Why Me?

Sunday I preached a message on the subject of "WHY". Why me God? Why do bad things happen to good people. Although no one but God can truly answer this question I felt a responsibility to address the issue. The first thing to consider is that God never intended for the world to be in the shape it is now in. He intended for Adam and Eve to live in fellowship with Him. Satan came in, as he does so often in our lives, and acted as a deceiver. He told them the good things that they could have if they would just disobey and stray from God's perfect plan. They allowed the temptation to overcome them and gave in to a shortcut that would temporarily stall God's plan to have relationship with mankind. The Bible tells us that satan is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. But God sent His Son,Jesus, so we could live an abundant life. He came to seek and save those who have been deceived (lost). Adam and Eve gave up the perfection that God had instituted and we now long for. So it's our enemy, satan, that is to blame and not God when things don't go our way.

Some ask why do good moral Christian people come under attack? The answer is simple. If satan can destroy and discourage those trying to represent God he will and he will stop at nothing. The point is it isn't time to give up! It's time to get up even if you've fallen, if you're discouraged and hurting, get up! Someone needs you! Sure the bumps in the road of life will come that's when we have to rely even more on God to carry us. When your strength fails remember in our weakness He is still strong.

So why? We may not answer that age old question in this post but we do need to keep in mind that God has an excellent plan for those who are willing to trust Him. Cast your cares today on Jesus. Are you down? Look to Him he's your hope. Are you sick? Look to Jesus by His stripes we are healed. Are you feeling guilty for something you've done? Look to Jesus where there is forgiveness of sin.

In Jesus Christ satan is defeated, Death is destroyed, Financial loss is restored, and we have the promise of eternal life.

The message below addresses these same issues.

Revival Night 1 All Things Are Possible

God is blessing our church. We have fasted and prayed for a week and we are already seeing results. Tonight Evangelist Steve Fisher brought the word. He confirmed much of what God has already been telling us as a church over the past few weeks. I thank God for this confirmation. As Steve reminded us God's Word is confirmed by 2 to 3 witnesses. Tonight we had that 3rd witness of what God is going to do at Porter. We are believing God for the souls of the city of Porter. By doing the recent miracles He has done He has increased out faith. This past Sunday I told the church the only way to stop a move of God is to let flesh get in the way. God has made me much more sensitive to His Spirit and I am being very careful as a pastor to allow Him to move. With this heightened awareness of His will He has been able to do more among us. I have included Brother Steve's sermon below. I pray that is blesses you as it did us. All Things Are Possible!!!

Blessings,
Pastor Larry

Revival At Porter

The Porter Church will be in revival March 12 - 16 nightly at 6 pm and ending Sunday Morning at 11 am. We will have 3 speakers

Wednesday 7 PM: Rev. Steve Fisher
Thursday - Friday 7 PM: Pastor Joe Alzate of Hartshorne First Assembly
Saturday 7 PM - Sunday 11 AM: Bishop D. Frank Hughes

I have included an audio sermon from Pastor Joe at the bottom for you to listen to. Everyone is invited come expecting and you will be blessed. The Porter Church is in prayer and fasting mode and God is doing great things among us. Regardless of you need God has an answer come and find it at Porter Church 310 S. 8th Street Porter, Ok.

Blessings,
Pastor Larry

Growing Pains

We are currently in a series of messages called "Growing Pains." This message series compares the stages of physical life the Children of Israel went through with our stages of spiritual development. We began this series with Stage 1 infancy and this past week I preached Stage 2 the Battle Years.

I wanted to blog about this subject, Growing Pains, because our church is truly experiencing some growing pains. We are rapidly out growing our current building. This is a great problem, it means that God is doing something. I have been in almost constant prayer that God will give us a vision for the future of the Porter Church. He has begun to do just that and I can now see that vision that He put in me catching hold of others in our congregation. I also know this, when God gives a vision He also gives the provision.

Sometimes when we are going through personal growing pains we see them as just problems. God often uses these types of issues to give us opportunities to learn to trust Him a little more. Joseph said to his brothers, you meant it for evil but God meant it for good. Don't you find it amazing that Joseph was able to find good in being sold into slavery and then falsely accused and thrown in to prison? I wonder how long he had to stay in that prison to let go and trust God?

I have noticed that many Christians live in a prison oppressed by the devil's schemes. All the while God is calling out let, Me help you! Let Me carry those burdens. We continue to struggle trying to find our own answers and satan continues to win. We have been given power and authority over him and his tricks. Just as the Children of Israel looked at a land and saw giants, God saw their opportunity for blessing. They saw a river that looked uncrossable, God saw dry ground that they could walk through. They saw giants and struggles, God saw the fearful inhabitants that already knew they were defeated. God gave some the vision and when Caleb and Joshua trusted Him they were given the provision to possess THEIR land.

I wonder how many times we have stood on the brink of victory only to see the troubles on the other side and faint with fear. The Bible says God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and a sound mind. To sum it all up it is time we grow up and allow those Growing Pains to mature us to the victorious people God wants us to be. Below you will see part 2 of this series of sermons click to listen and let the Word of God encourage you.

Pastor Larry

Sometimes I Get Discouraged

It is so easy to be excited for God one day and down and discouraged the next. This is the roller coast ride many of us live in everyday life. The greatest truth I've found is that I am not governed by my emotions. Some days I may not like myself but God still loves me. Sometimes I think I'll never make it but God has already given me victory. Sometimes I feel guilty and condemned it's good to know Jesus carried my shame. Regardless of the negative feeling that brings about discouragement Jesus has already provided for my victory and in Him I win every time. He says that He will carry my burdens if I will just give them to Him. The scripture says do not grow weary in well doing! This is a hard commandment to keep but it is nevertheless a command. That must mean it is possible to live on some other plain than a roller coaster of emotion. The Bible says I can take my thoughts captive. That means I don't have to give in to the negative thoughts that can destroy me. I and only I have control of my mind and thoughts. The bible says God has set before us life and death, blessing and cursing and encourages us to choose life. I guess then I can choose to be blessed as well. Choose life, not just choose to live but choose abundant life (life to the full) if you are not currently living abundantly in Christ you are living beneath His promise to you. I don't know about you but I want to hold God to His covenant promises and the blessings He has made available to me, I want them ALL!!!

In closing let me say this. God didn't save you and call you to leave you feeling rejected. He doesn't change His mind and wish He had never met us. He knows what He is doing and when He made you He knew what great things He could do in your life.

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

You may have messed up but God isn't finished with you! You may have suffered loss or defeat but God still has victories for your life! You may be guilt ridden from some sin or failure of the past but God's mercies are new every morning! It's time to get up from where you are and begin to trust God. Choose blessing, choose life, choose victory, choose salvation! In Him We Win Every Time!!!

Need some more encouragement listen to my recent message below.

All or Nothing

I preached a message Sunday on Covenant and it is in my heart so I want to share a little about God and His covenant with man. God is not like us He doesn't look for ways to avoid fulfilling His promises. In fact, He will do just about anything to help us stay in covenant relationship with Him. When man (Adam) broke the intimate covenant relationship God wished to have with man God made another way. At first He set up the law to let man know when He had done wrong. After the law had been in place for many years God still missed His intimacy with man. Under the law man could only approach God once per year through a priest because of the impurity of our sinful nature. But God once again remembering His covenant and showing His desire to know you and I on another level changed everything. He sent Jesus as flesh born of flesh and blood. The blood is very important because God had given dominion over the earth to man. Once God gives something He does not take it back, He's a God of His word. But because He had given this authority to man only a pure man could restore man to a place of intimacy with God. Jesus came as the mediator (go between). The mediator or go between is very important because a sacrifice of flesh and blood had to be made to fulfil this covenant. When God made covenenat with Abraham and His seed God had Abraham kill an animal and divide it in two parts then God passed through the two parts to symbolize the covenant with Abraham and his see (you and me). This animal was gone between thus a mediator or go between. Jesus became the final sacrfice the only go between we need to approach God. Now once we've confessed our sins we have the ability to approach God and He sees us as righteous because of our great Go Between Jesus. Isn't it amazing that God would send all He had His own son to fulfill a contract we had broken. In essence He became the gurantor of both sides of the contract. Now the covenant of God is between God the Father and God the Son. Jesus came to die so we could be included in this covenant. Today when we approach God we pray in Jesus Name because we have been given His name to use. Every time we approach God Jesus repeats our prayers to the Father and asks Him to work on our behalf to fulfill His covenant of blessing and favor with us. You might be asking yourself today what is my part? What do I need to do? The answer is simply receive Jesus Christ and you will immediately be adopted into a covenant of grace. No works will give you the blessing only repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ. What God we serve to give us such love when we deserve death. Isn't it great to know someone loves you uncoditionally and to know that someone is the creator of all things. In light of this shouldn't we give our all to God? To hear this message click on the play button below

Blood Covenant

I preached a message Sunday on Covenant and it is in my heart so I want to share a little about God and His covenant with man. God is not like us He doesn't look for ways to avoid fulfilling His promises. In fact, He will do just about anything to help us stay in covenant relationship with Him. When man (Adam) broke the intimate covenant relationship God wished to have with man God made another way. At first He set up the law to let man know when He had done wrong. After the law had been in place for many years God still missed His intimacy with man. Under the law man could only approach God once per year through a priest because of the impurity of our sinful nature. But God once again remembering His covenant and showing His desire to know you and I on another level changed everything. He sent Jesus as flesh born of flesh and blood. The blood is very important because God had given dominion over the earth to man. Once God gives something He does not take it back, He's a God of His word. But because He had given this authority to man only a pure man could restore man to a place of intimacy with God. Jesus came as the mediator (go between). The mediator or go between is very important because a sacrifice of flesh and blood had to be made to fulfil this covenant. When God made covenenat with Abraham and His seed God had Abraham kill an animal and divide it in two parts then God passed through the two parts to symbolize the covenant with Abraham and his see (you and me). This animal was gone between thus a mediator or go between. Jesus became the final sacrfice the only go between we need to approach God. Now once we've confessed our sins we have the ability to approach God and He sees us as righteous because of our great Go Between Jesus. Isn't it amazing that God would send all He had His own son to fulfill a contract we had broken. In essence He became the gurantor of both sides of the contract. Now the covenant of God is between God the Father and God the Son. Jesus came to die so we could be included in this covenant. Today when we approach God we pray in Jesus Name because we have been given His name to use. Every time we approach God Jesus repeats our prayers to the Father and asks Him to work on our behalf to fulfill His covenant of blessing and favor with us. You might be asking yourself today what is my part? What do I need to do? The answer is simply receive Jesus Christ and you will immediately be adopted into a covenant of grace. No works will give you the blessing only repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ. What God we serve to give us such love when we deserve death. Isn't it great to know someone loves you uncoditionally and to know that someone is the creator of all things. In light of this shouldn't we give our all to God? To hear this message go to http://porterchurch.com/Media.html and play the sermon title All or Nothing.