I hope by now you have had a chance to connect to us on Twitter.  We are so happy to make this change in the way we do our Leadership Devotionals. We want to continue to bring you encouragement and helpful information, and using social media is a great way to connect! Rather than a once-a-week email, we will be utilizing Twitter to consistently encourage our leadership; that’s you!   This is the last Focal Pointe email you’ll receive so if you haven’t yet, please click the blue button and begin following us @npserve on Twitter.

 God bless you all and have a wonderful week!

 Please enjoy the article below…

    -Shawn 

Everything is for Your Good

 by Pastor Steven Furtick

There’s a tension that exists in the Bible that we all feel and live in every day.

In Genesis 1, God made the heavens and the earth and He called them good. So there’s some things that are good simply because God has made them and called them that.

     The earth. Life. Marriage.

All God-made and good things.

But not everything is good. We have Genesis 3 to thank for that.

     There’s the earth, but there’s also earthquakes.

     There’s life, but there’s also death.

     There’s marriage, but there’s also divorce.

This is where we live. And we could say that that’s just something we have to accept. It’s a tension that we have to live with. We’re going to have some good and some bad in this world.

While in a sense that’s true, I think there’s something we frequently overlook – the reality of Romans 8:28:

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.

This changes everything. It eases the tension. Because here’s the truth:

     Some things God makes and calls them good.

     Some things He makes work together for the good of those who are called.

Either way, there is absolutely nothing in your life that isn’t good or beyond God’s ability to work for your good.

     Your body, which is good. Or the cancer in it, which is terrible.

     Your wife, who is good. Or her death, which was tragic.

     Your children, who are good. Or them walking away from God, which is heartbreaking.

This is why Paul can go on to say in Romans 8:39 that nothing in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God. It’s because there is nothing in all creation that God did not make or that is beyond the scope of His redemptive power to remake.

You might think you’re the exception, but you’re not. Romans 8:28 isn’t a statement of probability or possibility. It’s a statement of reality. It’s not, God can make all things work for your good, but maybe that doesn’t apply to you. It’s that every second of your life He is making all things work for your good.

Whether you can see it now or not, your life is one of the greatest testimonies to the goodness and creative capabilities of God you’re ever going to behold. For what He has already given you that’s good. And for how He can redeem your life after it falls apart, or remake your heart after it’s been shattered.

No matter what position you’re in, there’s no place where God’s love cannot find you and recreate you. No matter what you have experienced, your life is stamped by the goodness of God.

Yes, there’s good and bad. But it’s all for your good.

 We are happy to announce a transition in the way we do our Leadership Devotionals. We wish to continue to bring you encouragement and helpful information, and we would like to do this in a more fluid manner. Rather than a once-a-week email, we will be utilizing Twitter to consistently encourage our leadership; that’s you! So please click the button and begin following @npserve on Twitter. God bless you all and have a wonderful week!

 Please enjoy this article I found helpful in my ministry…

     -Shawn

Tune into God

by Rick Warren

 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Luke 8:8 (NIV)

All through Scripture, the Bible says God is speaking to us. Why? Because you were created for a relationship with God. That is the whole reason you exist. God wants you to know him intimately.

Now you can’t have a relationship without communication. The problem is that communication is very easily misunderstood. I’ve been married to my wife for 35 years and I still don’t always hear her or understand her. So if I can’t even figure out somebody I’ve lived with for 35 years, how am I expected to always get it right hearing God?

That might surprise you because a lot of people think pastors have a direct hotline to God. The truth is, sometimes I’m just as confused as you are in hearing God’s voice. I don’t get it clear every time – no different from anybody else — but I will tell you this – it get’s easier.

After 35 years of marriage, I can recognize my wife’s voice when she calls me on the phone without her having to identify herself, even if it’s an overseas bad connection. And after more than 45 years in a relationship with God, I know his voice when he talks to me.

The longer you grow in your relationship with the Lord, the easier it is to know when he’s talking to you. The key is learning how to tune in to him.

Jesus said in Luke 8:8, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (NIV). God has given you all the equipment you need to hear him, and over the next few days, we’ll learn how to tune in to him.

We are happy to announce a transition in the way we do our Leadership Devotionals. We wish to continue to bring you encouragement and helpful information, and we would like to do this in a more fluid manner. Rather than a once-a-week email, we will be utilizing Twitter to consistently encourage our leadership; that’s you! So please click the button and begin following @npserve on Twitter. God bless you all and have a wonderful week!

Please enjoy this leadership article I found helpful in my ministry…

~Shawn

God’s Will or Your Will?

by Jon Walker

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:68–69 (NIV)

Even if we don’t understand God’s plan, we need to respond to his direction. In fact, when we don’t understand God’s plan, it is even more important to do exactly what he directs us to do.

Often, God asks us to make the choice to do his will before we know the specific details of his plan. That’s because part of God’s plan is to develop in us a trust of his character and his benevolence.

But this is where many of us get into a battle of wills with God, wanting him to reveal his plan to us first and only then will we decide whether or not to do what he tells us to do.

But that’s not the way it works. God wants you to decide in advance, trusting him and believing that his will is the best plan for your life, believing that he will strengthen you to do all that he asks you to do.

One reason God doesn’t give you the full picture of his plans for your life is that you may be overwhelmed by what you see. For instance, it may appear impossible for you to complete everything he plans for you during this Decade of Destiny. But that’s the point—there’s no way you can fulfill your mission without God empowering you.

Peter was in a constant battle with Jesus over what to do, but he also realized that there was no one else to trust but the Holy One of God, the Word of God in the flesh, Jesus Christ.

Do you still think there is someone else to go to find out what direction to take? Perhaps you still believe you know best? Tell God, “I don’t know that I’m willing to step out in faith without first knowing everything that’s going to happen, but I’m willing to be made willing.”

ACTS- 2/20/11- Notes

The Volunteer Ministry Leader Application: Why We’re Doing It

1 Timothy 3:8-13 (ESV) [8 ] Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. [9 ] They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. [10 ] And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. [11 ] Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. [12 ] Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. [13 ] For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

*  Every person leading a ministry at NPCC is considered a Deacon-level leader.

*  If at all possible, we want to be Proactive when making additions, not Reactive

*  We can’t possibly know Every Person’s position on every issue.

*  We are not Adding to the Biblical qualifications for leadership.

* We are making our best attempt to be sure our Deacon-level leaders possess the Qualities of Character required of Ministry Leaders, as Defined in Scripture.

2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV) Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Interesting…

“Leaders: Don’t apologize for expecting excellence. God deserves it, and people are capable of it. Call it out. My observation is that some leaders are afraid or embarrassed to expect excellence as a normal product from the people they lead. Usually it’s because they don’t want to appear to be demanding or demeaning. Apparently it’s an affront to expect a lot out of a person. But it’s actually just the opposite. It honors them.” –Steven Furtick-

In November and December 2010 the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project conducted a survey and found…

• 75% of all American adults are active in some kind of volunteer group or organization.
• 80% of internet users volunteer, compared with 56% of non-internet users.
• 82% of Facebook users and 85% of Twitter users are active volunteers.
• 75% of Facebook and Twitter users check their status at least once each day.

“If you’re a leader, let others make some of the mistakes! Don’t insist on making     them all yourself. You bring out the best in people by giving them a challenge,   giving them control, and giving them the credit.” – Rick Warren

*Approximately 40 percent of the world’s population still lives on less than two dollars per day.*

~ “There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book and a tired man who wants a book to read.” – G.K. Chesterton

The phrases “one another” or “each other” are used over 50 times in the New Testament.

We are commanded to love each other, pray for each other, encourage each other, admonish each other, greet each other, serve each other, teach each other, accept each other, honor each other, bear each other’s burdens, forgive each other, sing to each other, submit to each other, and be devoted to each other.

Well friends, an entire year of Focal Pointe has come and gone. And what a first year it was!Some of the topics we brought to you included vision, goals, unity, Christ-likeness, serving, expectations, opportunities, love, adventure, peace, honoring God, suffering, purity, and many others. I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to participate in sharing Scriptural insight and study with you.

Pastor Shane and I would like to continue to send Focal Pointe devotionals to you this year also, and we’re interested in what sort of topics you’d be interested in reading about throughout the year. That’s right friends; we’re taking requests! So what is it that you want to know more about? Is there something you’d like to know our position on? How about our feelings or stance regarding a particular subject, based on the truth of Scripture? Ministry leadership topics, family-life topics, life-in-general topics; whatever it may be, we would like the opportunity to study the Scriptures and bring you observations. So feel free to respond this week and let us know!

On behalf of Pastor Shane and myself, thank you again for allowing us to be part of your walk in this way. We are blessed by you! God bless you and your families this year!

Shawn

“Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.”
-Jonathan Edwards

“If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:14 ESV)

It’s classic. Preacher after preacher in sermon after sermon points you to the above scripture in hopes of helping you enhance your prayer life. So, intent on applying what the preacher taught, you try your best not to forget to say “in Jesus’ name” at the end of every prayer; classic. But this misses the whole point. What if you do forget? Does the prayer make it through? Or is Jesus up there saying, “Oh bummer bro, if you’d only asked in my name!”? Friends, adding “in Jesus’ name” at the end of every prayer is neither required nor wrong. You see, in the ancient world, a person’s name represented what the person was like; their character, if you will. To pray in Jesus’ name means praying in a way that is consistent with his character and his will; with who he is and what he wants.

Effective prayer must ask for and desire what Jesus delights in; and Jesus delights in things that glorify God. Take a look at the verse that precedes the one above. Jesus says, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13 ESV) Jesus’ number one priority is to glorify God, and ours should be the same. So before your next prayer, consider this; the whole point of your prayer being answered is, “that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Ask yourself this question; how does my prayer being answered bring glory to God?

Are you praying for a new home? How will you use it for God? Will you start a new Small Group that meets there? Are you praying for a new job? What is your plan for showing God’s love to your coworkers? In the midst of a season that typically glorifies materialism; I encourage you to focus on bringing glory to God through your answered prayers. Don’t miss the whole point!

Have a blessed week!

Shawn

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (John 13:34 ESV)

To love others was not actually a new commandment. “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:18 ESV) But there is a new concept presented by Jesus here. Take a closer look at the above verse from the book of John. “…just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” You see, Jesus didn’t love people like people do; He loved people like God does! To love others as God loves was a revolutionary concept! Friends, we are now called to love others based on Jesus’ sacrificial love for us. Just as Jesus was a walking example of God’s love, so we are to be modern day walking examples of Christ’s love. Loving this way will not only help keep us believers united and strong, but such love towards others will help bring non-believers to Christ. “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35 ESV)

All people will know! Jesus says that our Christ-like love will be the evidence to “all people” that we are his disciples. And I’m pretty sure he’s not speaking of the sort of evidence one has to search for. No, this is obvious evidence; easily seen by those around us. This is the type of love that brings others to Jesus; God’s love. So are you ready for the question? I know…that was a question. But not that one, silly, this one: What evidence are you leaving for “all people” to see? Hopefully, the cashier at the grocery store can tell that you’re a Christian just by the way you act. Your mechanic knows by the way you respond when he says your car will take another day to fix. You get the point, I’m sure.

Friends, I encourage you to consider the evidence you leave behind this week. Let there be evidence of Christ’s love in your walk for “all people” to see!

God bless you and your family!

Shawn

“But the centurion replied, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.’” (Matthew 8:8 ESV)

A Centurion was a Roman officer in charge of a hundred men. This particular Centurion is not only humble, but he shows extraordinary compassion for Jewish traditions, stating that he is “not worthy” of having Jesus come into his Gentile home. Not only does this man feel unworthy to have Jesus, who he knows is the Messiah, into his home, but he also knows that any Jew who entered the home of a Gentile became ceremonially unclean, and this would be an inconvenience to Jesus. So that’s your history study for today, but what about the daring faith of this Centurion? It’s amazing!  “…but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.” This was a statement that even caused Jesus to be in awe. Have a look at verse 10. “When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.’” (Matthew 8:10 ESV)

Friend, can you imagine Jesus referring to you, saying “Truly, I tell you, with no one in America have I found such faith.”? Well? Is that the sort of faith you have in Jesus to heal your friends? Your relationships? Your Marriage? How about growing your ministry? Listen, Jesus wants you to have a Centurion level of faith, because he wants to do for you exactly the sort of thing he did for that Roman soldier. “And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.’  And the servant was healed at that very moment.” (Matthew 8:13 ESV)

What is it this week? What is it that you need to have a Centurion level of faith in Jesus for?

“All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired.” -Martin Luther

Don’t be afraid to believe Him for what you ask!

Shawn

Yearning

 (James 4:5 ESV) “Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?”  

 After giving some warnings against worldliness, James gets a bit sarcastic…and I like him for it. Could God really be jealous? Isn’t jealousy a bad thing? Friends, God created us all with a spirit, and he deeply desires our spirits to worship him. He yearns for us. And I think it’s perfectly okay for our Savior to be jealous when we deny Him the worship He so deeply deserves; when we yearn for things like the good old days, instead of for God.

 (Deuteronomy 4:24 ESV) “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”  

 Could God really be jealous? I think so. Isn’t jealousy a bad thing? Well, I guess it depends on who’s jealous. A better question may be; are you giving God a reason to be jealous over you? Well, are you? I hope not. But if you are, this can be remedied.

 (John 4:23 ESV) “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”

Worship God in spirit and truth with me this week. Let’s give Him no reason to yearn jealously over us. Instead, let’s yearn for Him together! Have a blessed week!

Shawn

Quote to Ponder-

“If you’re yearning for the good old days, just turn off the air conditioning.”     

-Griff Niblack-

(Proverbs 14:9 ESV)

Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance.

The mention of the guilt offering here indicates to me that the upright enjoy acceptance because God approves of sacrifice when it is offered in authenticity. I find it interesting that even today, fools are mocking genuine sacrifice. Think about it. You don’t go on that trip with your friends because you know something will have to give and you don’t want that something to be your tithes or your family. Your friends give you a hard time about it, but God approves of your authentic sacrifice. You don’t go to that thing with the people from work because you just know your little girl needs some time with her mommy or daddy. Folks may give you a hard time, but God approves. The Hebrew word for acceptance is ratson, and it’s also used in Proverbs to refer to something that delights the Lord, or to someone finding favor with God. Friends, God delights in your authentic sacrifice! Your authentic offering finds favor with Him!

What about the most genuine sacrifice of all; the final guilt offering made for all mankind; Jesus’ offering of himself for us? Jesus enjoys acceptance today at the right hand of the Father because of his authentic sacrifice for us, and I assure you that you can enjoy the same degree of acceptance.

Friend, what will your offering be this week? Well, whatever it is, make it in authenticity and our awesome God will delight in it, and in you!

God bless you,

Shawn