God of All Comfort

by Pastor Marie Esposito

Language of the Spirit

by Pastor Roy Esposito

— Proverbs 3:5 — Trust in God, not our understanding

— Our minds are fine with God if they are sanctified.

— Micah 6:6-8 — to do the “right thing” takes thinking

— Sanctified — to set apart for God’s use

— Imaginations — Sanctified Imaginations are how we become proficient in the languages of the Spirit.

— Sanctified minds and imaginations (yielded to Him) are a “clean canvas” on which God is free to paint HIS IMPRESSIONS.

— Unsanctified minds —  preoccupied with SELF  –  can’t utilize the benefits of being IN CHRIST.

— “In Christ” — not a religious state of being but a transformative and restorative state of being.

— “In Christ”  – positions us at the “Door” of unlimited access to the power behind the mysteries of God.

— God’s language is not primarily ENGLISH or any other earthly language.

— God is Spirit   — His language is Spiritual.

— Jesus is the WORD.  It would follow that He would have something to say!

— Matthew 7:7 –   “Seek–Ask– Knock”  = “Find– Receive–DOOR opened”

— Hebrews 11:6 – reward for passion and diligence in seeking God

— Proverbs 8:17 — promise that He will be found.

— John 12:28-29— the Father speaks audibly but it was not understood as such:

1. Thought it was an impersonal act of nature: Thunder
2. Spiritual but not personally meant for them.

— John 12:30 — Jesus addresses their UNBELIEF.

— Unbelief – causes hearts to not perceive His voice or make it chaotic and unintelligible.

— The Solution:   Press Into God 

     1. By FAITH — Expect God to interact with you.

     2. Anticipate God’s response through study of His Word and daily personal time in His presence.

    3. Experience a deeper encounter with His LOVE.

— 1 Corinthians 13:7 –      ”Love never fails!”

— Matthew 23:23 —The “weightier matters of the law.”

1. Carry God’s love with you wherever you go
2. Display Kindness in all you do
3. Walk humbly before God

Your Life Song
_{Encouragement from Pastor Marie}

The Blessing In Seeking,
The Joy In Discovery

by Pastor Roy Esposito

Proverbs 3:5 — Trust in the Lord  — lean NOT to your understanding

Matthew 6:33 – “SEEK first the kingdom–” – not just-  “ and all these things shall be added.”

Matthew 7:7  — “Seek and you shall find–”     KEEP on SEEKING –  KEEP on ASKING– KEEP on KNOCKING!!

Proverbs 25:2 – ”It is the glory of God to CONCEAL a matter, but the glory of kings is to SEARCH OUT a matter.”

Kings are illuminated and enlightened by what they discover  — PR

Revelation 1:6  — kings and priests  — not interlopers or trespassers

Matthew 13 — Jesus explains why He speaks in parables

Revelation carries with it RESPONSIBILITY!

Ephesians 1:3  — He has stored up EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING for us to uncover.

Matthew 13: 10 –– please read this in the Passion Version which makes Jesus’ purpose for speaking in parables very clear.

Some things to remember in times of pressure:

1. God is FOR us as well as WITH us — we are NEVER ALONE!
2. He really wants us to succeed.
3. Jesus paved the way already — He’s defeated EVERY FOE!
4. We have the Holy Spirit as a guarantee as well as a guide.
5. God cannot LIE!

2 Corinthians 1:20 – “It is Christ who speaks through us the AMEN of FAITH.” B. Simmons

“Don’t try to MAKE IT HAPPEN.  Just say “so be it” (Amen) to whatever Jesus says. 

Most times the answers won’t come quick or easy–but stay with it, BELIEVING”- PR

Proverbs 20:21 –” An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginning will not be blessed in the end.”

1. Trust God and be led by the Holy Spirit
2. Submit to the PROCESS.
3. Embrace MYSTERY
4. Don’t give in to FEAR.

1 John 4:18 — ”There is no FEAR in LOVE.  Perfect Love casts out fear.”

5. Keep your eyes on Jesus — You CANNOT FAIL!
6. Keep moving AHEAD by Faith  and UP through DISCOVERY!

Encouragement

by Pastor Marie Esposito

True Faith and An Enlightened Heart

by Pastor Roy Esposito

Ephesians 1:18_(NIV) ”…that the eyes of your HEART would be enlightened in order to KNOW…”

— Our hearts will embrace what our heads can not.

— Our hearts will lead us to places in God that our heads could not even imagine.

— Courage and Valor can never be attributed to our intellect.
— Courage rises from our inner self and supersedes our reasoning.

— True faith has the same affect and influence over our minds.

— Faith doesn’t come because we understand; it comes from the Heart.

— We don’t believe because we understand —  We will understand because we believe.

— This current time — An opportunity to lift our lifestyle UP to the standard of God’s Word.

Psalm 119:105  — Love God’s Word and NOTHING will offend you.

— “Rest and peace will follow an unoffended heart.”  –PR

— We must embrace all of God’s instruction, AS IT IS WRITTEN, even before we understand why God has said it. And don’t think we can actually DO IT. — We must also learn to embrace NOT KNOWING  (mystery) as a BLESSING.

— It must be this way until we stand before Him at The Judgement  b/.c:
“God must violate our logic in order to pry us away from the deception that results from relying on our own reasoning.” — PR

— Proverbs 3:5  — Trust in God — NOT your reasoning!
— 1 Peter 5:7 — “Cast you cares on Him for He cares for you.”

— Having your hearts enlightened may not prevent you from becoming offended. it will give you the wisdom and ability to REPENT and move on and up with grace and peace!

Encouragement

by Pastor Marie Esposito

Moving Ahead In Faith

by Pastor Roy Esposito

 When fear and doubt roll in – remember:
You didn’t choose Him, He chose you to become like Him.

He chose you because He felt you could actually do it!

Remember also:  You are never alone in this undertaking  — HE is with you! He will help you.

John 14:26 – God’s gift: The Spirit of Holiness

Holiness – doing stuff God’s way.

Further instructions from this verse: DON”T YIELD TO FEAR, or be TROUBLED in your MIND.  Instead BE COURAGEOUS!

Courageous — to move ahead in faith because you TRUST HIS VOICE, even when you can’t see what lies ahead.

Luke 18:8 –  ”When I return will I find faith on the Earth?”

Faith – 1. Can’t be learned in the traditional way.
              2. Is gradually imparted to us through the Holy Spirit as we follow His prompts.
             3. Trains us through Divine encounters, supernatural experiences, and in revelation found in and because of the Holy Scripture.

Scripture that doesn’t lead to Divine encounter will only make us RELIGIOUS.

It teaches us to rely on external, Earthly standards created by man to try define God’s nature and ways.

H.S. revelation of scripture — teaches INTERNAL spiritual realities only knowable through the Spirit.

Revelation – given to transform the inner man to make possible a deeper relationship with Jesus.

Romans 8:7 (Passion)– “The unrenewed mind, focused on the flesh, fights God’s plan and refuses to submit to His direction — because it cannot!

1 Corinthians 2:5 – Faith established by God’s almighty power NOT man’s wisdom.

2 Timothy 3:5 – “…having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.”
        FORM BUT NO POWER!

2 Timothy 3:7 – “…always learning but never discovering the revelation of the knowledge of truth.”

“The better you get at hearing God’s voice the less fearful and more courageous you’ll become.” – PR

Ephesians 1:18 (NIV) – Our hearts enlightened so we can KNOW – have knowledge and understanding of – the HOPE and POWER of our salvation through Jesus Christ

Hebrews 11:1 – Faith gives us the ability to see what is yet unseen.

Trust God – Stay Strong – Keep moving ahead in faith – “See” the plan of God for you unfold through the continuous revelation the Spirit of Holiness will give.

Greeting from Pastor Marie Esposito

The Mystery of Faith

by Pastor Roy Esposito

Two realities that form our life:

1. To be present in the moment  —  ”Be where your feet are” — Sister  Josephine
2. Allow distractions to keep us asleep and create the illusion of truth.

Unknowns  — “Mystery”
Mystery  — Things not fully understood
Spiritual Mystery — a reality that’s not apparent through human reasoning and only knowable through divine revelation.

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)  – “Now faith is the substance ( REALIZATION) of things hoped for, the evidence (CONFIDENCE) in things not seen.”

Passion Bible — “ Faith brings our hope into reality. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.”

Belief transformed into Faith is an empowerment to life.

Habakkuk 2:4  — “ –the righteous shall live by faith.”  – NOT a command but a declaration of TRUTH.

Romans 1:17 (Passion)  “– moves us from receiving life through faith to the power of living by faith.”

Habakkuk 2:4 (Hebrew) — “ The righteous man by his faithfulness, consistency, firmness, belief, and steadfastness — SHALL LIVE”

“If I choose to live only by what I already understand I run the risk of creating a god who looks alot like me.” — PR

Luke 5:1-11 (NKJV)
Vs 1 — Taught the multitudes close to shore
Vs 2  – Two boats —   1. Our way      2.God’s way
Vs 4 — “launch out into the deep”

The blessings won’t be found in the shallow waters of faith. — PR

“Close to the shore”  — staying with what is comfortable and familiar, never really leaving the old ways.

“Launch out” into the deep waters of Faith — of His Presence— of His Word — of Worship — of the Spirit — of Joy  — launch out into the Deep of His Heart.

This is where the blessings and miracles are found!

Vs 6 — the miracle of the fish  – so many that the boat began to sink ( the old ways/life)
Vs 8 — The miracle actually revealed Peter’s true nature to himself
Vs 10 —  “Don’t be afraid.”

Luke 18:8   “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find Faith on the Earth?”

(Click on underlined heading to list to the messages)

A Word from Pastor Marie Esposito

Awake, You Who Sleep!
_{by Pastor Roy Esposito}

“Every act of compassion no matter how small or seemingly insignificant holds the potential to help many to the victory .of  an abundant life found in Christ Jesus.” – PR

Our “toys”/idols – rock us to sleep and cause us to stay asleep by offering us temporary relief from reality’s sufferings.

An old saying – “The nature of rain is the same, but it makes thorns grow in marshes and flowers in gardens.”

“I was born asleep, I live asleep, and I will die asleep if not inspired to wake up.” – Anthony De Mello”

It’s only when we become sick of being sick will we seek the “cure” in earnest and wake up!

1 Peter 1:3-9 (NKJV)

Renewed minds in Christ can conquer fear, panic, rage, and greed.

Emotional Disarmament – not denying but laying aside our emotions in order to “see through” problems and not have to “wrestle” with them.

Warriors – sacrifice self-interest for the sake of the greater common good.
Children – demand that their desires be met.

Galatians 6:2 – “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

The Principal of Impermanence – all things eventually come to an end.

Questions: In what state will I be in when this pandemic ends?
How strong will my faith be?
                What will I have faith in?
                What will be the depth of my love for others?

Ephesians 6: 8-17

Worship

Rise Up

In The Shadow

Encouragement

Pastor Marie Esposito

Sermon

A Spiritual Vaccine (cont)

by Pastor Roy Esposito

Isaiah 55:11 – God’s Word doesn’t return to Him empty and without fruit.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 – His plan for us gives us HOPE for a future that’s fruitful.
Proverbs 3:5 – Trust in Him with all you HEART

Levels of Truth:

Inferior Truth – Is informed by our own understanding – no real answers just speculations
Speculations are uncertainties
Uncertainties cause anxieties
Anxiety is a precursor to FEAR
FEAR is the opposite of FAITH
Faith gives us confident expectation

Superior Truth – God loves us – Is with us – Is in us!

Psalm 23:4 – “I will fear no evil, for You are with me.”
Joshua 1:5-9

The Superior Truth doesn’t cancel the Inferior –It over-rides it!

The Spiritual Vaccine is not just the belief that God is with us. It is also the belief that we are with God – ONE with Him and partners with Him in this world and in this life,

Thank you to Rabbi Marc Gellman for his inspiration.

Rise Up!
by Marie Esposito

Look Up and Lift Your Heads

Psalm 23
Proverbs 3:5 – Put your Trust in God!
Psalm 121: 1-2 – Lift up your eyes!

The 15 Songs of Ascent – Psalms 120-134

Psalm 120 – A cry of distress to the Lord for help in great suffering
Psalm 121 – Song of praise to God who shields us from all the schemes of the enemy
Psalm 122 – Song of joy as we enter the holy city of God:  OT  – Jerusalem  —  NT — “New Jerusalem”
Psalm 123 – A cry to God for mercy
Psalm 124 – A ballad of how God saved His people from destruction
Psalm 125 – Dwelling in God’s peace
Psalm 126 – A song of restoration as God’s people gather in Jerusalem:
                   vs. 5 ” Those who sow their tears as seeds will reap a harvest with joyful glee.”
Psalm 127 – A reminder that without God we can do nothing.
Psalm 128 – The importance of reverence toward God.
Psalm 129 – A song of victory
Psalm 130 – Our hope in the Lord
Psalm 131 – A reminder to wait on the Lord with confident hope.
Psalm 132 – The importance of Jerusalem as God’s resting place.
Psalm 133 – A song of joy of the certainty we have in God and the power of His word.
Psalm 134 – A song of worship to God regarding the certainty we have in Him and the power of His word.

These 15 Psalms offer us a condensed version of the emotions we experience as God’s people as we “set our hearts on a pilgrimage.”
They are songs of praise, worship, lament, hope, defeat, and victory and especially trust in God.

Ps 146:6
Ps 84:5-7 – “Baca” – weeping
                                  a spring – life – rain – symbolic of the H.S. – pools – blessings

Luke 21:25-28 – “Look up and lift your heads.”

Romans 8:32 – He will freely give us all things!
Hebrews 4:16 – Access to His Throne of Grace where we will find HOPE and MERCY!

“Honor All People, Love the Brotherhood, Reverence God, Honor the King” – 1 Peter 2:17

by Pastor Roy Esposito

Nephesh (Hebrew) – Soul
Ruach (Hebrew) – Spirit

Both speak of an inner life where thinking, reason, and emotion occur.
Both are used interchangeably in the OT to speak of the “totality” of God. – Dr. Michael Heiser
Both are used to describe the source of our inner life.

Shema Yisrael – Deuteronomy 6:4 – God is ONE
Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:29-30 – Love God Totally

Philippians 4:4-9 (Passion)
1 Peter 2:15-17 (NKJV)

HONOR IS AN ATTITUDE!

Gadsden Flag – A Coiled Snake with the inscription, “Don’t Tread on Me”

Luke 10:19 – “Tread on serpents” – Jesus

“We should be able to voice our point of view without demonizing those who disagree.” – PR

Matthew 22:37 – “Love one another…” – Jesus

Romans 15:7 – “Receive one another…”

“We don’t honor the sinful actions of people, but we are to honor the humanity of sinful people.” – PR

Honor church elders – 1 Timothy 5:17
Employers – 1 Timothy 6:1
Widows – 1 Timothy 5:3
Spouses – 1 Peter 3:7, Ephesians 5:33 (AMP)
The Aged – Leviticus 19: 32
1 Peter 2:17 – All people

John 12:26
Psalm 91: 14-15

Matthew 13:52-58
Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:2

Genesis 9:18-27 – Noah dishonored by Ham
Genesis 6:9

Matthew 18:21-35

Psalm 107:10-13 (Passion)

Peace: Our Weapon and Shield

by Pastor Roy Esposito

Ephesians 6:12 – Wrestling in the heavenly places
Ephesians 1:3 – Blessed in the heavenly places

Peace – Not extreme indifference and detachment from the world but the fruit of confidence in God’s love for us – personally.

1 John 4:4 – “Greater is HE who is in me…”

“True spiritual authority over fear will only arise in the areas of our being where God’s peace has replaced our inner conflict and oppression.” – PR

Philippians 4:8-9,11-13_(NKJV) – “—to be content in whatever state we’re in.”

Content -(GRK – Autarkes) – sufficient in oneself; undisturbed – NOT necessarily HAPPY.

Peace (Strongs) – To set at ONE again

“Where you are not at Peace – you’re at WAR!” – PR

John 14:27 (Passion) & (Ampified)

“We will never fully know Christ’s victory until we stop reacting humanly to our circumstances and look it straight  in the eye without fear or intimidation.” – PR

Mark 4:35-41 – Jesus expressed His perfect peace over the storm and it stilled.

Isaiah 26:3 (Passion)

Imagination – (Hebrew – Yetser) – to form and frame-up

Isaiah 26:3_(Amp) – commit to – lean on – hope in

2 Timothy 1:12 – “He is able to keep that which I commit to Him – ”

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NKJV) & (Passion)

1. Truth
2. Righteousness
3. Faith
4. Salvation
5. The WORD spoken
6. Communion through prayer
7. Alert and  Watchful (present, focused, undistracted)

Galatians 5:22 – Peace is a fruit and an attribute of the Spirit

“Whenever we walk in peace, we walk in the power of a Peacemaker.”

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called Sons of God.”

Philippians 1:28_(Amp) – Peace: a clears sign – a proof – and a seal of our deliverance

Psalms 37:7-9, 11

Meek – not weak but a gentleness of spirit that connotes remarkable strength. – Jack Hayford

Ephesians 2:19 (Passion)

Revelation 4:6 – The crystal sea, like glass, before the Throne – no waves – no ripples

Throne – the symbol of authority – Peace surrounds His authority!

John 3:1-8 (Amplified)

Heb 4:11  —  The real struggle: entering the rest of God.

“Rest precedes rule. Peace precedes power!” – Frances Frangapanni

Philippeans 4:4-9 (Passion)

Romans 16:20