends,
Greetings from Campinas , Brazil ! I trust you are doing well.
Praise God for technology that allows us to communicate, even though we are thousands ofmiles and five time zones apart!
Thanks for your prayers regarding my trip to Brazil. The Lord blessed me with a safe,
smooth flight; but, I have to tell you.......It was a long one! But, nevertheless, it was safe and smooth, and, for this, I am grateful.
Thursday was a busy day. I arrived in Sao Paulo at 730am (2:30am your time). It took a long time for me to make my way thru Customs. I finally got out of the airport at around 930am. I was met by Pastor Eneas (host pastor), along with his Superintendent and 4 other Pastors from his District. They have really welcomed me with open arms. Their hospitality is awesome!
From the airport, we drove 2 hours to the city of Campinas , which is were I am staying at a hotel. The hotels over here are decent. However, its certainly not the Hilton or Marriott.However, I am grateful for a place to lay my head down. The weather is very warm, sticky and humid. The only air-conditioning is inside of my room.
We arrived in Campinas around 1130am. At 12 noon, we went to a local bible college that also serves as a local radio station. It is there that we did a live radio interview for the conference and leadership workshop. We had 12 people who called the program to say that they would be coming to the Pastors Leadership Workshop on Saturday morning. The Dean of the Bible College asked me to please come back to his college on Friday night to address 100 of his students, and to personally invite them to the Leadership Workshop. I was very humbled by the invitation. I look forward to this opportunity.
After doing the radio interview, we went and ate at a Brazilian restaurant. The food was great! Brazilians really like to eat a lot of meat. It’s Friday, and I still feel very stuffed.
From there, I went back to the room to sleep for a few hours, before going to the first service (Thursday Night) that I had to preach. There were about 100 people present. The worship was awesome! Even though I couldn’t understand their language, I could sense the presence of God in our midst as the people cried out to God in passionate, intense worship. I suddenly came into a profound awareness of the fact that worship is a language that unifies the Body of Christ in powerful ways. Even though we could not understand one another without an interpreter, we connected with God and each other thru a heart that was passionate about worshipping God, who is Father of us all.
After worship, the pastor introduced me to the congregation. I preached the Word as best as I knew how. It’s hard to explain, but, as I preached, I felt an intense love begin to well up in my heart for the people who were present. It was definitely not a human love. It was God’s love that was flowing out of me towards His people. To make a long story short, the message was well received. The altar was jammed packed. I must have laid hands and prayed for everybody in the whole church. Six people gave their hearts to the Lord, and several testified of how the Lord ministered to them in powerful ways. Praise God!
From the service, we went to eat dinner at the Pastor’s house, which was in walking distance from the church. Again, great food and great hospitality! We enjoyed ourselves, and, once again, ate very much. I am sure I have gained at least 10 pounds since being here. You may not recognize me when I return home.
Today is Friday. I’ve been resting for the greater part of the day. I am glad I didn’t have to speak at the conference today or tonight. I will be going back to the bible college this evening to address the students, as well as to invite them to tomorrow’s leadership workshop. I really look forward to my time with them. I pray the Lord encourages them thru my words. After my time with the students, I will be returning to the evening service at the church.
Tomorrow is Saturday. Saturday will be a busy day. I have to lead the leadership workshop for the Pastors and other Christian leaders in the area, which, for me, will probably be the best part of my trip. I am also scheduled to preach at Friday evening’s service as well. Please pray the Lord bless our time of ministry. Pray that His presence and power will be mighty in the services.
Sunday morning will be my last opportunity to minister while here. I’m told that the church in Brazil usually does not meet for worship on Sunday mornings. Their custom is to worship the Lord on Sunday evenings. However, they have planned this special service to hear the Word of God thru this young pastor from America . Pastor Eneas says that he expects his church to be packed with people. So, once again, I solicit your prayers.
In any case, I will be returning home on Sunday after the service. My flight leaves Brazil Sunday evening, and is expected to arrive in Los Angeles Monday at noon. Please pray the Lord give us a safe and smooth flight.
Thanks again for your prayers and support while I’m away. I really didn’t intend on writing such a long email. However, I guess my heart is really full right now. This has been a great experience, and I wish all of you were here with me.
Thanks again for your prayers and support. I look forward to seeing you soon and giving you the rest of the details concerning my time of ministry here in Brazil .
Have a blessed day of worship on Sunday. Give God your best, and God will bless you and our church in powerful ways.
I love you, and I’m praying for you.
Pastor H
Greetings from Campinas , Brazil ! I trust you are doing well.
Praise God for technology that allows us to communicate, even though we are thousands ofmiles and five time zones apart!
Thanks for your prayers regarding my trip to Brazil. The Lord blessed me with a safe,
smooth flight; but, I have to tell you.......It was a long one! But, nevertheless, it was safe and smooth, and, for this, I am grateful.
Thursday was a busy day. I arrived in Sao Paulo at 730am (2:30am your time). It took a long time for me to make my way thru Customs. I finally got out of the airport at around 930am. I was met by Pastor Eneas (host pastor), along with his Superintendent and 4 other Pastors from his District. They have really welcomed me with open arms. Their hospitality is awesome!
From the airport, we drove 2 hours to the city of Campinas , which is were I am staying at a hotel. The hotels over here are decent. However, its certainly not the Hilton or Marriott.However, I am grateful for a place to lay my head down. The weather is very warm, sticky and humid. The only air-conditioning is inside of my room.
We arrived in Campinas around 1130am. At 12 noon, we went to a local bible college that also serves as a local radio station. It is there that we did a live radio interview for the conference and leadership workshop. We had 12 people who called the program to say that they would be coming to the Pastors Leadership Workshop on Saturday morning. The Dean of the Bible College asked me to please come back to his college on Friday night to address 100 of his students, and to personally invite them to the Leadership Workshop. I was very humbled by the invitation. I look forward to this opportunity.
After doing the radio interview, we went and ate at a Brazilian restaurant. The food was great! Brazilians really like to eat a lot of meat. It’s Friday, and I still feel very stuffed.
From there, I went back to the room to sleep for a few hours, before going to the first service (Thursday Night) that I had to preach. There were about 100 people present. The worship was awesome! Even though I couldn’t understand their language, I could sense the presence of God in our midst as the people cried out to God in passionate, intense worship. I suddenly came into a profound awareness of the fact that worship is a language that unifies the Body of Christ in powerful ways. Even though we could not understand one another without an interpreter, we connected with God and each other thru a heart that was passionate about worshipping God, who is Father of us all.
After worship, the pastor introduced me to the congregation. I preached the Word as best as I knew how. It’s hard to explain, but, as I preached, I felt an intense love begin to well up in my heart for the people who were present. It was definitely not a human love. It was God’s love that was flowing out of me towards His people. To make a long story short, the message was well received. The altar was jammed packed. I must have laid hands and prayed for everybody in the whole church. Six people gave their hearts to the Lord, and several testified of how the Lord ministered to them in powerful ways. Praise God!
From the service, we went to eat dinner at the Pastor’s house, which was in walking distance from the church. Again, great food and great hospitality! We enjoyed ourselves, and, once again, ate very much. I am sure I have gained at least 10 pounds since being here. You may not recognize me when I return home.
Today is Friday. I’ve been resting for the greater part of the day. I am glad I didn’t have to speak at the conference today or tonight. I will be going back to the bible college this evening to address the students, as well as to invite them to tomorrow’s leadership workshop. I really look forward to my time with them. I pray the Lord encourages them thru my words. After my time with the students, I will be returning to the evening service at the church.
Tomorrow is Saturday. Saturday will be a busy day. I have to lead the leadership workshop for the Pastors and other Christian leaders in the area, which, for me, will probably be the best part of my trip. I am also scheduled to preach at Friday evening’s service as well. Please pray the Lord bless our time of ministry. Pray that His presence and power will be mighty in the services.
Sunday morning will be my last opportunity to minister while here. I’m told that the church in Brazil usually does not meet for worship on Sunday mornings. Their custom is to worship the Lord on Sunday evenings. However, they have planned this special service to hear the Word of God thru this young pastor from America . Pastor Eneas says that he expects his church to be packed with people. So, once again, I solicit your prayers.
In any case, I will be returning home on Sunday after the service. My flight leaves Brazil Sunday evening, and is expected to arrive in Los Angeles Monday at noon. Please pray the Lord give us a safe and smooth flight.
Thanks again for your prayers and support while I’m away. I really didn’t intend on writing such a long email. However, I guess my heart is really full right now. This has been a great experience, and I wish all of you were here with me.
Thanks again for your prayers and support. I look forward to seeing you soon and giving you the rest of the details concerning my time of ministry here in Brazil .
Have a blessed day of worship on Sunday. Give God your best, and God will bless you and our church in powerful ways.
I love you, and I’m praying for you.
Pastor H
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Mighty Men of Valor
God is doing great things among the men of Shiloh. God is both quantitatively and qualitatively granting increase in our midst. In recent months, He has brought more men into the life of the church, as well as created, within our hearts, a greater desire to know Him in a deeper way.
Although men and women are equal in the sight of God and, when it comes to salvation, there is no difference between male and female, I believe men have been called by God to be servant-leaders. Although God loves women, and most men would say that they love women too [SMILE], the scripture is filled with examples and spiritual principles that will lead any honest person to the conclusion that God has called men to a special place of leadership. God has called men to lead in their homes, in their communities, on their jobs and in the church. I strongly believe that many of the ills we see in society will be corrected when strong, courageous men of God move from a place of passivity into their God-given postion of leadership, excercising the authority we've been given in Jesus' Name. As we do so, satan will leave our families; he will leave our communities; and he, most definitely, will leave our churches!
The men of Shiloh have a special place in my heart. I'm excited about what God is doing in our midst. As he adds more men to our church, I'm even more excited about what He will do in us, and, probably more important, what He will do through us.
As a Pastor, my desire is to see men grow to become the men of God He has called each of us to be. Each man, whether he realizes it or not, is a mighty man of valor. I am committed to helping each man discover and awaken the giant within. With God's help, we will be who God has called us to be.
Thanks for listening! Share this blog with another brother who needs to be encouraged. Email me at pastorhenderson@shilohcogic.org and let me know what you think about this subject. Hope to hear from you soon.
Be Blessed!
Pastor H
P.S.: Check out the pics from our recent Men's Retreat (April 25-27) and Mother's Day Celebration (May 11).
Although men and women are equal in the sight of God and, when it comes to salvation, there is no difference between male and female, I believe men have been called by God to be servant-leaders. Although God loves women, and most men would say that they love women too [SMILE], the scripture is filled with examples and spiritual principles that will lead any honest person to the conclusion that God has called men to a special place of leadership. God has called men to lead in their homes, in their communities, on their jobs and in the church. I strongly believe that many of the ills we see in society will be corrected when strong, courageous men of God move from a place of passivity into their God-given postion of leadership, excercising the authority we've been given in Jesus' Name. As we do so, satan will leave our families; he will leave our communities; and he, most definitely, will leave our churches!
The men of Shiloh have a special place in my heart. I'm excited about what God is doing in our midst. As he adds more men to our church, I'm even more excited about what He will do in us, and, probably more important, what He will do through us.
As a Pastor, my desire is to see men grow to become the men of God He has called each of us to be. Each man, whether he realizes it or not, is a mighty man of valor. I am committed to helping each man discover and awaken the giant within. With God's help, we will be who God has called us to be.
Thanks for listening! Share this blog with another brother who needs to be encouraged. Email me at pastorhenderson@shilohcogic.org and let me know what you think about this subject. Hope to hear from you soon.
Be Blessed!
Pastor H
P.S.: Check out the pics from our recent Men's Retreat (April 25-27) and Mother's Day Celebration (May 11).
Friday, March 14, 2008
The Power of the Cross
“For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its POWER. For the preaching of the cross is, to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us, which are saved, it is the POWER of God!”
The Apostle Paul - I Corinthians 1:17-18
The cross of Jesus Christ is the most prominent and powerful symbol of the Christian faith. Yet, in today’s society, the cross has literally been “emptied of its power.” Many, today, see the cross as merely a piece of jewelry that can be worn on a chain around a person’s neck, perhaps, for purposes of good luck. In short, the significance of the cross has been minimized down to a symbol of fashion. However, in the days of Christ, the cross was anything but a fashion symbol. In Christ’s day, the cross represented suffering, shame, torture and death; all of which, Jesus personally experienced on our behalf.
While the cross holds little to no significance in the world, the Apostle Paul reminds us of the fact that, for Believers in Christ, the cross “is the POWER of God.” Through Christ’s death on the cross, we can experience grace, mercy, forgiveness, eternal life, joy, peace, love, victory, hope, healing, and the list goes on and on and on… As we commemorate the death and resurrection of Christ, remember to thank God for all He’s provided for you through the atoning work of Jesus on the cross; and may the power of the cross transform every area of your life.
Be Blessed!
PastorH
The Apostle Paul - I Corinthians 1:17-18
The cross of Jesus Christ is the most prominent and powerful symbol of the Christian faith. Yet, in today’s society, the cross has literally been “emptied of its power.” Many, today, see the cross as merely a piece of jewelry that can be worn on a chain around a person’s neck, perhaps, for purposes of good luck. In short, the significance of the cross has been minimized down to a symbol of fashion. However, in the days of Christ, the cross was anything but a fashion symbol. In Christ’s day, the cross represented suffering, shame, torture and death; all of which, Jesus personally experienced on our behalf.
While the cross holds little to no significance in the world, the Apostle Paul reminds us of the fact that, for Believers in Christ, the cross “is the POWER of God.” Through Christ’s death on the cross, we can experience grace, mercy, forgiveness, eternal life, joy, peace, love, victory, hope, healing, and the list goes on and on and on… As we commemorate the death and resurrection of Christ, remember to thank God for all He’s provided for you through the atoning work of Jesus on the cross; and may the power of the cross transform every area of your life.
Be Blessed!
PastorH
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