firstIMPRESSIONS
from Senior Pastor Timothy Satryan

A horrible thing happened to me today... a thief broke into my house.

It happened shortly after I awoke this morning. I got up and began rushing about. I had a thousand things on my list and was already running behind.

Quickly, I gulped down breakfast, took a shower and got ready for work. In my rush, I forgot to turn the security system on at my house. It was just about a half an hour later that the thief broke in. Of course, he didn’t make a sound. Just kind of snuck inside, not drawing any attention to himself. In fact, none of the neighbors ever saw him. But, I did.

You see, I WAS HOME when the thief broke in. He naturally startled me, as I was unprepared for his visit. He, of course, didn’t announce that he was coming and I certainly had not invited him over. And yet, I found myself face to face with danger and I felt so powerless. I also felt so very stupid, because this whole incident could have been avoided if I had just taken the time to turn the security system on.

You better believe I’ll be turning it on tomorrow morning! I thought I’d warn you about this guy, because he’s still on the loose. Chances are, he’s in your area. Possibly even headed for your house. His name? His name is Satan.

You see, this morning when I jumped up in my haste to get started on my busy day, I skipped my prayer time, opting to “pray later today.” In other words, I DIDN’T TURN ON THE SECURITY SYSTEM.

My defense wasn’t on, my guard was dropped... and when the thief came into my home to attack me, I was unprepared to do battle. He tempted me and I felt powerless. Like I said, I also felt so very stupid, because I could have avoided the incident if I had just taken the time to pray.

My friend, the thief has come to “steal, kill and destroy.” And, as a Child of God, you are on his “hit list.” He’ll probably pop over to your house today. He may be lurking outside your door right now, just waiting to catch you off guard.

Take time to pray this morning. Ask God to bind Satan from your very presence, to protect you and empower you to do battle. In short... always dress with your Holy armor from head to toe and... don’t forget to turn your security system on.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; but I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 7.35. Live for God, on purpose, staying alert, knowing that your enemy is prowling about like a roaring lion!

How’s your life going? Does it sometimes seem that you’re just trying to make it from one day to the next? Like something’s always out there trying to keep you down? Does it seem that the “hurrier you go, the behinder you get”? Jesus tells us in John 10:10 that our enemy – the devil – has come for only one reason – to steal, kill and destroy us.

But, living under the drudgery of this world and the devil’s schemes is not what we should be experiencing. Jesus continues in that same verse to tell us that He came to give us life, and that we would have it more abundantly. Are you living the abundant life? Are you “living fat?”

The modern translation, The Message, phrases this verse in a way that really captures the essence of what Jesus means for us today. Jesus’ words are put this way – “I came so that they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”

That’s it! We have the privilege to live a life that is “More Than We Ever Dreamed Of!” And, that is the title of my message this Sunday here at WFA. Together, let’s look at what our abundant life consists of, and learn to “live fat”... in Jesus!

(top)

The older I become, the more I come to realize just how important experience is. Through the years I have observed many believers who have been saved for a good number of years. It seems that some of them are quite mature, while others, in spite of the length of time they have been saved, are still quite immature. Why is this?

These two kinds of people reflect what I have often heard about how experienced some people are. Some have ten year’s experience at what they do, while others have one year’s experience, ten times over.

Every one of us, as believers in Christ, should desire to grow in Him, becoming more mature each and every day. How do we do that? Beginning this Wednesday, I will share a new teaching series, “The Maturity of the Believer,” designed to help equip you to become a far more mature believer in Christ.

September 5 – Development of Maturity
In the first teaching in this series, we will look at the first chapter of James, and discover three life-changing responsibilities that are fundamental to spiritual wholeness and maturity.

September 19 – Precepts of an Interpersonal Maturity
Two key verses of scripture – Romans 12:5 and Ephesians 4:2 – clearly tell us that a mature believer recognizes the need of interaction with other believers. You can’t be a mature Christian and walk alone. In this teaching, we will look at four categories in which we must become mature as we grow together with others in the Lord.

September 26 – Mathematics of Maturity
You do the math! To be a mature believer, there are things that we need to add to our life, as well as things we need to subtract from who we are. Likewise, as we grow in Him, there are things that should multiply, and things that we will divide. Don’t miss this third teaching on being a mature believer!

(top)

What is a “disciple”? What do you think of when you hear the word “disciple”? As a young boy, I grew up thinking the word disciple was a description of the original twelve followers of Christ. In my mind, it was nearly synonomous with the word “apostle.” Later, as a young man and a new believer in Christ, the word took on new meaning for me – a “Disciple” was part of the group of musicians that sang with Andre Crouch!

The truth, as we all should realize, is that the word “disciple” should be a description of who each of us is! We are all called to be disciples. A disciple is a committed follower of Jesus Christ. A disciple is one who strives to do what Jesus said we should do, and live how Jesus said we should live.

Not only are we called to be disciples, but we are called to go and make disciples of all men. Unfortunately, for too long in evangelical Christianity, we have been more concerned with making converts than making disciples.

What should a disciple act like? What does a disciple need to be doing to truly be a committed follower of Christ? Beginning Sunday, September 9th, I will be sharing a three-part preaching series entitled “True Disciples. You won’t want to miss one Sunday as we grow in our understanding of who we are called to be, and learn to walk in that knowledge!

September 9 – The Character of a True Disciple
In Acts 17, we learn that a group of believers in Berea were considered to be “of more noble character” than certain other believers. What qualities did the Bereans possess, and what actions did their lives encompass that made them more noble? And – perhaps most important – how can WE be “of more noble character’?

September 23 – The Example for a True Disciple
Are you a true disciple? What is the best measure of a disciple of Christ? Why, the life of Jesus Himself, of course! Luke 6:40 says “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” A true disciple is called to be like Christ. In this message, we will learn three critical areas where Christ serves as an example for each and every disciple.

September 30 – The Requirements of a True Disciple
Have you ever heard of “easy-believism”? That is a phrase that is used to describe those who’s Christianity is nothing more than “surface deep,” those who’s understanding of being a Christian is simply saying that they believe in Jesus. The truth is, the devil believes in Jesus – but he surely isn’t saved! Jesus personally addressed the notion of people who thought that “easy-believism” was adequate to be a disciple. In Luke 14:25-35, there are three times that Christ says a certain kind of people “cannot be His disciple.” What does Jesus say is required to be his disciple? That is the question we will ask in this final message of this vital sermon series! Don’t miss it!

(top)

He was looking forward to this moment all day long, after 6 days of labor and it finally arrived – Visiting Day!

The man with the keys arrived to swing open the large, heavy doors. The cold gray hall springs to life in the warm glow of light. He could hardly control His emotions.

The families began to arrive. He peers from the corner of the room longing for the first glimpse of His loved one. He lives for the weekends. He lives for these visits.

As the cars arrive, He watches intently. Then, finally, they arrive, for whom He would do anything. They embrace, eat a light lunch and reminisce how things used to be.

At one point, they break into singing, with interruptions of laughter and applause. But all too soon it is over. A tear comes to His eyes as they depart.

Then the man with the keys closes the heavy doors. He hears the key turn in the lock marking the end of a special day. There He stands, alone again.

He knows that most of His visitors will not contact Him again till next week.

As the last car pulls away from the parking lot, Jesus retreats into loneliness as He waits until next Sunday – Visiting Day.

Is the time that we spend with Jesus an everyday thing, or do we just visit Him on Sunday. Think about it...

(top)

by Alan Smith

There is an old story about the Greek Marathon. Muscular, conditioned runners paced nervously near the starting line for the long-distance race. The time was near. They “shook out” their muscles, inhaled deeply, and put on their “game faces.”

In the midst of it all, a young stranger took his place at the starting line. His physique was awesome. Taking no notice of the other contestants, he stared straight ahead. Two prizes would be awarded the winner of the Marathon: a magnificent bouquet of flowers and the honor of standing beside the king until the conclusion of other contests.

There seemed to be no question among the runners about who would win the prize. It is alleged that the stranger was offered money not to run. Someone else attempted to bribe him with property. Refusing the offers, he toed the mark and awaited the signal to run. When the signal was given, he was the first away. At the finish line, he was the first to cross, well ahead of the rest.

When it was all done, someone asked the young man if he thought the flowers were worth as much as the money and property he had refused. He replied, “I did not enter the race for the flowers. I ran so that I could stand beside my king!”

Those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ are “running the race” (I Cor. 9:24-25). It is a race that has a prize for those who finish (notice, not those who finish first, but all who finish). This prize, according to Paul, is an “imperishable crown.” The rewards for those who enter heaven are described in scripture with a lot of terms — “many mansions", “streets of gold", “tree of life", and the list goes on and on. All of those things are attractive. That’s why God tells us about them.

But I would be willing to give up all the streets of gold and settle for a small corner of a shack as long as I can know the reward of being able to stand beside my King. That’s what I look forward to more than anything else. It is the one thing that will make heaven the wonderful reward that it will be.

”...The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.” (Rev. 22:3)

Run the race with diligence. Your King is watching and waits for you at the finish line!

This article by Alan Smith, Senior Pastor of the Helen Street Church of Christ in Fayetteville, North Carolina. You can visit his site at http://www.TFTD-online.com

(top)

Several centuries ago in a mountain village in Europe, a wealthy nobleman wondered what legacy he should leave to his townspeople. He made a good decision. He decided to build them a church. No one was permitted to see the plans or the inside of the church until it was finished. At its grand opening, the people gathered and marveled at the beauty of the new church. Everything had been thought of and included.

It was a masterpiece. But then someone said, “Wait a minute! Where are the lamps? It is really quite dark in here. How will the church be lighted?” The nobleman pointed to some brackets in the walls, and then he gave each family a lamp, which they were to bring with them each time they came to worship. “Each time you are here’” the nobleman said, “the place where you are seated will be lighted. Each time you are not here, that place will be dark. This is to remind you that whenever you fail to come to church, some part of God’s house will be dark”

That’s a poignant story, isn’t it? And it makes a very significant point about the importance of our commitment and loyalty to the church. The poet Edward Everett Hale put it like this:

   I am only one,
   but still I am one.
   I cannot do everything,
   But still I can do something;
   And because I cannot do everything
   I will not refuse to do the something I can do.

What if every member of your church supported the church just as you do? What kind of church would you have? What if every single member served the church, attended the church, loved the church, shared the church, and gave to the church exactly as you do? What kind of church would you be?

(top)

Edgar W Work said, “The real tragedy is not in being limited to one talent, but in the failure to use that one talent.” To make the most of your life:

Maximize what God’s given you.
Edison set himself an ambitious goal: to come up with a major new invention every six months and a minor one every ten days. When he died he had 1093 patents. Edison made his dreams a reality by sticking to what he did best. Are you doing that?

Start where God put you.
After losing a baseball game, cartoon character Charlie Brown pours out his heart to his friend Lucy: “All my life I’ve dreamed of pitching in the big leagues, but I’ll never make it!” Lucy replies: “You’re thinking too far ahead, Charlie Brown. Set yourself more immediate goals. Start with the next inning, for example. When you go out to pitch, see if you can walk to the mound... without falling down.” Success starts with one step. Exercise your faith and take it.

Focus on what God called you to do.
Music was everything to Brahms. He collected music and studied compositions going back to the 15th century. He worked day and night to perfect his craft, refusing to publish anything that didn’t meet his exacting standards. That’s why he didn’t publish his first symphony until he was 40. And he never married, saying it would distract him: “I am in love with music, I think of nothing but, and of other things only when they make music more beautiful.” Is that fanaticism? No, it’s focus; it’s what makes your life count! It’s why Paul said, “This one thing I do.”

from The Word for Today, June 5, 2007; www.thewordfortoday.com.au

(top)

Grandpa and granddaughter were sitting talking when she asked, “Did God make you, Grandpa?”

“Yes, God made me,” the grandfather answered.

A few minutes later, the little girl asked him, “Did God make me too?”

“Yes, He did,” the older man answered.

For a few minutes, the little girl seemed to be studying her grandpa, as well as her own reflection in the mirror, while her grandfather wondered what was running through her mind.

At last she spoke up.

“You know, Grandpa,” she said, “God’s doing a lot better job lately.”

As we begin the month of September, let’s begin the fall season here at WFA in the best way possible – praising our Lord together this Sunday. As we share communion together, as we worship Him with heart and song, as we hear and heed His Word, we will be abundantly blessed in Him!