New 5-Week Blog Series: 5 Essentials to Intimacy with God

·      A Christ-centered Heart ... based on the priority of Christ in our lives.

·      A Committed Heart ... based on our love and devotion to Christ

·      A Trusting Heart ... built on a lifelong relationship

·      A Communicating Heart ... built on fellowship, worship, and prayer

·      A Loving Heart ... based on a passionate and deeply abiding love for Christ and what he has done to rescue and ransom our lives from death and destruction.

Pastor Chad

Chadwick A. Stafford

Pastor of Worship Arts

South Metro Ministries

pastorchad@smmcog.com 

cstafford71@hotmail.com 

http://www.smm-wa.blogspot

770-251-3777 x6 (w) 

919-906-5702 (m) 

5 Essentials To Developing and Maintaining A Passion for God

WEEK 2 - A COMMITTED HEART

2)    A Committed (Devoted) Heart – based on our love and commitment to Christ

 

Society no longer values commitment, but we are called to be "peculiar" people…set apart from the world and to God.  That means we are God's holy people and we owe Him our full devotion.  Why should we be committed to God?  The relationship breaks down if there is no true commitment involved. Try having a successful marriage or friendship without a commitment to that relationship.  It doesn't work!  Communication breaks down.  Intimacy breaks down.  Trust breaks down, and in this case, worship breaks down. 

Worship is about doing life together with God!  Music and singing is only the icing on the cake...it is only a small part of the relationship.  If the only way you can have a relationship with God is on a platform with a microphone in your face and hundreds of people watching you - you don't have much of a relationship with God.  Sunday morning is only the overflow of what is already taking place in one's life of worship Monday - Saturday.  Worship is life!  Why?  Because worship is about God and He is our life!  Worship is about living in relationship with God Himself  It is about relationship, love, and intimacy with the Father.  Marriage is a metaphor for the church's relationship with the Father.  He is in us and we are in Him.  We become one flesh as it were as we live in a committed, consecrated, and devoted relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

We should daily commit our hearts to him as a true lover does because we love Him and because he loves us with an everlasting love and desires to withhold no good thing from us. 

Hosea 2:16  "In that day," declares the LORD, "you will call me 'my husband'...    As a bride we chose to forsake all others and devote ourselves to the bridegroom, Jesus Christ.  Let us continue to be devoted each day.   As we forsake all other gods - the more devoted we become to the true living God.  The more devoted we are to God the more passionate we are for His presence in our lives.  The more passionate we become for His presence in our lives the more meaningful our worship becomes.  The Bible says that God is searching to fully support those whose hearts are wholly committed (or devoted) to Him!  Search your heart to ensure that you are wholly committed to God.  As you do, rest assured that you have HIS promise to fully support you.  Be 100% committed to God in every area that He puts his finger upon.  If he tells you to put it down, to stop, to turn around, to make a different decision, to check that attitude, to guard your heart, to bounce your eyes, to surrender your tongue...whatever it is...do it 100% with a fully made-up mind that you are going to fully commit and fully obey God in every area of your life.  As you do, God will bless you and fully support you!  Count on it!!

In Christ,

Pastor Chad

Blog Comments - ENABLED!

As of this week I am enabling the "comments" feature so bloggers can comment on articles, announcements, and other posts.

Please keep comments positive, constructive, and edifying.  All comments will be screened before being publicly posted.  Negative or critical comments will not be posted to this blog.  Thank you for your cooperation.

I look forward to hearing from you!

PASTOR CHAD

New 5-Week Blog Series: 5 Essentials to Intimacy with God

·      A Christ-centered Heart ... based on the priority of Christ in our lives.

·      A Committed Heart ... based on our love and devotion to Christ

·      A Trusting Heart ... built on a lifelong relationship

·      A Communicating Heart ... built on fellowship, worship, and prayer

·      A Loving Heart ... based on a passionate and deeply abiding love for Christ and what he has done to rescue and ransom our lives from death and destruction.

5 Essentials to Developing a Passion for God

Week 1 - A Christ-centered Heart

1)    A Christ-centered Heart - It is based upon the priority of Christ in our lives.  Is Jesus the priority, passion, and pursuit of your life?

·      The Apostle Paul said "It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me...but whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. (Phil.3)

·       Phil. 3:8  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.  9  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…

·       Paul was captivated and compelled by a passion for and vision of Christ.  From the moment Saul's name was changed to Paul he led a Christ-centered life and preached a Christ-centered message. 

·        Since you first came to Christ have you consistently led a Christ-centered life and does your life preach and testify to the reality of Christ in your life?  As the sun is the focal point of our solar system – Our lives should revolve around Christ the Son!

·      To be Christ centered is to center our lives on Jesus and His Word.  This means we must prioritize His Word...in essence, we must be Word centered and demonstrate it by prioritizing time in the Word so that we will grow in our passion for Christ and be transformed by the renewing of our minds and thus conforming to the image of Christ.

·       John 6:68  Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life."

   The Apostle Paul admonishes us, “Let the Words of Christ dwell in (us) richly…”(Col. 3:16)

·      The more Christ-centered you become in your walk…the more you value Him and live by His Word…the more passionate you will be about Him.

SMM Choir - Support Team

• Assistant Choir Director,  Valerie Mathura
• Rehearsal Accompanist, Trunicia Rainwater
• Attendance Secretary, Ellon Love
• Robe Caretaker, Edith Garvich
• Food & Hospitality Coordinator, Floyce Kilby
• Visual Presentation Coordinator, Rachel Addis
• Benevolence Coordinator, Sharon Wikstrom
• Events Coordinator, Cheryl Moore
• Historian (Photographer), Kayla Green
• Section Leaders:  Trunicia Rainwater (soprano) - Pastor Chad (tenor) - Diane McHughes (alto) - Don Harris (bass)
• Financial Secretary, Cynthia Harris
• Prayer Coordinator(s), Eugene Behrens; Valerie Mathura (assistant)

You Are Never Alone

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go…I will not leave you.  Genesis 28:15

Uncertainties can be frightening, but these reassuring words show that God will be with you wherever you go or in whatever situation you find yourself. You are never alone. He will always see you through.

In HIM,

Pastor Chad