Monday, March 11, 2013

Going the extra mile...

Sorry that I haven't been blogging lately, kind of been a little behind with church stuff and have been playing catch up all year so far. A young man got saved this past week and it really just stayed on my mind and I wanted to share about it.

We have a Discipleship Ministry at our church on Wednesday nights, WednesdaysOnPurpose. The ministry consists of discipleship classes that last about 90 minutes. Right now we have 4 different classes going on, to learn more about the ministry, visit our site: WednesdaysOnPurpose.com

Right now we are in the 2nd round of "Man Up", a men's class. Well the teacher of this class and his two sons took a first time visitor (who I'll refer to as Young Man) out for pizza after church. The class, as far as I know, went just fine and was engaging and interactive as always. The men of our church just love the class. Steve Gann, the teacher is one of the best we got. I digress, back to the heart of the story, Steve and his sons took this young man out for pizza after church and continued to minister to him, speaking life, testifying about all the great works that Christ had done in their lives, and the importance of living for God. 

The young man obviously was looking for God to show up in a big way. I met him before church, very polite and pleasant, I shook his hand, said hello, and moved onto what I had "going on" that night, I was too busy or caught up in my own schedule to really take the time to realize what God was about to do in this young man's life. But these guys, Steve and his 2 sons...they went the extra mile...the young man sat in church that night listened to the message God had for him, then some "church people" asked him to come join  them after church for some fellowship time. 

They continued ministering to him, outside the walls of the church, after church was over, probably past a time that was convenient for their "schedule". Long story short, that night, at the pizza place...they led this young man to the Lord. He accepted Christ, came to church Sunday Morning, came to my Sunday school class (new believers class), and as far as I know came to church Sunday night and I'm pretty sure is planning to come back to church this Wednesday. 

Steve and his family are continuing to lift this new believer up and encourage him. I'm praying God continues to show up in this young man's life in a new and awesome way.

My whole reason for posting this is to encourage any of you who might read this, to realize that Christianity isn't just coming to church, sitting down, clap a little, put a tip in the offering plate, then go home. Christianity goes beyond the walls of the church, it goes beyond our personal agendas, it takes us outside of our comfort zones sometimes. We need to daily be praying that God helps us to recognize the opportunities he gives us to minister to the hearts of those who are searching for Him.

go the extra mile...

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Invisible War Week 3 Tonight!

Tonight is our 3rd session of the Invisible War! I'm very excited to discuss more about the Spiritual Armor of God as well as its benefits.

We are going to talk in depth about ways to anticipate attacks from the Devil and how our spiritual armor lines up exactly with his types of attacks and schemes. 

So far in class we have covered the 5 Basic Truths of Spiritual Warfare:
1.   There is an Invisible World
2.   We are involved in an Invisible War
3.   Our Foe (the devil) is formidable
4.   We must respect our foe but not fear him.
5.   We fight from victory not for victory


Last week we discussed 2 important pieces of spiritual armor from Ephesians 6, the Belt of  Truth and Breastplate of Righteousness:
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place...

Here is a neat little graphic that explains the first 3 pieces of spiritual armor and their uses.


Also make sure to take a look at our class page on the WednesdaysOnPurpose site @

WednesdaysOnPurpose.com

If you are a Facebooker, make sure you join the Invisible War Facebook group HERE! 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

New Men's Series coming in the Spring!

I'm really excited to talk briefly about a new series we will be doing on Wednesday Nights in the Spring of 2013.

We will be doing the Conquer Series which is a Men's Study all about Sexual Purity and Integrity...I know, not the easiest or most pleasant topic in the world, but what's exciting is where we are getting our curriculum from.

A friend of mine, Jeremy Wiles, and his production studio, Kingdom Works, has put this great series together and I can't tell you how awesome it is going to be.

Here is a sneak peak at one of the lessons:


Here is a little more info on the series, don't miss out!

WHAT’S THE CONQUER SERIES? 
Real men are rising up across our nation. These men are not just heroes on display, but heroes to their families – and heroes when no one is looking. These men are learning to become more than conquerors through Christ. You see, conquerors aren’t born – they are made. Leadership starts in the uttermost hidden parts of our lives. More and more men, including Christian leaders, are fighting for their spiritual lives, but do not know how to prevail against the enemy’s assault. 

Proven Battle Plan - 
The Conquer Series is a new DVD teaching series for men. Included in the set are five 1-hour long teaching DVDs and a leader’s DVD. This is not just another study tool for men, but a tried and proven battle plan for purity in a lustful and Godless world. The host of the Series is Dr. Ted Roberts, founder of Pure Desire Ministries International and former U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot in Vietnam. He was the senior pastor of a church in Oregon with over 7000 members and has counseled and discipled men for over thirty years. We have condensed thirty years of Dr. Roberts’ knowledge and experience into five hours of simple, yet comprehensive, teaching. Strategies to Prevail Against the Enemy Dr. Roberts’ real and raw approach is unique. 

He takes us through a journey of discovery, laying out spiritual strategies, presenting scientific facts and, in military style, teaches men how to use the weapons God has given them to prevail against the enemy of their souls. Having battled and triumphed against sexual temptation himself, Dr. Robert gets it. His message is bold and direct, but also gracious and loving. 

Whether they are faithfully staying the course or whether they are secretly struggling with sexual temptation, the lessons in this DVD curriculum are something every man will benefit from. The Conquer Series is designed for men’s small groups, but is also ideal for self-study. Action Packed Battle Reenactments Included in each DVD are action-packed cinematic reenactments based on Dr. Roberts’ battle experience, mind-blowing interviews with brain experts and empowering testimonies by famous male Christian role models, who each inspire us to keep fighting and remind us that any man can become more than a conqueror through Christ, regardless how many times he’s failed.

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Monday, November 26, 2012

New Classes!

So our next round of WednesdaysOnPurpose Discipleship classes start this coming Wednesday November 28th. I will be teaching "Discovering the Minister Within You," this class will help you discover the minister God has gifted and designed you to be! If you are interested in taking the class click HERE to learn more!
Also I have just started teaching "Foundations" a new Discipleship class on Sunday mornings after church, it takes place during our Sunday School hour, but you will only be in the class for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks you will go back to your normal Sunday School class, or a class we think is best for you! For more information on Foundations, click HERE!

I look forward to seeing you in class sometime!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Spiritual 301 Complete!

This past week we finished up the 3rd section of our class, Spiritual Warfare 301! You guys are doing great!

Last week we learned about the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit, two of the most important pieces of the Armor of God.

The Helmet of Salvation protects our mind and allows us to enter battle unafraid and with assurance of our Salvation. The Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God (Rhema – spoken word, or words given to us by the Spirit of God) is for use to do close, hand-to-hand combat with the lies and deceptions of the enemy. Note that the sword is both a defensive and an offensive weapon. Hebrews 4:12

Here are the 5 Steps for Engaging the Enemy in Spiritual Warfare:
1. Prerequisite is a Healthy spiritual life

2. Understand your position in Christ
3. Discern when Demonic influence may be the cause
4. Claim God’s promises Out Loud (1 John 4:4, 1 John 5:4-5)
5. Take our Authority  and Position  in Christ to command demonic forces to cease their activity and Depart!

Just like a soldier training for battle with their sword, and all of their armor, we too must train ourselves to use our Sword and do battle with the enemy. What steps can you take to sharpen your skills with your sword?

Tonight we will be talking about the Power of Prayer, and more specifically intercessory prayer, so make sure to be here, you don't want to miss out!


If you are a Facebooker, make sure you join the Invisible War Facebook group HERE! Also send your friends to our class page HERE!

Make sure you leave your questions and comments by clicking HERE!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

I'm Back

Just wanted to take a few moments to say to all my readers out there...oh there aren't any? Well, ok...anyways just wanted to say I'm back and will be revamping this blog soon for some future AWESOMENESS!

In the meantime check out my other blog @ www.PastorRyanWOP.blogspot.com

Peace