Summons Radio

In the Hebrew culture the woman who has been given a marriage proposal is given a symbolic cup of wine. If she agrees to the marriage covenant, she partakes of the cup of wine. This is a beautiful picture of what we do as believer's when we come to the communion table...we remember and affirm our acceptance of our marriage covenant with Messiah.

There are two practices in the Body of Christ that we know the Bible encourages us to participate in...water baptism and the communion table of the LORD. In today's message Pastor Terry will exhort us to remember what the communion table symbolizes and approach it with reverence, knowing that we serve God who is a consuming fire.

One of the amazing results of being saved is the opportunity to be filled with the Holy Spirit. There's no need to be afraid of this blessing. The nonsensical stories that you've heard aren't in God's Word and you don't need to worry about it. When you're baptized in the Spirit of God the number one result will be the fact that you will be a powerful witness for God.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a topic that comes with quite a bit of controversy. Pastor Terry will share with us the two extremes that people embrace. We'll find that the Bible certainly supports the necessity of the baptism of the Holy Spirit but for clear reasons and controlled results.

Pastor Terry's word certainly ring true...we are seemingly in the last days. The LORD is calling out to all those who have placed their faith in Him...be about His business...begin sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with those bound in sin that are all around you. It's time for the church to awake from sleep and walk in the Great Commission.

God has given us a number of tasks as His followers. Probably one of the most important is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost and dying all around us. Just as children are the result of a healthy husband and wife, multiplication should be the result of a healthy Christian. We should be sharing God's love with those around us.

We make plans for our lives and that is certainly wise. But, have you sought the LORD about the plans that you're making? What has He shown you? Is He truly leading you in the direction your headed? It's vitally important for us to seek the LORD and hear His voice as to what we're supposed to be doing for Him.

As we just heard from Pastor Terry a moment ago...loving Jesus more than your life is actually living a life that is set apart FOR Him. It's dying daily to your wants and desires and seeking the LORD as to what He would want you to do. Living this way doesn't sound appealing, but it's actually THE ONLY way to find satisfaction in this life.

Making the decision to be a disciple of Jesus should not be taken lightly. In spite of what some false teachers will tell you, it's not all a 'bed of roses.' In fact, we know that God's Word promises us that persecution will come our way when we stand firm for the truths of God.

There are many great and precious promises in the Word of God. But, one stands out...if we will simply admit that what God says in His Word is true about us...that we've sinned...and we commit to turning away from that sin, God has promised that He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Although there are different belief systems that contradict this, you don't lose your salvation when you fall into sin. However, you should notice that your fellowship with God is affected. You might not feel as close to the LORD as you did before that sin came into your life. We need to be quick to repent of our sins so that fellowship is restored.

When a person accepts Jesus as their LORD and Savior a change begins to take place. This daily change in the life of a believer is called sanctification. God is setting us apart by the changes that He is making in our lives by the Holy Spirit. He is empowering us to walk in obedience to His Word.

Sanctification is Christian term that is used quite a bit. But, do we know what it means? Today Pastor Terry shares with us that to be sanctified means that you are set apart. When a person accepts Jesus as their LORD and Savior, they are set apart for the purposes of God.

Did you hear that Summons listener? Pastor Terry just shared with us one of the focal keys to living as Christians...it's abiding. God has blessed us with the Creation that bears witness of our lives with Him. An apple removed from a tree is DONE growing. But an apple connected to the tree will continue to receive nutrients.

Thinking back on life before you were born again can be a sobering practice...Pastor Terry just reminded many of us of what that life was. But, when the enemy reminds us of our lives before Christ, it's always with a bit of lipstick on it...it's always the fleeting good times that we supposedly had. We need to be on guard for the deceitfulness of the enemy.

In the last edition of Summons we learned that reconciliation is a very important process in our lives. We'll learn today that in order for reconciliation to take place on a horizontal, person to person level, we must have our vertical, personal relationship with God in order.

There probably isn't a single person listening to Summons right now at this very moment that doesn't need some sort of reconciliation to take place in their life. Today Pastor Terry begins sharing with us the great need for reconciliation and how we can walk in it. All reconciliation begins with a right relationship with God.

Sometimes the work of God in our lives can be hard to understand. We tend to get some of these processes mixed up. For instance, when you're born again, you are made righteous. You will never be MORE righteous than you are that day. But, on a daily basis, God is making us more holy...more like His Son Jesus. One process is a one time event while the other continues until He returns.

There are many great and precious promises in the Word of God. But, probably one of the greatest of all is our Father's promise to continue and even complete this great trans formative work that He's doing in our lives. We began by placing our faith in His Son Jesus. Now, let us continue daily in faith believing that God will do as He promised.

As children of God, we have bold access to the very throne room of the Creator of the Universe! Pastor Terry will exhort us today to never forget the amazing blessing of the access that we have to God. And this blessing didn't come without a price. In fact, the cost was very high...the life of His one and only Son, Jesus.

Adoption is a term that we're all familiar with...thoughts come to our minds of the little orphan Annie or other children in great need. The Bible uses this term adoption for us too. When you place your faith in Jesus Christ, you are adopted in to the family of God. You are now a child of the Creator of the Universe with access to His resources and perfect will.

As we just heard from Pastor Terry, when a person is born into this existence, he or she is spiritually dead. So, what can be done about this? Well, the words of Jesus spoken to Nicodemus ring true...in order to inherit the Kingdom of God, you must be born again! You must experience that re-birth into God's Kingdom.

Once saved always saved? Are ONLY those who are chosen able to be saved? Or does God simply choose us based upon the choice He already knows we will make? These age old questions will be addressed in today's edition of Summons. Pastor Terry shares with us that God doesn't exist in time and space like we do...therefore He simply knows.

As we just heard from Pastor Terry, when a person is born into this existence, he or she is spiritually dead. So, what can be done about this? Well, the words of Jesus spoken to Nicodemus ring true...in order to inherit the Kingdom of God, you must be born again! You must experience that re-birth into God's Kingdom.

The shed blood of Jesus is so much more than an quaint thought in Christianity. The shed blood of Jesus is the acceptable atoning sacrifice for our sins! Jesus shed is blood in our place so that we wouldn't have to! Now, this substitution is only allowed for those that have placed their faith in the LORD'S ability to accomplish this.