Outpour!

October Outpour, phase 10. Join us on Sundays at 1:00 p.m. for the month of October as we experience the Outpour! Fresh oil, new wine, and living water is flowing! Our vessels are ready to receive the flow!

Now, we want to hear from you.

1. What type of an Outpour are you expecting? 
2. Tell us about how God has been flowing and pouring into your life!

Prayer Call tonight 9/7/12

Join us tonight (Friday, September 7, 2012) on our prayer call - right on time for our Spiritual Disciplines Consecration as we increase our personal and corporate prayer time, this will be a powerful time in God's presence tonight. Dial in at 605-475-3200 and enter access code 563087#. 

If you have prayer requests in advance, please send them to victorylife@victorybr.com or leave them as a comment on the facebook ad. If these options don't suit you, feel free to leave a comment on this blog and we'll see your request there. 

Prayer changes things! Today, as you pray, expect God to talk back! Expectation leads to manifestation! In His presence, your life can be changed forever. Hope you join us tonight at 9:00 p.m. on our prayer call.

Pastor Razel

September Consecration at Victory Life

The Whisper of God!

Don't Miss the Whisper
Pastor Razel O. Jones

On Wednesday, August 8, 2012 we will enjoy part 2 of this month's Connect series at Victory Life entitled, "The Whisper: Recognizing, Hearing & Obeying God's Voice." 

We had a great start last week as we talked about how God still speaks and the importance of quieting down the distractions in our lives. We talked about why God often chooses a whisper - the intimacy, the attentiveness, the direct communication, the fine tuning.

Today, I would like to ask you - have you ever experienced a whisper from God? If so, I would love if you would tell me about your experience by leaving a comment on this blog or emailing me-pastorrazel@victorybr.com.

Tomorrow night we will dive into "Divine Input for the Day-to-Day!" I hope to see you there as we work to help you hear God's voice better and have the boldness to obey what He says. Don't miss the whisper!

Activities also available for children and youth - Victory Life Christian Ministries - Connect - Wednesdays at 7pm!

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!