THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO GIVE IN OR GIVE UP!

Posted on October 7, 2014 by randscallawayffm

Pastor John longs to have a “heart to heart” talk with his congregations in person. His love for Jesus as Christ and his love for the people keeps him focused on the bottom line. Jesus is Lord and his teaching connects us to God. Don’t give in to false teaching he says, AND don’t give up now!

RELEVANT FOR TODAY? MORE THAN EVER!
“There are a lot of smooth-talking charlatans loose in the world who refuse to believe that Jesus Christ was truly human, a flesh-and-blood human being. Give them their true title: Deceiver! Antichrist!” 2 John Msg

ENCOURAGEMENT
“And be very careful around them so you don’t lose out on what we’ve worked so diligently in together; I want you to get every reward you have coming to you. Anyone who gets so progressive in his thinking that he walks out on the teaching of Christ, walks out on God. But whoever stays with the teaching, stays faithful to both the Father and the Son.” 2 John Msg

DON’T GIVE IN
“If anyone shows up who doesn’t hold to this teaching, don’t invite him in and give him the run of the place. That would just give him a platform to perpetuate his evil ways, making you his partner.” 2 John Msg

WE LOVE BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US!
We love our kids and grandkids. Because we care for them so much we always say when they leave after a visit, “Stay safe, be careful on the way home!” John’s love for God and others so great, he extends the same warnings so that they will be safe from all evil the seeks to destroy God’s people. This is amazing love from God expressed through John, the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ. It is that kind of love that keeps me arising early before the work day to write this to all of you each morning.

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Dear Heavenly Father, Our time together is precious to me. Your Word teaches, yes, but You also remind us how much we are loved by You, our Father in Heaven. Thank you for Your amazing love, mercy and grace that saves our souls and heals our hearts and minds. In Jesus Name, Amen

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A PASTOR’S LOVE

Posted on October 6, 2014 by randscallawayffm

As I read the opening of Pastor John’s second letter to his churches, I am stopped by the first words of love for his people God has put in his care.

“My dear congregation, I, your pastor, love you in very truth. And I’m not alone–everyone who knows the Truth that has taken up permanent residence in us loves you.” 2 John, Msg

Pastors, do you love, really love the people in your care in truth with all honesty, truly love them? No matter what they do? No matter how needy they seem to you? No matter how they disappoint you with their human behaviors? Do you love your congregation? This must be a daily evaluation so that you can keep focused on God and what HE wants for his church.

“Let grace, mercy, and peace be with us in truth and love from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, Son of the Father!” 2 John, Msg

People, do you love your pastor, live in truth, extend grace that was give to you, back to your pastor? Do you lift him up with encouragement? Pray for him daily? (Not just on Sunday, for he does work every day of the week, despite what most people think!) Do you look for ways to meet his/her needs as they work tirelessly and lovingly to meet the spiritual needs of others?

Pastors and People. Loving God. Loving Each Other Like God loves. Revolutionary! Life transforming! With Joy! In Truth.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am to learn that many members of your congregation are diligent in living out the Truth, exactly as commanded by the Father. But permit me a reminder, friends, and this is not a new commandment but simply a repetition of our original and basic charter: that we love each other. Love means following his commandments, and his unifying commandment is that you conduct your lives in love. This is the first thing you heard, and nothing has changed.” 2 John, Msg

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Dear Heavenly Father, You speak volumes through your beloved disciple, John…the pastor. By Your resurrection power living in us, ready to be tapped by our willingness to yield to You, help us “conduct our lives in love.” Today. And Always. Forever.
In Jesus Name, Amen!

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HELD FIRM!

Posted on October 5, 2014 by randscallawayffm
In a game of tag, holding is not allowed. In football, holding is not allowed. You tag and run to keep from being tagged. In football, you tackle and defeat…all without holding your opponent to make the play, especially the one with the ball. Games…what matters is who is “it”.

Who is the One in play for you? Who is “IT”? Or, maybe a better question is this…Am I “it” to God, the Father? Am I His beloved? Only you can answer that question today. But know this, if you are a believer whose desire and commitment to follow God’s lead, then you are held firm by God Himself! Holding is allowed by God! So hold onto Him as firming as He holds onto You and you will live well! John, the beloved, closes his first letter with this…

“The God-begotten are also the God-protected. the Evil One can’t lay a hand on them. We know that we are held firm by God; it’s only the people of the world who continue in the grip of the Evil One.” 1 John 5 Msg

“And we know that the Son of God came so we could recognize and understand the truth of God–what a gift!–and we are living in the Truth itself, in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. This Jesus is both True God and Real Life. Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles.” 1 John 5 Msg

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TAG…You’re IT! Hold firm and don’t let go of God! He will not let go of You!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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CAN YOU HEAR ME? CAN YOU HEAR ME, NOW? YES!

Posted on October 4, 2014 by randscallawayffm

There was a commercial from a cell phone company a few years back..before iphones!…with a question that became very popular. “Can you hear me?” Then the phone user would move to various locations and ask, again, “Can you hear me, now?” Because they wanted to sell their calling program and phone to you, the answer was always YES, I can hear you.

John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, reminds us that in reality, we who believe, really believe, have the listening ears of God the Father, because of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, ALL the time. Can He hear me, now? Why yes, HE CAN! No matter where we are, where we go, what we are doing, or what circumstances are all around us, He can hear you when you talk to Him with a believing heart, mind and soul.

BEYOND THE SHADOW OF DOUBT!
“My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. AND how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening, WE KNOW that what we asked for is as good as ours.” 1 John 5 Msg

Yes, I know my redeemer lives! And I know that He listens when I pray with a believing heart. He listens even when my words are not audible. He is more than enough. Can He hear you? Can He hear you, now? YES, and AMEN!

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Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for listening to us cry out to you in times of stress and trouble. Thank you for listening to us when words cannot be formed. Thank you for listening to us when praise is lifted to you with tears of joy. Thank you for being real to us and not an illusion. I believe. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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WE’VE GOT THE POWER!! What??

Posted on October 3, 2014 by randscallawayffm

WE’VE GOT THE POWER!! What??.

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WE’VE GOT THE POWER!! What??

Posted on October 3, 2014 by randscallawayffm

John, the beloved disciple, writes God’s Word to us with power, revealing the power WE have available to us! Stop and think about it…we have God’s power, the kind of power that raised Jesus Christ from death to life, inside all of us! What?? Just read. Meditate on this all day long today. Be encouraged. Believe and behave knowing and internalizing these “power” thoughts of John:

WE ARE CONQUERORS!
“Every God-begotten person conquers he world’s ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. the person who wins out over the world’s ways is simply the on who believes Jesus is the Son of God.” 1 John 5, Msg

IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS!
“Jesus–the Divine Christ! He experienced a life-giving birth and a death-killing death. Not only birth from the womb, but baptismal birth of his ministry and sacrificial death. And all the while the Spirit is confirming the truth, the reality of God’s presence at Jesus’ baptism and crucifixion, bringing those occasions alive for us. A triple testimony: the Spirit, the Baptism, the Crucifixion. And the three in perfect agreement.” 1 John 5, Msg

WE CAN BE ASSURED!
“If we take human testimony at face value, how much more should we be reassured when God gives testimony as he does here, testifying concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God inwardly confirms God’s testimony. Whoever refuses to believe in effect calls God a liar, refusing to believe God’s own testimony regarding his Son.” 1 John 5, Msg

THE TESTIMONY..
“This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son. SO, whoever has the Son, has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.

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And there you have it.
All who believe have it.
And it is LIFE eternal, forever and ever, Amen!
Now, let’s live it! In POWER!
Be a difference!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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GOD AND LOVE…INSEPARABLE!

Posted on October 2, 2014 by randscallawayffm

Let me simplify. That’s how I learn and internalize important information. In Oklahoma, where I grew up, there are some things that must go together: Biscuits and gravy, Bacon and eggs, garden green beans, new potatoes, with a little bacon thrown in, fried chicken after church, known as the “gospel bird” of choice. The list goes on and on. You probably have your own list of “go-togethers”. Mm. It’s sad mine is all about food. But when I think of home, I think of my grandma’s cooking. Maybe because I don’t cook like that anymore. We are trying to be healthy!

In God’s Word, our attention is focused on God and love, by John, the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ. The two cannot be separated! In fact, John’s three letters provide wonderfully explicit direction in how this works. Jesus, the Messiah, is the focus: Jesus provide the full and true understanding of God; Jesus shows us the mature working-out of love. In Jesus, God and love are linked accurately, intricately, and indissolubly.

People want to make up their own idea of God, make up their own style of love. John was a pastor who had some of these people in his churches. His letters reestablish the original and organic unity of God and love that comes to focus and becomes available to us in Jesus Christ.

GOD AND LOVE…
“Every person who believes that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah, is God-begotten. If we love the One who conceives the child, we’ll surely love the child who was conceived. The reality test on whether or not we love God’s children is this: Do we love God? Do we keep his commands? The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments and they are not at all troublesome.”
1 John 4, Msg

“LOVE GOD, LOVE OTHERS” –Jesus Revolutionary. Counter-culture. Can’t have one without the other. Showing God’s love in us and through us to others brings dignity to the world’s unlovable. Love God, love others. Amazing Love!

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Dear Heavenly Father, You get our attention every time we open and read Your Word with a desire to love like You love. Thank you for Your continual teaching that helps us to grow and mature in Your love. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit again today and help us be alert to ways we can love others like you love us. Thank you, Lord.
In Jesus Name, Amen

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FULLY FORMED

Posted on October 1, 2014 by randscallawayffm

Our pastor asked us last Sunday, “What do you fear most?” Then his sermon helped us to understand what to do about those fears. We all seem to have a fear, some of us to a lesser degree than others, but we all fear something. Why? We are not “fully formed”, as John states in God’s Word, in love. Love banishes fear. For me, when love banishes my fears, peace floods my soul and I am encouraged, excited and an enthusiastic servant of God again, once I realize God’s Perfect Love for me. I can then love others more perfectly. Yes, our “fully formed love” of God AND others makes fear go away. Dissolved. No more.

FEAR VS GOD’S LOVE

“God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day–our standing in the owrld is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life–fear of death, fear of judgment–is one not yet full formed in love.” 1 John 4, Msg

LOVE AND BE LOVED…COMMITMENT

“We, though, are going to love–love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.” 1 John 4, Msg

IT’S A COMMAND TO LOVE, NOT A FUZZY FEELING SUGGESTION!

“If anyone boasts, ‘I love God,’ and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The COMMAND we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve go to love both.” 1 John 4, Msg

Love God. Love Others. Mm, if we really put our hearts, minds and souls to this command, we just might begin a revolution, a counter culture kind of transformation of our world in which walk temporarily.

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Dear Heavenly Father, You loved us first. We love You back. Teach us to love others like you love us with unconditional love. We might just start something that will take away fear and replace fear with more love, peace, wisdom, insight and understanding for You and each other. Help us love. Help us grow into “fully formed love” that banishes all fear. In Jesus Name, Amen!

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WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? EVERYTHING!

Posted on September 30, 2014 by randscallawayffm
God’s marvelous, unchanging, unconditional, perfect in all ways, cleansing, encouraging, undying, forever kind of love has everything to do with life itself. Read what John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, says…(and be encouraged!).

“My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God.” 1 John 4, Msg

Breathe that in..then consider the alternative…

“The person who refused to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love–so you can’t know him if you don’t love.”
1 John 4, Msg

Just making it clear.

“This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about–not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.”
1 John 4, Msg

In other words…we are not just impressed by God, We love Him with all our heart, mind and soul. God IS love, the love we should have for others. The more we understand and ACCEPT His love for us the more deeply we will love others. What happens over time is the more we allow God to love us, the more we love others more perfectly, unconditionally, full of grace and mercy…like He loves us! Yes, it’s a never ending bond, not to be broken by our sin. We are forgiven and free to love like HE loves us! Amazing! Breathe in grace, exhale His love and praise!

“My dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us–perfect love!” 1 John 4, Msg

“This is HOW we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. ALSO, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.”
1 John 4, Msg

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Dear Heavenly Father, Oh, how You love us! Thank you for loving your flawed but forgiven children! Thank you for showing us HOW to love. May Your Spirit living in us be active and alive in showing Your love, grace and mercy to others we will encounter today. Keep us alert and always ready to love. Unconditionally. Like You love us. In Jesus Name, Amen
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TWO TESTS

Posted on September 29, 2014 by randscallawayffm

TWO TESTS.

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