091717 | The Power of Praise | Allen Hickman

Praise and Worship is not just singing, music or an opportunity for people to showcase their talents.  It is a spiritual tool in our arsenal of weapons to wield against the enemy.  But it is also one of the ways we connect with God on a personal and corporate level.  It is not a genre of music or style of music.  Praise and Worship is a lifestyle because we have had our life changed by the giver of life and it is the natural response to Him.  It is powerful to reek havoc in the kingdom of darkness and bring hope to the hopeless and to honor the only one worthy of our praise; Jesus.

091017 | The Communion | Allen Hickman

Jesus before He offered Himself as the sacrifice for all mankind in order to redeem, or buy us back from the enemy, ate a meal with His disciples.  That meal was all about the "new" covenant He was making with all of humanity. The Last Supper or Communion is more than a commandment from God or a sacrament of the church but a privilege that we as His children get to do in remembrance of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus paid.

 Just maybe the Church is sick and weak because we are not discerning the body of Christ properly.  God is unlike humans who say many things that we don’t really mean.  We “run off” at the mouth or we blurt out words that hurt or we simply don’t think about what we are saying.  God however, never utters a word without knowing the intent or the power of those words.  Jesus knew exactly what He was saying at the last supper when He talked about His blood and body.  We don’t always know or understand what He means by that but that is why we must spend time with Him so He can reveal it to us.

Watch and listen this week as Pastor Allen walks us through “The Communion”, what it means, how we are to partake of it, and why we are to “do it in remembrance” of Jesus.  He gives us ample time and opportunity to interact with God’s Holy Spirit through times of repentance and creating an atmosphere to hear God speak to us, His children.

090317 | Joy in the Journey | Allen Hickman

Our hope is not in this world but in the fact that we know our God loves us and will always take care of us. But a by-product of that hope and love is JOY. Jesus said that He wanted us to have His joy in this world. In-the-midst of all the chaos in the world we as God's people that are loved and have a hope the world envies also have a joy that is not rivaled by anything in this world.

The Joy that Jesus wants us to have is not from this world but directly from the Father.  It is a fullness and calm delight in the ebbs and flows of life.  We have this joy because we know our future is victorious, that His promises are true and we are a part of His family.

We get this joy but having a revelation of who the Father truly is.  Not a head knowledge but a experiential knowledge that allows us to experience His love, His ways and His thoughts.  Also, we develop a confidence in who He is.  The truth of who Jesus is and what He has done for us.  Lastly, we find out who we truly are in Him and who He is in us.  We are overcomers and not mere survivors.  When it is all, said and done we WIN!

May His joy permeate every part of our lives and may we give it away to those around us.

082717 | Hope in Uncertain Times | Allen Hickman

Our world is lost and out of control.  It’s full of anger, bitterness, selfishness and brokenness.  Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow but there is hope for tomorrow even if it is uncertain.  Why?  Because we know the one who knows tomorrow.  

Our hope is not in this world or it’s system but in the creator of this world.  We are like Paul who said in 1 Corinthians 15:19, "if I had hope in this life only, then I am of most men, to be pitied."  There is Hope and His name is Jesus.  I know that may sound like a trite answer to a monumental and overwhelming problem.  However, in the light of what Jesus claims about Himself it make perfect sense.  

Jesus said that “I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life.” Not A way, A truth, or A life.  Faith and trust in His love for us gives us the power and strength to do more than survive this life but to thrive in the midst of the chaos and turmoil and find hope for ourselves and give hope to others.

082017 | Family Culture | Allen Hickman

Our DNA is what makes us who we are.  Our beliefs come from who we are and we typically live according to those beliefs.  Our culture and how we live comes from who we are.  RLM has 5 basic DNA strands that we live out in 4 ways.  We connect with people, serve others, we invite friends and family and we give of ourselves to others

 Our spiritual DNA is derived straight from the Father, and the first strand of His DNA is an unabated love for people. It's who He is and what He does. If we are a follower of Jesus, it's part of our DNA too. Let it shine through.  People are the center of God’s heart and they should be ours.  

Loving others is nothing more than being who we are as a church and as follower of Jesus Christ.

081317 | Stop Investigating and Start Investing | Jacob Hickman

We are a society that loves to look in on stuff but not necessarily get involved.  We like to investigate but not always to invest; our time, money, resources, etc...  If we truly want to make a difference and/or have authentic relationships we are going to have to get beyond investigating and start investing.

We need to learn to initiate conversation, relationships and not just wait on others to step up.  Jesus came to seek and save the lost, He took the initiative.  We must do likewise because we are motivated by love.  But we can never do what Jesus did if we fall into the trap of always depending on what we know about people.  What we know about them can hinder us from reaching out to the team.  

In order to make a difference in peoples' lives we need to invest our words into people's lives.  Words of hope, encouragement and love.  We also must invest our time.  People don't care how much you know they want to know how much you care.  You do that by spending time with them.  And lastly we must invest our resources into others lives, be it money, time, talent, influence, etc...  When we do these things we will see the world around us change and it will bring glory to God.

080617 | Supernatural | Allen Hickman

We are not just a two dimensional being: soul and body.  We are created in the image of God in the fact that we are a triune being; spirit, soul and body and we should live in that order. God is a supernatural God and we as His children should live naturally in the supernatural and live the God life and in so doing change our world.

God is willing to move for us in the supernatural and change our world but we must be willing for Him to move.  Most followers of Jesus believe that He can do miracles but we don't believe that He will.  It is when we bridge this belief gap between can and will that supernatural things begin to happen.

Living the God life is to live in the supernatural.  When we do it brings glory and honor to God because He performs miracles and happenings that are outside the power of man to accomplish.  Today is the beginning of a life lived supernaturally, just simply step out and believe that He WILL because He CAN!

073017 | Dream On | Todd Goodwin

God is a creative God and we are created in His image, then we are creative people. He places dreams in us but life has a way of choking the very life out of our dreams.  Remember when you were a six-year-old child and you dreamed of being a flying superhero or a princess, fireman, or a great athlete?  What happened to that child?  Did they die?  If so, why?  Is it because we grew up?  I say grow up but don’t grow old.  We can’t do anything about getting older but we don’t have to stop dreaming and fulfilling those dreams because we get older.

God has a perfect plan for our life and it is so much more than what we can ever imagine.  He goes above and beyond what we could ever ask or think.  It is time for those that have lost their dreams to the harsh reality of life to start dreaming again and for the rest to continue to dream on.

This week’s message is about overcoming the set-backs and fulfilling the dreams God has given you.  Dreams help predict our future, help us prioritize our present and increases our God-given potential.

072317 | The Trap | Allen Hickman

071617 | Love Your Neighbor | Part 7 | Allen Hickman

Jesus called His disciples to "come and follow me". That is the same call He is issuing to us today. "Come follow me, be like me, and love like me." Love is more than just nice actions and sappy words but a condition of the heart. In order for our hearts to be like Jesus we are gonna have to do a few things that God left up to us. First is to be mindful of the things of God. Set your “affections on things above”. We must deny our flesh and take up our cross daily and lay our life down for others. That’s not easy. Actually it is impossible without the help of the Holy Spirit’s power living inside us. Once we come to a place of surrender then we can begin to follow Jesus. Following Jesus is to walk and live like He did. It is not asking Him to follow us or to bless our dreams. When do what He has blessed and not asking Him to bless what we are doing then we will love like He does. If we want to see the miracles of God we are going to have to consecrate ourselves according to Joshua 3:5 and “God will do wonders among us”. This week Pastor Allen sums up this series with points on how we can submit ourselves to the one that started it all and be like and love like Him.