Pastor Lonnie Phillips
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If I say that Homosexuality is a sexually immoral lifestyle, does that constitute that I am homophobic?
If I say that illegal immigration is breaking the law, does that constitute that I am racist?
If I say that having sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman is immoral, does that constitute that I am too legalistic?
If I say that all religions do not lead to heaven but that Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life, does that constitute that I lack empathy?
The truth is: I can love the sexually immoral, the illegal immigrant who is breaking the law, the Buddhist, the Hindu, the Muslim, and the Atheist. Why? Because God loved me when I broke His law and transgressed against Him, and yet Christ Jesus has saved me, when I repented and received Him as Savior and Lord.
The Grace of God is given to those who repent and turn to Jesus. If there is no repentance there can be no salvation in Christ. If there is no repentance then God's love will not be intimately known.
Repentance is often what is being left out when we speak of God's love and grace. The message today is God's love and grace can be known without repentance. Repentance is actually and indication that God's love and grace is being made known since the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts us of sin. Praise be to God for the gift of a repentant heart, thirsting for Christ!

Pastor Lonnie Phillips
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Matthew 10:32 "So everyone who acknowledges me(Jesus) before men, I (Jesus) also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven."
Is it easy to bring up Jesus in our day to day conversations before our friends, family or even colleagues at work? Do we have a deep desire to acknowledge Jesus as the one we belong to before the people we hang out with on a day to day basis? Or, do we like to keep Jesus to our self knowing that if we bring Him up in conversation we may be labelled in a negative light. What kind of fears do we carry in acknowledging Jesus and His influence in our life?
Peter was told by Jesus that he would deny Him, not once but three times. Peter, never thought he would succumb to a fear of denying Jesus his Lord, yet he did.
There is a reason Jesus ascended into heaven after his crucifixion and resurrection. He needed to send the Holy Spirit who would give power to God's people to bear witness of Jesus. If not for the Spirit's power, we will succumb to the fears inside of us and outside that does not want the name of Jesus announced to the world.
The world is good if we play it safe and just speak of believing in "God" or telling the world what denomination or church we attend. The world is good if we announce we are Christians. However, to acknowledge Jesus and to speak the name which is above every name, that is when lives are changed and transformed. It is the name of Jesus that causes demons to flee, the blind to see and the captives to be set free. It is the name of Jesus where sins are forgiven and the lost are found.
​If we call ourselves Christians but are not acknowledging Jesus in work environments or family units then something is off. What fears are we carrying and have we asked for the Holy Spirit to give us power to overcome these fears.
May every Christ follower press in, by being filled with the Spirit, and acknowledge Jesus Christ before people that come into our path.

Pastor Lonnie Phillips

The Gospel of Jesus Christ has not evolved. American Society and culture is changing and there are churches, pastors and teachers within America that have embraced the culture and have moved away from the Gospel but Jesus has not changed.
The deception within many churches is that the focus is on God coming to fulfill our own desires and wishes instead of us aligning to His will and desires for our lives.
Paul, understood the Gospel of Jesus Christ, when he declared, "I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.(Galatians 2:20)
The Gospel is Good News for those who were once far from God but have been brought back into the fold through Jesus' blood and His glorious resurrection. It is not good news for our self-centered lives, for the self-centered one must die so that a new creation comes forth in Christ Jesus, where He is Lord over us.
The American form of Christianity is trying to tell us that the way we were born with a particular bent to sin isn't actually sin but should be embraced as coming from God. This is deception in the highest form, leading many away from the cross of Jesus and away from the Good News.

Pastor Lonnie Phillips
​
The question may seem somewhat open ended. The answer could come back, "Am I too busy for what?"
Whoever is in charge of your day to day activities also determines how busy you and I are? As I came into my office this morning, I thought of all that needed to get done before we head out on vacation. My mind began to swirl when the small voice whispered to me, "Lonnie, who is in charge of your day?"
How can Jesus be Lord of our lives if we are not giving Him access to our heart and our day to day activities? As a Pastor, my calling is to shepherd by using the gifts of the Holy Spirit that has been given to me for the equipping of the saints. However, if these gifts are used without yielding to the Spirit of Christ who lives and has made His dwelling in me, then my busyness may benefit others while my own house is being built in vain.
Are you and I allowing the Lord to build our Houses according to His will and design? For Jesus to be the builder, He requires a heart yielded to Him and His leading. Jesus is the master craftsman of our soul, mind and body. He knows what is best for us each and every day that He has given to us.
The House doesn't get to decide how it should be built. It is entirely in the hands of the builder. God's word and the empowering of the Holy Spirit shapes the house and enables it to withstand the storms and fiery trials that it will go through. Are we intentionally taking time to be instructed by God's word, led and empowered by the Holy Spirit?
Are we too busy?
Who is building Your house today?
"Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. (Psalm 127:1-2)

Pastor Lonnie Phillips
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Slavery, the Holocaust and abortion have a central theme, the dehumanization of people. Slavery and the Holocaust were justified because a race of people were seen as less than human. This was barbarism at its worst.
Yet, in 21st Century America and throughout many parts of the world, Abortion is being justified because the baby in the womb is seen as less than human. In America alone, 60 million children of different races have been killed because many Americans, like Germany in the 30's and 40's and America in the 1800's, have told ourselves that the child in the womb isn't really a child.
Abortion is a moral issue of our day. If the Church of Jesus Christ does not stand-up for the children in the womb, then who will?
If the Church of Jesus Christ does not become Jesus' hands and feet, to the women who have had abortion and to the men who have condoned it, then where will forgiveness and healing come? We are all equal at the cross of Jesus and it is by His stripes that we are healed.
I think about John Newton who wrote the Hymn, "Amazing Grace". He was in the slave trade and even a Captain of a Slave Ship. Yet, when He met Christ Jesus and gave His life to our Savior, his heart was changed. Newton found forgiveness at the foot of the cross and became a spokesman against slavery.
The Church is to speak out against Abortion and to offer Jesus who forgives us of all our sins. In standing in the truth of God and His grace there His Love can be known.