Our church-wide theme for 2016 is "Every Member a Transformed Disciple." This theme is relevant because as a church family we are on a journey to become a "Transformational Church." A transformational church is a church where the members are becoming like Christ Jesus, the congregation comes together as the body of Christ and the community around the church is being transformed with the values of the Kingdom of God. On Sunday, January 21, 2016, we begin our process of transformation with a 21-Day "Daniel Fast," and as part of the fast we are encouraging everyone to commit to daily devotions including utilizing a prayer guide which can be found by clicking below.
As background, The Daniel Fast is a Biblically based partial fast based on the Prophet Daniel's fasting experiences in the Bible. The book of Daniel was written during a difficult time in the history of the children of Israel, when the children of Israel were taken captive and forced to live in the strange and hostile land of Babylon. Today, like the children of Israel, we too live in a strange and often hostile land. Secularism is on the rise and daily we are pressured to compromise our faith and to give in to ways of the world.
One of the keys to Daniel's success was that he made up his mind early on not to give-in to the ways of the world. The bible says, Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine..." (Daniel 1:8). The word resolve in the Bible is a strong word. We often make New Year's resolutions and even before the ink has dried on them, they are broken. But Daniel shows us that we should take our vows seriously and do all that we can do to obey God. It my prayer that in 2016 we will become a transformative church seeking to take our vows of discipleship seriously and to obey God in all that we say and do.
Peace and Blessings to you and yours!
Pastor Kip Banks, Sr.
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