Nehemiah, A Great Leader!

Second message in a series on Nehemiah by Pastor Craig Diestelkamp

Scripture: Nehemiah 1:11-2:8

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After much prayer and planning, Nehemiah approaches King Artaxerxes with a request for the resources needed to build back the city of Jerusalem. In this second sermon in the Nehemiah series, we see how Nehemiah’s actions give us a great example of a prayerful, faithful, humble and bold leader who puts his trust completely in the Lord.

A man of prayer
Nehemiah 1:11 – Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring You. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.”

A faithful man
Nehemiah 1:11 – In those days  was the king’s cup-bearer.

A passionate man
Nehemiah 2:2-3 – And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that  took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before.

A humble man
Nehemiah 2:2-3 – Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick?  This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid, I said to the king “Let the king live forever.”

A courageous man
Nehemiah 2:4-5 – Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So  prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

A thoughtful man
Nehemiah 2:7-8 – Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I  come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that will occupy.”

Four Things You Can Always Ask For

Message by Pastor Craig Diestelkamp

Scripture: Psalm 27:7-11

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Psalm 27 is prayer of great confidence before God. David begins by declaring that the Lord is his Light and Salvation and because of this he has no reason to fear. That’s an amazing statement when you consider that David is being chased by his enemies. In verses 4 through 6, David also declares his confidence in God’s powerful and protective presence. When we come to verses 7 through 11, the mood changes. We begin to hear the actual petition of David’s heart that brought about the great confidence in the opening verses. These verses reveal the depth of David’s anxiety and his desperate cry for God’s mercy to help him in a time of trouble and adversity.

1. God will always listen to you. Psalm 27:7-8 – Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When You said, “Seek My face.” My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”
2. You can always count on His Grace. Psalm 27:9 – Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior.
3. He has always promised to be our Helper. Psalm 27:9 – …you have been my helper.
4. He will always teach us and instruct us. Psalm 27:11 – Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my enemies.

From Heaven To Our Hearts Back To Heaven

Message by Pastor Craig Diestelkamp

Scripture: Psalm 27:7-8 and Luke 11:1-13

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It’s nothing short of amazing that God hears our prayers and even more amazing that He answers them. I say that not because anything is questionable or suspect in God but because of us. We so often choose our own way and our own kingdom over His. Thankfully, prayer finds its hope, not in the qualifications of the one praying, but in the character and plan of the God who’s hearing. He answers because of who He is. He answers because of what He’s doing. He answers because He loves to see us come to Him and He loves to provide for our need.

Five Reasons God Answers Prayer (Luke 11:1-4)

• Because of His grace
• Because of His faithfulness
• For His Kingdom
• For His glory
• Because of His love

Jesus’ teaching on prayer: God is a Loving Father!

• A model prayer (Luke 11:1-4)
• Two parables
• Two principles

1st Parable  (Luke 11:5-8)
“The not so good friend”

1st Principle  (Luke 11:9-10)
God answers our prayers even when we are not so good. So ask, seek, knock!

2nd Parable  (Luke 11:11-12)
Even sinner dads know how to give good gifts!

2nd Principle  (Luke 11:13)
How much more will God give to us what is truly good‘?

Why does God want to give us the Holy Spirit?
So that God Himself is living in our hearts.

Through the Holy Spirit we can hear God’s voice feel God’s presence, and know God’s will. Because of the Holy Spirit, or hearts are forever connected with God the Father who is in heaven.

Psalm 27:8 – When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

Bearing Fruit That Will Last

Message by Guest Speaker, Janine Geekie

Scripture: John 15:16

Janine Geekie

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Janine is a missionary to Japan. Prior to her speaking, the following video on Fuse Jesus Community was played.

Janine on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/zenezene

The Proverbs on Making Wise Plans

Message by Pastor Craig Diestelkamp

Fourth in a 10-part series on Proverbs

Scripture: Proverbs 12:5

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God is sovereign – He is in control of every person, every thing, and every outcome that ever has been or ever will be. Yet, Proverbs has much to say about planning for the future. We should plan wisely and plan with flexibility, meaning make plans that honor God yet be willing to change when God calls you to something else.

We need to work “on” our life not just “in” our life!

Five reasons why we should plan:

1. The complexity of life
Proverbs 20:18 – Plans are established by counsel; by wise counsel wage war.

2. The uncertainty of life
Proverbs 27:1 – Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

3. The brevity of life
Psalm 90:12 – So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

4. The frailty of life
Proverbs 16:33 –The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

5. God Himself is a planner!
Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Five ways to plan wisely

1. Choose not to do evil
Proverbs 6:18 – …A heart that devises wicked plans,

2. Pray
James 4:15 – Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

3. Seek Counsel
Proverbs 15:22 – Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established.

4. Work hard at your plan
Proverbs 21:5 – The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

5. Be Flexible
Proverbs 16:9 – A man’s heart pins his way, But the LORD directs his steps.

Pray Without Ceasing

Pastor Craig Diestelkamp

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Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

“It is not in the moving of the lips that is the essence of prayer. It is in the elevation of the heart to God.” (J.B. Lightfoot)

The key to unceasing prayer is DEPENDENCE UPON GOD! When we are truly dependent on God, prayer is the normal response. No matter what happens, you recognize your complete dependence on God’s power and grace. Clearly, the text says that. This is a way of life, just like always rejoicing and always giving thanks; you are always praying. This is the will of God for you. And you respond because you understand that no matter what happens, you have reason to rejoice; you have reason to be thankful; you have reason to pray…because God overrules all the bad things to produce good.

Examples of unceasing prayer

Jesus (Luke 22:42)

The early church

The New Testament

Ways that God motivates us to pray!

1. God has sent us the Holy Spirit to lead us into intimate relationship through prayer.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

2. God loves to deliver us from trouble.

Psalm 20:1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble…

3. God wants to give us compassion for the lost.

Romans 10:1 my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.”

Romans 9:1 -2 With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.

Power in Beginning Again

Guest Speaker, Pastor Jonathan Mudenyo

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Jonathan Mudenyo & wife Rose

Jonathan Mudenyo pastors New Hope Church in Webuye, Kenya and is also the overseer of the School of Ministries that serves to train pastors and leaders in that part of Kenya.

Scripture: Luke 5:1-10

^“One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’
Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.”

In this story out of Luke we see Jesus tell Peter to begin again. Even though the fishermen returned to the same waters they had been fishing, with Jesus’ direction they were successful.

There are five power principles to learn from this passage:

1. Prayer – God speaks to us through prayer. A prayer cannot be answered until it is prayed.
2. Open heart - Be open to act on what God is telling us to do. Take  in the instructions He gives us.
3. Worship – God shows up when we worship Him.
4. Evangelism – We need to bring others to see what God is doing. We have a responsibility to share the experience with our neighbors, family and friends.
5. Rid sin from our lives - Lay aside anything that gets between us and our relationship with God.

How To Pray For Missions

Guest Speaker Steve Chulick and his wife Carolyn are missionaries to India

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Click photo to go to the Chulicks' page on GlobalMessenger.org

Scripture: Romans 8:26 & 1 Corinthians 14:14

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us^[a] with groanings which cannot be uttered.

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. ¹⁵ What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

• Pray for Nations – Psalm 2:8 – - – - Internet Resources: JoshuaProject.net and OperationWorld.org

• Pray for Missionaries - Romans 15:30
• Pray for Unbelievers – 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Presentation of the Chulicks’ ministry in India:

Music played during the presentation: “Before The Throne Of God Above” by Invocation

Learning To Pray 101

Pastor Craig Diestelkamp

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Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:10-13

Of all the disciplines of the Christian life, prayer can be one of the least understood. Most of us understand what is involved in reading the Word, witnessing, church membership, giving, and serving. But when it comes to this thing called prayer, many Christians are not sure how to pray or why we should pray. In these verses Paul helps us understand both ‘why’ and ‘how’ about prayer.

Prayer Is About Relationship

1 Thessalonians 3:11 - “Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you”

John 14:12-13 – “Most assuredly,… And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

John 16:23 – “…Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.”

Prayer Is Working With God To Accomplish His Plan

The same God who determines the outcome also determines the plan and method to achieve the outcome. When God wants to accomplish something, He works a prayer in someone’s’ heart and then through their prayer He begins to accomplish His plan.

Prayer Must Become A Habit

1Thessalonians 3:10 - “night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith”

Prayer Is For People

1 Thessalonians 3:10 – “and perfect what is lacking in your faith?”

1 Thessalonians 3:12 – “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you.”

1 Thessalonians 3:13 – “so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.”

Learning to Pray Like Jesus (Part 2)

Pastor Craig Diestelkamp

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Scripture Reference: John 17:9-21

John 17 records what has been call the High Priestly prayer of Jesus. It is the greatest prayer every recorded in Scripture because it is the powerful prayer of an Overcomer. Even though Jesus is about to go to the Cross and face horrible suffering and shame. He is not a victim–He was and is the Ultimate Victor! He has just finished saying to His disciples, “Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.”

Jesus prays that we would be kept! – John 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

Jesus prays that we would have joy in Him! -  John 17:13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.

Jesus prays that we would be missionaries! – John 17:15-18 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one… Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

Jesus prays for our unity! – John 17:20-21 I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

Learning to Pray Like Jesus (Part 1)

Pastor Craig Diestelkamp

Matthew 6:8-13, Luke 11:1-13, and John 17:1-5