Seven Profound Declarations
Pastor Duane’s current series is ‘Lord, Teach us To Pray.’ Below are a few notes from last week’s message breaking down the Lord’s Prayer.
This is how Jesus said we are to pray:
ONE: Our father which art in heaven…
Approach him as father… He is our heavenly father. This is family. The primary purpose of prayer is relationship and fellowship. ‘In heaven’ means above and over all.
TWO: Hallowed be your name.
May your name be honored… Jehovah is the Jewish national name of god; self existent one… he reveals himself in his name.
Some names of God:
Jireh – provider
Nissi – victor
Shalom – peace
Sidkinu – righteousness
Rapha – healer
Name above all names = Jesus. (Philippians 2:9-11)
THREE: Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
The kingdom is within you (Romans 14:17). The Holy Ghost is in you and me. We pray from our spirit into our minds for: Our marriages. Our finances. Our children. Our church.
FOUR: Give us this day our daily bread.
Be mindful on a daily basis of the provisions of God. Israel had to go out every day to collect the provisions of God. On the second day it was wormy. Don’t be a wormy Christian. Daily is the emphasis and key – daily relationship and fellowship. The just shall live by faith. We walk by faith and not by sight.
FIVE: and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
Unforgiveness is the number one hindrance to answers to our prayers. One thing: Forgive.
SIX: Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
He HAS delivered… (Colossians 1:13)
SEVEN: Thine is the kingdom, power and glory forever
Humility, proper focus and mindset…
Click here to listen to this message or the entire series.
Be blessed!
Read MoreNew Mid-Week Service Time in Durant!
Durant is moving the mid-week service to Wednesdays beginning this week! Don’t miss out. Join us in person or online on Wednesday, November 2nd at 7pm!
Remember – from now on, mid-week service is on Wednesday.
Read MoreWhy Prayer?
Luke 11:1 says, “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ ” Even the disciples, who were with Jesus face to face, felt the need to ask him to teach them to pray. We all need to be taught how to pray!
Why do people not pray? Because they think it doesn’t matter if they pray or they feel like they’ve seemingly tried and failed to get an answer. Many of us have a misunderstanding or misapplication of the sovereignty of God. We think and say things like, “Whatever God allows, God wills.”
So, in Part 2 of his current series, “Lord Teach us to Pray,” Pastor Duane answers the question:
Why do we pray?
- Fellowship and relationship with God (Rev. 4:11).
It’s a two way conversation! (But sometimes it’s good to seek Him in silence.) - Prayer changes us, circumstances, and our world.
- Prayer is the avenue by which God has ordained for us to receive our provisions provided in Jesus.
- Prayer is God and man working together in the earth.
I Cor. 3:9, “For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” Man working independent of God is death! - Prayer is not me convincing God to change His will and conform to mine.
- Prayer is not me convincing God that I’m right and know what’s best.
- Prayer is not a tug-of-war to see who wins.
- Prayer is God and man in partnership, releasing and establishing God’s will in the earth.
When God speaks something it is a covenant. It cannot be changed. God does not break His word. (Psalm 89:34) He binds himself to his own word…
We encourage you to listen to this message and the entire series by clicking here.
Read MoreReaping the Harvest
Pastor Duane started a new series last week, “Reaping the Harvest,” and this week’s message was titled, “Fishers of Men.” In Matthew 4:19 Jesus says, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” We are all called to be fishers of men. He has called us to go fishing!
So how do we fish? With:
1. Equipment – us (God uses us as nets)
2. Bait – passion and knowledge
3. Method – love
1. Nets. We are the net that God wants to cast in the sea of humanity. God uses people to catch people. When we assemble we are mending nets. Matt 28:19 says, ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ When we GO, we are God casting His nets. We are important to God!
In John 17:14 when Jesus is praying for the disciples, he says, “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” We are to shine as a light and not be embarrassed to be moral.
In John 17:15 Jesus goes on to pray, “Don’t take them out of the world, but keep them from sin…”
So how do we fish for men? How do we keep them (and ourselves) from sin?
The answer is in Romans 10:17: So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Verse 13: Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Verse 14: Believe? How? Hear? How?
Verse 15: By you and I as believers speaking out His word! Who is sent? US!
2. Bait. The very life of Christ in us… Our own passion and knowledge of God! People are tired of phony plastic Christians. Being real draws them in. This stuff is REAL. This stuff is GOOD!
3. Method. How do we witness? Not out of guilt, but LOVE.
LOVE GOD
LOVE PEOPLE
SERVE BOTH
If you love God, but not people, you push people away from God. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. It’s not about rules; it’s about relationship with people. Religion doesn’t love people.
We encourage you to listen to this message and the entire series by clicking here.
Be blessed!
Read MoreFour Faces of Love
God’s love and knowing His love for us changes us like nothing else can.
Pastor Duane started a new series on Sunday entitled, ‘Four Faces of Love.’ Today’s message was entitled ‘Extravagant Dimensions.” He opened with one of my favorite prayers which is found in Ephesians 3:14-21:
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.”
I love it… this is my prayer! The prayer applies to all of us:
- Christ may dwell in our hearts,
- Being rooted and established in love,
- Grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
- Know this love that surpasses knowledge,
- Be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God…
I’m really looking forward to the rest of this series. To hear the entire message click here. I’ve only touched on a few key points – there’s so much more.
Be blessed!
Read More