Colossians 1:28-29 - So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

For many of you, today is the final day of the Daniel fast.  I hope that this time of prayer and fasting has brought you closer to Christ. Keep seeking God throughout the year!  Today we are going to focus on Kingdom growth.  

Jesus teaches us to seek first His kingdom and righteousness.
Our everyday choices reveal to us the Kingdom that we seek.  

It’s easy to get caught up up in being glad that we know Christ and are part of His kingdom.
No doubt there is a joy and blessing in being part of His kingdom. We are called to not sit on the sidelines but to be active.

There are many scriptures and stories in the Bible that reminds us that not only do we need to be part of the Kingdom of Christ, we should also seek to grow the kingdom.  We do this through evangelism, missions and prayer. The primary mission of Christ should never be the secondary mission of His church…that’s you and me.

When we are part of a team, an organization, business, stock holder, etc,  we want it to be successful. In fact, we seek and labor for it to be success.

Todays Bible verse comes from Pauls letter to the church in Colossia, he is stating his desire and activity for “kingdom growth”. He uses all his strength and energy proclaiming the gospel so that everyone can be fully mature in Christ.

We all play a role in telling others about Christ.  We all play a role in helping others grow into maturity in our relationship w/ Christ. As we serve, love, pray, teach and give; we show that His kingdom matters. Our priorities and activities change when we are actively seeking His Kingdom and it’s growth. What we do and don’t do matters.  

Take some time today to pray and consider in what ways are you seeking to grow His kingdom.

Pray that His Kingdom would grow in us and around us. I have no greater joy than seeing his Kingdom grow in my family, Life Chapel, our community and throughout the world. I’m so excited to see what God can do in you and in our community. It’s obvious to see His work in our church!

Pastor Brian

I don't know if you've every experienced the panic of losing sight of your child in a public place. A couple year's ago, my family and I went to peddler's village in Lahaska Pennsylvania during the Christmas season. There were a lot of people around. I had my daughter Ava sitting on my shoulders. As I went to put her down for her to walk again, I got distracted, and in what felt like seconds, she was gone. I remember hearing Diana ask that dreaded questions, "Where's Ava?!"

If you've ever experienced this, you know the kind of heart-pounding I immediately began to experience. In a crowded place, I began to back track and thankfully found her shortly after. Though it was only about 30 seconds, it was 30 seconds too long!

You've heard the saying, "out of sight, out of mind."

Well, though a child could be out of sight, to a loving father and mother, a child could never be out of mind. Our love for our children is too deep for that to happen! So is the love of the father for you and for me. We are never out of His mind, and because He is God and He doesn't have the limitations we have, we are also never out of His sight.

Luke 15 shares a story of Jesus as the great Shepherd losing one of His sheep. A single person walked away. The story reveals the heart of God for each person on this earth. The great Shepherd went pursuing the one who was lost. For Jesus, not one is "out of sight and out of mind.

There are many lost "sheep" in our world today which Jesus is still pursuing.

Many of these people are in areas that are considered "unreached."

What is considered "unreached?"
- a people group with less than 2% evangelical Christians, and less than 5% professing Christians.

How many people in the world are "unreached?"
- 40% of the world is considered unreached with the message of Jesus. That accounts for 7,400 people groups and 3.27 billion people. There are still 1,800 languages that still do not have a written Bible.

As my heart pounded for my daughter Ava who was lost for just 30 seconds, the heart of the Father pounds for each person who does not yet know Him. And like the Father, our hearts should pound for these lost children as well.

Today we are going to be praying for these unreached people groups all over the world.

Would you take some time now to pray for our missionaries who are serving in these unreached areas ( whose names cannot be published ), for a move of God among these places, and that the Lord would send more laborers to make a difference in these places. May these "unreached" areas soon be "reached" areas evidenced by changed lives for the glory of Jesus!

John 4:16-19 - We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first.
 
Thought of the day: MANY OF US HAVE THE RIGHT AIMS IN LIFE; WE JUST NEVER GET AROUND TO PULLING THE TRIGGER
 
Today’s passage stresses again and again the importance of loving one another. If loving others were a simple matter, though, perhaps so much of this letter from John wouldn’t be devoted to the subject. Let’s face it. Not everyone is easy to get along with, including ourselves! Scripture provides a powerful reason for loving others, however. If we say we love God, then he commands us to love the other members of our family in Christ. It is not optional. Identify the person who is the most difficult for you to love right now. As an act of worship to the One who is love, show your love to that person today in a concrete way. (1 John 4:20-21 If someone says, "I love God," but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?  And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.) And why should we love even when we don't want to? Because we are to be imitators of God. And God is love. Everything about his character is perfectly loving. He cannot be otherwise. We know how much God loves us because he sent his Son to die for us. Is there any better feeling than being loved? To know that someone loves us gives us a sense of assurance, a sense of being special. That feeling can be ours every day because of God’s love for us. God has taken up residence in our lives through his Holy Spirit; therefore, love has taken up residence in our lives. We literally “live in love.” We are surrounded by it, filled with it. Love envelops us every moment of every day. Such love fills us and then overflows to other people, like water from a fountain. The result of such love? We will not be afraid on the day of judgment. God promises that we will be able to face him with confidence because we know that our salvation is sure. We can trust in this God who is love. We can also pray for others to sense God’s love and know their salvation is certain.

"Everything God does is love—even when we do not understand him."
Mother Basilea Schlink (1904–2001)

Good morning by Church Family!

The topic of today’s devotional is on local missions. When we think of world missions it’s easy to define what it is, World Missions. We support missionaries from around the world with our donations and our prayers. We might even know a few personally. The danger and personal sacrifice they endure is to be commended. What an amazing commitment!  I admire them greatly and pray for their safety and their specific ministry.

However;
Local missions and world missions have the same calling; “To make disciples in all the world”.  The emphasis here, is to point out our local missions calling is not to be seen as, less significant.  How we go about this can challenge us. We must  leave our comfort zone and move into areas of creativity.  Partner with others in the church. Toss around some ideas that could lead people into the loving relationship that we enjoy with Our Savior!

In 2018 The first annual  “Run With Purpose 5K race” & 1 mile Fun Run was created by someone in our church. The 2nd run was on 10/19/19. It was an outreach that was recognized by our community! Unfortunately, the pandemic put a damper on the third. I’m hoping the torch can be resurrected again in the future.

Jesus said in Matthew 25:35 ‘ for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in”.

We collect on the first Sunday of each month for the Food pantry. What a great response we had this Christmas for the Samaritans purse shoeboxes filled with toys and items for children around the world. What better way to help the future missionaries, disciples of Christ, then helping in Children’s ministries! They are the future of the church.

The one prerequisite we need is to Love. See those whom you’re trying to help, as Jesus sees them, with the Love of the Father. We have all been called to be disciples of Christ. We have a promise that we will be empowered by Him to perform the work assigned to us! Holy Spirit resides in each of us and gives us: wisdom, power and authority! Let’s enjoy the journey together!

T h e   G r e a t   C o m m i s s i o n
Matthew 28:18-20 - Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age."

Enjoy today's video devotional from Scott Pekarchik

Romans 10:1 - Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.

The 10/40 Window is a rectangular geographical area of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia approximately between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude. The 10/40 Window is often called "The Resistant Belt" and includes the majority of the world's Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists.

Approximately 5.22 billion individuals residing in 8,874 distinct people groups are in the revised 10/40 Window. 6,161 (69.4%) of these people groups are considered unreached and have a population of 3.16 billion. This means approximately 61% of the individuals in the 10/40 Window live in an unreached people group, meaning they have never heard an adequate representation of the message of Jesus.

Life Chapel supports about 10 missionary families in the 10/40 Window, along with many other projects geared toward reaching these unreached people groups.

Acts 13:2-3 - One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.

Today, let’s pray together the messengers God is sending to accomplish His Work! Pray that the Holy Spirit would lead the right people to the right places at the right times. And let’s pray together for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to effectively reach people who have not yet heard the message! Amen.

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Find more information on the 10/40 Window from the Joshua Project here

Ephesians 4:11-12 “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

Today, let us reflect on the gifts Jesus has given to us right here at Life Chapel.  Pastoral leadership is no easy task.  We have been given a great team of pastors, elders and deacons and we need to be praying, continually, for them.  God has called them here into this special field of “shepherding”.  The Holy Spirit has equipped them to care for, teach and help us grow (among many other things).  As a result of that we, the Body of Christ, should be receiving our own spiritual gifts through the Holy Spirit, and our leaders are here to help us develop and grow into them so that we reflect the love of Jesus and lead others to him, everywhere we go.

We lift Pastor Brian, Pastor Steve & Pastor Matt; our Elders Jerry Friedhoff, Doug Houser & Francis Penkethman; our Deacons, Tom Hassel, Ed Herrman, Bob Mellett, & Scott Pekarchik and our Childrens Ministry Leader Jeannie Fisher up to you Lord Jesus.  We thank you for this amazing team you have given to our community here in Point Pleasant.  May they seek You daily for Your wisdom and guidance.  Fill them with patience, love, and joy so they can lead the flock you have entrusted to them.  Protect them, Lord, from any weapon that may be formed against them and give them the strength and endurance to finish the race you have called them to.  We pray this all in Jesus’ Name.     Amen.

Welcome to the devotion for Day 12 of our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting!

Psalm 33, verse 12, says this:  Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.  

Our country, the United States of America, certainly has been blessed; in material prosperity, abundant natural resources, liberty, freedom of speech and religion; with inventions, and discoveries in science and technology.  We have been protected by divine providence, in deliverance from foreign enemies, and by revival and spiritual renewal, when godlessness and moral decay threatened to destroy us.  And, not the least of these blessings has been the opportunity to preach the gospel to the world.  The United States has been responsible for proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ to more people, and people groups, than any nation in the history of the world, by our sending and financing missionaries.  We should always be thankful for all of this.

It is not that we are deserving of God’s blessing, or that we have always set the standard of righteous living; rather, as the latter part of the verse says, it is simply because God has chosen to do so.

The Apostle Paul expands this theme in the Book of Acts, chapter 17; “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth . . . From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the exact places where they should live.  God did this (why?) so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”
God’s purpose in orchestrating the events of history is to provide the best opportunity for us to get to know him; the circumstances of our lives are meant to move us to seek him.  
These last few years have been a dark time in our nation’s history.  And yet, the Lord promises us that in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us!  And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

God is in control of history!  We can rest assured God is keenly aware of what threatens our nation, from within and without!  Many times in our history, God has provided miraculously for our deliverance.  

I want to share the story of one of those miracles.  At the onset of the French and Indian War, the nation of France was trying to regain control of their colonies in Canada, and to destroy British power and influence in the Americas.  They sent an expedition led by French Admiral Duc d'Anville, which included 11,000 men and a fleet of 64 ships.  d'Anville was ordered to "consign Boston to flames, ravage New England and waste the British West Indies." News of the expedition spread fear throughout New York and New England.  The Governor of Massachusetts proclaimed a day of fasting and prayer.  As churches filled in Boston, one well-known preacher prayed that God would smite their enemies with the whirlwind and storm.  At that very instant, tremendous gusts of wind swept across the city, making the bells in the steeples ring wildly.  The tempest struck the French fleet on September 13, 1746, destroying most of their ships. The survivors limped back to France defeated. The major settlements of the Eastern seaboard were saved.  

Psalm 33, again, Vs. 10 & 11, proclaims this:
The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
    He thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
    The purposes of his heart through all generations.

God bless you, may you be filled with confidence in your God, an assurance of his good purposes for you, and his peace; and may we pray with renewed faith for our nation, that the Spirit of the Lord would revive us once again; that he will send, as he has promised, “Times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3, verse 19.)

2 Chronicles 7:14-15 - “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place.”

We live in a great country and in a great part of the country. New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country. I’ve always thought, if we are going to be fishers of men, we should go where the fish are. Well, we don’t have to go very far! Our Lord has strategically placed you and me in the most densely populated state in the country. There are over a million people in Monmouth and Ocean Counties alone. In Ocean County, Point Pleasant is the 2nd most densely populated city only behind Lakewood, which is within our sphere of influence as well. There are many fish within our reach!

The Lord has called you and me, the body of Christ, to be influencers of our communities. I know it is my prayer that we would see thousands upon thousands in our area come to know Jesus. Let’s believe God for a great outpouring of His Spirit and the salvation of many people here in Point Pleasant and our surrounding cities.

I challenge you to pray daily for our cities and to always believe God for a great harvest of souls. Would you take some time to pray now?

Pastor Matt leads us in prayer for our teenager. Sharing from 1 Timothy 4:12, we pray together for three topics.

1 Timothy 4:12 - Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

Jeannie Fisher leads us in prayer for Life Kids using an object lesson and two great scriptures:

Jeremiah 32:17 - “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you."

Hebrews 12:2-3 - ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Pastor Brian shares on healing from Isaiah 53:4-6:

4 "Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all."

THE INCOMPARABLE JESUS - Because nothing compares to Jesus, He stands alone in His glory and power. Jesus, please help me to remember there is truly none like You!

Jesus has no rival. He has no equal. Everything in our lives should be fully submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3 NIV).

Enjoy today's excerpt from "Awesome!" by Dick Eastman

THE PREEMINENT JESUS - Because Jesus is preeminent, He is above all things and reigns over everything. Lord Jesus, be first in all I think and do!

Definition of Preeminent - having paramount (highest) rank, dignity, or importance.

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3 NIV).

Enjoy today's excerpt from "Awesome!" by Dick Eastman

THE DIVINE JESUS - Because Jesus is divine, I recognize that He is fully God and Lord of all. I invite you, Jesus, to be entirely divine in my own life today.

Lord, I invite you into every area of my life today, and pray that your Spirit conforms me to look more like Jesus.

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3 NIV).

Enjoy today's excerpt from "Awesome!" by Dick Eastman

THE HUMAN JESUS - Because Jesus took human form, I realize how deeply I am able to trust Him. He truly knows, understands, and sympathizes with my humanness.

Thank you Jesus for being fully human - which makes you worthy of being a perfect sacrifice for ME. You understand my every weakness and struggle against sin, so that your Spirit may help me in time of need.

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3 NIV).

Enjoy today's excerpt from "Awesome!" by Dick Eastman

THE BEAUTIFUL JESUS - Because Jesus is beautiful, I reflect on how His beauty is seen in creation and in specific ways in my life.

Thank God that through Jesus, every part of your life is redeemed and beautiful. The scars and the storms fade into nothingness as our lives are hidden in Christ's eternal work on the cross.

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3 NIV).

Enjoy today's excerpt from "Awesome!" by Dick Eastman

THE AWESOME JESUS - Because Jesus is awesome, I say, “Lord, capture my attention, so that I may spend all my days in astonished awe of You!”

Ponder how truly awesome Jesus is, worship His Holy Name, and find amazement in his simple provisions for you today.

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3 NIV).

Enjoy today's excerpt from "Awesome!" by Dick Eastman

For the next 21 days, we will publish daily prayer points for our church. These first seven days will follow the topics put out by the Assemblies of God. Join us in praying for these items each day and committing Hebrews 1:3 to your memory!

THE SUPREME JESUS - Because Jesus is supreme, reigning over all creation, may every part of my life be wholly submitted to Him.

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3 NIV).

Enjoy today's excerpt from "Awesome!" by Dick Eastman