ONE AMAZING GIFT!

The gift of tongues is one of the most amazing presents God has ever given.  As we learned in yesterday’s message, tongues has value both in a corporate church service and in the personal life of a Christian.

The grace to pray in other languages is a gift available to every believer who has received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and it has many benefits.

Praying in tongues allows your spirit to pray and by-pass the emotions or misunderstandings of your mind.  It is not a replacement for praying with your intellect and understanding; rather it is a beautiful addition to your prayer life.

The Bible says some pretty amazing things happen when we exercise our prayer language:

1. We pray according to God’s will.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.   And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.  – Romans 8:26-27

2.  We complete the full armor of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. – Ephesians 6:18

3. We strengthen our faith.

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. – Jude 20

Remember, your prayer language isn’t something that is received as much as it is released once you have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  I encourage you to continue to pursue a release of this amazing gift in your life.  Allow the grace of God to empower you to engage your spirit in prayer and let your mind take a break!

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POWER GRID

The fact that you are reading this article is evidence that you are, or have recently been, connected with the U.S. Power Grid.  Right now, through over 180,000 miles of transmission lines, power is being supplied to the millions of homes in the United States.

With all of our advances in the technology to generate electricity, it is baffling we have not developed a way to store large quantities of electricity for mass distribution.  Electricity must be generated on demand for public use.

A key limitation in the distribution of electricity is that, with minor exceptions, electrical energy cannot be stored, and therefore it must be generated as it is needed. A sophisticated system of control is therefore required, to ensure electric generation very closely matches the demand. If supply and demand are not in balance, generation plants and transmission equipment can shut down.  In worst case scenarios, this can lead to major regional blackouts, such as occurred in California and the US Northwest in 1996 and in the US Northeast in 1965, 1977 and 2003. To reduce the risk of such failures, electric transmission networks are interconnected into regional, national or continental wide networks, thereby providing multiple redundant alternate routes for power to flow should (weather or equipment) failures occur. (Wikipedia: Electrical Power Transmission)

This limitation of our electrical power grid illustrates a vitally important spiritual truth.  We can generate energy through relationship with God, but we do not have long term storage capacity.

If we desire to walk in the strength and grace of our Lord, we must stay connected to Him as our power source.  We do not have the battery capacity to neglect relationship with God and expect to remain vibrant and effective.

But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.  (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV)

If you would like to learn more about staying connected with God’s power grid, click on the podcast link below.

Podcast

Power Grid will be available on podcast soon.

Links

Click here for the full wiki article on the U.S. Power Grid.  

Click here to see the Sweetwater High School coaches have a dynamic encounter with power as they get tazed in a law enforcement demonstration.

On the Radar

We invite all new believers to participate in the upcoming Baptism Celebration this Sunday, May 16, 6:00 pm, at First Christian Church.  Please make plans to attend one of our Baptism classes as well.  Contact Pastor Eric for more information.

To Save A Life free movie night!  Wednesday, May 15, at 6:30 pm in the High School Auditorium.  Youth and parents are invited to experience this amazing and in touch film.

Family Connection

Parents, be sure to check out the Worldchangers website.  We align our Bible curriculum from the nursery all the way up to our youth.  Access the Family Connection page on the website to bring your children’s Bible lesson home to the kitchen table. 

We also have all the info you need about RAMP, our ministry to youth in Sweetwater High School and Middle School and surrounding campuses, as well, at www.efcyouth.com.

You Heard it at EFC

Been trying to remember one of those awesome songs we sang?  Here is our worship list from yesterday, for those of you who just absolutely need a copy for yourself.  You can usually find them for purchase on itunes.com.

1. “See His Love” Jesus Culture version
2. “Your Love Never Fails” Chris Quilala version
3. “You Won’t Relent” by Misty Edwards

Sunday Preview

Sunday, May 16, we are transitioning into a new and intriguing sermon series.  You are invited to come and explore with us the “Questions Jesus Asked.”

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HEALING AT THE POOL

Yesterdy, we looked at the encounter Jesus had with the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda.  The man had been there, knocked down, alone, and broken for 38 years, or to put it into perspective 13,870 days.  That’s a long time to suffer!  But then Jesus came.  (Don’t you love that sentence?)  Upon arriving at the scene, Jesus spoke two sentences and the man was made whole.

All of us have areas of our lives that have been knocked down and broken.  All of us have felt alone.  All of us have cried out for the “But then” moment with Jesus.  Wherever you find yourself today, know that Jesus has the ability to change your situation in the space of two sentences.  He is the kindest man you’ll ever know, and He changes everything when He enters the room.

If you have a need and would like someone to stand with you in prayer, drop me a line today at efcsweetwater@aol.com.  Let’s pray together for your “But then” encounter with Jesus.

Podcast

Follow the link to access this Sunday’s message “Healing at the Pool” from John Chapter 5.

Links

Want to see a picture of the Pool of Bethesda?  Archaeologists believe they have found it.  You can check it out by clicking HERE.

Our first Kid’s School of Worship was an over the top radical event.  Many thanks to Pastor Lolo and the 30+ volunteers who gave their time, talent, and sweat to put together such an amazing school for our children.   You can catch a play by play recap of the School of Worship on the Beauty of the Bible weblog.  Click here to check out Night 1, Night 2, and Night 3.

On the Radar

Our Baptism service venue has changed!  We will now meet at First Christian Church on Hailey Street this Wednesday, August 5^th, at 7 pm.  I hope you will come celebrate with us as our friends in Christ are baptized!  On a personal note, my heart is ecstatic as I look forward to baptizing my daughter, Brenna Grace, as my sister in the Lord this Wednesday!  You can contact me by email if you desire to be baptized this Wednesday.

The youth are leaving for Six Flags this Thursday, August 6^th!  We will meet at the church at 7:00 am and be back home around midnight, with a fun-packed day in between!

School is just around the corner, and Sweetwater Aglow will be hosting their annual Back To School Prayer Walk on Tuesday, August 11, 6:30 pm, at Lighthouse Assembly (on Newman Street).  Make plans to come pray for our schools!

Are you a new member at EFC?  Interested in joining and partnering with us?  We invite you to attend a Membership Dessert on Monday, August 17, at 7:00 pm.  Childcare will be available.

You  Heard it at EFC

Been trying to remember one of those awesome songs we sang?  Here is our worship list from yesterday, for those of you who just absolutely need a copy for yourself.  You can find them for purchase on itunes.com.

1. “Dancing Generation” by Matt Redmand
2. “I Have Found” by Kim Walker
3. “The More I Seek You” by Kari Jobe
4. “When I Think About The Lord” by Shane and Shane

Sunday Preview

Next Sunday, we will continue our series “That’s My King!” from the book of John.

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