This past weekend we opened up something we’ve never done at HPC before: MEMBERSHIP. We feel that it is something that we’re ready to take that step into – taking a stand with each other as a spiritual family, committing to serve, support, and strengthen each other.

Check out the page we’ve set up for those who want to get on board right off the start – it’s a membership covenant, and for those who are part of the HPC family already you can sign the covenant online and also sign up for a membership class as well. Click the image below to go to that site.

That’s always been our prayer, and our ultimate goal for Healing Place Church – to spread the Gospel by whatever means we can. And in 17 years God has given us tremendous favor and opportunities to reach people. We’ve added multiple services, multiple locations, and helped plant other churches in our area and around the world. God has allowed us to establish campuses in our city, in Texas, and two in Africa, and to send out several of our staff from Baton Rouge to serve in those campuses and other churches. We’ve used video on a big screen, and we’re using video on computer screens via the internet. Tons of methods for spreading the Word.

Just a few weeks ago we were blessed to be given a church in downtown Baton Rouge. The great hearts of a group of people at Winbourne Baptist Church followed what they felt was God’s leading to give us their facility to use for spreading the Gospel through the Baton Rouge Dream Center. It’s humbling to see what God has done. When I look at our history, I see God’s hand, His blessing, and His favor… all for the purpose of spreading the Gospel.

Today, God is still in the business of reaching people and spreading the Gospel. I’m excited to let you know about a change we’ve made in our St. Amant and Donaldsonville Dream Center campuses that I believe furthers the cause of Christ to reach more people.

About a year ago, Mark Stermer and I discussed the idea of launching the St. Amant campus off into a new season as an autonomous church, and making the Donaldsonville Dreamcenter an outreach of that new church. After much prayer we have made this transition, and the HPC St. Amant campus is now The Church of St. Amant with Mark and Cindy Stermer as the lead pastors, with the wonderful responsibility and opportunity of the Donaldsonville Dreamcenter.

I was honored to speak in the Sunday services at the St. Amant campus yesterday and let them know that at HPC we’ll continue to support financially and serve the work in Donaldsonville as it serves the poor and hurting in that community, because that is our heart.

We’re very excited to be able to see the Gospel spreading out through the efforts of God’s people in The Church of St. Amant and the Donaldsonville Dream Center as well as at Healing Place Church.

This is such a great time to be alive and spreading the Gospel in so many ways God has given. We are blessed!

Two weeks ago monsoons in Pakistan created flood waters that have now swept across one quarter of the country affecting 20 million people causing five times more damage than the 2005 earthquake. The floods have left a severe shortage of clean drinking water putting up to three and a half million children at a high risk of deadly water-borne diseases as well as an estimated six million at risk from such diseases as cholera.

As the rain and flood waters continue to pass through the country, Pakistan and the United Nations are appealing for aid and emergency response funds for much needed shelter and medicine. Joyce Meyer Ministries Hand of Hope is providing disaster relief funds to supply as much life-saving aid and relief to the affected areas as possible. We are also distributing many of Joyce’s books in the native languages of the region to provide comfort and hope in this time of adversity. As a partner of Joyce Meyer Ministries, your support is going directly to meeting the needs and displaying the love of Christ to those affected by this disaster.

I want to encourage you to pray for these people – every single one of them matter greatly to God. And pray about what God would want to do through you to help.

Kevin spoke and reminded that us as men we are warriors, and Lee Domingue challenged us to take up our crown because God wants us to be kings. And I want to make sure all of you know that we’ll be studying Lee’s book, Pearls of the King, in our men’s Bible studies this fall (starting next week). You can pick up the book and workbook in the Missions Cafe or from www.pearlsoftheking.com.

A few things you need to know:

1. Kevin Mawae will be speaking at the Highland Campus tonight as well, so whether you made it last night or not, you definitely want to come out tonight to hear him. (7pm in the HPC Arena)
2. Next Thursday at 8pm central time I’ll be joining Lee Domingue live online with Dan Ohlerking for a live Q&A about the new men’s connect group study series Pearls of the King. Make sure to RSVP and spread the word about it.
3. The new men’s connect group study series begins this coming week! Check out times and locations where you can join in by clicking here. (and don’t forget about our online men’s connect group, too – meeting every 2nd and 4th Tuesday nights at 9:30pm central).

And last but not at all least I’d love to invite you to watch TBN (Cox cable channel 270 in Baton Rouge) tonight at 9pm central. I’ll be on with Joel Osteen, Brian Houston, Stovall Weems, Rich Wilkerson, Carl Lentz and more in a special we taped a few days ago. I really would love for you to experience it!

God is doing amazing things at HPC – make sure you’re being a part and helping to spread the word! These upcoming events are great opportunities to invite your friends and family who may not already have a relationship with Jesus. Your invitation could make a huge difference in their lives. You just never know until you try.

Cool video huh? If you think the video is cool, you’re gonna LOVE Sunday nights at HPC.

For the latest from the Weather Channel please be sure to check their site for the latest news.

Our friends from Australia are awesome. Check this out: Hillsong Live is headed for South Carolina – the state I grew up in. I’m so happy to see South Carolina get a shot at this experience. If you’re in the Spartanburg area (or if you can get there by Sunday) you need to go get in on it.

Sunday 25th July – Spartanburg, SC at Evangel Cathedral

All the details for getting tickets and all the other places (like Albuquerque, NM) that they’re going to be are posted on their website here: live.hillsong.com.

Jesus Is Lord

Philippians 2:5-11 NIV

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death–
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus Christ IS Lord.

Associating ourselves with Jesus Christ sets us apart from others… We talk about Messiah, Prophet, etc but LORD sets everything apart. LORD means Yahweh, one of ultimate authority. When you speak of Lordship, you speak of ultimate authority. No one and no thing higher.

Question: Who has ULTIMATE AUTHORITY over my life?

Sometimes it’s easier to talk about Him as a Savior or Rescuer, but when speak of Lordship, really saying “I submit.” LORD = Owner, One in total control, He to whom one belongs, One submitted to. “Jesus is either Lord of all or not Lord at all.” No in between! No grey area! Unstoppable! We are not gonna “make” Jesus Lord. He already is Lord! Even if no one confesses it, He is still Lord.

Question: Is Jesus Lord of my life?

Ripples will spread in life like ripples travel in water when a pebble is thrown in. Confessing Jesus as Lord of our lives ripples to every part of our lives. So much of our life boils down to a Lordship issue. It’s in all of our decisions. His values, His morals, His mission, His words are above all of my values, my morals, my mission, my words.

Romans 10:9-10 NIV

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

The Lordship of Jesus will change your life… my life.

Psalm 144:12-15 NIV

Then our sons in their youth
will be like well-nurtured plants,
and our daughters will be like pillars
carved to adorn a palace.
Our barns will be filled
with every kind of provision.
Our sheep will increase by thousands,
by tens of thousands in our fields;
our oxen will draw heavy loads.
There will be no breaching of walls,
no going into captivity,
no cry of distress in our streets.
Blessed are the people of whom this is true;
blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.

The Lordship of Jesus is a blessing over my life. It’s protection!

If you want to know more about how you can invite the Lordship of Jesus over your life, please check out the Next Steps section of the HPC website.

Also, if you’d like to see and hear this message as a part of a church experience this week, there’s one more chance to catch it. We’d love to have you join us this Friday at 11am Central at our online campus – healingplacechurch.org/online.

Now, I’ve got a question for you: Are you living under the Lordship of Jesus, and if so, what does that mean to you today? And if not, what’s holding you back?

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” -Ephesians 2:10 NIV

What a great Father’s Day we had this past Sunday! It is amazing to know that we are all God’s workmanship and how, despite any past mistakes, we are all created to do good works. Simply put, your life is by His design! In addition to that great news, and some incredible fried fish, we also learned about an opportunity for us to display our workmanship when I introduced PROJECT 14.

The goal of Project 14 is to build out the remaining 14,000 square feet of children’s space in the HPC Arena. What an amazing opportunity we have to come together as a church to finish the space where our kids will grow and learn about Christ! The heart behind Kingdom Builders has always been to impact eternity for generations to come.

This is where “Project 14: God’s Plan, Our Hands,” comes in. We are going to build this together! We want to invite you to join us and give you the opportunity to be hands-on in finishing our future children’s space. If you have a special skill or if you own a business that can contribute, I’m asking you to be involved. God has an amazing plan, and we get to help complete it through the work of our hands.

Along with your time and talents, I am also asking you to prayerfully consider contributing a financial gift towards Project 14. I am convinced that we are to pay for the build-out with cash. We are believing that God will provide 700 families that will each give a $1000 gift towards the unfinished children’s space. Of course, every gift is valuable no matter the amount, as our church has always been built on the sacrifice of many. This is a time sensitive request as we need the financial resources in the bank within the next 30 days so we can start the build-out.

Getting involved is easy. To donate your skill, click here. To give a financial gift, click here and select “Project 14″ in the dropbox.

Despite the many challenges we may face in the coming months, I want you to remember this: God will supply all our needs and He will use each and every one of us to lead the charge. There is nothing more valuable than the next generation of Godly leaders. Please join me in praying for Project 14 and in giving our time and treasure towards its completion.