Pastor Joe’s Blog

Are you one to dip your foot in the pool ten times before jumping in, or do you jump in so quick you don’t even look to see if there is any water?

In the book of Luke chapter 5 Jesus jumps into Peter’s boat and asks him to “push out a little” into the shallow water so he can preach to the multitudes on the shore. When he is done preaching he tells them to “launch out into the deep for a catch”. There comes a time when tip toeing in the shallow water must come to an end. It reminds me of couples who say “yes we will have children once we have a bigger house”. Before you know it, they are in their 40s and time is running out. In Hebrews 11:6 it says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”. Guess what, the circumstances will never be “just right”, when you launch out into the deep, there will be some unknowns.

When Jesus asked Peter to “launch out”, Peter thought of all the reasons that they wouldn’t catch any fish. They had tried all night and caught nothing. However, Peter came to the point of decision and made the right one! We read in Luke 5:5 “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” The circumstances were not right (it was daytime, not the best time for fishing; they had fished in the same spot all night and caught nothing), but Peter did it because of “his word”. Ladies and Gentlemen, that is faith! Obeying God’s word when it doesn’t make sense! And we know that it not only pleases God when we do that, but he rewards it! Peter and the disciples obeyed the word (Jesus) and they had a “Guiness Book of World Records” catch of fish! Look at verses 6 and 7: “6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking . 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink”. A net breaking, boat sinking catch of fish! That is what you’ll get when you launch out in faith and obey the word of God.

Stop tip toeing and launch out! God will reward it!

Well it was a sad and happy day for me yesterday. I dropped my daughter Alex off at JFK for her mission in Australia. I am going to miss her so much!

It was sad because I am losing not only my daughter, but someone who has made quite an impact on our church over the last few months. Now I realize I’m not “losing” her, but it sure feels like it!  Over the last few years she has only been with us for a few months a year, and now we will only see her for a few weeks over the next two! That is the sad part; but the happy part is what the Lord reminded me yesterday, and that is that “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him” (Psalm 127:3 NLT). I know sometimes they don’t feel like a “gift”, but they are!

It also says in Psalm 127:4,5 “Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands, How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!” Well I have 6 arrows in my quiver, it is full! As I was in prayer the Lord spoke to me and said “Alex is one of your arrows, just draw back your bow”. I said “do I have to pull back so hard, I am shooting her all the way to Australia, and Thailand and everywhere on the other side of the world?!!” That’s when I realized that they are not “my kids” at all. They are a “gift” from God. I need to see that and realize that since they belong to him first, I must allow them to be all that God wants them to be. So I just need to “draw back my bow” and shoot them out with the Power of the Lord and watch the great things he will do in and through them!

Thank you Lord for the gift of our children, we take them out of our quiver and shoot them out as arrows for your Glory!! Have a Blessed day!

Ahhhh people; “can’t live with em, can’t live without em.” Now when I say to you, “the answer to every problem is a person”; you might be thinking “every problem in my life is: a person!” Well, God created people, so he must have had a good reason. Do you know the answer to every problem you face is a person? You need a better job? A person can come along and hire you or refer you to someone. You need to move? A person can come along and buy your house. You feeling a little depressed? A person can come along and cheer you up.

God created people to be answers to problems. I tell my congregation: “the reason to bring more people to church is so we can solve more problems!” When the kids at the North Brunswick Youth Shelter need to hear about hope, we can be the answer to their problem. When families come in that need spiritual and physical help, we can be the answer to their problem. When a teen comes to our youth group depressed and oppressed, we can be the answer to their problem. But let’s get one thing straight, the only reason we can be an answer to someone’s problem is because God sent his son Jesus to be the answer to ALL of our problems!! Jesus is the “author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

Jesus started it all and he will finish it all. He came and died on the cross so that our problem of sin would be taken care of. He took care of the guilt and the shame and when we believe in him we are not the same. The problem of sin is solved. God has forgiven us, we have peace with him. He will now “supply all our needs according to his riches in glory” (Philippians 4:19).

So, now that Jesus (who was a person as well as the son of God) has taken care of all our problems, we can let the “Jesus in us” be the answer to someone else’s. Be a solution to a problem, today!!

Letsss dooooooo disssssssss! That is what my son says in a deep voice, when I ask him to help me with a project. Whether it’s moving some things around the house, doing some landscaping, or cleaning up; I will talk about how, when, why etc……..  and without fail Joey will say in a deep voice “letssss doooooo disssss”. I have to admit, I really get a kick out of it when he says it. He is saying basically “enough talking, lets go!” Sometimes I just need to tell myself the same thing. I hem and haw about all the things I need to accomplish and I never accomplish anything!

We have been looking at the book of Nehemiah. He went back to his old neighborhood (Israel) and saw that the place was in ruins. He heard from God that he should rebuild. He prayed, and God gave him favor with the King to get a green light on the project. However, he would need the help of the people to accomplish this great task. There was also opposition by people who didn’t want to see Nehemiah and his people succeed. With all that going on, it says in Nehemiah 4:6 “so we built the wall”. If you have many things to accomplish, just start doing it! I find that if I write out a list of things and then check off each time I complete a task I finish before I know it. It only took 52 days for Israel to rebuild the wall!

Sometimes we put off so many things that if we just started they would be finished before we know it. Talking to that person that upset us, calling that customer that annoys us, speaking the truth in love to our friend, cleaning our house, going to church, etc, etc…..  Things that we need to do, but somehow just keep thinking about and not doing. As long as we don’t do them, they will just pile up and before you know it, these things become a burden and a stress. In that same verse in Nehemiah it says “for the people had the mind to work”. Put your mind to it; decide you are done procrastinating and you are going to start doing. Remember the famous line “let’s doooooo dissss”. Say this prayer: “Father empower us with your Holy Spirit to have a mind to work, letsssss doooo thissssss!”

Are you an overcomer? The Webster’s definition of over-comer is: “to get the better of; to gain the superiority”. If you think about it, you have overcome many things to get where you are today. So in a sense, you are an over-comer whether you know it or not. The question is, are you living like you know it? Are you walking in the faith that no matter what obstacle comes your way (and they will come!), that you will overcome? Jesus got the better of everything on the cross! He defeated sin and death and sickness and poverty and anything else you can think of! His blood washed away our sin and we are forgiven, once and for all! God is not mad at us, Jesus took our punishment. That is why he said “it is finished”.

1 John 5:4,5 states “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” So if you believe Jesus is the Christ you have overcome! You partake in what is the finished work of Jesus! I don’t know about you, but I’ll take it! That leads to the next level of overcoming. As we believe in Jesus (who is the “Word of God”), and get the better of sin, depression, oppression and any thing else the enemy throws at us; we become a living testimony.

One of my favorite verses is Revelation 12:11 which says “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony”. Not only does the blood of Jesus overcome (get the better of, gain superiority), but we overcome as we testify to how we have overcome by the Word of God taking pre-eminence over the trials and tribulations that come from the enemy. When he throws a trial your way: TESTIFY to the greatness of God! Talk about where you were and how you overcame, to get where you are now! We are over-comers!

Fathers, let me ask you a question: “How important are you to your family?” Ok, now that you’ve had a second to think about it, let me answer for you: “VERY IMPORTANT”. You are the leader, the provider, the protector and so on of your family. As a matter of fact, when God looks to your family, he looks to you first! I don’t know about your family situation but in my family I set the “temperature” for the family mood. When I’m happy everyone is happy, when I’m grumpy, everyone is a little grumpy, and when I am speaking optimism everyone is full of hope. I am a trend setter!

Every Father’s Day I like to encourage everyone I know to bless their family with what I call “The Father’s Blessing”. Remember the brothers Jacob and Esau? Esau was the firstborn and the one who was supposed to receive the “Father’s Blessing”, but he gave it up to his brother for a bowl of soup! Jacob did whatever he could to get that blessing. He was also the one who “wrestled with God” to receive God’s blessing. When Esau came to his senses and realized he had squandered his blessing, he cried to his father because he knew how important that blessing was. Let me tell you something, nothing has changed! That blessing is extremely important!

However, now the blessing is for everyone! Jesus died on the cross for everyone who believes. If you have put your faith and trust in Jesus, then you are blessed of the Father! But as I said, this Father’s Day I challenge you to take it a step further. You are the spiritual leader in your home, fathers. Get your family together this Sunday and pray a blessing over each one of them. The words that you speak over them will be a part of their life, forever! Set the right temperature in their life; one that puts God first. Be the man of God that you are called to be! Pray and speak not only over your children, but over your wife as well. Speak the word of God over them; encourage them in their gifts and in their prosperous future. If you don’t do it, who do you think will? Step up and be a real father this “Father’s Day”, and God will look on you with his heavenly approval.

Is your basement full of water these days? I have been fighting the battle of the water for months! Between my house and the church, I need to keep those sump pumps working! The good news is, even though the water gets in occasionally, we have a solid foundation! Our house is still here even though the storms, the winds and the rains come (and it’s been raining a lot!)Of course, it’s the same thing in life.                                       

You ever feel like your going through a storm? How about a flood? Feel like the rains of life are sometimes never ending? Well let me tell you something, as long as you have a solid foundation, your house (life) will stand strong!! Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-27, “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. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash” (NLT).  If you listen to the Word of God and apply it (the very definition of wisdom), then no matter what trials and tribulations come, you will stand strong. But when you don’t listen and act, you are a fool, and the trials and tribulations will take you down.   

Psalm 1:2-3 says that “But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (NLT). When you build your foundation on the Word of God, you are like a tree planted by the river bank. You are always bearing fruit and having a strong root structure, always able to stand against the storms of life. Therefore, not only will you make it through whatever this life can throw at you (and as you know, it can throw much!), you will be prosperous and successful at whatever you do! So don’t be a fool, read the Word of God, meditate on it, and build a solid foundation!

I love old western movies. Especially the “spaghetti westerns” with Clint Eastwood, they were awesome! He never had a showdown with just one other guy, he would take on 3 or 4 or more at once! Do you ever feel like your taking on a bunch of outlaws? One comes and then another and then another? Clint always had his 6 shooter on his hip. Well, we have something more powerful: the Word of God! And when these problems (outlaws) present themselves, we need to reach for it! There is nothing, and I mean nothing, that can stand up to the power of the Word! The Word is not backed by a court of law, or by the local police force, it is backed by the master and creator of the universe!

God said in Jeremiah 1:12 “Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it.” (AMP)  Aren’t you glad that God is watching over his Word? Imagine if we had to rely on man to perform the word of God? Can a man perform a miracle? Of course not, because the definition of a miracle is “a marvelous event manifesting a supernatural act of a divine agent” (Wordnet Dictionary).

The Bible also states in Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (NIV)  Not only will God work outside of the laws of nature to perform his Word, but he will never, ever, ever fail to perform it, or change his mind about it! You can count on God, and his Word! So when problems and trials arise, don’t reach for a pill, or a drink, or a pity party, reach for the Word! God will back you up!

Offense is a hard one! Don’t you have a hard time forgiving, when someone hurts you? When you feel someone crosses the line and hurts your feelings, is the first thought that comes to your mind: “I forgive them, who knows what they are going through; God bless them and keep them”. NOT!!! Most of us think about how we can strike back. How can we hurt them for hurting us.

Listen to the words of Jesus in Luke 17:1 “Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come”. Jesus was saying to get ready, you are going to get offended! Since we know it’s coming let’s get prepared. You’ve heard the saying “he took offence at what I said”. Well, let’s prepare ourselves not to “take it”! Offence has no power unless we give it power. Offenses are coming, but we are not taking them! We can refuse to take the bait.

You see the word “offense” here in Luke is the Greek word “skandalon”; which is where we get the English word “scandal”. This is the word that is used for a trap or a snare. You’ve heard of being “caught in a scandal”. What we are talking about here is the trap of offense. We don’t have to be take the bait and get caught in it! When the offense comes we can instead do what Jesus said to do: “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too. If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48 NLT).

Jesus said “true children” love their enemies and pray for those that persecute (offend) them; to be perfect like their heavenly Father. I’m here to tell you today: no one is perfect, but we can do our best to be perfect! We can say no to offense and yes to love, and yes to prayer. Then the trap of offense can’t have us!

So say it with me today: “I will not take offense! I won’t have it! However, love and prayer I will take and I will have, in Jesus name!

Have you ever been told, “you can’t do that”, only people with this skill or that skill, or people who grow up in the right situation or family can do it. People will tell you to “stop dreaming”.

I am here to tell you today, “don’t listen to the dream killers”! Especially if the one saying it is yourself! As I’ve preached many times, “you listen to (and believe) yourself more then anyone else”. Well listen to God! He says in his word in the book of Philippians chapter 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Paul was saying that through Christ he could handle any situation! He knew that with Christ’s (the anointed one and his anointing) anointing in his life, that nothing, nothing could keep him from carrying out his calling!

You see, the anointing isn’t so you can do anything, it’s so you can do the “God thing” that he has called you to. God doesn’t anoint you so you can live a life of leisure; he anoints you so you can carry out the great plan that you were created to do before the foundation of the world!

When God first called me to start a church in North Brunswick, my first thought was, how can I do that! When I told some of the people close to me, they said “you can’t just start a church out of thin air”! Who do you think you are?! Well, here we are! How did we get here? It wasn’t because of any “how to start a church” seminar, or any how to start a church booklet and DVD; no crew of “church starters” came out and did whatever “church starters” do. It wasn’t because of my background in church starting (I had none!) or because I had a bestselling book. The church started because it was God’s plan!

God anoints people to do what they couldn’t do without him! The blind man couldn’t get his sight back without the anointing (Jesus), the crippled man couldn’t walk without the anointing, the dead young girl couldn’t live without the anointing!

You can do, whatever God has called you to do; and it’s not because of you, it’s because of “Christ (the anointing) which strengthens you”!