VCC Voice

We were excited for Paul Rapley to come again, this time breaking down what he does in street ministry to all the small, purposeful ways he chooses to minister to people all around the world.

Pastor Nicole exhorted us on how to finish our race well! She pointed out that even though our salvation is not at risk, HOW we run makes all the difference in our race experience and whether or not we can finish strong. Do we run with doubts, constantly question, or want to quit? Or do we have endurance and the ability to face whatever comes our way head on in the strength and truth of God? Using Galatians 1:1-9 Pastor Nicole showed us some of the truths we need to take and run with... Our Calling and authority (through Jesus Christ) MUST work hand in hand. Partner with the spread of God's glory. Daily walk out the Gospel, making space for others to do the same. How we run the race doesn't determine if we cross the finish line...but we can miss out on so much of what God has for us along the way. We are all called to finish strong!

It's always so encouraging and inspiring to hear from Teen Challenge! Troy started by sharing a word from Luke 15:4-7 about the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to go look for the one who was lost. Pointing out that no one is ever too far gone for God to reach, and that the Kingdom of God is accessible to all, he reminded us that our responsibility is to disciple and serve God by serving others. The men going through the program then shared their testimonies. Here are some of the excerpts: God showed me the difference between living life my way vs. His way. The truth is Prayer Works! The truth is God is showing me what true love is! The truth is God turned my pain into purpose! The truth is though my earthly father wasn't there, my Heavenly Father was always there! The Truth is God was patient and saved me from myself! John 8:32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. I'm not alone! God softened my heart and gave me love and joy! Colossians 1:13 For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son!

Pastor Bonnie talked about how we carry the fullness of Jesus but that He's meant to be shared. ("He only comes in sharing size!") So, we don't just carry Him but carry AND release Him to others. She spoke out of 2 Corinthians 5:14-21. that says, God has given us the ministry of reconciliation, and the message of reconciliation so that we are Christ's Ambassadors to the world. Pastor Bonnie showed how the Biblical use of the word reconcile means...to return to favor with, a picture of resetting a broken bone. Someone out of "alignment" with God is restored into right relationship with Him. We are commissioned to reconcile others to Him bringing the restoration of God's favor. This has been entrusted to us to do as caring for God's interests. Pastor Bonnie encouraged us to find tangible ways to bring reconciliation to those around us and to seek God and investigate what might be blocking us from sharing Him. This word was a beautiful exhortation to show those in our community how much God loves them!

Lee shared how even though the world looks chaotic, and we sometimes don't understand what God is up to, He is still moving in amazing ways, and He still calls us to go make disciples of all ethnic groups. He said that our attitude can affect how we view what God is doing. We are to have God's heart for the world so maybe we need some attitude adjustments. Avoid being simply a consumer and be an over-the-top giver. Pray for compassion for the lost and avoid group think. Jesus' return is timed with the proclamation of the Gospel to all cultures. Are we multiplying ourselves/taking responsibility for spiritual growth. Lee reminded us that our Goal should be to sow seeds through our actions and word s and followed with strategies for the Church. Lee shared from the scriptures, his personal experiences, and exciting testimonies that were very compelling.

Pastor Nicole exhorted us with a message on Isaiah 61:1. -The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted, and to proclaim that captives will be released, and prisoners will be set free. - She showed how not only does this verse refer to Jesus' ministry, but that it is also our ministry as we follow and obey God. God has anointed us to fulfill every God given assignment. We are to speak words that help others encounter Jesus. We are sent by God to bring Jesus to that one broken heart. Proclaim freedom for the one in front of us. Every message is a call to action. We are called to be doers of the word and not hearers only. The anointing in the Old Testament was to set kings and priests apart for a specific assignment. Jesus was anointed - consecrated and given power and authority - for the administration of His office as He established the New Covenant. Now, when we receive Jesus, we are also anointed and empowered with gifts of the Holy Spirit to live as Isaiah 61:1 people!

Brian spoke on taking offense, what offense really is, and how offense affects our brains. He said that the number one thing that distracts and takes Christians out is offense. We think of it as something done to us not as something we choose, but it is an active concept, as in "taking" or "choosing" to be offended. Brian pointed out that the definition of offense is "the breach of law or rule", in other words sin. But most offenses are actually disagreements not offenses. We can disagree and still live in community with one another. We take offense because of insecurities and assumptions. There is a threat to our sense of self. It's like the enemy sets a trap and we take the bait. Proverbs 19:11 A person's wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offense.

Pastor Nicole presented us with a fresh perspective of God's mercy using the example of Jesus healing Blind Bartimaeus from Mark chapter 10 and Luke chapter 18. She pointed out that most of us only think of mercy in terms of "getting off the hook." and only try to access it when we mess up or are in a bind. But she showed how the word mercy has many different uses biblically, and that when Blind Bartimaeus called out, "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!" that word mercy actually means - to show kindness by assistance. So, literally, he was crying out for help. "Jesus, help!" Pastor Nicole said that God has desires, transformations, healings, and restorations that He wants to do in our lives by us understanding His true nature and accessing His mercy in a new way and she challenged us to shift to relying on His mercy from the moment we wake up each day!

Donna guided us through a contemplative practice called Lectio Divina which means divine reading. Traditionally, Lectio Divina has four separate steps: read; meditate; pray; contemplate. The foundation of Lectio Divina came from Origen in the 3rd century, with his view of "Scripture as a sacrament". By the 6th century it became a traditional monastic practice of scriptural reading, meditation, and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's Word, not as texts to be studied, but as the Living Word. The scripture Donna led us through was Exodus 3:1-4. While we aren't uploading the group led time, we invite you to pull out the verse, write it at the top of a piece of paper or on a journal page, and take yourself through this divine reading!

For the third part of Pastor Nicole's Kingdom Stewardship series, she focused on the stewardship of relationships. Pastor Nicole used the example of when Jesus was confronted by the Scribes and Pharisees with the woman caught in adultery (in John chapter 8.) She explained that stewarding relationships starts in our thoughts as our thoughts determine how we treat people. If we only focus on our disapproval of someone (like the Scribes and Pharisees), we will not see our part in the relationship. She also stressed how any area of unforgiveness or bitterness toward one individual doesn't affect only that relationship, but it touches all our other relationships. Yet when Jesus saw the woman being accused, He silenced the voices of the accusers, and He didn't condemn her because He saw her through the eyes of His restoration. When we ask God to show us how HE sees someone it will silence the voice of our accusations and give us His perspective of how to view, connect, and interact with them. This sermon was the perfect wrap up to the Stewardship series. God desires us to take scrupulous care of all He has entrusted to us, and what He has given us, we are share with others!

Pastor Nicole continued her series on stewardship with Stewardship of Ministry. She started with the definition of Ministry from the word Diakonia meaning - Service, those who by the command of God proclaim and promote religion (connecting humanity to God) among men. Acts 20:24 None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. She pointed out that we ALL have a ministry that is based in our testimony and points to Jesus, inviting others to experience relationship with Him. All of our ministries look different from each other, and we need to give each other freedom to minister as who God called us to be. God gives us grace the grace to fulfill our ministry, but the enemy also wants to trap us in pride and get us to give up. When we make ministry about the act and not the people, we are ministering to we are not operating out of ministry. Jesus is our perfect example of ministry. It is a journey of obedience, following the Holy Spirit fully relying on God into the unknown.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. Pastor Nicole said when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in this area of stewardship, our sowing and sacrifice are transformational as we say yes to Jesus with our finances and our time. She posed these questions to us... Where is God asking you to sow & sacrifice? Where is He asking you to sow your time and finances? Where is He asking you to make a sacrifice? She used examples from her own life and also the life of Abraham when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac on Mt. Moriah (which means, The Lord Will Provide.) God fulfills His promise to us through transformation that leads to our destiny as we are willing to obey Him.

Pastor Bonnie spoke to us about Living under Kingdom Influence. She showed us through scripture (Philippians 2:12) how when we partner with God and "show up" for the testimony of God in our lives, He brings us fresh revelation that we are to take hold of and live up to. (Philippians 3:13-16) Pastor Bonnie pointed out that God's divine power gives us everything we need for a godly life and the ability to actually participate in His divine nature! (2 Peter 1:2-10) So it's God working in us and through us, and us being daily committed to live our lives as disciples of Jesus, partnering with Him as we walk in our deliverance and freedom, maintaining our existence by strengthening our endurance, and our well-being, in holy awareness and humility. When we give the Father full access to our whole selves...we open ourselves to new revelation that expands our lives (new wine skins) to be more like Jesus. Pastor Bonnie also shared some beautiful testimonies from her own life and brokenness becoming beautiful. May the Holy Spirit touch your heart as you listen and give you fresh revelation from Him!

Pastor Nicole completed her "Freedom" series for July with an amazing word on GRACE! Using Moses as an example (from Exodus 33) she showed us how we experience Christ's empowerment (power, strength, and ability) through God's grace. Pastor Nicole said we experience that power... In the impossible. In our relationship with God. In His presence and through His rest. In our Identity in Christ. God knows us, He knows how he formed us, He knows what we struggle with, He knows what He has called us to, and because He knows us, we have His favor. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9 There is so much treasure in this word, you may really want to get in there and listen with something to takes notes on. The great thing about listening to the video is the ability to rewind and listen to parts more than once so you can really catch them!

As Christians we realize that there is no hope without God, but she pointed out that even sometimes as believers we feel hopeless in uncertainty. If our hope is something we try to conjure up in ourselves, or we focus on our uncertain situations, we will lose hope. And because of our expectations or wrong focus, we get disappointed. Pastor Nicole said that our hope is a trust in God's very nature - that He is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will. We can look forward with anticipation to what God will do with assurance that whatever happens will be good regardless of the form it takes. Then we won't lose hope or get disappointed. We have an unshakeable hope through God...but we should also be a channel of hope for those who don't know God because all of the world's "hopes" can be fulfilled in Jesus.

As she continued her Freedom series, Pastor Nicole asked two questions: Am I seeing in my life what I say I believe to be true about God? Does what I say I believe to be true about God actually line up with Scripture? Pastor Nicole said that there can be incongruency between what we say we believe about God and what we actually see in our lives. She said that these "gaps" are not necessarily the problem because the awareness of those gaps drive us forward into experiencing the truth of who God is. Our view of who God is can be skewed and it is only by believing who God says He is, and believing God will do what He says He will do that the gap is closed. This is using our faith. We have an incredible gift of faith! When God shows us a gap it is an invitation to step out of our reality into His reality. It's not about getting the outcomes we hoped for but continuing to believe regardless! It's not about us falling short, it's an invitation to experience more of God. It is an invitation to believe Him in the midst of impossible situations. Ephesians 3:17 (TPT) Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you. Walking in the freedom of faith transforms us!

Pastor Nicole spoke on The Gift of Freedom - Freedom to Love. She encouraged us for the month of July to Pause, Remember, and be Thankful for the gifts of freedom we receive from Christ. The gift of Love was the focus for yesterday's sermon. Using John 15:1-17 as her main reference, Pastor Nicole showed how our ability to love comes with our salvation, through the love of God and Jesus for us. We receive that gift in that moment, but it can still be difficult for us to love. She pointed out how our walk in this life is to learn to love. Jesus said, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." Love is the foundation of everything. The Love that the Father has for us that He sent His Son, the love that Jesus demonstrated on our behalf by laying down His life on the cross, this is the same love that we receive through Jesus. This is the same love that we remain in as we obey His voice because we are partnering with Him. This is the same love that fulfills our joy. This is the love we are called to love Him with as well as the same love we are called to love our neighbors and ourselves with. It is our Superpower! She went on to give us questions to ask when we are having a hard time loving, to help pinpoint the area we are struggling with.

In this illuminating message from Brian, he talked about the way grumbling/complaining affects our lives. Starting by explaining that grumbling comes from agreeing with something that doesn't align with God's truth. It is rallying to a selfish cause and arises from a smoldering discontent. Brian showed us how the literal meaning of the Hebrew word for grumble is Without Foundation/Unjustified + Narrow Thinking/Self Importance + Lack of Faith. Proverbs 18:21 Death and Life are in the power of the tongue... Our grumbling can be like a negative prophecy against ourselves and opens the door to discord and division as our words echo out and have a ripple effect around us. He went on to show what happens when we complain, signs that we complain too much, what we call it and why we say we do it (justify it), why we really do it, and the effects it has on our brain (Who knew 30 minutes of complaining a day damages your brain!?) Brian showed us that the solution(s) to grumbling is, Having an attitude of gratitude Set a goal or purpose - a solution to what is bothering you Return to Joy - Practice appreciation Savoring - Park in the positive not the negative Awareness/Watchfulness - Taking our thoughts captive

Pastor Nicole shared more important truths of our identity as sons and daughters of God from Colossians 3:1-4 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you will appear with Him in glory. Focusing on the four words Seek, Set, Hidden, and Appear she said: When we SEEK the things that are above - We will find transformation that brings His purposes. Being in alignment with God's heart we are set up to experience His perfect will - who He has created us to be. How do we seek Him? By SETTING our mind on things above not on things of the earth. What does that look like? Daily exercising our mind by taking those thoughts captive that go against who Jesus is. This way of living invites us into a way of living from a Kingdom perspective. As we discover and live from the knowledge that we are HIDDEN with Christ in God, it sets our environment around us through the Kingdom of God. There is a connection between our identity being revealed as image bearers of Christ and God APPEARING through us (to those around us) that brings Him glory and praise.

It was wonderful to have Rob Nelke back with us yesterday! He shared on the "Suddenly Moments" in the Bible (like when the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost and Saul's encounter with God on the road to Damascus) and our own experiences of unexpected ways that God brings significant change, surprisingly breaking in with an intervention. Rob shared that sometimes we are in a situation that we have been waiting (maybe a long time) for God to intervene in. He encouraged us not to lose heart in the waiting because God's timing is perfect, and our answer might be right around the corner. He pointed out how God works all things for good and also is working to draw us nearer to Him. Sometimes there is even spiritual warfare involved in the delay. Rob said, "Keep praying because God is, God can, God will!" He went on to share ideas on how to not grow weary in the wait that were practical action steps we can incorporate into our everyday lives. (Watch to find out what they are!)