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Location:
6425 Jefferson Rd. For
directions, click here.
FROM
THE PASTOR From To
have that living relationship, each of
us must have
a
personal devotional
life.
Your devotional life, your personal
time spent alone with Jesus, is the
primary means by which you are prepared
for the ministry to which God calls
you. In
other words, there must "in-reach"
before there can effective outreach.
Preparation for ministry must begin
with preparation of the
person. Whether
your ministry is counseling, healing,
deliverance, teaching, exhortation,
encouragement, or whatever, your
effectiveness will in be direct
proportion to your union with Jesus.
Union with Him is initiated, nurtured,
and maintained by your devotional
life. In
Jeremiah 31, God speaks through the
prophet to declare the coming of the
New Covenant in which we now live.
Verse 4 says: "No longer will a man
teach his neighbor, or a man his
brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'
because they will all know me, from the
least of them to the greatest, declares
the LORD." The
Hebrew word translated "know" implies
deep intimacy of relationship. It is,
in fact, the same word used in Genesis
4:1: "Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and
she conceived and bore
Cain." Our
relationship with God, our "knowing"
Him, must be nurtured through
consistent and disciplined action, not
through one-time or happenstance
encounters. We
need power and strength beyond
ourselves to live the abundant life and
to carry out the mission Jesus has
given to us. A
consistent devotional life -- i.e.
personal fellowship with God -- is the
switch that will bring His power into
your life. Remember,
God loves you and so does the preacher.
See you in church Sunday. ©
Gerald R. Varnado. All rights
reserved.
Gateway
Church gathers
for worship
Sundays
at 10:30 a.m.
(Hwy. 129) in Athens,
Georgia.
Ministry
of the
Word:
Recent
sermons
Our quarterly e-magazine
Gateway
Today
For the Gateway family
Pastor
Jerry's Weekly
E-Mail
Gateway
Today
The
e-magazine of
Gateway Church
WINTER
2006
Time
alone with Jesus
It's
the only way to truly hear from
God
The
late pastor and author A.W.
Tozer
once wrote these words: "Is your
Christian experience a set of
definitions, a list of doctrines, or a
living relationship with God?"
by
Jerry
Sermons
Knowing
God
The
source of power
