Acceptance Worship Center Ministry of Washington DC

Ministry theme – The Year of Maturity, 2013

“When I grew Up”

Min. Mark James - Lead Pastor

1 Corinthians 13:11

·        New Living Translation - When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things

·        The Message Bible - When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

As we embark on the 2^nd month of the New Year, please remember that this is still the Year of Maturity.  Whatever we do, or say will now gear towards our growing up.  No longer are we going to remain in childish things or behaviors.  There are a few points of growing up, and I will do my level best at sharing these points as the year goes by.  The scriptures mentioned above starts us off in our first dialogue for the year!

(Webster definition of Change, - To become different or undergo alteration.)

Point 1 -   My Speech change – Your pattern and levels of communication starts to gear towards things of survival and growth.

Point 2 – My thoughts change - Proverbs 23:7 - For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.  Your thoughts are now embellished towards manhood and women hood.

Point 3 – My way of reasoning change – The way you think, understand, and form judgments are now based on logic, past experience, & religious encounters.  No longer is someone else totally reasoning out situations on your behave.

Conclusion – Paul says to this New Church that maturity is at hand for them.  He shares with them that are times to grow up and stop acting like a child.  In saying that, we recognize that there is a great need for change in order for growth to take place.  Some of us are stumped in our growth because we have allowed horrible past experiences to not let us grow up and become the mature adult that God intended for us to be.  I admonish you this year to start back on your path of growing up in the word.  Start changing your speech.  Speak life, speak sound wisdom, speak love, & speak liberty.  Clean up your thinking!  Your thoughts should now be geared towards kingdom building ideas.  Change your way of reasoning out your problems and understand how your actions will affect your future. 

Paul states at the end of that scripture, that when he grew up, things began to change.  Let’s gleam from Paul’s example and grow up. 

Acceptance Worship Center Ministry

of Washington DC

Glad tidings for the New Year 2013

 Mark James – Lead Pastor

Grace and Peace – I greet you this New Year 2013 with Jesus Joy!  I just want to share with you a familiar word that the lord gave me for 2013!  God gave me this word in December 2012, but it was made plan to me today, by my Bishop O. C Allen 3rd and now I’m sharing it!

The thought for 2013 is Maturity, growth, or growing up!  You can pick which word you want to use for yourself.  The focal passages of scriptures are found in Philippians 3: 3-13.  Paul says to the people that what he is saying is nothing new that hasn’t been said to them before.  He lets them know that this is a word of safety and admonishment for growth.

Paul states that there are 3 things they should beware of;

1.    Beware of barking dogs, (Judaizers, Legalists)

2.    Beware of religious busybodies, (mischief makers)

3.    Beware of those who mutilate the flesh, (interested in appearances, knife happy circumcisers)

He shares with them in the 7-11^th passages of scripture, that he knows that what he gained in the past in nothing compared to the priceless privilege of knowing Christ Jesus. (John 3:16 – Salvation id for everyone)

·       This year, if you don’t know Christ in His resurrection power, then get to know Him.  If you know someone that does not know Him, then please share your testimony of knowing Jesus Christ with them. 

·       In order to take on more of Christ personally, you will give to give up some stuff to experience His resurrection power, be a partner in His suffering, and go all the way with Him to death itself.

In the 13^th-15^th passages of scripture, Paul lets them know that he is not an expert in doing these tasks that are stated before.

·       We will never be experts in striving towards holiness!  God honors when we make our best efforts in doing so.

He lets us know that we need to goals and dreams ahead of us.  We need to press towards that mark.

·       Bishop O.C. Allen 3^rd placed it like this, “It’s good to have goals and dreams, but they are nothing unless you start plans (putting things in place, writing things down) towards those goals and dreams.”

·       Goal for this coming week, - start writing down your plans on how you will move closer to your dreams.

·       Stay focus on God.

·       Meanwhile writing consult God, and if anything is blurry in your writing He will direct your hand and your thoughts!

·       Verse 15^th admonishes us to now be spiritually mature or start working on our maturity!

Conclusion – Today I found out through O.C Allen that the Jewish community celebrates manhood and maturity at the age 13, which is called Bar mitzvah.  Well thank God it’s 2013, and it’s time for us to celebrate the year of maturity.  Follow the principles that were outlined in the text and start growing up.  Stop complaining, but celebrate conflict, and make it a great year!  God has sooo much in store for you!

Pastor Mark James - AWCM