May 31, 2022 | #MotivationMondayatCapri, Devotion, General, Post
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
Can you imagine the look on people’s faces when Jesus called out, “Lazarus come forth,” and he did! After being in the tomb for four days, wrapped in grave clothes, Lazarus staggers out, all the mourners letting out a collective gasp, must have been quite a sight. I love the King James version of what Martha’s first reaction was when Jesus told them to roll away the stone. “Lord, by now he must stinketh.” I can’t help but see Jesus chuckle to Himself. He knew Martha, Mary, and Lazarus He knew their devotion to Him, their love of God, their want to do His will. He knew Martha’s desire to serve and Mary’s desire to learn. Mary was the one who anointed Him with costly oil and wiped His feet with her hair. He felt their grief as they mourned the loss of their brother as the Jews witnessed, “Jesus wept.” He knew them, they knew Him, they had a close relationship … and so does He want that with you! Not an hour a week Sunday morning relationship but a daily constant relationship! Spending time in His Word, in prayer, in sharing your concerns, your troubles, your joys. How and why do people go to church to worship someone they don’t really know? Pastor Steve shared a great point in our study of Hosea in Sunday School. Worship doesn’t lead to a relationship with God but a relationship with God will lead to worship! Time to get serious with God! He wants you to know Him as He knows you and you don’t have to wait for the weekend to start! He is available right now!
May 24, 2022 | #MotivationMondayatCapri, Devotion, General, Post
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
What’s the first thing that comes to mind about being a shepherd? Dirty, stinky, smelly, lonely, boring, but probably not oh man what a great learning experience. But what did Moses do for forty years before he was ready to lead God’s people? What did David do through his youth to prepare him to be king? And what did Jesus choose to liken Himself? The Good Shepherd! The Shepherd that leads His sheep by still waters, restores their souls, fills their wants. The Shepherd that willingly, out of love, lays down His life for His sheep. The Shepherd that wants all His sheep to be one flock, together in unity. In His final hours, one of His last prayers was for the future unity of all believers. If Jesus is your Savior, it doesn’t matter if you’re from Asia, Africa, the Americas, or Europe, we are one flock, we are His sheep, we are brothers and sisters. The words of the world and the devil are aimed at causing division, and obviously they are succeeding in our country, but that should never be the case in the flock of God! We have one Father, one Savior, one Spirit. We may not all worship quite the same or totally agree on all doctrinal issues, but if you claim the name of Jesus, we are one! Instead of finding petty differences, find what motivates your passion for the Lord and do it! Everyone’s passion isn’t the same, everyone’s talents aren’t the same, and that’s a good thing. So pray about what the Lord has laid on your heart, not what He hasn’t on someone else’s, and pray for Him to help you accomplish it. Pray for unity among believers! Just imagine what the world would be like if all the Christians worked together! Whoa!
May 16, 2022 | #MotivationMondayatCapri, Devotion, General, Post
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
Jesus used different analogies when referring to Himself, the Light of the world, the Bread of life, the way, the truth, and the life, all of which we can easily grasp, but the analogy the people of His time could readily relate to was I am the Good Shepherd. While these days shepherding isn’t the most popular profession, back then it was a way of life for many people and most knew the work, the hardships, and the dangers faced in being a good shepherd. Shepherds knew their sheep, cared for their sheep, protected their sheep, and their sheep knew them and the sound of their voices. Sheep aren’t on the high side of the intelligence scale and they can easily be led astray. Funny how the Lord likens people to sheep yet Jesus still wants to be our Good Shepherd. He knows us, He knows our name! Sheepfolds only had one way in and one way out and the shepherd would stand at that gate guarding against any possible predators. So too does Jesus want to stand at the gate of our hearts, to protect us from any harmful thing that may try to enter there. But, do you have a hidden back door, maybe only a little one that nothing too harmful could sneak in through, but one only you have the key to open? You choose the gatekeeper to your heart. If you choose or have chosen Jesus, allow Him to control your whole heart! Allow Him to seal up any secret passages or trap doors, allow Him to guard it, and allow Him to truly be your Good Shepherd!
May 9, 2022 | #MotivationMondayatCapri, Devotion, General, Post
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
Mothers control the world! Through their loving and nurturing or their total lack thereof, they shape those who control the world. Truly blessed are those who have had godly mothers and what a different world it would be if everyone had had one! Let’s make our mothers proud and strive to follow the Lord’s example. So what was Jesus’ example? He touched the untouchable, He loved the unlovable. He preached His good news but didn’t just stand around talking, He showed people He meant what He said. As the old saying aptly states, “People don’t care about what you know, they want to know that you care.” People are watching us, listening to our words, gauging our actions. They don’t care about our hot air, they care about our integrity and sincerity. You want to make your mother happy and build treasure in Heaven at the same time? Set the example, be the example, be diligent in morality, guard your words, in all things let your conduct be worthy of the Lord. Think the world is a mess today? Think what it would be like if there had never been any godly mothers! Thank the Lord if you had one and set the example for Him even if you didn’t!
May 2, 2022 | #MotivationMondayatCapri, Devotion, General, Post
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
Can you imagine what it must have been like for the man who was blind from birth to have his eyes opened by Jesus? To suddenly put vision to what had previously only been sounds and smells, to see colors, to see the beauty of God’s creation, all at once, for the first time? Whoa! Later when the Pharisees tried to demean Jesus to him, he gave his classic answer. “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know, that I was blind, and now I see!” The self righteous Pharisees were quick to pass judgment and call anyone who didn’t do things their way sinners. Sadly, they couldn’t see the truth of who Jesus was. Sadly, much of the world is still blinded to who Jesus is, but it isn’t a physical blindness now, nor was it then. As Paul said in 2 Cor 4:4, “Whose minds the god of this age (satan) has blinded, who do not believe …” While physical blindness is tragic, spiritual blindness is a tragedy that lasts forever! We need to help open those spiritual eyes. We need to convey we are all sinners and have sinned, all of us, saved or unsaved, and while we like to deem some sins greater than others, to God sin is sin. We need to help shine the Lord’s light on those blinded spiritual minds, that they may see their need to accept the Savior God provided for us all. It can be a daunting task, but it is one we are called to do. I can still remember, 44 years ago, the joy of the day I could say, I was blind but now I see. Let’s help others to see that joy too!
Apr 25, 2022 | #MotivationMondayatCapri, Devotion, General, Post
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
Most fathers aren’t perfect, Robert Young maybe the exception, but these days, with single parenting a norm, many children will never know a father’s love, let alone how to be one! As in all meaningful things, the world and the devil attack, demean, and lessen the importance of that which is important. One of the devil’s most successful attacks has been on the family and the roles of men and women. Without a father teaching his children truth, honesty, morals, and loving them unconditionally, how will they relate to their Heavenly Father when they grow up? They become the society we have today, where lying is an art form and God an after thought! They have learned lying and dishonesty from the top office in the country, politicians at every level, the media, and Hollywood. So what can we do? We can lead by example. Maybe we can’t affect the whole world, but we can affect the world around us. Be an example to your family, your children and grandchildren, your neighbors. Always speak the truth and if the truth can’t be spoken in love, don’t speak. We are all constantly ambassadors for the Lord, but for men, being assigned the post of a father is a top priority. It is an awesome responsibility, and while not many of us are in Ward Cleaver’s class, we all need to do our best to convey the love and truth of the Father!
Apr 18, 2022 | #MotivationMondayatCapri, Devotion, General, Post
While every Sunday is a joyous celebration of our risen Savior, you can’t help but take Easter up a notch, and this year was no exception. It started with a fantastic Maundy Thursday service with Pastor Steve and the choir delivering a heart moving cantata featuring communion lead by Jesus and the Apostles in a Last Supper motif. It was a beautiful day for the Easter tent service with Pastor Steve and the praise team leading the worship music, Pastor Wes leading the communion, Pastor Curt with his usual right on sermon, and Pastor Tim delivering the closing prayer to approximately 1000 people. Few realize how much work and how many people it takes to put on our Easter service, but if one heart is changed and given to the Lord, it is all worth it! I would like to thank all the Pastors, the choir and praise team, our new group of men’s actors, all the many volunteers who helped setting up chairs, cleaning chairs, staked out the field, got up early to move and set up equipment, the A/V team, the children’s ministry team, the parking crew, the First Impressions and Welcome Center teams, our nurses, the Celebrate Recovery and Prayer Shawl teams, and the security team for making it a great and safe weekend. It is a team effort and it is a winning team because our Manager is Risen and He is Alive!
Pictures and Article by Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
Apr 11, 2022 | #MotivationMondayatCapri, Devotion, General, Post
Many people don’t like algebra or the fact that if a=b and b=c than c=a. Let’s turn that into a spiritual formula. If Jesus is the light of the world and He is in you than you are the light of the world! What did Jesus say in His Sermon on the Mount? “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify the Father in Heaven.” First impressions are generally lasting impressions. What impressions of Jesus do you make on people? Do you turn them off with holy self righteousness or turn them on with loving kindness? To quote Pastor Curt, “We are the ears, the hands, and the voice of Christ.” Are we listening to the needs and fears and doubts of others or over talking them with religiosity? Do we physically help with their needs and problems? Do we speak in truth and love? It’s a heavy responsibility being a Christian. You are an ambassador to an eternal kingdom and your tact or lack thereof may turn some people away from ever wanting to become a part of it! Be proud of Whom you represent, His church, His people, but think about your delivery, how you are actually portraying Jesus to others, then get your light out from under the basket, put it up on a hillside, and let it shine to be seen by men!
Mar 28, 2022 | #MotivationMondayatCapri, Devotion, General, Post
By Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
In the prayer (that was meant to be a formula for all our prayers) that Jesus taught His disciples, what was the first thing He told them to ask for? “Give us this day our daily bread.” Not surprising that later on He told His disciples, “I am the bread of life!” Now granted in the prayer,, He’s telling them, and us, to ask God daily for our needs, trusting Him for tomorrow, satisfied with what we have today, but the bread Jesus represents goes a lot deeper than daily needs. His bread, His body, was sacrificed for us. His drink, His blood, was shed for us! To accept His bread, His drink, is the crux of the Gospels! He showed us how to live through His life, He showed us who He was through His death! We probably unfairly judge some of His disciples who walked away when they heard Him talk about His body being the bread and His blood the drink, but we don’t understand how hard it was for them to culturally gasp. It still is today yet communion and what it represents is one of our holiest rites. He wants us to be one with Him which makes us one with the Father. Jesus is the bread of life! Don’t go a day without asking for your daily bread. Don’t go a day without the Bread of Life!
Mar 21, 2022 | #MotivationMondayatCapri, Devotion, General, Post
By – Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
A lot of people claim great things. Muhammad Ali claimed to be the greatest boxer, Michael Jackson dubbed himself the King of Pop while Elvis was really the King and Aretha Franklin the Queen of Soul. Mohammad claimed to be a teacher and prophet called by God and Confucius was claimed to be a great philosopher and political theorist. There have been countless kings and queens, philosophers and prophets, but only one Son of God! Unlike the many untalented celebrities and musicians of today who travel with entourages to fan their egos and flaunt their so called greatness, Jesus merely humbly and obediently did His Father’s will. How many times did He tell His disciples if they knew Him, they knew the Father? He didn’t fill the air with self laudatory phrases about Himself as the world does, but He let His actions and words of truth speak for themselves. There have been many great men throughout history that have produced marvelous accomplishments, but the name of Jesus is the only one of which it can be said, “there is no salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Jesus’ greatness didn’t need to be bolstered by man’s boastful words, on more than one occasion His Father did that for Him. His greatness (aside from being the Son of God) came from His humble, obedient sacrifice. He knew what lay ahead of Him, He knew what He would have to endure, but He also knew what was going to be accomplished. That’s why, with humility yet with great confidence, He could tell His disciples and all of those who were to come after, that, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.” Because He is the Son of God!
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
Many people don’t like algebra or the fact that if a=b and b=c than c=a. Let’s turn that into a spiritual formula. If Jesus is the light of the world and He is in you than you are the light of the world! What did Jesus say in His Sermon on the Mount? “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify the Father in Heaven.” First impressions are generally lasting impressions. What impressions of Jesus do you make on people? Do you turn them off with holy self righteousness or turn them on with loving kindness? To quote Pastor Curt, “We are the ears, the hands, and the voice of Christ.” Are we listening to the needs and fears and doubts of others or over talking them with religiosity? Do we physically help with their needs and problems? Do we speak in truth and love? It’s a heavy responsibility being a Christian. You are an ambassador to an eternal kingdom and your tact or lack thereof may turn some people away from ever wanting to become a part of it! Be proud of Whom you represent, His church, His people, but think about your delivery, how you are actually portraying Jesus to others, then get your light out from under the basket, put it up on a hillside, and let it shine to be seen by men!
By Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
By – Tim Irving – Evangelism Team