He Gives Freely

Mary is not the only person who writes a song in Luke.  Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, does so as well.  One portion of his song describes two game-changers we get in God - gift giving and guidance.

God's heart is full of gift-giving and guidance that can fill you forever.  He won't force them on you.  Many respond with a resounding "NO." Others, hands and heart open, receive with gratitude.  The former continue in emptiness while the latter walk in contentment.

According to my count, Zechariah's song (Luke 1:76-79) describes five gifts we get in God:  A Prophet, Salvation, Forgiveness, Mercy, and Jesus. On any given day I need all five.  God's gifts are not for a designated day of the year.  He gives freely year round and from generation to generation.  He is the Ultimate Gift-Giver.

Tonight at 6pm at Celebration we will be worshipping the God who is full of gifts and guidance.  He has something special in store for us.  I personally invite you to join us. Bring a friend.  Bring your heart ready to receive gifts and guidance from the God who is with us.

He wants to shine light into your darkness and place your feet on a path of peace. Come and see.

Ex nihilo,


R.J. Rhoden

4 Phrases That Permanently Change Your Life

In the first chapter of Luke young Mary hears startling, life-changing words from an angel.  All were important but three stand out:  The Lord is with you; His Kingdom will never end; and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  Responding to the angel Mary provides the fourth phrase of importance:  I am the Lord's servant.

Phrases change us permanently for better or worse.

• Will you marry me?
• Just try it this once
• It's stage 4 and inoperable
• Congratulations on your acceptance to ______________
• I want a divorce
• You are pregnant
• He died this morning

Most people can quickly name 3 or 4 phrases that have permanently changed their life because words shape and influence us in tremendous ways.  "The tongue holds the power of life and death," we are told in Proverbs.  "The tongue is like the rudder of a ship," James instructs.  Words matter.

Tonight at 6 o'clock Celebration 4 powerful phrases will be spoken over every life: The Lord is with you; His Kingdom will never end; the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and I am the Lord's servant.  These are phrases that can permanently change your life if you receive them.  Though spoken to Mary in a timely way, they hold timeless application for all.

My heart this week has been particularly drawn to the lonely.  Loneliness can be known in isolation or in the midst of a crowd.  "Even in laughter the heart may ache," Proverbs reminds us.  Perplexity of heart fosters loneliness not proximity of people.

To the lonely I will say tonight:  The Lord is with you.  The Lord is with you in your prayers, in your thoughts, in your fears, in your relationships, in your hopes, in the hidden places of your heart, and in low and high places.  The Lord, Jesus, is the King who left His throne to be with you - Emmanuel.  His presence and His words of life are intended to replace the empty words and experiences of years gone by, to which, you are still clinging.  Let go and let the One who specializes in speaking new words do so into your lost heart.

Ex nihilo,


R.J. Rhoden

See

Through a generous donation I am excited to give everyone tonight at Celebration Church & Outreach Ministry a free copy of my first published book entitled See. It's been a few years in the making but finally available.  I am writing short Bible studies for busy people (80-90 pages) that blend scholarship, imagination, and pastoral application.

For now I'm writing about Jesus.  My life is devoted to His teachings and beliefs, He was and is controversial, and He has personally changed my life forever.  Jesus is the opposite of boring or indifference.  He is intriguing, courageous, maddening to some, divisive, creative, and iconic in so many ways.  Even in my greatest debates with someone over the authenticity of Jesus' claims there is an engaging energy of interest present - like the doubter isn't convinced but wishes He was.

I hold to the conviction that followers of Jesus (I am guilty) and not Jesus Himself are the biggest barriers to doubters believing in the real Jesus.  The real Jesus' life was the greatest story ever to be played out on the stage of life.  The themes included a King becoming a commoner, love triumphing over evil, life breathed into lifelessness, betrayal, forgiveness, and the conquering of death.  Even more it's a story that continues.  The real Jesus is still carrying out His mission.

One of the things He is still doing is helping us to see as He did with a blind man in the small village of Bethsaida.  Jesus is not content to merely restore our sight.  He wants to recalibrate our seeing in a way that is exceptional and life changing.  The healer in Bethsaida 2000 years ago is still at work in you and me.

I invite you to join us tonight at 6pm at CCOM or watch online.  You can also go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble (See by R.J. Rhoden) and purchase the study.  Jesus is teaching me to see, and He wants to do the same for you.


Ex nihilo,


R.J. Rhoden

Don't Fight Your Battles Alone

One day the Amalekites attacked the Israelites (Exodus 17) from behind, targeting the tired and weary ones that lagged in the back.  Though the cowardice strategy of our Enemy is to attack us at our weakest points, we need not fight our battles alone.

Moses, modeling this for us, immediately sprung into action gathering a team around him to deal with the attack.  Joshua selected warriors to hit the battle field.  Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up the hill overlooking the battlefield to pray - symbolized by the lifting of Moses' hands to God.  The collective result was victory.

There is no battle that you can fight alone.  Though tempted to do so by prideful and lonely thinking, victory is found with others around you.  Isolation, lack of trust, and loneliness are one of the best ways to ensure defeat after defeat in your life. You were not created to fight alone so quit trying to do it.

Many a stubborn person are stuck today in the misery of their defeats because of a continual refusal to seek help.  The true tragedy is not found in their defeat but rather in their refusal to embrace the key to victory.  They would rather lose alone than win with others - and that is pure tragedy.

Don't fight your battles alone.  God is your banner of victory - Jehovah-Nissi.  He wants to use people  in your life who will lift your hands when you are tired, fight alongside you, and worship Him with you when victory comes.

Fight together.

Ex nihilo,


R.J. Rhoden

In Need Of Something New

And the name of the city from that time on will be:  The Lord is there! - Ezekiel 48:35

God's heart is wired for restoration, renewal, and hope.  He saw the brokenness of Jerusalem and envisioned, through the Prophet Ezekiel, a coming, new day.  No longer would the beloved city be identified with ruin, isolation, and desertion but with the mighty presence of God - Jehovah-Shammah.

How grateful are we for a God that not only knows we are in need of something new but desires to provide it?  He kindly and gently, yet with a quality of unresistible force, gives us the opportunity to walk in a new life that is full of His presence and power. One day we are known for misery and hopelessness; the next day and all the days that follow, we are described as The Lord is There!

I love the phrase "from that time on" in Ezekiel's vision.  Everyone needs a miracle moment named "from that time on."  It represents the end of the old and the beginning of something new.  It's a doorway.  It's a change that ushers in a whole new life of hope, peace, and provision.  Sometimes the transition is dramatic but other times it's gradual.  Either way is life-altering.

God gave Jerusalem a new name, a new city, a new time period, and a new faith.  He will do the same for you because His heart is wired for such an act of kindness.  His nature is eternally oriented to doing something new for those in need of something new.

Ex nihilo,


R.J. Rhoden

Peace Now

23But the Lord said to Gideon, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” 

24So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. - Judges 6:23-24

God does NOT declare peace over your life to keep you safe but that you might become who you were born to be.  Jehovah Shalom (God is Peace), proclaimed by Gideon, came in the middle of a moment where Gideon's life was changed forever.  He was told by a messenger from God that he was not born to hide fearfully in a cave threshing wheat; he was born to be a mighty warrior for God.

It's tempting to be a bad steward with God's Peace.  Selfishly, you keep it only for yourself.  Fearfully, you use it to hide from your enemies rather than confronting them.  Therapeutically, you reduce it to how it makes you feel rather than how it makes you think and act.  True peace is walking out contently and courageously the future victories God has planned for you.

Though your future victories will be full of risk, demanding gnarly faith from you, the God of Peace will be with you.  Gideon discovered that immediately.  God sent him into battle with 32,000 men, but prior to the battle beginning God reduced his army to only 300.  God actually said to Gideon, "You have too many men (Judges 7:2a)." Walking in the peace of God will help you to realize that MORE of GOD and LESS of YOU is the key to victory.  Though ferociously counter - intuitive to humanism, letting God take the fight for you will liberate you, flooding your soul with the peace of God.

God is declaring His peace over your life NOW.  Can you mute the noise of this world long enough to hear Him?  Receive it, and you will be changed forever just like Gideon.  You were born to walk in victory not defeat - to be a warrior not a weakling - to be in peace not fear.  The God of Peace will crush Satan under your feet (Romans 16:20).  Peace now.

Ex nihilo,


R.J. Rhoden

7 Steps of God's Provision

Based on Genesis 22:1-14 (The 7 Steps of God providing for Abraham and Isaac).  Watch the entire sermon on our YouTube Channel - Celebration Church and Outreach Ministry

Step One:  Trust God fully

This is the most important of the 7 steps.  Without this starting point none of the other steps are possible.


Step Two:  Do what you know to be right

Though Abraham was probably in a state of confusion, he proceeded in obedience to the Lord, doing what he knew to be right.  The road that leads to provision is lined with acts of obedience that are void of understanding.


Step Three:  God will never put on you more than you can carry

God gave Abraham and Isaac the strength to carry the wood, fire, and knife up a long, steep path.  He will do the same for you.


Step Four:  Declare God's provision before it arrives

In verse 8 Abraham declares that God will provide.  This is the most difficult of the steps for two reasons.  First, you do not have a testimony yet.  And secondly, the doubters in your life tend to chat the loudest on this step.


Step Five:  God will come on the scene at just the right time

God is never late.  God is never early.  He always arrives at the appointed time connected to His greater purposes for your life.


Step Six:  With God there are NO coincidences

God, not luck, got a ram caught in the thicket.  Along the way to God's provision you will encounter unexplained moments with the One who operates strategically not serendipitously.


Step Seven:   It's time to testify

God's provision is meant to be told not bottled up inside.  Share and encourage someone with your story of God's provision.


Ex nihilo,


R.J. Rhoden