Baptism - what's it all about?

Baptism

I'm getting excited as we approach our 2nd Baptism service ever as a church family on this Sunday, July 15 at Hemlock Park in Big Rapids, in the Muskegon River at 11:00 a.m.

Why is it important? 

Baptism is an outward expression/sign of an inward truth for the believer. Baptism demonstrates to the world that you are serious about your connection to Christ. Through baptism, we connect with Christ in his life, death, burial and resurrection. The old you is left in the water as your sins were cast into the sea of forgetfulness, and the new you emerges from the water! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Baptism is defined as: 

• a ceremonial immersion in water as an initiatory rite or sacrament of the Christian church.
• an action of initiation, dedication, etc. 
• a trying or purifying experience or initiation. 

Here are some scriptures to think about concerning Baptism:

• Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

• Acts 10:48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
• Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

3 distinct methods/names to be baptized in, in each of these scriptures: 1. in the name of Jesus Christ 2. in the name of the Lord 3. in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

More importantly, many results are listed after the baptism:

• Forgiveness of sins
• Receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit
• Being with the Lord/Waiting on the Lord
• Observing the Word of the Lord
• Dwelling with the Lord always

Some additional results include:

• Connection with the body of Christ everywhere
• Renewal
• Cleansing
• Fresh start!

We have 5 candidates who have signed up for Baptism this Sunday. Feel free to join us at the Baptism service to celebrate with these 5 as they experience one of the greatest days of their lives!

What does Victory Life mean to me?

What does Victory Life mean to me? When I was given this question, the first two words that came to mind were home and love. These two words I believe are often taken for granted.

I never had much of a “home” growing up. The house I lived in was not a place I wanted to run to or felt safe in. The word home means a dwelling place; a place of residence or refuge. I believe that Victory Life has been a refuge to me over the past two years. The first time I walked into Victory Life, I was 45 minutes late and the seats were full and Pastor Razel was preaching a message that I can’t remember now but I remember how I felt. For the first time in many years I felt safe. And now two years later, after growth, success and even failure, I still feel safe.  But I’m not just referring to a building but the family that I have gained as well. A house is not a home unless it is filled with people you love, right?  

Family is something I haven’t experienced much over the years either, so for me it was tough making the adjustment to trust the Overcomers who wanted to get to know me, I even resisted Pastor Razel and Lady Camille. I don’t know what made them take interest in me but I’m glad they did! My family of Overcomers has given me something that I have experienced very few times in my life; real, unconditional love. I have made friends that have been with me through the good and bad, and still love me and push me to do better. That is something to thank God about!

Yes, they gave me a natural love but they have also introduced me to the spiritual love of God. Victory Life has sparked a passion that I have never known; to know God, to please God and to be who He wants me to be. I have become a better person and a stronger believer since I joined this wonderful ministry. I wish all people could experience what I've experienced, whether it's at Victory Life or even another church. God will work in your life if you let Him. He brought me something I was sure I would never need, people to love me and a place of refuge in Him

I am especially grateful to my parents, Pastor Razel and Lady Camille for all the time, effort and prayer they have invested in me over the last two years. The vision that was placed in both of them has made such a difference in my life that I hope one day I can make them as proud as they have made me.  I’m excited about the amazing things that God has in store for the ministry. I’m also looking forward to having the things that have manifested in my life through Victory Life be spread to others. 

Two years ago Victory Life was a new beginning and it may not be where I end up but it will always be home! 

Proactive or Passive?

Here's my question of the week!
Are you proactive or passive?

proactive  (prəʊˈæktɪv)
	tending to initiate change rather than reacting to events

passive  (ˈpæsɪv)
	not active or not participating perceptibly in an activity,organization, etc

In thinking about leadership this week, I'm wondering if there is actually any such thing as an effective, passive leader - my gut tells me NO! How can one lead without thinking ahead, moving ahead and being ahead? The essence of a leader is in his/her ability to be out front and blaze the trail; you can't lead from behind.

Today, I am encouraging all leaders to be proactive - anticipate the next need - solve the problem before it's a problem - and, try to get the perspective of God by seeing the beginning from the end!

I would love to hear your thoughts!

What's your superpower?

I would love to hear from you the answers to the following 4 questions!

1. What's the best thing that has happened to you this week.
   
2. What's the greatest discovery you have had this week?
   
3. What's your superpower that makes you the superhero that you are? Or - If you were one of the X-Men, what would your special ability be?
   
4. What's your kryptonite?

I can't wait to hear from all of you!

April Acceleration!

Sunday, I had the opportunity to begin a new series for the month of April - Acceleration!

In this season of Initiation, sometimes it becomes easy to lose site of the assignments God has given you to complete. In fact, many times, we're just too slow. There is so much work to be done for the Kingdom, yet there are so many distractions along the way.

The conversion of Saul to Paul gives us much insight into the type of acceleration we need if we are to accomplish the purpose and reach the destiny that God has in store for us. My favorite part is when Saul asks the question, what am I to do - this is a question of purpose. He's looking for the big answer that makes his destiny clear and easily attainable. The answer he receives is go to Damascus and I'll tell you more there. Our pursuit of purpose and destiny is always one decision at a time.

He advances to Damascus with the help of the people he has surrounding him and receives clarification which does not clarify much at the time. The Lord tells him through Ananais, I'm going to give you the ability to see and hear God. Saul still expected the revelation to be bigger than it was. Have you ever been in a situation where the anticipation of what God has for you is seemingly bigger than the revelation you receive upon impartation? Saul probably thought, "is that it?" "what's the rest?". It wasn't until his ability to see and hear God in a crisis allowed him to escape defeat at the hand of the enemy that the magnitude of the revelation showed itself. Sometimes, the process seems bigger than the lesson - until the need for the lesson becomes visible to you! God's instructions to him this time were to HURRY UP and get out of there - to ACCELERATE and get to the next step of his process which would lead him to his destiny.

I want to encourage you now to grab on to the assignment God has given you for your next step. It may seem small now, but He is preparing you for your future. There's something you're learning in your current process and assignment that will become more meaningful than you can realize in your future. Hurry up and accelerate to your assignment; accomplish all that God has for you to accomplish where you are so that you can successfully get to where you're going!

Friday Night Flow & Fellowship - Week One!

Join us this Friday at 7pm for a Good Friday Flow with Pastor Razel Jones, Lady Camille Jones and Presence and our special guest speaker, Pastor Eric Tolbert of Lighthouse Battle Creek. We are looking forward to a mighty move of God and flow of the Holy Spirit! Visit the facebook event page to join the conversation about the event and to let us know if you have more questions! Hope you join the flow, Friday at 7pm at Victory Life Christian Ministries, 430 N Third - Big Rapids, MI 49307! Stay tuned for more updates about the rest of the Fridays in April!

Labor and Rest

God established a system for us when we labor, then rest. Our problem is that we often either reverse the system to REST, then labor or we double up on one option and leave the other alone - i.e. labor, labor or else rest, rest. I don't know where you find yourself in this cycle of life, but I encourage you to do all you can to get to the point where you are working on the assignments God has given you, then upon completion celebrate your victory with some rest which will allow you to R.E.S.T. - 1. Reflect, 2. Energize, 3. Strategize and 4. Take-off!

1. Reflect on what you have accomplished - too many times we spend no time enjoying what we have accomplished and created.

2. Energize - get yourself ready for the next assignment. Once you've completed one, God always has another assignment for you to complete on another level and in a new dimension!

3. Strategize - make your plans for how you will accomplish your next assignment. What's your plan? You always need a plan before making a move!

4. Take-off - now that you've reflected, energized and strategized, get ready for take-off. Build up your speed and create momentum for yourself as you attack the next phase of your purpose.

Do the Rest!

Labor is what you were born to do. Work the work of Him who sent you. Work while it's day, for the night comes when no one can work.

But,

Rest is an action that we need to take. Rest is earned upon completion of assignments. Rest is essential to your success!

Create the right balance in your life of Labor and Rest!

Connected!

Last night was a phenomenal session of Connect. It seemed like everyone in the room had something good to offer to the discussion. I had been away from Connect for a few weeks and was excited to be back!

In the sanctuary, I led a discussion on movement towards your victory entitled, "Run for it!" We looked at what the bible says about running. What it means to run naturally and spiritually and how the principles of running can help us to advance towards our destiny.

We talked about how there are some things we need to run to and some things we need to run from. I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Here are some questions you could answer - answer one or answer them all - it's up to you!

• What kind of a race are you in? 
• How can you train to be ready to run?
• What happens if you stop running?
• How can running connect you to your victory? 
• Who is your competition in this race?
• Where is the finish line? 
• What happens if you win the race? 
• What are you running to?
• What are you running from?
• What kinds of things prevent you, or try to prevent you, from running?

I'm looking forward to hearing from you! 

Creation

I have enjoyed the series "Let There Be." It has been exciting to look at the first initiation of God. In this season, in which we are initiating God's plan for our lives, there are so many lessons we can learn from God's initial initiation.

We are in an interesting season. We are experiencing unseasonable weather patterns; here we are in mid-March and I'm making plans for golf in Michigan - that's uncommon! God is giving us access to things that are typically reserved for later seasons. As it is with our natural weather, so it is with our spiritual atmosphere; God is giving us access to things we normally would have to wait for - speeding up production and granting access!

In our series we are approaching day six of creation. This is the day when God created mankind, but it is also the day that he created dominion for you and I. It is in Day 6 that we find out that Day 1-5 were for me. I'm looking forward to diving into this topic on Sunday as we continue this series and this season. Invite a friend and have them come out and learn how they were created to rule.

Let there be...

Connect is back!

Last night we gathered together for Connect at 7:00 p.m. It was the first time in a couple months that we had Connect due to our 10 month Connect schedule and we were ready! Sister Jessica and team put together great offerings for adults, youth and children all focused on the subject of Love. Sister Vanessa taught the adult class about the Greek meanings of 'love' and how Christ is looking for us to give this love to Him and to our brothers and sisters! I have such a great time hearing the insights of the Overcomers and friends of the ministry who attend Connect. We have some great minds in our midst. From the profound, instigating insights of Dad Jones to the sincere reflections of brand new Overcomers, Connect provides us with an opportunity to hear multiple voices and to learn and to grow from whatever stage we're at in our spiritual development journey. It was a great start to February and phase 2 of the blessings, glory and favor of 2012 at Victory Life! I'm looking forward to diving deeper into the Word at Connect, every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. from February to November! If you happen to be checking out this blog, take a couple minutes and let us know what you got out of Connect this week!