tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79190069279677394592024-02-20T07:57:27.669-08:00Pastor Lance A. Mann's BlogLANCE A. MANN SERVES AS PASTOR OF THE FIRST MOUNT ZION BAPTIST CHURCH IN NEWARK, NJ. THIS BLOG IS DESIGNED BE BE ANOTHER TOOL OF MINISTRY TO INFORM OTHERS OF THE PASSIONS, THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS OF PASTOR MANN, IN ORDER THAT GOD WILL GET THE ULTIMATE GLORY.Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.comBlogger205125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-86065037731323871542010-07-05T07:39:00.000-07:002010-07-05T07:53:07.128-07:00Sunday Stuff-July 4, 2010<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">To quote LL Cool J, "DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK"!!! </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">With all of the first semester of seminary out of the way, I can finally get back to writing more consistently</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> as a means of simply putting on paper (computer screen) my thoughts and visions about ministry and my life. This blog has always been a source of therapy for me and I need to get back to it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Well we are thisclose to beginning the heavy lifting on the renovations for our new location, with an anticipated move in date for the first Sunday in September. GOD BE PRAISED!!!! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Our contractor has begun some preliminary removal of things on the inside of the building, but it appears that this week construction will begin full speed ahead, and I for one cannot wait.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Our church has been in this transitional stage for at least 2 years and we need to get this building up and running so that we can begin to make a greater impact on the kingdom in Newark, NJ.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Yesterday I had the pleasure of preaching for my good friend and adopted Godfather Pastor Aaron N. Gibson and the Second Baptist Church, Long Branch, NJ for their 7:30 service and the Lord really blessed the worship. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Please keep Pastor Gibson in your prayers for God to heal his health issues.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">I made it back, albeit a little late, for our 10 AM worship at First Mount Zion and I had no idea what to expect from the attendance. While the attendance was wayyyyy down, those who showed up exhibited a great participation in worshipping the Lord.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Jamaal Goodley blessed us in praise & worship, and our Minister of Music, Kadeem Turner, was in tuned to what the Spirit was doing in worship, which was exemplified in his selection of songs throughout the service, in spite of the logistical issues with the people we share our building with and their equipment. God be praised for commitment to excellence no matter the difficulties.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">I began a new summer series entitled the Parables of Jesus, in which we began with the parable in Matthew 20:1-16 on the laborers in the vineyard. I labeled the message "Is God Unfair?" I plan on posting the outline in tomorrow's post.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-85071014957932831112010-04-14T13:25:00.000-07:002010-04-14T13:57:20.332-07:00A Powerful Week<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Hello Blog Family!</span><div><br /></div><div>It has indeed been a real long time since we have shared with you. My first semester at Drew Theological Seminary has been a real big adjustment with regards to the workload and time constraints, so I have not been able to adequately put the proper time to my blog. I pray that you all would understand.</div><div><br /></div><div>This past week was one of the most powerful and refreshing weeks I have spent away from home in a very long time. </div><div><br /></div><div>I began the week traveling to Corpus Christi, Texas to preach once again for my brother and fellow blogger Kevin Pullam at the Friendship Baptist Church, for their April Word Experience Revival held every Tuesday thru the month of April. Kevin was once again a great host and brother.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Lord really blessed the service! Got a chance to hang out with our blog Momma and Pops Pullam, who have been a real blessing to me both in person and with their prayers, and I am extremely grateful for being accepted in the Pullam Family.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pastor Arthur Lane of the St. Matthew's Baptist Church who has continued to be a brother beloved and I appreciate his friendship for hosting when Pastor Pullam was unavailable. Pastor Eric Tarver also extended a friendship to me and I anticipate that growing.</div><div><br /></div><div>I left Corpus on Wednesday, spent a few hours with Penny, and then Thursday afternoon, I boarded another plane headed to Los Angeles to preach for my brother and fellow blogger, Pastor Barry Severe at the Cathedral of Praise Community Church, for their first Anniversary Revival.</div><div><br /></div><div>Barry Severe started this work 1 year ago Easter Sunday morning and I am proud of the hard work he is putting in to reach his community for Jesus and attempting to make a difference. Pastor Charles Harris of the Village Baptist Church was kind enough to pick me up from the airport and take me directly to church, to hear Pastors Elton Johnson and Xavier Thompson, because I wanted to be a part of the entire revival and not just on the day I preached.</div><div><br /></div><div>My good friend Pastor George Hurtt, who succeeded Pastor HB Charles Jr. as Pastor of Mt. Sinai gave the lecture before I preached on Friday and he was not kind at all to his friend (LOL). He gave a powerful lecture on The Parable of Jesus on the Rich Fool found in Luke 12:13-21. George Hurtt is a BEAST in the pulpit. </div><div><br /></div><div>Saturday Barry took me over to my brother Pastor Clinton Smith's house to have a cook-in with his family (my family too) Tracey, Kari, Aysia and Jimmy. (Miles would rather spend his time at the skating rink chasing girls than hang out with his uncle Lance LOL). I had a great time helping my niece Aysia fix her phone because her daddy don't know how.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunday morning the Lord really blessed us at Cathedral of Praise, which was amazing to me since Barry took me church hopping to hear George Hurtt @ 8 and Pastor Reginald Payne @ 9:30 and they both really blessed me with their expositions. God be praised for brothers who are committed to exposition.</div><div><br /></div><div>Clinton Smith preached his face off @ 3:30 for Barry Severe! and he sang Oh How I Love Jesus and killed that too!</div><div><br /></div><div>We topped off the night with a trip to my favorite LA eating spot....Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles!!!! Barry and his wife Myssee; Clint, Tracey, Aysia & Miles (he finally decided to show up); me and Rev. Anthony Thompson (another brother beloved). Thank God for chicken, waffles, eggs and potatoes smothered in gravy (Shondo!!!!!!!)</div><div><br /></div><div>The best news of the entire trip was that while I was flying to LA on Thursday, our church's Trustee Chairman was signing the closing documents on our new building in the city of Newark, NJ.</div><div><br /></div><div>This has been a long and tedious journey but God is faithful to those who trust in Him! We still have to renovate the building, but it belongs to the First Mount Zion Baptist Church! Hey Glory!!!!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Please keep us in your prayers as we attempt to build God a Kingdom in the South Ward!!!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>I am happy to be back home to Penny after a long week. God be Praised!!!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-59795947685862477742010-01-11T10:04:00.000-08:002010-01-11T10:37:39.024-08:00Sunday StuffHappy New Year to all of you my "blogging family," God has certainly been real good to each of us over the last 12 months. The reality is that we may not be where we want to be, may not have the type of church or ministry that we want to have, may not affect the lives that we desire to, but the truth is that God has kept us through this past year and we all ought to be grateful for the keeping power of the Almighty.<br /><br />There have been a lot of things going on in my life since the last time we shared together in November, too numerous to mention today, but I will refer to a couple of them in this post. Our church is finally standing on the precipice of realizing our dream of securing a new location for us to worship in. This has been a two-year journey, filled with ups and downs, peaks and valleys, promises made to us, only to discover they were lies all the time. I wanted to give up, but the Lord led me to guide his people to this point, so I couldn't let it go. We stand today, approximately one month away from owning the building and roughly two months away from moving in and having our first worship service. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!!<br /><br />I have been inundated with schoolwork as I am two weeks away from completing my credits to receive my Bachelor's of Arts degree in Humanities from Thomas Edison State College, Trenton, NJ. Taking online courses have been a humbling and great experience, but I have decided to never, ever take classes online again, it is too much work! <br /><br />The best part of that story is this; I have also been accepted into the Masters of Arts in Biblical Studies program at Drew University Theological School that begins on January 25th. This is a 44 credit program that will take about two years and allow me to apply for the PhD program in Philosophy by 2011. Please pray for me as I attempt to keep pressing with my education. I will be attending class so now I have to get used to fixing my schedule accordingly.<br /><br />Yesterday we had a great time in worship at the First Mount Zion Church. The music ministry was off the chain, Jamaal really led us in praise and worship yesterday. Kadeem and Dayshawn were on their games as well. <br /><br />This year as our church prepares to relocate, our focus has to be on the growth of our ministry. So our thematic emphasis for this year is "Just Jesus." Jesus provides us with the key to growing the church when he stated, "and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." If we do our part and lift up Jesus, he will do his part to draw people to himself and to the church. <br /><br />So on yesterday, we began a new series entitled "The Supremacy of Jesus," which is a study through the book of Colossians. This book focuses on the central theme that Jesus is sufficient and superior to any other being ever created. The Lord allowed us to preach Col. 1:3-8 which I labeled "An Appreciation For the Gospel", in which Paul is celebrating and thanking God that this church remained faithful to Jesus because of what they heard and believed through the preaching of the Gospel. There were false teachers in that church who were preaching a message of gnosticism, which was a combination of Eastern philosophy and Jewish legalism. Paul says that I am thanking God through my celebration for your continued commitment to Jesus based totally on your faithful to the Gospel. <br /><br />Please keep our church, their Pastor and the new series in your prayers. I will be posting the outline from yesterday's exposition tomorrow.Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-29873312261316929282009-11-09T18:56:00.000-08:002009-11-09T19:23:31.640-08:00Speaking @ First Goodwill BC, Los Angeles, CA<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_36DD6Mhm55E/Svjco_h07sI/AAAAAAAAAG0/8An7DZ0V5Wc/s1600-h/tn.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 113px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_36DD6Mhm55E/Svjco_h07sI/AAAAAAAAAG0/8An7DZ0V5Wc/s320/tn.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402310349837102786" /></a><br />Hello Blog Family! I know it has been a long time since my last post, but a lot has been going on, both good and bad, but the good will always outweigh the bad. Since my last post, I have registered for school to complete my Bachelor's Degree at Thomas Edison State College of New Jersey. I am taking a full course load of 15 credits, as that's all I need to complete my degree. I need to let you all in on a little secret: this is very hard (LOL). My time has been off and I am struggling with sticking to a strict schedule. Please pray for me!!!!<div><br /></div><div>This weekend, I had the privilege of preaching for our blog brother, Pastor Clinton Smith, to help him celebrate his 7th Pastoral Anniversary, and it was an amazing experience. Pastor Smith, has proven to be a brother beloved from a 3000 mile distance, and he solidified that characteristic, in the excellent manner he hosted me this weekend. His wife Tracey, children Cari, Aysia and Miles, and his grandson Jay, endeared themselves to me like they knew me for years. I am deeply overwhelmed by their graciousness and love.</div><div><br /></div><div>I attended an anniversary concert on Friday, that was explosive in worship. The groups that participated all sang original material and they really blessed my socks off. There was one group in particular, One Voice, sent us on a journey of worship that was incredible. For the entire concert, I sat next to the mother of Pastor H.B. Charles, Mrs. Ellen Charles, who is also Pastor Smith's Mother in law, and let me tell you, she is an absolute joy to be around. I was extremely blessed to have this experience.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Saturday morning, Pastor Smith gathered a vast collection of local pastors to come for a breakfast/meet and greet with me and these brothers were extremely hospitable and warm. Many of them are our blog brothers such as Pastor Ronald Saunders, Pastor Barry Severe, Pastor F. Demond Harris and Pastor Reginald Payne & others. What started out as simply a breakfast that should have lasted a couple of hours, turned into a powerful session of sharing, encouragement and prayer for the brethren that lasted well over 8 hours. God be praised for the fellowship of like-minded brothers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Later that night, I ran into another blog brother who was on vacation with his wife Latonya, my friend and brother from Corpus Christi, TX, Pastor Kevin Pullam. It really made my heart feel good to see them. They were spending money all over the place, in a 5-star hotel and eating caviar (LOL). Seriously, they are extremely loving people and I am blessed to call them family.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunday morning we shared with Pastor Smith and the First Goodwill church, a message of encouragement from Prov. 3:5-6 entitled When Life Makes No Sense. In the afternoon service, many churches and pastors came to help celebrate and the Word was preached by Bishop Richard Sanders, who preached a powerful message from Phil. 4:19 labeled How To Get Your Needs Met. He preached his face off. Pastor Payne's Praise and Worship Team were powerful. All told, this was just a great weekend. Please pray for the continued growth and development of Pastor Clinton Smith and the First Goodwill Church Family.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had a great time, but now I am glad to be home as I have schoolwork and a church to grow. </div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-65664886822846255792009-09-23T15:47:00.000-07:002009-09-23T16:13:27.997-07:00Frustrated With AmericaMy fellow bloggers, I have agonized over and over again for the last few weeks about providing my thoughts and convictions about what is going on with our country since August. The main reason why I have been so hesitant to write this post was how much politics polarized this blog family during last year's election, but I believe that we are all mature enough and we should be Christian enough to talk about what goes on in the secular world because it has effects on our spiritual world.<div><br /></div><div>As a black Christian man in America, I am thoroughly appalled by the venom that has and still is being spewed by Republicans, especially those who saw they are Christians. To hear a Steven Anderson, Pastor of Faithful Word Baptist Church of Phoenix, AZ, stand up in his pulpit and declare that God has told him that since God hates President Obama, then he wants everyone of his members to hate President Obama.</div><div><br /></div><div>He further stated that he prays every day and every night that President Obama would attract cancer and die! What kind of pastor would say something so openly racist and ungodly to impressionable members, many of new are probably new converts to Christ, and still call himself an ambassador of Jesus Christ? The problem that I have is with pastors who know how sinful this kind of vitriol is, sit silent and refuse to rebuke this type of sinful talk.</div><div><br /></div><div>His argument and others like his, is the President's views on abortion, and for the record, I am against abortion, however I do believe that this is the choice of a woman's to make and not the government. She will have to answer to the Lord for her decisions just like any other sin she may commit. If their objection to his view on abortion is that scripture tells us that God considers killing to be a sin, then isn't it killing and a sin when racist Christians kill innocent Christian black men/women/children? And isn't it the job of pastors to call sin out wherever sin is present? </div><div><br /></div><div>Where in scripture does it say that it is okay for one group of people to discriminate against another group of people because of their ethnicity or their race? CALL ALL SIN WHAT IT IS, SIN!</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the conflicts I am faced with is that many of these pastors who are talking about abortion are people who's thoughts on scripture have helped to shape my personal preaching, yet while they are not openly doing what Steve Anderson is doing, they surely are not talking against what he is doing on their broadcasts.</div><div><br /></div><div>Please remember, President Obama is not a muslim, nor is he anti-Christian, but he took the same walk down an aisle that we all did, and he is a child of the same God that we serve!</div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-75298156716867099312009-09-22T13:12:00.000-07:002009-09-22T13:27:01.180-07:00Sunday StuffThis past Lord's Day was another example of the grace of God in our lives. For some reason I had apprehension about the impending worship on Saturday evening and I couldn't understand it for the life of me.<div><br /></div><div>Maybe it was because I was not totally comfortable with my work on the message, as I felt that I was leaving something out or putting too much stuff in. So I attempted to pare it down and spruce it up, but no matter which way I leaned, I still did not feel comfortable with my attempts to write a solid message. So I went to bed praying that wherever I fell short, that the Lord would give the increase.</div><div><br /></div><div>I will say that my shortcomings were eradicated by the Lord really showing up and being a great blessing to our congregation. My voice was not at it's best, so I made no attempt to close the message in my normal fashion, and I found out that if we as Pastors/preachers do our part and leave the rest up to Jesus, the people will be blessed by His Word.</div><div><br /></div><div>The music ministry was excellent as usual, and I led the congregations in singing one of my favorite hymns, Pass Me Not, and let me tell you, songs like that can really be a blessing to the hearts of God's people, especially when you consider the words of the song. While on others thou art calling, do not pass me by. That phrase shouted me, because when I think about all of the people that God has to look after and answer prayers, he still has enough love for me to come by and see about me. What a God!</div><div><br /></div><div>Lately I have been thinking seriously about going back to school to finish my undergrad work and immediately go on to begin Masters degree work. So I along with my good friend Eddie Spencer, Pastor of First Baptist Church, Nutley, NJ, traveled to Philadelphia to take a tour of Palmer Theological Seminary.</div><div><br /></div><div>I chose Palmer because the east coast is full of Seminaries, but they are mostly ultra-liberal in their theology, and I wanted to go to a conservative school that puts its mission and teaching on a strict adherence to the Word of God, and Palmer is that place. I am going to complete my undergrad work by January (only need 13 credits) and prayerfully begin the Masters of Theological Studies program at Palmer. Please keep me in your prayers.</div><div><br /></div><div>One last thing, my family needs your prayers, one of my older cousins, Samuel Mann Jr, passed away yesterday morning and his funeral services are this Saturday. Please keep his wife and children in your prayers.</div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-1179575737737085972009-09-17T14:01:00.000-07:002009-09-17T14:19:52.922-07:00A Song of Assurance<b>Text: Psalm 121:1-9</b><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Thesis: God is our universal and essential source that will provide all of the help we need in our times of trouble</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>I. Assured of God's Supportive Assistance</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>-verses 3-4...he will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber...behold he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep</b></div><div><b>-when we stand up for righteousness, God will never let our feet slip so that we will fall into the clutches of our enemies</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>a. support is vigilant - verse 3...he who keep you will not slumber...we can not stand one moment if the Lord ever falls asleep at the wheel in our lives...God will always be awake and alert as long as danger is around us</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>b. support is vicarious - verse 4...behold he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep...this suggests that God will not sleep on us because he is concerned about the welfare of his children</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>II. Assured of God's Sustaining Assistance</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>-verse 5-6...the Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand...the sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night</b></div><div><b>-these verses suggest that God will maintain his people when trouble arises in our lives</b></div><div><b>-this verse is impressive when you consider who's name is stamped on it...the previous verses imply who he is, these verses state that Jehovah is the author of our assistance</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>a. Bears Our Burdens - verse 5...the Lord is your shade on your right hand...during ancient battles, warriors carried a shield in their left hands and they fought with their right hands...God will bear the heat of battle so that we will be able to fight the devil with all that we have</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>b. Shelters Our Spirits - verse 6...the sun shall not strike you by day nor the moon by night...all day and night, we are under constant spiritual attack from Satan...and since Satan will not let up on the attacks, God will never let up on his protection</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>c. Preserve Our Psyche - verse 7...the Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life...God will preserve our souls which are the essence of our minds because if he can keep our souls, he can keep our entire lives...our souls are to be kept from evil, perversion and destruction and kept for the endless love of God</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>III. Assured of God's Stretching Assistance</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>-verse 8...the Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore</b></div><div><b>-this verse describes the scope of God's help...God doesn't put any limits on how far, how hard, or how much He is willing to provide all of the help that his children need</b></div><div><b>-God will meet us at our lowest point, at our worst times, when others walk out...God will be our great provider</b></div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-22872756980019897332009-09-15T09:02:00.000-07:002009-09-15T09:19:28.357-07:00Sunday StuffGreat day this past Lord's Day in worship. After spending the week at the National Baptist Convention, I could not wait to get back to the pulpit to preach.<br /><br />I heard some real good preaching on last week, but two stand out in particular. Dr. John Adolph, Antioch BC. Beaumont, TX and Pastor George Hurtt, Mt. Sinai BC, Los Angeles, CA, both preached us crazy. I was ever the more proud of George because he is a good friend and whenever any friend receives that kind of opportunity to stand on that stage, I feel just as happy as if I were the one preaching.<br /><br />I continued our series on the Songs of Ascents found in Psalm 120-134, with an exposition of Ps. 121 which I labeled A Song of Assurance.<br /><br />This Psalm is the answer to the psalter's problems that he faced in Ps. 120. In 120, he lamented the fact that he had to dwell in the midst of two groups of people who specialized in creating chaos and despised peace.<br /><br />He finds the answer to that problem in Ps. 121, which begins with verse 1, which is one of the most misinterpreted verses in the entire bible. Many preachers/teachers down through the years have mistakenly stated that the Psalter was saying that he will place his sight upon the hill to receive the help he needed. But the psalter was not making a statement in verse 1, but rather he was asking a powerful interrogative. He is really saying, shall I look to the hills from whence cometh my help.<br /><br />While he asks the question in verse 1, he doesn't make us wait too long for the answer. In verse 2 he makes it clear where his help is coming from, he says no my help comes from the Lord. He finds assurance in the fact that when trouble comes, God is the ultimate and essential resourse for all help for His people (I almost shouted again while I was typing that last sentence).<br /><br />I have been bothered by a lot of things going on in this country and I have been planning to write a post about it, but have been a little hesitant because I want to make sure that my words and my tone will be received and not dismissed. But I will write this post before the end of the week, so please pray that I am led to say the right things in a manner which will be most effective.Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-15798453467800741572009-09-09T18:52:00.000-07:002009-09-09T19:08:11.995-07:00A Song For Peace<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><b>Text: Psalm 120:1-7</b></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>Thesis: in our times of great distress, we must completely depend on God to provide peace for our journey</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>I. Depend on the Protection of God</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>-verses 1-2</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>-the enemy of the psalter uses words of slander against him</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>-this suggests to power of pain that words have over our lives</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>-when we are spoken against falsely, our initial reaction is to defend our honor, our reputations </b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>-but this psalter shows us that the best way to deal with the lies of men is to let God be our defender</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>II. Depend on the Punishment of God</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>-verses 3-4</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>-when people set out to slander the name of the people of God, instead of taking their punishment into our own hands, we must allow God to punish our enemies</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>a. Powerful Punishment- verse 4 talks of sharp arrows from the bow of a mighty warrior</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>-if people are going to use the sharpness of their lying tongue to inflict pain on us, he will use sharp arrows that are swift and powerful to inflict greater pain on them</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>b. Persistent Punishment - verse 4 talks of glowing coals of the broom tree</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>-this broom tree is known for its intense and long lasting burning fire</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>-so if their lies will figuratively cause a burning pain, God will punish them with an eternal, burning pain in hell</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>III. Depend on the Providence of God</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>-verses 5-6</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>-psalter is showing his discomfort with his dwelling in between neighbors who lie and promote chaos</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', serif;"><b>-but the good news is that if we have to dwell among people such as this, the Providence of God will make our dwelling only temporary</b></span></div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-28053031773500139512009-09-07T19:05:00.000-07:002009-09-07T19:41:50.598-07:00Sunday StuffAs I have expressed in an earlier post, holidays are the toughest times to preach in the Christian Church. People start preparing on Sunday for their cookouts on Monday, and as you can expect, on the East Coast, we feel the "numbers" crunch. <div><br /></div><div>But regardless of that, we still had a wonderful worship experience on yesterday. I mean the Lord showed up and the people were ready to bless His name.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jamal Goodley was at it again, leading the church in worship. We are fortunate to be witnesses to his growth and development into a mighty man of God. Kadeem Turner and our music ministry were on point as usual. I cannot express the importance of a solid and committed music staff. I know of some Pastors who have a revolving door set in their music ministry, but I have been blessed to have the same staff for the last 2 years. To God Be the Glory!!!! And I am not letting them out of my sight!</div><div><br /></div><div>We began a new sermon series, dealing with 15 wonderful Psalms, 120-134, which is known as the Songs of Ascents, and I have called the series, Marching Up to Zion. These pilgrim songs, were sung by the Children of Israel as they left their homes, left the valleys, headed towards Mount Zion to worship the Lord.</div><div><br /></div><div>These songs were sung as preparation for their worship period before the Lord and brought about a new attitude towards the things of God. </div><div><br /></div><div>The aim that the Lord is leading me towards for our church is that as we are getting closer to reaching our own Mt. Zion, there are some things that we must do while we are making this journey towards our new place of worship.</div><div><br /></div><div>Psalm 120 describes the psalter's feeling of discomfort having to live surrounded by two groups of people, those from Meshech and those from Kedar. They both were powerful people who specialized in flaunting their military strength and economic might, and they were a people of great conflict and chaos who despised peace.</div><div><br /></div><div>So the psalter writes this song to the Lord seeking his peace while having to dwell among people who hate peace. I labeled this message A Song For Peace. I will post the outline tomorrow.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am headed for Memphis, TN in the morning to attend the Annual Session of the National Baptist Convention. This is an important year due to the fact that we will elect a new President this week.</div><div><br /></div><div>The top candidates are Dr. Julius Scruggs of Alabama and the former president, Dr. Henry Lyons of Florida. I have mixed emotions about this as I like the platform of both men, but I think Lyons would be the better president. But there are apprehensions about that fact as well, because right now our convention is INSIGNIFICANT on a national level, and I fear that if Lyons wins we will then become INFAMOUS. The media horde that will befall Memphis will be crazy. Please pray for our convention that God's will be done!</div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-1855341330541323792009-08-31T18:56:00.000-07:002009-08-31T19:14:03.658-07:00Sunday Stuff<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Yesterday was a wonderful day to be alive and in worship. I was very excited about getting to the pulpit to offer to God my attempt at worship through the preaching of the Gospel.</span><div><br /></div><div>Jamal led us through worship in song with that wonderful song of the church, I Just Can't Give Up Now and he really ushered in the presence of the Lord.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last week I was fortunate to preach for my good friend Rev. Frantz Whitfield, pastor of the Mount Carmel Baptist Church, Waterloo, IA for their Family & Friends Day. Pastor Whitfield and the Mount Carmel Church were both gracious and kind to this Pastor and I am forever grateful for another opportunity to share my convictions about Jesus Christ. Please pray for both Pastor and people as they attempt to win Waterloo for Jesus.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am presently in between preaching series as I will begin a new series on this coming Lord's Day if God says so, and I wrestled with a couple of different texts until the Lord allowed me to land on a wonderful passage that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Ephesus chapter 5:18-21 which I labeled the message A Fresh Anointing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Paul attempts to admonish this church to live and walk in unity and provides for them another way to accomplish this by not relying on the things of this world and be filled with the Holy Spirit.</div><div><br /></div><div>This word filled in the Greek means to be controlled by something. Paul makes a contrast of people who are drunk with people who are filled with the Spirit. Alcohol is a substance that depresses while the Spirit is something that lifts. God commands us to allow ourselves to be controlled by the Spirit and not by the world.</div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-87839998557565540462009-08-16T15:11:00.000-07:002009-08-16T15:28:44.977-07:00Sunday StuffToday was a weird day in worship. Things just didn't seem to click all morning long, from the time I woke up late this morning, to the fact that although I was on time to church, the church just sauntered in little by little today and I really have been having a real tough time getting a grasp on it.<div><br /></div><div>Jamal really did another wonderful job leading the church during our worship in song period. He led us in a powerful song entitled, I Don't Mind Waiting on the Lord and he nailed it!</div><div><br /></div><div>We had a couple of visitors today that was refreshing to see and they appeared to have a wonderful time in worship and fellowship.</div><div><br /></div><div>I concluded our series on Commitment with an exposition on I Kings 18:17-21 which I labeled When Standing Up Means Standing Alone. Here Elijah is told by the Lord to tell Ahab that the famine and drought was now over and Ahab calls Elijah a troublemaker. Elijah engages Ahab in a powerful debate as to who's God is more powerful, Jehovah or Baal, and he tells Ahab to gather the children of Israel, 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah and meet him on Mount Carmel.</div><div><br /></div><div>Elijah says to them in verse 21, how long must you linger between two different opinions? If the Lord is God follow him, but if Baal then follow him, and the people did not answer him a word. God wants to know if we are willing to stand for him even if we have to stand alone. It is easy to stand when your friends are standing, but God is looking for soldiers who are willing to stand even if they must stand all by themselves.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-50843542582526442662009-08-11T10:41:00.000-07:002009-08-11T11:07:57.247-07:00Sunday StuffWe had another outstanding time in worship this past Lord's Day. I am always amazed whenever the Lord shows up in any place that his people are gathered.<br /><br />Jamaal really blessed us again in our Praise & Worship period. Kadeem and Dashawn were on point as usual on the keys and drums, and the congregation brought a high spirit of praise with them. To God be the glory!!!<br /><br />I had to preach at the 8:30 AM worship for the Abundant Joy Community Church of Jersey City, NJ, where Dr. Williard Ashley serves as Pastor. I received this invite from my long time friend and brother, Trayce Evans who is the Minister of Music at the church and the worship was high from start to finish. Please pray for the Abundant Joy Church, as they attempt to win Jersey City Heights for Jesus Christ.<br /><br />We continued our series on commitment with the conclusion of I Kings 17 with an exposition of verses 17-24 which I entitled The Purpose of Our Service. Elijah is faced with a precarious predicament. He has just witnessed the Lord ensure that this widow would never run out of flour or oil and now he witnesses the death of her only son. He could have walked away but instead he chose to minister to the needs of this woman. God has called each of us not to serve ourselves, but rather we are to minister to the needs of those who are in need of being ministered to.Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-30228063268408717702009-08-08T10:19:00.001-07:002009-08-08T10:23:52.152-07:00Happy Birthday Penny S. Mann<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_36DD6Mhm55E/Sn20bL4Hy2I/AAAAAAAAAGM/YvH5W9T9FXE/s1600-h/GetAttachment.aspx.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_36DD6Mhm55E/Sn20bL4Hy2I/AAAAAAAAAGM/YvH5W9T9FXE/s320/GetAttachment.aspx.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367644710033148770" /></a><br />Today we celebrate the birth of my wonderful and beautiful wife and partner in ministry, Penny! I am forever grateful to the Lord for him sending me a praying woman of God who knows how to get the attention of God on behalf of her family and her church.<div><br /></div><div>She is growing by leaps and bounds into a modern-day first lady that is not limited by the tradition of previous first ladies, but one who is shaping her own legacy as a help-meet to her Pastor-husband.</div><div><br /></div><div>Keep on worshipping, serving and loving the Lord, Baby! Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, neither has it entered the heart of men and women, what you shall be.</div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-5296877788296607152009-08-03T15:26:00.000-07:002009-08-03T15:52:50.615-07:00Sunday StuffThe weather yesterday on the East Coast bordered on torrential! It rained cats and small dogs out here which as you can expect, severely affected attendance at the First Mt Zion Church. I was not at all upset because we have a lot of older saints who would have a lot of trouble driving in those conditions, so it was better for them to stay at home.<div><br /></div><div>Once again, Jamaal led us in praise and worship, and totally allowed the Lord to use him in a mighty way. His ability to effectively minister through songs of Zion and lift up the name of Christ through exhortation, is refreshing for a young man all of 19 years old. I am grateful to God for sending one with those gifts to our church.</div><div><br /></div><div>We also had a guest psalmist, Tasha Booker from Brooklyn, NY, who used to sing for us a couple of years ago with her singing family, The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Bookers</span>, and she flat out killed Blessed Assurance yesterday with a real heavy heart. I have come to be amazed at the power of the anointing when it really shows up in worship. God bless you Tasha!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>I continued our series on commitment entitled Commitment is Not An Option, with the second message out of I Kings 17, verses 8-16 which I labeled Serving God in Uncertain Times. This is the continuation of the initial service duty of Elijah, as he sojourns from a dry brook named <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Cherith</span> to a depleted barrel that belongs to a widowed woman in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Zarephath</span>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Elijah asks this woman for a drink of water and a morsel of bread. She replies to him that all she has is enough flour and oil to make a cake for herself and her son so that they could eat and die. Yet she <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">acquiesces</span> to the Prophets request even though she has no idea how the story is going to end up, and Elijah tells her that if she is obedient to the Lord, he will make sure that she would never lack for anything. The Lord is trying to teach us that he wants us to obey him in the empty moments of life so that he could bless us with an abundant existence.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today is my son Marquis' 16th birthday! Wow has time flew! I am certain that God has a plan for his life. Please pray for all 4 of my sons!</div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-71928039003623550402009-07-29T16:56:00.000-07:002009-07-29T17:13:33.102-07:00Where Do You Stand<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">This is the message I preached on July 12th from our series on Commitment:</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', fantasy;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>Text: Exodus 32:24-28</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>Thesis: God blesses those who will stand for him not in moments of calm but rather in times of chaos</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>Transition: How do we know we are standing on the side of the Lord</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>I. Public Allegiance To God</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>-Moses comes off the mountain and sees the people worshipping this golden calf...he gets angry, stands at the gate and asks in verse 26...who's on the Lord's side, come to me</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>-and all the sons of Levi gathered around him</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>-in moments of chaos and confusion, God is looking for somebody who will publically acknowledge who He is</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>How do we acknowledge the Lord</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>1. Through Our Witness</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>2. Through Our Ways</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>3. Through Our Works</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>II. How We Behave in Strange Circumstances</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>-the people were frustrated because Moses had spent too much time on the mountain for their taste</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>-they didn't know what had become of Moses, so in their frustration, they ordered Aaron to make them a god out of gold</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>-and when Moses came off the mountain looking for a faithful people, only the sons of Levi stood in strange circumstances</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>III. Who Are You Connected To</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>-Moses shows up and asks who is on the Lord's side...verse 26 says that only the Levites turned towards Moses</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>-this is impressive when you consider that all the Levites were doing was living up to their names</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>-in Genesis 29, Leah wanted to gain the love and affection of her husband Jacob, so in her desire to connect to her husband, she conceived a son and named him Levi, which means to be attached</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>-God is looking for somebody who is willing to attach themselves to Him</b></span></div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-65151696783535330602009-07-27T13:44:00.000-07:002009-07-27T14:20:25.615-07:00Sunday Stuff<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">It has been a couple of weeks since I posted and I really felt like I have missed something. I love to write, and the fact that I didn't for a few week save for my sermons, has really enticed me to get back on the horse and ride again.</span><div><br /></div><div>We had a long day and night yesterday in worship, but it was an equally outstanding day as well. I was somewhat concerned about the attendance on my way to worship because summer months in the Northeastern United States are tough as most of our members are heading south for the summer.</div><div><br /></div><div>While our attendance was off, our worship was not! Our Musical Director, Kadeem Turner's grandfather passed this week so he was in Richmond, VA, please keep his family in your prayers, his fill in did a stand up job as his replacement and the worship was really good. </div><div><br /></div><div>We continued our series on commitment entitled Commitment is Not An Option, with the first of three messages from I Kings 17 which I am labeling the Serving God Chapter, with an exposition on verses 1-7 entitled Serving God in A Dry Season. The Lord really blessed my attempt at biblical exposition, and I pray that the congregation was encouraged and inspired to serve God even when the place you have been sent to serve has dried up. God be praised for the Word!</div><div><br /></div><div>I will post the outlines from the last three weeks messages in the subsequent days.</div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-23400450223650634172009-07-07T17:59:00.000-07:002009-07-07T18:13:31.749-07:00A Choice To Serve<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Text: Joshua 24:14-15</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', fantasy;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">Thesis: once we come to a clear understanding of who God is to us, we must respond with a desire to faithfully serve the Lord will all that we have</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">I. Renewal of the Servant</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">-verse 14...now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">-in order to truly serve the Lord there must be a renewal or a change in our hearts</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">1. possess a respectful heart...therefore fear the Lord...fear means to reverence the Lord</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">-we have no problem being respectful to the world, but fail to be respectful to the Lord</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">2. possess a resilient heart...and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness...sincerity means uninhibited and without limitations</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">-must not let anyone or anything keep us from being faithful servants to the Master</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">II. Requirement of the Servant</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">-verse 14...put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">-obedience is essential in being a faithful and committed servant of the Lord</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">1. obedient in spite of our past...put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">-faithful service is not bound by actions of yesterday but rather look towards the joys of the future</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">2. obedient in spite of our pressures...verse 15...and if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">-people will try to make us believe that we are wrong to be committed in our service to the Lord</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">-Joshua said that no matter the pressures, we must choose this day whom we will serve</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">III. Resolution of the Servant</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">-verse 15...choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', -webkit-fantasy;">-Joshua said he is resolved that no matter what god you serve, both he and his entire family are committed to serving the Lord </span></div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-22635871340282718662009-07-06T17:22:00.000-07:002009-07-06T17:55:29.306-07:00Sunday Stuff<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">It always feel good to be back home from preaching on the road to being back in the pulpit that you have been handed to be a good steward over it and the people of God. I am happy to be back at the First Mount Zion Church! </span><div><br /></div><div>All week long, I had been real excited about returning back to First Mount Zion, because I was starting a new series on commitment and I was really chomping at the bit to begin. </div><div><br /></div><div>Due to the 4th of July holiday, our crowd was off, but there was a real good spirit of worship in the house. Penny did her usual outstanding job of leading our Sunday School, and Jamal really blessed the house during the music ministry portion as he led us in singing that great hymn standard of the church, Holy, Holy, Holy.</div><div><br /></div><div>We began this new series on commitment, with an exposition out of Joshua 24:14-15, which I labeled A Choice To Serve. This man Joshua, appointed by God to complete the assignment of his father in the ministry Moses had not yet done, lead the children of Israel into the promised land, at the end of his long journey, was distressed because the people began to possess a spirit of indifference and indecision towards the things of God.</div><div><br /></div><div>For there were some of the people who were faithful to the Lord and did whatever they could to advance his Kingdom. There were others who were among the people but not of the same ideals or love for the Lord , in fact they did everything they could to convince others to turn away from the Lord God. But there was another group, who refused to stand on either side of the equation. Those very people are who Joshua turned his attention to when he starts to give them a history lesson in verse 3 that it was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that had always been there for them. He says that since the Lord has always been good to them, they had to make a choice as to whether they serve man or they will serve the Lord. He tells them, they can serve the gods that their fathers served on the other side of the River, or they can even serve the gods of the Amorites in whose land they dwell, but as for him and his family, they will serve the Lord. God is asking that same question to the church today, will we serve the world or will we serve the Lord. Just like the songwriter said, I've decided to make Jesus my choice!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-17673974462224110122009-07-04T12:40:00.001-07:002009-07-04T12:57:10.701-07:00Starting A New Series<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">It has been a couple of weeks since I last posted a blog entry. On last Sunday, I was blessed to be the guest preacher for the 44th Church Anniversary of the Messiah Temple Baptist Church, Chicago, IL where my good friend Dr. Keith B. McGee serves as the Pastor. </span><div><br /></div><div>My assignment was to preach the 8 AM worship service, where the Lord led me to preach an exposition that I did at the First Mount Zion Church during our series on the book of Ezra, A Prayer For Revival, found in chapter 9 and verse 9. The Lord really blessed my feeble attempt at biblical exposition and I am so glad that he showed up. </div><div><br /></div><div>The 11 AM worship preacher was another good friend, Pastor Romell Williams of the Lilydale Progressive Baptist Church of Chicago, in which he preached a great exposition out of Acts 5:17-42, which he labeled the message, The Confirmation of Opposition. He presented an outstanding look at Gamaliel, whom we have always given a good review, but Pastor Williams said that his wisdom was really foolish. Great look by a great preacher!</div><div><br /></div><div>I am beginning a new series this week on our commitment as children of God, in which I have called the series, Commitment Is Not An Option. I do believe that the one of the key issues that have plagued the Christian Church is our inability to be totally committed to the Lord Jesus. We go to church when we feel like it, we tithe when we feel like it, we serve whenever we feel like it. All the while, we ask the Lord to keep us safe, to wake us up every morning, to give us gainful employment, to pay our bills, yet we won't give him what we owe him. I would suggest that God is tired of our non-commitment, but is challenging us in this day and time, to sell out for the Master. Bishop Hezekiah Walker sings a song that says, I am souled out...my heart is fixed and my minds made up, no room, no vacancies, I'm all filled up...the Spirit lives in me and that's the reason I'm souled out!</div><div><br /></div><div>Please pray for our church's time together in our worship of the Word. Have a safe Independence Day!</div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-91481080518890781432009-06-23T20:33:00.000-07:002009-06-23T20:43:44.133-07:00When Life Doesn't Make Sense<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><b>Text: Proverbs 3:5-6</b></span><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Thesis: when life brings us to a point of confusion, our total trust in our heavenly Father will make the difference between failure and fruitfulness</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>I. Measure of Our Trust</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>-verse 5...trust in the Lord with all your heart</b></div><div><b>-Solomon describes for us how much we are to trust in the Lord</b></div><div><b>-we are not to trust God haphazardly, not lazily nor as if it is inconsequential...but in our moments of confusion we are to trust the Lord with all of our heart</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>II. Motivation of Our Trust</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>-verse 5...trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding</b></div><div><b>-two verbs provide the proper picture of our motivation...lean and understanding</b></div><div><b>-lean means to depend on...understanding means intellect or logic</b></div><div><b>-Solomon says that we are to never depend on our own logic but rather on the logic of the Lord</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>III. Mark of Our Trust</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>-verse 6...in all your ways acknowledge him</b></div><div><b>-we are to express a high regard for the presence of the Lord in our lives</b></div><div><b>-need to acknowledge that God is the giver of everything in our lives...and if he brought us out of that before, surely he can bring us out again</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>IV. Management of Our Trust</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>-verse 6...in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths</b></div><div><b>-God manages the trust we place in him by giving us a reward for our trust</b></div><div><b>-that when we trust God, depend on his understanding, acknowledge his control over our situation, God will provide a way of escape</b></div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-62363723338448002662009-06-22T17:36:00.001-07:002009-06-22T17:50:27.623-07:00Sunday StuffLet me make a confession that I believe I have shared in a previous post, special days in church are not my favorite days to worship and preach in. I am turned off by the lack of attention that's paid to the importance of the preaching moment during worship, so much so, that I am often distracted for a momentarily by the actions and antics of those who come to be seen and not to worship. I may be a little harsh but please understand my convictions about this: the most important moment in any worship experience, I believe, is the moment of preaching and the subsequent decision that an unsaved sinner must make during the call to discipleship, and it bothers me to no end, when people take that moment for granted or don't have a high regard for it.<div><br /></div><div>Having said all of that, worship yesterday at the First Mount Zion Church was off the hook! It began from sunday school, all the way to the invitation to discipleship. Penny was great with her class as usual, Jamal sang his face off during the worship in song period, I mean he really blessed the people, and the Lord showed up in a major way during the moment of preaching. It made me really forget my inhibitions with preaching during special days and I am grateful for the time we all shared with the Lord in worship.</div><div><br /></div><div>I continued our small sermon series on encouragement with a message that has been a burden on my heart to preach for some time, out of a familiar passage housed in Proverbs 3:5-6 which I labeled "When Life Does Not Make Sense". This message dealt with our trouble in dealing when life gets confusing to a child of God. Solomon writes this great book so that the reader is shown how to live a wise life and is instructed on how to be successful in life through an intense fear of the Lord. Chapter 3 is a picture of a father who motivates his inexperienced child on how to trust God completely when life makes no sense. In those moments of confusion, God doesn't desire us to fall to pieces to give up and throw in the towel, but to trust God in moments of misery and confusion.</div><div><br /></div><div>After church, Penny took me to one of my favorite local Italian restaurants for dinner and we came home and just relaxed and enjoyed our day. I thank God for great days!!!!!</div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-6979052619853207572009-06-16T20:29:00.000-07:002009-06-16T20:54:02.864-07:00God Will Help You<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><b>Text: Psalm 46:1-3</b></span><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Thesis: our ability to rise above our bad situations rest totally in our complete confidence in a God who can</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>I. God is Our Personal Rescue</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>-verse 1...God is our refuge and strength</b></div><div><b>-this verse suggests that when we are in trouble, God is willing to come to our rescue</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>1. We Find Safety in God - verse 1...God is our refuge - this means that God is our shelter from our troubles</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>2. We Find Security in God - verse 1...and strength - this means that when we get in a tight situation we need somebody stronger than we are to handle the tough times of life</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>II. God is Our Powerful Resource</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>-verse 1...God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble</b></div><div><b>-this suggest that not only will God protect us from trouble but he will provide for us in trouble</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>-present has two distinct meanings in the Hebrew:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">1. God is our Sufficient Resource - it means to be enough...when we get in trouble, God is all that we need</span></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>2. God is our Immediate Resource - it also means right now...for there are times when we cannot wait God will show up right now</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>III. God is Our Permanent Resistance</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>-verses 2-3...therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea...though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling Selah</b></div><div><b>-resistance is a synonym for preservation which means that God will preserve us from the troubles in our lives</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>1. preserves us even though our fears stricken us (v. 2)</b></div><div><b>2. preserves us even though our foundations shake us (v. 2-3)</b></div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-73054664674914787532009-06-15T16:53:00.000-07:002009-06-15T17:30:10.067-07:00Sunday StuffMy wife and I went away on vacation last week so I did not attend worship of any kind for the first time in a long time, and it was really worth it and much needed. We have been on the grind at the First Mount Zion Church for the entire 3 years that we have been there and even more so since we began our relocation project 2 years ago this month. We both were completely fried mentally and physically and I am grateful to the Master for allowing us to be able to go an refresh and recharge our batteries to come back ready to work.<div><br /></div><div>I came back this week ready to get back at relocating and rebuilding our church. I continued our "mini-series" on encouragement with an exposition on one of my favorite passages in scripture housed in Psalm 46:1-3 which I labeled the message God Will Help You. This Psalm written by an unknown psalter, is an companion text to 2 Kings 19, which is a Psalm that was written as a celebration because God had assisted the children of God survive and attack and prevail in a battle with the Assyrians under the rule of Sennacherib. This song was sung as they went into the Temple in celebration for God helping them defeat their enemies. </div><div><br /></div><div>We may not have an enemy named Sennacherib, but our enemy is more powerful and more wicked by the name of Satan, and in our attacks from our enemy, we are unable to defeat them under our own strength or devices because our physical strength is powerless against a spiritual foe. But we have a God that will provide all of the help we need in our battles against Satan.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7919006927967739459.post-88489898708273192852009-06-04T17:52:00.000-07:002009-06-04T18:53:53.327-07:00Strength For The StruggleI am currently in a serious predicament with regards to my preaching schedule and it has me in a real quandary. As many of you know, I am consistently in a series either on a book of the bible, a chapter of the bible or a biblical principle. I truly believe that preaching in a series keeps the focus of our congregation on a specific thought for an entire period that develops their understanding of scripture and their familiarity of the direction that God is leading our church. But I am now in a real quandary. I have just completed our series on the Beatitudes entitled Developing Christian Character, and due to various things going on during the month of June, it would not be prudent for me to start a new series and have it broken up a couple of weeks in the month, hence the problem.<div><br /></div><div>So during my personal prayer time, I sought direction from the Lord and he led me to preach a few messages on encouragement in the meantime. In this present day and age, with our economy dealing a mighty blow to our finances, with enemies of our country still plotting to do us much harm, the people of God need to be encouraged to stand tall in the midst of pain, doom and gloom. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Lord led me to preach an exposition out of 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 which I have tagged Strength For the Struggle. The Apostle Paul writes this 4th chapter as a continuation to what he wrote in chapter 3. In chapter 3 he tells the church there that there were a group of zealots called Judaizers who preached a mixed gospel to the Galatians that threatened to destroy the ministry.</div><div><br /></div><div>Their major emphasis was that salvation by faith in Christ was not enough, that they had to mix faith in Christ with an obedience to the law. This gospel of legalism became very popular with the people and it undermined the correct teachings of Paul that our salvation is solely tied to our belief in the person of Jesus Christ. Paul rejected their methods of teaching as those who were false teachers leading the people of God away from the Word of God. How did Paul refute these false prophets, by showing the people the wonderful glory of the ministry of the Gospel by reminding them that this ministry was given to them by the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is the sermon outline:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Text: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Thesis: our realization of what we have in Jesus Christ, provides for us all the strength we need to handle any conflict that comes our way</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>I. Refuse to Discontinue the Ministry</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>-verse 1...therefore having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart</b></div><div><b>-he had already confessed that the trials he faced in Asia almost brought him to despair in 2 Cor. 1:8</b></div><div><b>-because of all of the struggles...all of the heartaches...all of the pain...all of the discouragement that comes along with the ministry...no matter how difficult the struggle, he will never give up on the ministry</b></div><div><b>-Jesus said in Luke 9 while talking to his disciples about the cost of ministry, tells one who wanted to say farewell to his family before he follows Jesus...he that put his hands to the Gospel plow and looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of Heaven</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>II. Refuse to Deceive the Ministry</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>-verse 2...but we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways</b></div><div><b>-Paul acknowledges that this ministry came from the Lord...and since it came from the Lord, we must conduct ourselves as good ambassadors of Jesus Christ...we cannot conduct ourselves in a deceitful manner</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>1. refuse to deface the Gospel of God...verse 2...we refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word</b></div><div><b>-Paul refuses to handle the Word of God deceitfully</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>2. refuse to disavow the goodness of God...verse 3...and even if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing</b></div><div><b>-the Judaizers were guilty of hiding the truths of the Gospel to keep the people fooled into believing that their teaching was the truth</b></div><div><b>-Paul says that he has nothing to hide in his personal life nor in his preaching and he will always allow the people to see the goodness of the Lord through his Word</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>3. refuse to deny the glory of God...verse 4...in their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ</b></div><div><b>-Paul says that he will never deny the people from experiencing the glory of God through his faithfulness in preaching the truths of the Gospel</b></div><div><b>-the lost sinner is blinded by Satan but when sinners are given the Gospel the light of the Gospel will shine on their lives</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>III. Refuse to Dominate the Ministry</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>-verse 5...for what we proclaim is not ourselves, but jesus Christ as Lord with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake</b></div><div><b>-the awesome fact that Jesus gave them the ministry kept Paul from allowing the ministry to be all about him</b></div><div><b>-but the ministry is always about Jesus Christ</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>1. preached genuine humility...verse 5</b></div><div><b>2. God pours His glory into humanity...verse 6</b></div>Pastor Lance A. Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12438596379663714792noreply@blogger.com2