http://www.villagebaptist.org en-us http://www.villagebaptist.org N/A service@5flagsweb.com Tue, 13 May 2008 17:41:12 CDT 20 http://www.villagebaptist.org/blogs/29/TAKING-HOLD.html   Sunday was truly a magnificent day as we were all touched by the Holy Spirit in the Celebration (worship) Services.  I talked to you about letting go of all the stuff that you hold on to and grabbing the hem of Christ’s garment in total trust.  It does not matter how much faith you have, Jesus said if you have just a  little like a grain of mustard seed He would honor that.  In what we experienced, Jesus kept His promise!  Twenty-one of you spontaneously stepped out and followed the Lord in baptism, many others renewed commitments and all were touched by the Spirit’s power. What’s next?  Keep holding on.  Day by day walk with a renewed mind.  The apostle Paul put it this way,  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  Romans 12:2 (NIV).   The next step is that of walking with reality of transformation.  Transformation happens as you keep renewing your mind the Lord.    Renew your mind by talking to God, reading the Bible, gathering with other followers of Christ, and by coming together as the church of Christ celebrates.  Keep looking up!  If God is for you (and He is), then who can really be against you? Dr. Steven A. Davies Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.villagebaptist.org/blogs/28/font-sizequot8quotwhat-would-YOU-like-to-change-in-your-lifefont.html please share it with us below by adding a comment: Paul Schmidt Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:00:00 CST http://www.villagebaptist.org/blogs/26/ENDINGING-TIMES-OF-FASTING.html As a people of God we are nearing the close of our called fast.  I know that many of you have joined me in this spiritual pilgrimage which started one Wednesday at 5 PM.  I thank God for you and your desire to draw near to His side and experience His presence.  In our corporate prayer meeting last night we all sensed the power and presence of God as we bowed before Him.  A verse of Scripture explaining God’s requirements for His people is found in 2 Chronicles 7.14,  “…and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  We are His people called by the name of Jesus Christ.  In humility we have bowed before our Creator and Sustainer, confessed sin and dependence.  God’s promise is that He hears us, brings forgiveness and healing to our land. I want to encourage you to look for God at work in your life, circumstances, family, and all around.  He will deliver you and set you in high places.  God does answer prayer and He answers your prayer.  He loves you. Now, as you break you fast allow me to give a little guidance.  When the clock turns to 5 it is not an all out rush to the nearest buffet.  Rather it is a time of reflection and thanksgiving to God.  Just as we have followed the ACTS model of prayer during the called fast, use it in breaking the fast. A – Adoration.  Give God praise for who He is. C – Confession.  Confess your dependence on Him. T – Thanksgiving.  Thank God from Whom all blessings flow. S – Supplication.  Present your request.     I love you all and I am glad that God has chosen me to be your pastor.   In His Grip, Dr. Steve   1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NASB95)Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Dr. Steven A. Davies Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:00:00 CST http://www.villagebaptist.org/blogs/25/ALIVE.html The night before Jesus Christ was crucified He made a very strange statement that nobody who heard it understood.  “In a little while the world will no longer see Me.  But you’re going to see Me because I am alive and you’re about to come alive.” John 14.9 The Message Being a Christ follower is about coming alive.  When Jesus went to the cross he did so with a purpose.  The Bible tells us,  “He included everyone in His death so everyone could be included in His life.  A far better life than people lived on their own.”  2 Cor 5.15 The Message                 God has so much more for you in life than you ever dreamed or imagined.  He loves you and He has a magnificent plan and purpose for you.  When Jesus died on the cross and was placed in the grave, He rose three days later just so you could experience this better life.                 The awesome life He has for you is not about selfish living but living for Jesus.  The Bible tells us,  “He died so we would no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died for us and was raised to life for our sake.”   If you are living for yourself you probably feel exhausted, empty and trapped.  Jesus came to set us free.                 He desires to freely give you meaning in life.  You have a purpose that only you can fulfill.  When you discover that purpose you will find that you live with meaning.  The key is in the discovery that Paul made when he stated, “Christ is our life…" Colossians 3: 4 NCV.                  How does Christ become our life?  Once again the Bible is very clear.  Paul wrote to the Romans, "If you use your mouth to say, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. We believe with our hearts, and so we are made right with God. And we use our mouths to say that we believe, and so we are saved." Romans 10: 9 NCV                 To believe in your heart means that you trust Christ to be who He claims to be and you announce Jesus as Lord with your mouth.  You can do that simply by asking Jesus to be in your life, to forgive you of sin and to empower you to really become alive.  I pray you will do just that.                 If you need spiritual counsel please contact the Village Church or your pastor or a church near you. Dr. Steven A. Davies Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:00:00 CDT http://www.villagebaptist.org/blogs/24/ALTITUDE.html I have just returned from a week in a RV.  My family and I traveled to the west to rest and relax in the great national parks of Colorado and Wyoming.  Our first night in the RV was spent in the Arapaho National Forest just outside of Denver.  Our elevation was around 8800 feet.  The next day we crossed into the Rocky Mountain National Park and continued to climbed higher and higher.  After reaching an altitude of 11,770 feet we stopped and walked around an observation point (winded I might add). On top of this mountain the snow was falling, the drifts were high, the air was thIn and the view was incredible.  The panorama was astonishing.  We could see so far.  The perspective was very different because now we were looking down from a great vantage point.  If we had never climbed that mountain, gone beyond the tree line and arrived in the alpine tundra we would have never seen the beauty of that place from such an awesome perspective. The Bible has many things to say about mountains.  Mountains are a metaphor in reaching new heights as a people of God.  Isaiah wrote:  “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths” Isaiah 2: 3 NIV.  It is when we reach the mount of God, that is, arrive at new heights with God that we are able to see things from His perspective and truly learn His ways. As you live today, whether at sea level or at 11,000 feet, my prayer for you is that you will climbed to the heights with the Lord! Dr. Steven A. Davies Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:00:00 CDT http://www.villagebaptist.org/blogs/23/WORSHIP.html God is awesome! That is truly enough said. The big question is how will I respond to the God of heaven. Will I walk in His ways? Will my thoughts be as the mind of Christ? Will I allow the Holy Spirit to lead and empower my life? For some the obvious answer is yes, for others they are not so sure?Following God presents a challenge. On the one side we do desire His life in us, but on the other we deal with our flesh which is always crying out for the things that only hold temporary satisfaction. So the battle rages. The Bible tells us that we are to crucify our flesh and live to God. I have found that the closer I come to God in worship, the more victorious I am over my fleshly self.I really like the way the Psalmist tells us to worship. Look at Psalm 2:11: "Worship God in adoring embrace, Celebrate in trembling awe," The Message. Worship is an adoring embrace. Sometimes my daughter Elaina, who is seven, will come and give me a hug after I have been away. It is what I would refer to as an adoring embrace. She just does it because she loves me. Our heavenly Father is worthy of that same display (worship).We love Him just because He is.Another word that the Psalmist uses is "celebrate." I like celebrations! Celebration is about joy, victory, togetherness, family and friends. But more than anything, it is about what God has done and is doing in our lives.As you go today, just take some time to give the Lord an adoring embrace, and then have a little doo-dah celebration of His marvelous love for you! Dr. Steven A. Davies Wed, 02 May 2007 00:00:00 CDT http://www.villagebaptist.org/blogs/22/CONVERSATIONS.html It is hard believe that today is the first day of May! The weather along the Emerald Coast is absolutely gorgeous. In a word, one can not help but to feel blessed. Yet, there are so many people that do not feel blessed. They find themselves weighted under the struggles of living. There are anxieties, fears, and stresses of a life that has not discovered the place of blessing.  Life does not have to be that way. The Psalmist wrote:Psalm 1:1-2 (NIV)"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night."The real key to living the blessed life is the decision to be a person who delights in God. Today, as you live, ask the Lord, "Help me delight in You!" You will be amazed. Dr. Steven A. Davies Tue, 01 May 2007 00:00:00 CDT http://www.villagebaptist.org/blogs/21/HE-IS-NOT-HERE-HE-IS-RISEN-JUST-AS-HE-SAID.html It is resurrection morning! The Lord Jesus is risen! He has conquered death, the grave and sin. He has made possible the redemption of man, the restored relationship with God, and He did so by paying the debt of death that He did not owe and the debt we could not pay. He is alive forever more!So be reminded of the extent that God has gone to in order for you to know Him...for you to know that He loves you. The Bible tells us, "This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life" (John 3:16, Message).  It does not matter how you may have failed in the past. God loves you!  Do not forget this fact.You can enter a new relationship with the Father as the Bible says,  "Say the welcoming word to God - 'Jesus is my Master' - embracing, body and soul, God's work of doing in us what He did in raising Jesus from the dead. That's it. You're not 'doing' anything; you're simply calling out to God, trusting Him to do it for you. That's salvation. With your whole being embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: 'God has set everything right between Him and me!'" (Romans 10:9-10, Message). Dr. Steven A. Davies Sun, 08 Apr 2007 00:00:00 CDT http://www.villagebaptist.org/blogs/20/PASSION.html Tonight, as a church we came together to share the Lord's Supper. It was an awesome time as the sun was setting and the praises rang out. We shared communion as a remembrance of the great sacrifice our Savior made on our behalf. Jesus did all that He did so that we can have an eternal relationship with God.This communion was also one of expectation. We, as Christ-followers, expect to see our Lord one day. We know that we will be in heaven for all eternity. With excitement, we look forward to that day.As the sun set this evening, there was a cross on the western sky as the vivid colors in that sky shined with brilliance. This morning, I saw a rainbow declaring the promise of God. Tonight, it was the cross declaring the fulfillment of that promise!God has promised life. He gives us a choice. Jesus said that He came to give us life, real and eternal life. To receive the gift, the promise, we need only ask. Dr. Steven A. Davies Thu, 05 Apr 2007 00:00:00 CDT http://www.villagebaptist.org/blogs/19/CONVERSATIONS.html What an awesome weekend we have enjoyed here on the campus of Village. The 4th Annual Resurrection Run had around 250 participants either running or walking the 5K and 10K. Thank you to all who helped pull this event together; your work did not go unnoticed.Sunday was over the top in worship. We were blessed with the leadership of Dennis Jernigan.  As he and the Village Choir led us in worship on Sunday night, the Lord moved in mighty and powerful ways bringing healing to wounds in many people.What is going on this week? It is only seven days until we celebrate Resurrection Sunday. Praise the Lord! He is not here, He is risen just as He said. So as we celebrate Him defeating death and providing life to all who trust in Him, there are a couple of ways you too can be ready to worship the King on Resurrection Sunday.On Thursday evening at 6:30 pm, we will gather on the lawn for our annual sunset communion service called Maundy Thursday. Come just as you are. You do not have to get all dressed up. This is just a time to prepare our hearts in remembering the great cost of our salvation in Jesus Christ.I want to ask you all to pray over the Resurrection Sunday worship service! Pray for all the people that will walk in. Many of the people you will see this Sunday may only attend a church service once or twice a year. Pray that God will do a work in their lives.Remember that we have three times to gather for worship on Resurrection Sunday: 7:45, 9:00 and 10:30 am. I look forward to our worship together!Remember this!  Dr. Steven A. Davies Mon, 02 Apr 2007 00:00:00 CDT