Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

I'm so thankful for your prayers these past couple weeks while we'vebeen on tour in Jordan and in Egypt. It was a wonderful, wonderful tour. Everyoneon it was tremendously blessed. We met new friends. We built new relationships. We saw some exciting things that reminded us that our God is God. He is the Godof all the earth. He is the God of all the nations. Despite the fact there's som...

Iam so reminded, as we think about what's going on right now in the news, thatJesus Christ is coming soon. The Bible says when everyone is saying peace andsafety, then sudden destruction will come upon them (1 Thessalonians 5:3).Before real peace comes in the millennial reign of Jesus Christ, there will bethe rapture of the church and then a terrible seven-year tribulation period, asI understa...

Godhas a plan for your life. He has a purpose for your life. God has a will foryour life. That's what we're looking at here in Ephesians 2:10. “For we areHis workmanship”. We're His poem. We're His masterpiece, “created inChrist Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walkin them”. That we should walk in them. Walk in what? The good works thatGod has pre...

Todaywe're continuing to look at Ephesians 2:10. We are talking about the good worksthat are produced after salvation in our lives through the ministry and work ofthe Holy Spirit. “God working in us both the will and to do of His goodpleasure” (Philippians 2:13). We always need to remember we are not savedby good works but we're saved unto good works and for good works for the gloryof God....

From thefirst verses in this chapter we have learned that sin works against us. Itcondemns us. It sends us into an eternity separated from God. “ But God” inverses 4-9, we find that God though works for us. He has provided for us agreat salvation through Jesus Christ. We have redemption and forgiveness ofsins, and God has exalted us to sit at the right hand of the Father along withJesus Christ. Oh...

Today we're looking at Ephesians chapter 2. In verses 1-3, wesee how sin works against us and brings us death and destruction and despair. Then we see in verses 4-9 how God works for us. Both these are past tense inthe sense that what God does for us has already been accomplished in ChristJesus. We're seated in the heavenly places. We are now to the praise of Hisglory. We've been redee...

Todaywe're looking at Ephesians chapter 2:1-9. In these first three verses, we findthat sin works against us. I believe you could summarize all nine of theseverses with Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God iseternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Yes, sin works against us, butmy friend, God works for us. And, “…If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:3...

We just had a very busy weekend this weekend in Lynchburg and Roanoke,Virginia. Many of you have been praying for Luke who had his 31st brainsurgery. This is now over 40-some surgeries as a result of the brain leakage offluids that's having to be taken care of off his brain. We are so thankful foryour prayer. Luke had the surgery late Sunday afternoon. It was a 4-hoursurgery. Edith spent the w...

First,let me thank you for your many, many prayers as we traveled this past week anda half to Egypt, to Jordan, and to Slovakia. And because of your prayers, wefelt like we had a prosperous journey. That's what Paul would ask the churchesto pray for him. He often asks prayer for safety, for deliverance from evilpeople, and also for the opportunity to share the gospel. Read the epistleswith Pau...

Welcometo Pastor's Chat today. Well, this morning I have a special prayer request foryou. Today I am leaving along with my son Jonathan and a nephew Jason Rigginsfor Egypt, Jordan, and Slovakia. I'll be driving this morning to Raleigh tocatch my first flight up to Dulles. And there we'll meet with Jonathan andJason. And then from there, this evening, we'll be flying to Egypt where...

Todaywe're looking at Ephesians 2:4-9. In the first three verses, we saw the realityof sin. The reality of sin and how sin works against us. We learned how we areborn dead in trespasses and sin. Because of that, we are sons of disobedience. We are disobedient people. We are depraved people going our own way, fulfillingthe lust of our flesh. And then we also saw that we're children of wrath...

Todaywe move on to Ephesians 2:4-9. When we looked at verse 1-3, we see ourselves assinners. Paul points out what our sin nature is, what our sin condition is. What is the tragic consequence of sin in our hearts and lives. We are dead intrespasses and sin. Paul teaches us we're disobedient because of that and weare the sons and children of disobedience. We're depraved. We fulfill the lusto...

Todaywe're looking at Ephesians 1:1-3. When I read these verses, one of the thingsthat comes to my mind is a series of messages that Dr. Ron Hawkins from LibertyUniversity preached for us years ago on Sunday nights at Rainbow Forest BaptistChurch. We had asked him if he would preach through the book of Ecclesiastes. Every evening he made this statement: " We are profoundly fallen creature...

In Ephesians 2, Paul goes on totalk about why we are sinners, why we're dead in our trespasses and sins. Andhe describes the characteristics, the terrible condition of a person withoutJesus Christ.   Whatis our condition and problem before salvation? One, we're dead. We “weredead in trespasses and sins” (v. 1). Secondly, in verse two, Paul pointsout: “In which you once walked according to...

The verses in this chapter talkabout living Jesus Christ. Remember we said in chapter one we talk about knowingJesus Christ. Before we can live for Christ, we need to have our eyes of ourunderstanding open to the knowledge of God. After we begin to know and understand our position in Christ then we can beginto live Jesus Christ. Inchapter one, Paul has described our spiritual possessions in Christ...

Today,we need to remember as believers, we are at war. We're not at war with people. We're not at war with ideas and philosophies. My friend, we are at war withspiritual forces in the heavenly places. And Paul reminds us of that inEphesians 6:10-18. “We do not wrestle with flesh and blood, but withprincipalities and powers, and spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places”. This spiritual w...

I'mso amazed how God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. I heard thatquote yesterday and how true it is when we look at the situation going on inAmerica today. God can use ordinary people like a Charlie Kirk to doextraordinary things that can impact a generation of young people for the gloryof God. And my friend, God can use you. I remember one of the clips of CharlieKirk when som...

Paulnot only prayed that they would know God, he prayed that they “may know whatis the hope of His calling” . What is the hope of His calling? It isthe hope that we have because of the calling that we have in Christ Jesus. We're called to salvation. We're called to sanctification. We're called toservice for the Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to live holy lives for Hisglory. With that...

Today we're continuing to look at the Apostle Paul's prayerfor the church, the believers in the church in Ephesus. In this prayer, we findseveral things that Paul prayed for. The first thing we see is that He prayedthat the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you thespirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. He prayed that theywould know God.   Thenwe...

Today we're talking about one of the most importantsubjects in the entire Bible, and that is that we might know God. Paul'svery first prayer for the church in Ephesus, and the first of his four prisonprayers, is found here in verses 15-23. He begins by saying, "I do notcease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers." Now,it's amazing how to most of churches...

Todaywe're continuing in Ephesians 1:15-18. Paul desired the Ephesian Christians tounderstand what great wealth they had in Christ. Paul knew of their faith andlove, and in this he rejoiced. The Christian life has two dimensions: faithtoward God and love toward men, and you cannot separate the two. Now theChristian life always begins with faith. Salvation is experienced by faith inthe Lord Jes...

Let'sjust review these verses before we move on.   First,we need to understand that true riches come from God. What a source ofencouragement to know that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are allworking together on our behalf to make us rich in Christ Jesus. God not onlygives us "richly all things to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17), but Hegives us eternal riches without which all othe...

Herein verses 13 and 14, Paul tells us that we were sealed by the Holy Spirit. Already we've talked about what God the Father has given us. We talked aboutJesus Christ and what He has given us. Now we're talking about the Holy Spiritand what He gives us even today. He says we also, who have believed and trustedin Christ, were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. He seals us. That wasour...

Welcometo Pastor's Chat. Today we're continuing to look at the ministry and work ofthe Holy Spirit as we are reading about Him in Ephesians 1:13-14. Jesuspromised in John 14 that He would give and send the Holy Spirit. John 14 beginswith Jesus assuring His disciples with these words and making several promisesto them: “Let not your heart be troubled…”. We live in a world full oftroubled an...

Itis always a great feeling to be back home and in my office for our pastor’schat. We want to give you an update on Brandy Manning that we asked you to prayfor who had brain surgery on a cancerous tumor Wednesday morning at DukeUniversity. Your prayers have been answered in a wonderful way. The surgerywent very well. Yesterday afternoon she was sent to a local hotel there inDurham where she will b...