Grady Russell

I Love My Work!

There cannot be a better job on the planet than mine. I am leading a brand new congregation of God hungry believers. SonPointe Church is a great work! Nehemiah spoke of his work in the same way. Nehemiah is a great study in the importance of work. In Nehemiah 6, he answers his inquiring enemy with the statement, “I am doing a great work!”

Everyone who is actively involved in the work of the Lord is involved in a great work. From the moment Jesus directed His disciples to go into all the world, the work of the kingdom of Christ has grown and prospered. It is a great and worthy endeavor. It has no equal! God’s book is the #1 bestseller of all time and His work is the number one work of all time!

Here are two powerful truths: it is great and it is work. The task before Nehemiah was a great task. He and his followers rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in just 52 days. (Personal note: I am 52. On Saturday, September 1, we begin canvassing neighborhoods and doing the work of launching our church. Including Saturday, there are just 52 days before I turn 53 on October 22^nd. Is God getting me ready for a really happy birthday? Who knows! Yet, I cannot think of a better way to spend the last 52 days of my 52^nd year than working for the Lord.)

Nehemiah’s work was a great and worthy task. It also required great effort. The task before our church is also great and will require much labor, but a dear friend reminded me today that the “fields are white unto harvest.”

Work is a good thing. God never intended for mankind to get by without work. Even God works! He worked to form the world. Six out of seven days God worked. We should do the same! We should honor God’s day of rest by working the other six to earn that rest.

Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. Theodore Roosevelt

There is no greater work worth doing than the work that God intends for you. If you are in the will of God you will be working 85% of the time (six of seven days). God works and expects you to work as well. God is not pleased with those who refuse to do their share of His work.

Work saves us from three great evils: boredom, vice and need. Voltaire

I don’t agree with everything that Voltaire had to say, but in this statement, he is right. Nothing is better for an individual or group than work. You defeat the enemy when you work. Boredom, sin, and need creep into groups and individuals that are not focused on their endeavors. God’s work is challenging and rewarding. Jesus said, “…I must be about My Father’s business.” Luke 2:49 (NKJV) Jesus knew the significance of doing the will of God. It was also vital to Nehemiah and should be important to every follower of Jesus Christ.

How can we work for God? Work! Earn a living. Tithe on your income. Support the work of God. Give to missions. Faithfully attend church. Be a model of Christ in all of your endeavors. Participate in the outreach endeavors of your church.

Work at keeping the peace of your church. Work at being a peacemaker.

Jesus declared that certain folks were blessed. However,

I don’t recall Jesus saying blessed are those who are bitter in spirit.

I don’t recall Him saying blessed are those who frown at others and refuse to greet their brothers and sisters in Christ.

I don’t recall Him saying blessed are those who are constantly offended.

I don’t recall Him saying blessed are those who refuse to support the work of the local church.

I don’t recall Him saying blessed are those who hinder the work of God.

He did say blessed are the peacemakers!

I can assure you that making peace is hard work!

Jesus did say that those who would be known as the children of God were the peacemakers! Want to be called a child of God? Make peace!

Jesus did say “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.” If you are hungry for justice you will work!

Our church is a vital part of the work of God. Every believer who attends a church should enter into the work of that church or find a work they can enter into. Our church motto is, “Find your place in the Son!” There is a place for you in SonPointe Church and it is a place of work. After all…

Whoever does not love his work cannot hope that it will please others. Anonymous

Do you want to please the Lord?

If you love the Lord of the work, you will love the work of the Lord!

The work of God is a great work, and anything or anyone hindering the work cannot be pleasing God. When you grasp the greatness of the work, you will get involved! God’s people simply cannot sit on the sidelines when they understand the great task before us!

Do you love your work?

As the pastor of a new church I am constantly searching for the best deals for our church needs. Here is one that is so good I wanted to share it with all of my pastor friends. I know that you will all like it because it is free!

Since March I have been looking for the best price on song presentation software. We have actually been using PowerPoint, but the lack of flexibility has been frustrating. There are dozens of programs available for purchase from $149 to close to $1,000. Last week, I discovered the free one, openlp.org.

It is written especially for church presentations. In fact the fellows behind the project share on the website that it was “custom built from the ground up with churches in mind.” I like that fact! The software is intuitive and user friendly. It even has a built in song database and the ability to download through CCCLI and Song Select. Don’t skimp there; pay the annual fee for CCCLI and Song Select!

Since I was actually alive when Lotus 1-2-3 first came on the scene, I really love keyboard shortcuts (if you haven’t heard of Lotus 1-2-3, you are just too young!). Anyway, this program has several “hotkeys” that improve the presentation functionality. Its display monitor setup is a breeze! There are preview, live and order of service windows as well as easy to manage and almost effortless programmable slide background themes. They even offer a theme gallery on their website!

It is such a good program that I thought there might be a few friends out there who could benefit from it as well. Check it out at www.openlp.org and let me know what you think about it.

This blog was written by a real person. I am not an actor and I am not compensated for my statements except for the satisfaction of knowing that I may have helped a friend!

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This morning, Joyce and I walked through our neighborhood and prayed for our neighbors. We know that there are Christians living near us, but there are also folks from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds. We know that there are many who need to hear about our loving Lord. Our church is embarking on a mission to impact our communities with the Good News of Jesus Christ. We felt that it was important to begin this journey with prayer. I am 52 years old and I believe now more than ever in the power of prayer.

As Pentecostal people we are empowered to serve God when we are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in other tongues. This marvelous experience changed the early disciples in a powerful way. It has powerfully affected believers in every generation. I was reading an article about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that came over 100 years ago. The article on the CBN website said in part, “Right around the first hour of the first day of the new century — January 1st, 1901, Agnes Ozman asked Parham to lay hands on her and pray for this baptism and the gift of tongues. Swiftly, the prayer was answered. Phil Johnson covers the religion beat for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He said, “Agnes Ozman became the first person in this century to speak in tongues and that started the Pentecostal movement as we know it today.” Johnson added, “Agnes Ozman, it was said, spoke in Chinese for three days straight. She couldn’t speak in English at all.” “ You can read the complete article for yourself here. There is another compelling account on the Assemblies of God Enrichment Journal site.

That event began a revival that swept the world. The Holy Spirit broke down barriers that men could not. Men and women of all races and aspects of society were equals in the early days of this movement. There were certain attitudes that characterized the revival; a sincere love for all mankind, fervor for evangelism, and a great commitment to missions. Just over 100 years after that humble beginning, there are tens of millions of Pentecostals in every region of the world.

God poured His Spirit upon that generation just as He did on the first Pentecostal believers. Today we are praying that He will do the same for us. I want to be a part of a church that models the same attitudes as the Azusa Street believers. I believe that God is sending people to us to catch this vision and impact our world for Christ. It must begin in our community.

Would you pray for us? Next week we will start distributing informational packets and meeting our neighbors. Please pray for favor and for the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon our endeavors. We intend to plant seeds of the Gospel and water what others have planted and expect God to provide a bountiful increase. By adding your prayers to ours you will help to multiply our efforts.

Jesus said, in Matthew 9:37-38 (NIV) … “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Would you ask the Lord to send us workers to help us reach our community? Would you also ask your church to pray for us?

I am praying that every believer reading this will pray for miracles for SonPointe Church. I am also praying that you will walk your neighborhood and pray for the lost souls living near you. It is time for the church to get out of our comfortable homes and tell others the Good News about Jesus Christ! He is coming soon!

Stay tuned! Great reports are coming!

We are pleased to announce the grand opening celebration for SonPointe Church which begins Sunday August 26 and continues through October 28. The church is located at 301 S Tubb Street in Oakland Florida. Come relaxed and expecting an encounter with God. You will find that our worship and Bible teaching reflect our belief that church should be exciting and relevant. Join us next Sunday at 10:00 AM for a no obligation opportunity to experience God and the people and ministries of SonPointe Church. We hope you will consider becoming a part of the wonderful atmosphere of refreshing that God is demonstrating among us.