Pastor Jeff's Blog

SOHL 2012 Resources

nospam@example.com (Jeff Steffel) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:11:23 -0600

Sanctity of Human Life Resources

Books: Answering the Call by John Ensor

Abortion… a rational look at an emotional issue by R.C. Sproul

Websites:

personhood.net

personhoodfl.com

abort73.com

wallbuilders.org

carenetfriends.com

nrlc.org (National Right to Life)

heartlink.org/beavoice

christianliferesources.com

aul.org (Americans United for Life)

Adoption and Orphan Care

icareaboutorphans.org

bethany.org

rlcr.org (Real Life Children’s Ranch)

This Should Be a Tweet But I'm Not on Twitter

nospam@example.com (Jeff Steffel) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 07:38:30 -0500

A Local Church Defined.

The local church is a group of born again believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. In obedience to Scripture they organize under qualified and Spirit-gifted leadership, gather regularly for teaching, worship, service and giving, observe the biblical ordinances of baptism and communion, are unified by the Spirit, disciplined for holiness, and empowered to fulfill the Great Commission for God’s glory.

Qualified and Blessed by God - A Pre-Missions Trip Testimony

nospam@example.com (Jeff Steffel) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:57:23 -0500

This is a encouraging testimony from a member of the Tanzania Team

Hey There! So without boring you in the details, I have been a believer and follower of Christ since January of 2007. In the past year, my walk has been shaken and, at some points, turned absolutely upside down. Along the way, I've had the distinct fortune and pleasure of becoming a member of Grace Family Church.

This past January, when the young adults missions trip to Tanzania was announced, I felt the unfamiliar but absolutely unmistakable touch of the Holy Spirit. "You will sign up for this trip," He said to me. "You will sign up for this trip. You will sign up for this trip." At that point, I endeavored to apply.

After picking up my application, with substantial excitement and almost no knowledge of what I was signing up for, I began filling it out immediately. Equally as immediately, reality (and the lies of the enemy) began to assault me. "Spiritual gifts? I don't even know what spiritual gifts are. What classes have I attended? ... wait, there's classes here?" I filled out the application the best that I was able, beginning to accept that I was in no way qualified to participate in this trip. By the end of the application, I fully accepted that I wasn't qualified and, after apologizing profusely to the Holy Spirit and insisting that I knew best, decided that I wasn't going to apply after all.

Fast forward several weeks: the application deadline came and went. One day, I receive a message from Matt, the young adults pastor. He was inquiring about my application. I spit out some quick and defensive response about "well, uh, there was... some stuff I had questions on," and we (mostly he) decided we'd sit down and speak about it. A few days later, we did exactly that. I think we went over the entire application line by line. Matt helped reinforce to me that even though I wasn't technically "qualified," or experienced, the truth is that our God is a mighty God that we cannot confine to a box. After a little poking and prodding, I decided to submit that application after all, fully expecting it would probably be denied.

To my surprise, the application was accepted! That moment was many things, "expected" was not among them. As the reality began to set in, I started to realize that I had absolutely no clue of what I was going to do to fulfill my obligations (raising money, participating in events, etc.). Obviously there was an obscene amount of prayer involved, but God was strangely quiet on the topic of "Lord, how am I going to make this money magically appear in my account?"

As time went by, many of my own ideas turned into complete and absolute failure. I tried, tried, and tried again; although I was involved with almost all of our group fundraising events, the efforts I put forth on my own were few, far in between, and full of defeat every step of the way. There were times when people were rude and downright cruel in their rejections. Between bounced checks, broken promises, and people that just plain didn't come through, I was beginning to feel more and more that maybe I wasn't meant to go after all. I struggled to maintain faith, trusting that if I was indeed meant to go, that God would find a way. The difficulty became accepting that God works on His time and not mine as more and more time went by and my missions account remained relatively devoid of funds (read: empty).

One day, I found a letter from Grace Family in the mail! I was excited to see that it was a personal letter, though my excitement was quickly shot and killed in a hail of written bullets: "Ken, your balance is over $2,300 for this trip. Please call and talk to us, it's possible you won't be able to go." I continued to pray, and for the first time, I truly submit myself to God; "God, I've tried my way, and my way didn't do it. I need your help. I can't do this. I surrender. If I'm meant to go, please show me how." Almost instantly, I knew that I needed to not only try again where my own efforts had failed, but to ask everyone and everywhere that I possibly could, including the places where it'd be awkward, uncomfortable, and in some cases unwarranted (i.e. professional clients of my work). Since it was less than a month before deadline, I don't want to say I was lacking faith but I definitely wasn't standing on a mountain of it either.

Throughout my time in church, I've heard so many stories of God's miraculous providence. In my own life, there have been many instances where I've been provided for in a way that could have only come from Him. So far as this trip goes, though, $2,500 is a far cry from a schedule working out or a chance meeting (such as I've experienced in the past). What I was blessed to experience over the following weeks, however, dwarfs any way that I've ever experienced God's work in my own life before (short of my salvation).

To make a long(er) story short(er), God used people I would've never expected in ways that I could've never imagined. There were people, even business clients, who wrote 3-digit checks when I didn't know they even knew my name (besides "computer guy"). My biggest surprise of all came from the gym where I train Mixed Martial Arts, where they are almost completely unsaved (despite my best efforts thus far); they held a handful of fundraisers at the gym and, in the end, came through with a substantial 4-digit donation.

All throughout this process, I knew that God had a plan. I've struggled to know what that plan was; as an analytical person who plans his life entirely too far in advance, I struggle to understand that sometimes I'm not meant to understand. So, I assumed that "maybe His plan is to teach me a lesson, maybe He's teaching me to rely more on Him; in any case, there's no way I'm going to Africa," despite the knowledge that I was lead to apply for the trip by the Holy Spirit. I've had to walk by faith alone without the slightest clue of what He's had (and still has) in store.

Just today, I was blessed with a call that I fully expected I'd never receive. "Hey Ken, Pastor Violet here - just wanted to let you know that your balance for the trip has been paid in full!" While I still have no idea what the Lord has up His sleeves, I know that He is glorious, amazing, but most importantly, faithful beyond description. While the struggle has always been worthwhile, just seeing this part of His plan come to fruition has struck me with such awe and gratitude of our living God! I pray thanks for His confirmation and providence, and blessings upon those who were obedient to His call.

In closing, I am a missionary who serves a God who is faithful and true. Thank you for permitting me to share with you the story of blessings bestowed and blessings yet to come. Please keep our team in your prayers as we venture forth to glorify the name of our Lord. Thank you!

-Ken Johnson 2011 Tanzania Team

Obedience and Discipleship

nospam@example.com (Jeff Steffel) — Mon, 30 May 2011 12:09:21 -0500

This last Sunday during Ken's message he spoke of the "Obedience Based Discipleship" model he and others are using on the mission field. Simply put it is learning and then doing right away as opposed to learning only. It really got me thinking. Every time I teach the scirptures my prayer is that people, including myself, would be transformed. [Romans 12:1] But how do I know when I have been transformed? How do I know that transformation is taking place? How do I know that I am being more than a learner of God's Word? The answer is simple ... I am being transformed if I am obeying. Obedience is the key. If my learning does not promote or lead to obedience to what I have learned then my learning is in vain. James said it like this ...Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

Have you ever gotten spiritually stagnant ... like you weren't growing or you joy level had diminished? Many times it is because we have not followed through on what we have learned in God's Word. We have underestimated the value of obedience. But obedience is what is at the heart of being a disciple of Jesus Christ and the primary way we express our love for Christ. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." John 15:14

So what is the last thing God told you to do in His Word? What is the last thing the Holy Spirit whispered in your ear? What is the last thing God said you needed to work on? Go back and do it. Give your attention to it. You'll be amazed at what happens.

Memorial Day Observances

nospam@example.com (Jeff Steffel) — Sun, 29 May 2011 06:49:43 -0500

Port St. Lucie Memorial Day Ceremony
The annual Port St. Lucie Memorial Day Ceremony at 10 a.m. May 30 at Veterans Memorial Park, 2100 S.E. Veterans Memorial Parkway will include presentations from local veterans' groups and a performance by the Port St. Lucie Community Band. For information, call 772-878-2277 or visit: http://www.cityofpsl.com/parks_recreation/news_stories/2011/memorial-day-ceremony-set-for-may-30-2011.html.

Operation Take Time To Honor
Operation Take Time To Honor is a combined effort of Southeastern Military Academy and The Road to Victory Military Museum. The Memorial is comprised of over 2,700 markers which were hand made by Cadets at the Academy and community volunteers. Each Cross and Star of David represents an American soldier, sailor, airmen, marine, merchant marine or coast guardsman who lost their lives engaged in the fight for freedom between WWI and present day, who resided in of Florida. This year the Memorial includes service members from: Volusia, Monroe, Martin, St Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Brevard, Broward, Collier, Lee, Hendry, Charlotte, Glades, and Dade counties. The 2011 Memorial runs from May 27 through May 30 and is located on the grounds next to the Welcome Center for the Town of Tradition, Port St. Lucie, Florida. The grounds will be transformed into a scene that resembles Arlington National Commentary, and will be open to the public 24 hours a day from 5:00 PM on May 27 through 3:00 PM on May 30. At Tradition -Next to the Welcome Center 10489 Southwest Meeting Street, Port St. Lucie, FL 34987
www.taketimetohonor.com.

Big Words

nospam@example.com (Jeff Steffel) — Wed, 25 May 2011 15:02:42 -0500

Recently we have been taking a look at the Gospel by learning about what makes up the gospel. In other words how does the death and resurrection of Christ actually work at saving me? The answer is found in seven key words used by God in scripture and each of these words describe a unique characteristic of our salvation. Sometimes we call these the "big words" and relagate their understanding to Bible teachers or theologians. But these words are in the Bible and the Bible is written to believers so we need to understand them. They are the gospel by which we are established. [Rom 16:25]

Justification – Prior to believing we are unrighteous and guilty before a holy God. But when we believe we are given Christ’s righteousness as a free gift and declared righteous by God.
Propitiation – Prior to believing we have broken God’s law and God’s justice calls for the penalty of death. But Christ took our penalty by dying in our place and His death fully satisfied God’s justice.
Redemption – Prior to believing we are slaves to sin. But when we believe we are freed from sin’s authority and power.
Reconciliation – Prior to believing we alienated from God because of sin. But when we believe we are made friends of God.
Forgiveness – Prior to believing we are debtors to God. But when we believed the debt was paid in full.
Adoption – Prior to believing we are strangers to God. But after believing we are made children of God.
Regeneration – Prior to believing we are dead in our sins. But when we believe we are made alive to God.

Normal Urgency

nospam@example.com (Jeff Steffel) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 12:29:31 -0600

When you think of the twelve disciples of Jesus which one of them pops into your mind first? How many of you thought of Peter first? John, James, Matthew or Judas? How about Andrew? Andrew is usually not the disciple that is thought of first even though he was the disciple that Jesus chose first! You would think he would be most memorable because we usually remember the first of everything. First president? George Washington. First to fly over the Atlantic ocean? Charles Lindberg. First man on the moon? Neil Armstrong. First disciple of Jesus….Aah?

Actually Andrew was part of the leading group of disciples which included Andrew’s brother Peter and two other fishermen who were also brothers, James and John. But whenever they are mentioned in the Bible Andrew is inconspicuous or left out. The thing that he is most well known for is that he was Peter’s brother. Peter wrote 2 letters that we have in the Bible by his name, and he is mentioned by 153 times in the New Testament. He preached the first sermon of the early church and gave the first “altar call” to which thousands of people responded. Peter was extraordinary! Andrew, by contrast, is only mentioned 12 times in the Bible, and some of those are passages that simply list the disciples names. Peter always seemed to be in the spotlight. Andrew always seemed to be in the shadows.

Picture what life was like for Andrew. In Hebrew school Peter probably always blurted out the answers and got the attention and was the heart throb of all the girls. Peter was probably the head of their fishing business too. He was always the first and Andrew always played second fiddle. But then Andrew had this life transforming encounter with Jesus. For once Andrew can be the first. He can have his own identity make a name for himself. Finally, something where Peter isn't first. But that’s not Andrew. What is the first thing he does? He goes to his brother Peter.

The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). John 1:41-42

The “first thing” Andrew did was to find his brother and tell him. Andrew was just an ordinary guy who didn’t care if he was “first” and who had an urgency to bring people to Jesus. And his sense of urgency is a model for us to follow.

We know John 3:16 … For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. But do we realize John 3:18? Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

We know the first half of John 14:6 …I am the way and the truth and the life. But do we know the second half? No one comes to the Father except through me.

We know the first half of Jn 3:36 …Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. But do we know the second half as well? But whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.

We know 1 Jn 5:11-12 says God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life. But do we know the rest of the verse? He who does not have the Son of God does not have life. If we do... we will live with a sense of urgency, like Andrew, and we will tell and invite other people to hear about Jesus Christ.

But sometimes we don’t… why? Because of fear. Fear of rejection, fear of failure or fear of what people will think of us. And really that fear is unfounded. Ask yourself, what is the worst thing that’s going to happen to me if I raise my evangelistic fervor up a notch or two? The worst thing that’s going to happen is that somebody might decline our efforts. And you’ve got ask yourself, is that so awful? Some of us are paralyzed from vocalizing our faith or inviting people to church because someone might say no thanks …or might think a little less of us…or might think we’re weird or religious. And so we fall into a pattern of silence. A pattern of never trying. And for many it’s becomes normal not to share the good news with other people.

I want to encourage you to break that pattern of silence and get your “witnessing confidence” back. A great way to do that is to sign up for the GFC evangelism refresher course which will be held on Saturday morning, Feb 26th 9-11 am in the Student Center. You can sign up by clicking the button on the home page or at the Info Booth on Sunday morning.

It's normal to live with a sense of urgency. Andrew did ... so can we.

Pastor Jeff

Blessed to be a Blessing

nospam@example.com (Jeff Steffel) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 11:22:16 -0600

Ps 67:1-2

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah ² that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.

Praying that God would bless you can be one of the most unselfish prayers you ever pray when you realize that the answers to all our prayers do not find their end with our need being met but with God's purpose being fulfilled. The call in Matt 7 to ask, seek and knock, the promise Mark 11 that whatever you ask for in prayer it will be yours and the command of Phil 4:6 to let your requests be made known to God .... are ultimately for the purpose of fulfilling God's will in our lives and through our lives. God loves us and therefore blesses us. (v1) But God also loves the unreached and therefore blesses us so that the nations will know His salvation. (v2) God said to Abraham, I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. Genesis 12:2-3.

Lord, because you have blessed us with salvation we will be a blessing by making your salvation known ... especially to the unreached people groups of the world.