14 June 2010 ReLAUNCH ‘10
Posted by CarlyleHall on Jun 14, 2010
Get READY, SET, GO!!! I’ve always wanted to experience the thrill of driving an old car that didn’t look like much, and pulling up to a stop sign or stop light beside a car or truck that just looked like power! Maybe I’m driving an old clunker like my 1992 Pontiac Bonneville (It would fly in it’s day) and I am sitting beside a Cobra mustang! I’m excited because he doesn’t think I have anything under the hood, but he is not even imagining what’s about to happen!
The light turns GREEN…GO!!! He is suddenly eating my smoke…I have left him so far behind. It’s ADRENALINE RUSH for sure!
One online dictionary defines ReLAUNCH as “setting in motion.” Beginning in July, Living Water Fellowship is setting in motion a series of activities that will terrify Satan and his angels. Because we believe God is ABLE and WILL DO much more than all we can ever ask or imagine. We must look for people are buying self-help books, subscribing to diet plans, and purchasing expensive homes, cars, and boats, but nothing about their life really improves. In desperation they are searching for answers! They are starved for truth, and eventhough the Church has been entrusted with the truth, she withholds it for various reasons. She is afraid of hurting someone’s feelings, she’s afraid of offending someone, she’s not listening to God and is to busy trying to please everyone BUT God! It seems the Church is trying to be the church, but according to it’s own wisdom and thinking.
Many people do not believe the Church can possibly have relevant answers for the hurts, pains, and uncertainties that people deal with on a regular basis. The world is filled with people who see today’s church as irrelevant, antique, and as someone has so well stated, “like a stained glass aquarium…we (the church) cannot see out and they (the world) cannot see inside.”
I BELIEVE the Church is the greatest hope for humanity and she must RISE UP and BE a people of LIGHT who displace darkness in every place! YES, there is evil all around, but Light WILL destroy darkness.
SO…Living Water Fellowship is becoming that place that inspires faith, hope, and love! We will be the church that doesn’t simply have a Purpose statement on a wall, we WILL be known as the church where each member lives that purpose…LOVE GOD…REACH PEOPLE…SERVE THE WORLD!
As Pastor of Living Water Fellowship I declare to all people who read this blog, listen to a sermon online, and/or attend our weekend worship service… We are going into every corner of our 5-county area with the Good News of Jesus Christ. We will not stop until every person has heard that Jesus Christ has come into the world as God’s only Son, lived a perfect life, died and paid the penalty for humanity’s sin, rose from His grave by His own power, and has made it possible for every man, woman, boy, and girl, to experience forgiveness of sin as well as an abundant life!!! We will not wait for you to come to us…we ARE coming to see you! Get ready, get ready, get ready!!!
ReLAUNCH ‘10 has begun and what God sets in motion, He WILL complete! Let’s go church.
All My Best,
Carlyle
3 June 2010 Who’s The Enemy?
Posted by CarlyleHall on Jun 2, 2010
No credible soldier will walk into enemy fire without protection. This past Memorial Day we have celebrated, prayed, and considered our precious freedoms as Americans. Our fragile freedoms have come with great price, one statistic states that in the last 100 years over 600,000 men and women have died while serving in our nation’s military! That number is staggering yet it reminds me that the task of battle is not easy and it is not without cost.
As Christians we are fighting an enemy in this life and it is Satan. Casualities in war would be much higher if the enemy was not known. Why it would lead to soldiers firing upon their own rather than attacking the opposition. Sometimes in our lives we can become confused about the true enemy. We can actually find ourselves believing our enemy is a person or persons, but that is not the case according to the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church. In chapter 6 of his letter he wrote these words, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is NOT against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
When we are attacked by someone, ignored by another, rejected by a person, and even slandered, our battle is not with the person. The person has simply allowed themselves to become a tool for Satan to use for evil purposes. However, many times we retaliate in kind, find a way to give evil for evil, or worse. Christians, the Bible clearly teaches us that our testimony is at stake even in the way in which we treat those who have mistreated us.
Our goal should not be ourselves, but rather to remain a credible witness of the love, grace, and forgiveness of Jesus Christ who has redeemed us. Only those who are primarily focused on ME, MYSELF, and I will continue to see people as the enemy.
Today I encourage my readers to consider the source of evil in this world and ask God how you can be such a powerful and credible witness for another person that they WILL choose to live what you model in your life. Christians…don’t be confused about your enemy!!!
All My Best,
Pastor Carlyle
24 May 2010 DEEP?
Posted by CarlyleHall on May 24, 2010
I love dirt! I love feeling the soil and I love the smell of freshly plowed earth. There is nothing like riding a tractor with a “bottom plow” following behind, and as you go along the earth is exposed. Farmers plow the soil each planting season to prepare for the planting of crops such as beans, wheat, tobacco, corn, and potatoes. It is crucial for the dirt to be prepared for successful planting, growth, and harvest.
Just as properly prepared soil receives seed and provides a place for growth, so also our faith must be GROUNDED in God’s TRUTH if it is to grow and mature as God desires. We could settle for a shallow faith that requires little or no study and prayer and falters at just the mention of difficulty or crisis. But, because we want to be STEADFAST and FAITHFUL until the end, we must dig DEEP into the Bible to understand the undiscovered truths of our faith so that we can withstand the storms of life…but this PREPARATION time will require WORK!!!
As we begin to study the Gospel of John we will be challenged to dig DEEP, to cultivate DEEP thinking concerning our faith, and to believe based upon the truth of the Bible. The Bible records these words from God, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the flood waters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.” (Matthew 7:24-25, NLT)
Today the temptation is to accept a “feel good gospel.” This is a self-constructed belief system and can actually use certain biblical texts that seem to affirm our selfish motivations and desires. In some circles this is also called “cultural Christianity.” It is simply an effort to make culture our foundation and to build our lives and churches upon such lies, and along the way if the Bible offers a convenient truth to help us build what we want, we use it. This will lead to defeat and destruction, and today, we are choosing life!
Will you join me in this journey? Let’s dig DEEP to discover and understand the foundational truths of the Christian faith! Here are some suggestions as we begin this process…
- Read and think upon your sermon notes from this week’s message.
- Listen to the audio of the sermon by visiting www.livingwaterfellowship4u.org and selecting sermons!
- Make time for a daily conversation with God when you can be alone and without any distractions. Simply talk with God and ask Him to speak to you, but make sure you let God speak to you!!!
- Accept the truth which the Holy Spirit will reveal to you about your life and seek the forgiveness of God for any sin in your life.
I gladly share this journey with you and I know that these are important days, weeks, and months as we prepare to receive everything God has for us. Let’s dig together!!!
All My Best,
Pastor Carlyle
17 May 2010 This Could Be It!
Posted by CarlyleHall on May 16, 2010
Some refections about this weekend!
This has been a wonderful weekend…! Friday night I enjoyed some time with great friends at the opening of “Robinhood” the movie. What a great history lesson and awakening to the fact that sometimes in life you must take great steps of faith…and these great leaps can have an astounding impact upon many people’s lives.
On Saturday morning I awoke to a new day and just spent some time riding around and just enjoyed some time alone…I listened to the radio…prayed…and waved at friends along the way around Wendell and Zebulon. Then later that night I had the awesome and humbling opportunity to enjoy my daughter’s “Rite of Passage” dinner and dance, welcoming her into 5th grade, Middle School at East Wake Academy. I am very thankful for these opportunities.
Today I preached a message that I entitled “The Power of Personal Choices.” It comes from the book of Esther, one of my favorite Old Testament books. Esther had the opportunity to run in fear, to doubt and to second guess or she could take a step of faith that would result in the salvation of her people. At the conclusion of our service, our church welcomed two young adults as members of our church!!!!! Great Day!
Tonight I have just learned that a Pastor acquaintance has died of cancer at the age of 33. He leaves behind a wife and three children. I have also learned that my uncle has suffered a stroke. So think with me about what if today was our last day.
We all have choices in life, everyday choices to do what is right, respectful, and truthful towards our neighbor. Jesus said we must love our neighbor as ourselves. Today my friends, may be the last day to speak the unhindered truth to our neighbor. It may be the last opportunity to kiss your child or spouse. This may be the last chance to say I love you, and really mean it! It may be the last moment in which you can repent of your sin and ask God to save you. In other words, THIS COULD BE IT. Do not put off until tomorrow what you know you should do today.
All My Best,
Pastor Carlyle
14 May 2010 Worried?
Posted by CarlyleHall on May 14, 2010
Why Do We Worry?
Church…we’re such hypocrites at times aren’t we?
- We know what Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-34 by heart!
- We tell people that God is Sovereign and that He is in control of the situation.
- We recite 1 Peter 5:7 to people as they are completely stressing out in front of us.
I could go on and on…but you get my point…we know how to confront and encourage others when THEY worry…and yet…
- We freak out when the Pastor preaches about a “touchy” subject.
- We are scared to death that things will not come together.
- We stress out about attendance numbers.
- We worry about the offering.
- We go crazy when we learn that someone is upset.
- We allow the voice of the enemy (SATAN) to convince us that everything is about to fall apart.
WE DO THIS…and we’ve got to stop! REALITY is…
- Jesus loves the church way more than we do!
- He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion! (Philippians 1:6)
- He has SO MUCH MORE in store four your church than you can imagine! (Ephesians 3:20)
- If it is HIS WILL then it is HIS BILL…what the KING wants the King pays for!!!
He is at work right now…doing things that we are completely unaware of but will one day BLOW our mind!
He has placed us in this time and in this place to make a difference!
My prayer to overcome worry is to ask God to enlarge my view of HIM…the larger HE becomes to me the smaller my problems and circumstances are.
He reigns..what HE started HE will finish…
“Do not worry…” JESUS!
22 April 2010 The Power of Prayer!
Posted by CarlyleHall on Apr 22, 2010
I do not claim to be the most intelligent man alive, but I am smart enough to know that prayer is a powerful exercise of my faith in God. I am reading a great book entitled “Christian Atheist” in which the author makes the assertion that a number of Christians claim to believe in prayer, but live life as though they do not.
Craig Groeschel shares a funny and sad story: ” A pastor once asked his church to pray that God would shut down a neighborhood bar. The whole church gathered for an evening prayer meeting, pleading with God to rid the neighborhood of the evils of this bar.” The congregation prayed and some days later lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground. The bar owner learned of the prayer meeting and decided to sue the church arguing that God struck his bar with lightning because the church members prayed in this way. The Pastor of this church claimed the accusations were false saying, “the church prayed…but the congregation didn’t expect anything to happen.” The case made its way before the court and upon hearing the arguments from both sides the judge said, “I cannot believe what I’m hearing. Right in front of me is a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer and a pastor who doesn’t.” (Christian Atheist, p.75)
It was reported today that Christian evangelist, Franklin Graham, was uninvited from participating in the National Day of Prayer. It is also no surprise that thousands of professing Christians are alarmed by this decision. However, I am alarmed for another reason!
We live in a free nation, a country that believes in freedom of religion, freedom for religion, and freedom from religion. Our government cannot endorse a certain religion and they cannot prohibit us as American citizens from exercising our faith as we choose, nor can they force us to exercise any faith at all.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ who is saved from hell and for eternal life. I believe Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life.” I accepted the gift of salvation by grace through faith in June 1986. I am NOT ashamed of my Savior and Lord and there is no one who can stop me from following Jesus Christ. Likewise, there is no institution or person who can stop Christians from praying!!!
My fellow Christ-followers, let’s not forget that we can exercise our faith in God through prayer whenever and where ever we choose. On May 6, 2010, our government has set aside a day when Americans are encouraged to come together in prayer. The question is whether we will fervently pray on this day and all other days for our nation and its institutions such as our government, schools, churches, families, other nations and their citizens, etc. Do we, who claim to be Christians, really believe in prayer and its power? Our testimony is at stake, because others are watching and listening to us.
It is my prayer that Christ-followers around the globe will come together in listening to God and asking Him to forgive us all our sins.
Let’s Pray,
Pastor Carlyle
19 April 2010 Shared Responsibility
Posted by CarlyleHall on Apr 21, 2010
This week I am preaching at the Revival services for Elm City Missionary Baptist Church in Elm City, NC. They are a rural congregation by any standard and they resemble many similar churches across NC in that the responsibilities of ministries is shared mostly by older adults. They know how to laugh and enjoy each other, they love, and as I have discovered before they are excellent cooks. There is something else I have noticed this week and that is they are tired and worried about the future of their church. In the midst of their kindness and willingness to serve is a hint of concern over the fact that younger people don’t seem as dedicated as those who go before them.
Hillary Clinton told us that “it takes a village to raise a child.” May I elaborate by saying it takes shared responsibility for any congregation to survive and minister effectively to a needy world. Too many congregations are experiencing the reality that too many Christians would rather be attenders than participants. Too many are looking at larger congregations and are amazed and excited at the large numbers of worshippers and numerous ministries being provided, but often no one knows the sweat and toil that made this a reality. We see bright lights, exciting children and youth ministries, modern facilities, etc, but fail to realize the financial sacrifices that make these things possible.
So what about shared responsibility? Certainly we would all agree that a unified team always accomplishes more. We can look at Scriptures and see an early church that understands and experiences first hand the blessings of team work. The book of Acts tells us that the early believers in Christ were together in study, prayer, worship, and giving. The church grew dramatically and the works of God were manifested among the peoples.
Right now I am very thankful for the followers of Christ and members of His church who willingly support their church by sharing the responsibility of the church. God’s word says we perish for a lack of knowledge, so I am grateful for those who see a need to study and learn in the context of a small group in order to know and understand God and His ways. Prayer is communicating with God and listening to His voice. Prayer is an opportunity and I am thankful for the followers of Christ who daily spend quality time communicating with the God of the universe. God demands our worship and worship is a lifestyle in which we reveal the truth through our words, thoughts, and actions that God is truly worthy. I am blessed by Christ-followers whose desire is for every part of their life to honor and glorify the Lord. And finally, I am thankful for those who give financially because it is an expectation of God. To the people who give their tithes and offerings to support the work of their church, to pay staff, to pay for a space in which to worship, to have sound equipment, to purchase materials for children’s ministry; I cannot say thank you enough.
But perhaps you are not doing all you can. Maybe you’ve neglected the responsibility of the church. I urge you to make the decision to be a servant not a spectator. I encourage you to become devoted to your church in the areas of study, prayer, worship, and giving. Then watch and see how unity will flourish and grow in your church and how your church will be able to accomplish God’s work in the community.
All my best,
Pastor Carlyle
12 April 2010 Don’t Take It For Granted!
Posted by CarlyleHall on Apr 11, 2010
In America, we are a blessed people and nation. In my travels to other places such as Ukraine and Tanzania, I have quickly become aware of the fact that we have much for which to be thankful. Most if not all of us enjoy things like hot running water, air-conditioning and heat at our fingertips, food in our refrigerators, and cabinets, automobiles with everything from electric heated seats to DVD players and satellite radio.
Our blessings are more numerous than I can list. We are able to worship at a place of our choosing or choose to NOT worship if we desire. We can choose our occupation, the person we want to marry, and even the names of our children.
Today at Living Water Fellowship we celebrated the Power of One! According to Luke 17, Jesus encountered 10 lepers as He entered a village and in response to their cry for mercy Jesus instructed them to “go” and in following His instructions they were cleansed. This is such an awesome example of Jesus’ willingness to show mercy, but even more powerful is the one who gave thanks.
One of the 10, a Samaritan, was walking and in doing so realized he was cleansed. He turned around and returned to Jesus giving thanks for this blessing of cleansing. How powerful is the testimony of this one man who came back to Jesus showing his gratefulness for what has happened in his life. The very man that the religious Jews have despised and rejected was the one who realized the magnitude of his cleansing. He was not one who took his blessings for granted.
I am a blessed man, Christ-follower, husband, father, pastor, and friend. I realize I am so unworthy of God’s goodness, but I am grateful that He has chosen to love me and allow me to experience His goodness each day. I worship God the Creator and my Redeemer. He is my Life and my Salvation and He is my Hope. Everything I am and have belongs to Him and I realize that he will always meet my needs.
I pray you are a thankful person! Look around and take note of all that God has blessed you with. Realize the blessing of family, children, spouse, and others who are a true blessing in your life. Do not take it all for granted nor get so busy that you cannot say thank you. Take the time each day to let God know you are thankful through word and deed.
All My Best,
Pastor Carlyle
5 April 2010 It Matters!
Posted by CarlyleHall on Apr 5, 2010
“Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:12-19, ESV)
Yesterday I had the awesome opportunity to share with our congregation the good news of the resurrection. Friends, Jesus rose from the grave by His own power. And because Jesus lives, I am not only forgiven of my sin, I am also promised eternal life!!!!
Sunday was a great time of worship at Living Water Fellowship. So many people came together to make BIG DAY a reality. I have not heard a final number for attendance, but I am grateful for each person who came to worship with us. We welcomed many new faces and each person was a blessing to us. I want to say thank you to each person who helped with set-up on Saturday night, those who prepared food, those who provided music in our worship, those who donated Easter eggs and candy for the children, those who have been praying for and encouraging their unchurched and lost friends to be our guests, those who purchased door prizes, those who helped us break down our equipment and clean-up afterwards……………You are all awesome!
The day was a celebration of resurrection from the dead. I believe God is really up to something much larger than we can understand or see at this time. I believe we are in preparation mode. God is giving us as a congregation the time to get ourselves prepared to receive His blessings that we cannot even dream of at this time. Let us continue in faithfulness and truth, planting seeds of hope, faith, and love in the lives of those we meet. The harvest is just around the corner, and we will reap a harvest “if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9, ESV)
Think of this with me. Jesus rose from the grave and because He is risen, all those who have received the forgiveness of their sins through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and who have believed on the name of Jesus for salvation (for there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved…Acts 4:12, ESV) will one day rise with Jesus at His second coming. The work of God through you and me has eternal significance!
Let us continue on allowing God to accomplish a good work through us! Let’s go and tell this good news to everyone we meet, letting no one go untouched by the Risen Christ.
All My Best,
Pastor Carlyle
1 April 2010 Falsely Accused?
Posted by CarlyleHall on Apr 1, 2010
False accusations are commonplace in our world today. Just turn on the news and you will see countless accusations made by politicians who are really not interested in the truth; rather their actions and words are motivated by pride and selfishness. Today it is sad that we live in a nation where elected officials are primarily concerned about their political party and holding onto what they have always known to be true.
In Jesus day, the world was no different. The Jews were unable to see what God was doing in their midst because they were looking for something else. They (the Jews) had molded God into something they thought He should be, but those who should have understood did not understand that Jesus was intent upon “doing His Father’s will.” Jesus came into this world making claims against their (Jews) religious traditions and their self serving thoughts, but they (Jews) were looking for a Messiah who would do something for them and no one else.
And so when Jesus was brought before Pilate, His accusers said, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He himself is the Christ, a King.” (Luke 23:2, NASB) Jesus acknowledged Himself to be the Christ, and Pilate acknowledged he could find no basis for a charge against this man (Jesus).
If you study the Scriptures you will find that Jesus urged the people to “give Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” (Matthew 22:21) So why did these people make these untrue accusations against Jesus? I believe it is simply because Jesus upset their ways and religion. They never admitted it, and certainly they saw no need for change in themselves nor a need to gain a new perspective on their religious ways. It is important to note that Jesus did not come to serve any one’s religious needs nor to make the people feel good about who they were.
Jesus came to purchase a world seperated from God. (Rev. Charles Stanley) He came to pay the necessary price for the sin of the whole world. He came to shed His blood for sinners like you and me. He died a cruel death because death is the wages of sin. However in Jesus day as it is today, He came to a people who did not understand their need to be forgiven. Yes, they sacrificed the animals and obeyed God’s law, but it was nothing more than a religious tradition! Perhaps they thought within themselves, “we are the chosen people of God; how could we need a Savior to forgive us and make us right with God.”
And so came the false accusations against Jesus. Today and everyday there is not a person alive who does not need forgiveness. There is no one who is without sin. Jesus was falsely accused by those who did not want to change nor be challenged. Allow God to change you and challenge you…however He wants. Every person needs a Savior and Jesus has come to be that Savior!
All My Best,
Pastor Carlyle
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