Do all roads lead home?

When we first was looking to take a Youth Pastor position here in Alva, Oklahoma we drove a certain road there that our GPS gave us to drive. After moving here and now driving to a lot of different places around Alva I have realized that there is  multiple ways to get to Alva taking different roads and going through different towns.... some ways are faster than others.
Even though there was many ways to get to Alva, you still had to take the "right" roads. If a person left somewhere to go somewhere else they would never just think that they could take any road and they would arrive at their detestation. If two people are on different roads heading different directions they will not end up in the same destination.
So all roads don't lead home, and all roads don't lead to Heaven either.

John 14:6 NLT - Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. 

No one can come to the Father except through me.

The only road to Heaven is through Jesus. If your life is heading in the same direction as everyone else who is not Christian, why do you think  you will have a different destination?! Living a life following Jesus, wanting what he wants, sacrificing your comfort to see his will be done here are Earth, and loving others around you with the Love of God that never fails- will lead you down a road that one day will end at Heaven's doors. 

With Love,

Pastor Russell 

Sleeping Giant

I feel like I was asleep for the first 22years of my life, then I awoke and seen Jesus. Before that time my life was in utter darkness, blinding to truth and living for myself. I didn't know Jesus nor did I really believe that He really was alive, or even existed. When I encountered Jesus and surrendered my life to following him- it felt I woke up from a bad dream and was truly alive and free.
I started reading my Bible and praying and getting to know Jesus better. I started attending a great church and seen the this church reach out to the lost and hurting... the sleeping if you will... that didn't know Jesus. But a lot of other church members I talked to didn't seem to care to much about people outside their walls. The longer I was following Jesus the more I seen this in other Christians.. and then I wondered.. have they fallen back asleep ???

Ephesians 5:14

"...Wake up, O Sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

We have a sleeping giant that needs to awaken. Many of the people filling our churches are still sleeping, they are attending  church... they are not THE Church like Christ called them to be. We need to wake up and see that its time to let others see the light of Jesus. To reach out to the lost and dying of this world. There needs to be a great awakening in the church with her people and outside the church so others will see Jesus. 

Because when you finally wake up, you will feel like you have rose from the dead.. a bad dream. So I am praying that a sleeping giant will rise up and let the light of Jesus shine throughout this world. 

Pastor Russell

Dying to Live

Colossians 3:3

For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Matthew 10:39

If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

You have to die to live, and if you have not died, you are not living. Jesus said to follow him to be his disciple and the road that he walked lead to death. If you truly start to follow Jesus the road will lead you to death also, and not a psychical death ( at least not in America), but a death to yourself. 

I remember when that death happened in my life, I chose to follow Jesus and in doing so, I had to kill the old me and the passions and wants of that life and take up the new me that Jesus was offering. I never knew how dead I was until I became alive. 

If you want to live, not only in this life but the life to come, you have to die to yourself in this life, and follow Jesus and become that new person that he called you to be. The more that you die to yourself the more room Jesus has for you to become like him. 

Are the things you are living for, worth Christ dying for? - are you wasting the Grace that God gave you?- by living life the way you want it, by only following your passions and desires- You have to die to yourself, then and only then will you live in Christ- and that is the life that we were created to experience.

So are you dying to live? 

God Bless

Pastor Russell 

Church

I love the Church.

Sometimes I think we miss the idea of Church...
Are we called to a building? Or, are we called to be the Church?
I love church very much and I think it is a great place to find God, grow in faith, be encouraged by believers, find answers, and belong to a real family. I have experienced some great things attending different churches over the last 3years. I am now just not attending a church, but I am staff member at a church-Youth Pastor to label it. I still love the church I am at staff now and believe that God is casting a big vision for it.
One thing I think the enemy has done very well is to divide THE Church with lots of little churches. Churches will argue and  disagree on so many things... and it is usually the little things. I believe that Jesus is coming back for his Bride the Church, and I hope and pray that the churches would come together like never before and put away all the "non-essential" things that they disagree on. Because all Christian Churches believe that following after Jesus is the only way to heaven and if we could unite on that fact and go to the lost and hurting in our world and show them the wonderful Grace of Jesus Christ- that would be amazing.

Romans 14:19

So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

1 Corinthians 1:10

I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

I think we have to get out of the mindset that church is just a building. It is a group of people that have put their faith in Jesus Christ. WE are THE Church. Jesus is not coming back to take a bunch of buildings made from brick and stone, but he is coming back for those that love him and have put their faith in him. 

So lets stop just going to church on Sundays and Wednesdays, and start being The Church 7days a week.

Pastor Russell 

Jesus on Twitter

When someone says "follow me" now in this culture, they usually mean on Twitter- which is a social network site. It would be very awkward if someone said-"Yeah, follow me." and you like started following them where ever they went. On Twitter you can follow people you don't even know, for instances if you really like Tom Hanks you can find his page and click a button that says-"Follow". Then you will see whatever they post on their feed, but you don't have to read everything that they say, you can just skim through your feed only reading what you what to see.
We treat Jesus as if we can find his page on Twitter and click the "Follow" button and now everything is great and we are heading to heaven, because now we "Follow Jesus". But just like the people that you follow on Twitter, you can skim through what Jesus says in the Bible.

Luke 9:23

Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.

Well that seems a lot different than just clicking a button that says "Follow". I am worried that many people have clicked the Follow button for Jesus and say that they follow Jesus and are saved, but Jesus is not looking for people to say "I Follow Jesus..." He is looking for people that will TURN from their selfish ways and die to themselves and live for Him. To follow Jesus is to deny yourself, to follow Jesus is to not follow this world, to follow Jesus is to turn from your old life, to follow Jesus is about a living breathing relationship with him. 
I pray you don't have a Jesus that is on Twitter that you "Follow", but that you have faith in him to be your Lord and Savior. Salvation is through faith alone in Jesus Christ, but that faith will change your life.


Pastor Russell

Father, Son, and ....The Holy what???

So if you live in the South in America, there is just about a church on every corner, even in smaller towns. So the majority of America know about God and they have heard the story of Jesus, but when it comes to the Holy Spirit there is usually a silence. The Holy Spirit sometimes becomes that family member that nobody talks about anymore and becomes very uncomfortable if anyone brings it up in public.
Not growing up in Church I knew about God and I have heard that Jesus died for my sins and everything, but I really never heard anything about the Holy Spirit. So after I got saved and started reading my Bible, I noticed that the Holy Spirit was something that Jesus talked about quite often. Jesus even said that it is better that He goes away, so that He can send the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1: 4-5,8

Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, "Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before.

John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

It seems like Jesus was pretty serious about the Holy Spirit in these verses. That He commanded his disciples to wait on the Baptism with the Holy Spirit... why? So they would have power to be a witness to the world. Why are the people of God so quite about the Holy Spirit, when looking at the word of God, He seems like someone we should be seeking after.
 I don't think one thing has divided the Church (big C) as much as the differences on what people believe about the Holy Spirit. I think this is because the enemy understands that if he can divide the Church and have people put the Holy Spirit on the down-low, we will be a people without power. Because what the Holy Spirit gives is power to be a witness for Jesus, and without Him we become a group of people with a belief in something but never do anything about it.
I am not going to tell you what you should believe or not believe about the Holy Spirit, but I will tell you to seek Him... Don't take someone else's belief about it either- search the word of God yourself, read Joel 2, Acts, the letters of Paul and see what God says about the Holy Spirit.

Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit

God Bless
Pastor Russell

Sex, Drugs, and Rock N Roll

This is a saying that has been around for a while now. "All that sex,drugs, and rock n roll, is destroying the young minds of our nation."- And I agree ... in the most part.
What is sad, is we condemn and scold our teens about these issues, but do we ever reach out to them with healthy knowledge about the dangerous or conciseness of engaging in these activities or show them a alliterative, like Rock N Roll that glorifies God. I think that this generation needs to be addressed with real issues, because they are in the real life. They need to know what God thinks about sex, drugs, and rock n roll. They need to know that the Bible says that when you have sex you become one flesh, that its not just something psychical but spiritual also. They need to know that drugs give you a false high, and that God is the one that supplies with joy and peace. They need to know that rock n roll is not the devil, but that there is rock n roll that glorifies God. Red, Skillet, TFK, Sent By Ravens, Spoken, and Disciple to name a few.
So instead of gripping about this generation how about we pray for it? Let's pray that God will set a wild fire in this generation and we will see the culture shake from it. That students across the nation will be so passionate about their faith and their love for Jesus, that it will be normal to save sex for marriage, that the only high they need is from the Most High, and that in everything, even rock n roll, God will be Glorified.

God Bless
Pastor Russell

Beautiful Things

This is a song I was listening to  by Micheal Gungor called "Beautiful Things" and one of the lines was-

"You make beautiful things, You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things,You make Beautiful things out of us"

It is such a great song, It really made me start to think about this world, and the lives that we live and it brings me to this Scripture. 

Genesis 2:7 

 "the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."

The God of the universe started the human race from the dirt on the ground... I really don't think the beauty is in the dust...but the beauty is in the breath. We all have the breath of God in us, and that is what makes us beautiful. Let us stop looking at the dust and start seeing the breath of God that is in every living person. Then maybe we would see what God sees in each of us. God longs for his creation to come back to him, and Jesus is going after the lost beauties of this earth, and if you claim to follow Jesus guess where he will lead you... to the lost. 

Pastor Russell

Youth Camp

We left Alva, Ok Monday morning heading to Turner Falls youth camp. We arrived and all the students were ready to see what God was going to do this week. The first night God showed up and the alters were flooded with students. God moved every night last week and it was amazing to see his hand working on this generation. After leaving I asked what was their favorite part of camp, and they all said it was the services.
Youth camp is a great thing, and I really believe that God changes lives and students find a purpose for life there. But a lot of the time they will come back to the "real world" and start living the same life as before this amazing week of services.
We do the same a lot of times, we will go to church on Sunday and Wednesday and God will show up and it will be awesome, but the rest of the week we are kinda in our "this is the real world" routine and never let really let God change things in our lives.
Our relationship with Jesus is exactly were we want it to be. Because He already did everything to reach out to us. So many times we push Jesus away from us with all the other "real world" things that take up most of our lives.... when the truth is that Jesus wants to impact our "real world" with the Kingdom of God.

God Bless
Pastor Russell

Oklahoma City Thunder

I love watching NBA playoffs. I dont really watch much during the season, but the playoffs always seem to grab my attention. Ever since Oklahoma City got a NBA team I have been a big fan and love to support them. Even that first year that they didn't win many games- but I am used to losing being an Arkansas Razorback fan LOL. The 2011 Playoffs to this date still have the Thunder playing for the West Championship with them tieing the series against Dallas 1-1. It has been an awesome series so far and really excited to finish watching it.
Kevin Durant has been one of the up and coming stars of the NBA for a couple of years now. From the beginning  I thought there was something different about him - the way he carried himself, his attitude, and just how humble he really was. Not like other NBA superstars- cocky, arrogant, very little self-control.
One interview after a game they asked KD what was in his backpack- which he carried just about everywhere with him- and he started listing off a number of things.....one being the Bible.
After the game tonight Durant said this about his bench, "Yall should be interview them, not me, they won the game for us." That is humility, something that his ego-driven culture needs a whole lot more of.

Proverbs 3:34

 He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble

Let his take the example of Jesus, he did not come to be served, but to serve. And he is calling us to do the same. To let down our pride, our entitlement, our "rights", and be willing to jump in other people's lives to show them Jesus- no matter how messy that might look. Lets humble ourselves before God so he will give us grace that is so powerful it WILL change the world. 

Pastor Russell

Students of this Generation

Students,teens,youth,"young people", however you would like to label them, are looked down at in this generation. More I think in the church then even in the world. How many times have you heard this. "Youth are the church of the future." Many people in the church treat youth ministry as baby sitting teens, not "real" ministry.
The youth are not the church of the future....they are the church right NOW. I have been so amazed at the responses of the youth in our ministry over the last month. The Holy Spirit has been showing up and the youth are responding to him. This generation of students needs the Holy Spirit if they are going to try and live in this culture without becoming like this culture.

1 Timothy 4:12

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

Pray for students, that God will change them and help them become a bright light in their schools today. Just as many angels party in heaven when a student gets saved as when an adult. Their souls are just as precious to God as anyone else's.
I am believing that in this generation of students there will be ones that surrender to God, and that God will change them into faithful followers of him and empower them to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth in their schools.

Pastor Russell

Running

I ran track for 3years in high school. I used to be able to run like 3miles a day (crazy for me I know), during off season and then only have track meets like 1/4 of a semester. I only ran the 100yard and 200yard dash and the relays. I was always so mad that i had to run 3miles like everyday all off season, but every year I was so glad i stayed in shape during the off season so i could be ready for when the whistle blew.

Runners to your mark.... Ready..... Set..... GO!!! 


I would take off running out of the blocks, focus on my next steps, my breathing, how long my strides where, how much energy i had left, and where the finish line was. Every second counts in the 100 or 200dash. Someone can not expect to jog the first couple of seconds and then start running if they expect to win. No one would dare stop and start talking to someone in the crowd or to fix their jersey to make sure it looked right. Everything I had went to running that race, all parts of me had to be focused and pushing its limits, mind, body, strength, and even soul. If any one thing was off, or lacking, i would run a bad time. 

So we enter this world, we grow up all in different ways, we learn things all differently but one thing is for certain for every person that starts to run this race of life.... there is a finish line. Death. Everyone crosses this line. Everyone is running the race of life. But are we running the race like we really believe that the finish line is there. Jesus Christ came and offered himself for our sins, he ran towards the finish line and did not stop there but opened a door to heaven for us. But if we believe that Jesus really did that for us, why are we not training to run this race as best as we can? Loving God with all our mind body strength and soul and loving others more than ourselves? Why are we jogging or even walking towards heaven? We should be running carrying a torch of hope everywhere we go. 
Are we living like we are going to die, or just living for the moment right now. The finish line is coming there is no avoiding it. How are you going to run the race?

Pastor Russell
Act 20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

1Cr 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

2Ti 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Hbr 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Osama Bin Laden

So May 1, 2011, Bin Laden is reported killed. Most people know Bin Laden as the "mastermind" behind the 9/11 attacks on the USA. As I read Facebook and Twitter and are watching everyone post things about him being found dead, and how much joy there in most people's comments, I have to wonder if celebrating over someone that died and is now in Hell really worth all this excitement.
I understand that Bin Laden did a lot of evil, and I know that he was part of a group that killed thousands, but we all are guilty of doing evil in our own lives as well. I would hate to see people celebrating because I was dead, and saying that I deserved it for the evil that I committed in my life. We try to justify things saying they are "more" evil than others, but they are still evil, and are still sin. God says the wages of sin is death. That is any sin. That is the reason that Jesus died to free us from what we deserve, and that means Jesus died for the sins of Osama Bin Laden too. It is sad that he never received that grace and forgiveness from Jesus, just as it is sad when anyone does not receive forgiveness from the evil that they have committed.

2 Peter 3:9

...He(God) is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

God wants to see everyone come to repentance and to start a relationship with himself. Even if you do something as bad as hijacking planes and flying them into buildings to kill thousands. God's forgiveness is still there, and his Grace is that powerful. 

So I am not saying what Bin Laden did was right, but it was not anything that Jesus would not have forgiven if given the chance. And the same is with anyone, Jesus will forgive us of our sins, we just have to accept that forgiveness in our lives. 

God Bless

Russell

Worship

This week in Elev8, we have been talking about worship. Worship can be an awkward thing for some people. They come to the church service and the worship team gets up on stage and start playing worship music and then they see people worshiping. So they say what is worship? Is it the type of music? Is it when people raise their hands, claps, or dance? I think sometime people get confused what worship really is. Lets look at what God says what worship is.

Romans 11:36-Romans 12:1

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

Looking at this verse if we focus on the three letters in bold, I think we can really understand what worship is. Worship = Glory + Sacrifice. Let me prove this. Glory is what we put worth into. It is what our passion is, our treasure. Sacrifice is laying something down that means something to us. So if Worship = Glory + Sacrifice ...... then we worship everyday. If we love something we will sacrifice time, money, emotions, energy into whatever we glorify. If its money that we glorify, we will sacrifice things to get money. There is nothing wrong with getting money, or sports, or relationships, but if we sacrifice more for those things then we do for God we have a worship problem. People say they have a problem with drinking, or drugs or whatever and the truth is they dont have a problem with those things, they have a worship problem. 

Whatever you glorify in life, you will sacrifice for that and that will be what you worship. Worship is so much more than music, its living a lifestyle of worship everyday. Worship is our connection to God, and it is expressed in many different ways. 

So if you are struggling with a problem, look at what you are worshiping. The only one worthy of our worship is Jesus, because He did what no other could do. So all glory and honor and worship be to Jesus, the Savior of the world, the one who sets the captives free, and gives hope to the hopeless and life to those that were dead. Amen.

God Bless

Pastor Russell

Elev8

Elve8 is the new Student Ministry that is started in Alva, Oklahoma at the First AG Church here in town. Its amazing to see what God did to get me and my wife to move here and start ministry, but after tonights service I can see why. I talked about elevating Jesus in each of our lives, and the students really responded to the message.
This is a message for everyone though.... To elevate Jesus above everything else in this world.

Matthew 22: 37-38

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

This is the first and greatest commandment.

First and greatest commandment, and a lot of times we try to live such a "holy" life and follow all these other rules and church guidelines that we forget to just love Jesus, to elevate him and lift him up in our lives. So I encourage whoever is reading this to get back to where it started ... To love Jesus and elevate him in your life above everything else. 

Pastor Russell