All posts by stevenbradley@joychurch.com

Go, Go Global!, Go Local!, Go on Missions, Pastor Steve's Blog, Uncategorized

To the ends of the earth!

global-missions-image

Only as we begin to understand our existence in regards to living with a Biblical worldview, do we truly understand our obligation to the Great Commission.  In short, our purpose as a body of believers is to be a witness for God’s love and salvation to a lost and dying world.  But the question arises – where does that obligation end?  With our neighbor?  Our community?  Our country?  No, Jesus said:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  Acts 1:8

Perhaps Mark said it best when he said:

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.“ Mark 16:15

So it’s pretty obvious from Scripture that Continue reading To the ends of the earth! →

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Are You Worried? Just Worship!

 

Worship

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7

Turn your worry into worship!

God’s in control of every situation!

Many times I see worried looks on the faces of those leaving for their first mission trip.   Excitement mixed with apprehension! For many, it will be the first time on foreign soil, far from the comforts that we have become so accustomed to here in the United States. For others it will be the first time away from family or friends. It’s only natural to be a little uneasy of something you’ve never experienced before. Congratulations, you’re normal! Of course we can expect to be Continue reading Are You Worried? Just Worship! →

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Can God Really use ME?

use me

“Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior””
Judges 6:11-12


Can God really use me?
The only ability you need to be used by God…
Is your availability!
If God could use a man like Gideon, He can use anybody! As we read the story of Gideon in the book of Judges we find him thrashing his wheat inside of a wine press in order to hide it from the bullying Midianites. Now you have to understand that thrashing wheat is something that was normally done outside. As you threw the wheat into the air, the wind would carry away the chaff and the wheat would fall to the ground in a pile. This had to be quite a task to accomplish this inside without the help of the wind! Difficult as it was, Gideon chose to attempt it because he was afraid of getting beat up by a bully and losing his wheat.
The interesting thing is that Continue reading Can God Really use ME? →

Go, Pastor Steve's Blog, Uncategorized

Are You Ready to Get in the Game?

Game 2

“And He was saying to them, “The Harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
Go; behold I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.”
Luke 10:2-3

Are you ready to get in the game?
God needs players who are willing to get off the bench and into the game!
I recently saw a television commercial for a company of which I have forgotten the name. I don’t watch much television and even fewer commercials but what caught my eye was a tennis match, presumably Wimbledon, with a packed stadium. As the competitors battled it out, one fellow in a suit and tie decided he could help out so he vaulted the railing, whipped out a tennis racket and leaped onto the court, vigorously returning the opponent’s volleys. As other members of the previously mundane audience saw what he had done, they too began to leap to the court, one by one, until everyone in the stands was rushing to get in the game.
Though I realize this was meant to be comical and nothing more than a spoof, I wonder what the world would be like if Christians exhibited the same enthusiasm to help their team win. Someone once said that the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. You see, being passive isn’t being neutral. In effect you’re saying to the enemy, “go ahead and do what you want, you don’t have to worry about me, I’m not in the game.”
Now don’t get me wrong,  Continue reading Are You Ready to Get in the Game? →

Go Local!

Are you Qualified?

Here at Joy Christian Fellowship we believe that, as followers of Jesus Christ, we each have a personal responsibility to be involved in some way in helping fulfill His command to be His witnesses both here at home and around the world.  That responsibility begins in  our communities of Englewood and Midtown Manhattan and extends to our region, our country and the world.

If you call Jesus Savior and Lord, then rest assured He has a plan for your life as well!  Our heavenly Father desires for each of His children to use the gifts, talents and passions that he has given them to help fulfill His call to evangelize the world!  As a matter of fact the Great Commission is not a suggestion…it’s a command!  Jesus said in John 20:21 “As the Father has sent me, so also I send you.”  But don’t worry, whatever He calls you to do, He will equip you to do it.  Remember that God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called!  The only ability God needs from you is your availability!

Jesus told His disciples “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” If we are to accomplish the task He has given us to do, we need help…we need your help!   Take a look at our opportunities to serve and pray about where God would use you!  Just say ‘yes’ to God and watch Him use you in ways you never imagined.  Find your place in His plan to reach the world and it will change your life!  I challenge you to respond as Isaiah did and simply say “Here I am.  Send me.”  Don’t think you have much to offer?  You couldn’t be more wrong, just give Him what you have and watch Him take it and break it and feed the multitudes!

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Global Outreach Center

At Joy Christian Fellowship, our DNA is missions!  We take the Great Commission as our commission and we’re serious about the calling God has placed on each of us and on our church!  Between our Missions Executive Team, our Missions Mobilization Team, our missionary partners, strategic mission partnerships and all of our outreach ministries both here at home and around the world, we’ve got a lot to keep you updated on!  If you can’t find what you’re looking for here on our website, chances are you can find it at our Global Outreach Center located in the fellowship hall of our main sanctuary on the Englewood campus.  Make it a priority to stop by after any of our services, pick up information on our partners, find out what God is doing through our church, sign up for a trip and talk to one of our mission leaders from the JCF Missions Mobilization Team.  We would love to get you engaged in the Great Commission!

Global Outreach Center

Pray

PRAY!

“Today, as much as at any time, we need men of great faith and men who great in prayer.  These are the two cardinal virtues which make men great in the eyes of God.”       E.M. Bounds

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and, for Christians, that step must be prayer!  Before we give…we must pray.  Before we go…we must pray!  Prayer must be the fabric that weaves together every facet of a believer’s life as we constantly interact with the Father, following Him through every minute of every day.

Prayer must come first!  Someone once said that you can do more than pray after you’ve prayed, but you can do nothing but pray until you’ve prayed!  How true that is!  If you are a committed believer of Jesus Christ know that we are called to intercede on behalf of those we know…and those we don’t!  Your prayers are powerful and God hears them.  Your prayers can, will and do change things, whether here at home or halfway around the world!

So, are you ready to conquer the world for Christ, right from your own home?   Stop by our Global Outreach Center in the fellowship hall of our main sanctuary and pick up a free copy of our Missions Prayer Book.  In it you can find information on each of our missionaries we support, what God is doing through them, and specific needs you can pray for!  If you are looking for information on a global scale, you can find some great resources here that will help get started praying for the unreached and the least reached of the world.

Give

GIVE!

“Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.  For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.”               2 Corinthians 8:1-5

In Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth he details an incredible story of generosity among the Macedonian churches.  Even in times of hardship they continued to give in abundance for the work of the church.   The same commitment is needed today in order to fulfill the enormous task we face in fulfilling the great commission.

Go

GO!

The Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ is given multiple times in the New Testament.  In each of those we have a command to go!  But what does that really mean?  Well, if you look it up in the original Greek, it actually means to GO!  God desires for each of us to witness first hand His work and be a part of what He is doing!

If you’re ready to take the next step, stop by our Global Outreach Center to check out opportunities to get involved both here at home and around the world.  We have opportunities to serve almost every week here at home and multiple trips going overseas to work with our missionary partners.  You can find a list of trips by simply clicking on our 2015 Mission Trips here on this site our simply email Pastor Steve at stevenbradley@joychurch.com.

What's Happening

India Women’s Ministry

India Women’s Ministry Trip

India-map-hyderabad

A team from our JCF Women’s Ministry will be traveling to Hyderabad, India October 9-17, 2015 to work with our partner there, OM India.  This team will be working specifically with the Jogini (temple prostitutes) from the area around Mahabubnagar.  Will you pray about being a part of this very special team and allowing God to use you to be a part of His plan to reach those who so desperately need to know of His love, His grace and His mercy?  Stop by our Global Outreach Center in the fellowship hall of our main sanctuary to sign-up or contact womensministry@joychurch.com for more information.   Sign-up deadline is July 19.