Are you going to step forth and receive it?

As you start the New Year and set your resolutions I’d like you to think about God’s Word and what He has promised you. Although I’ve only listed a few below, the Bible contains thousands of God’s promises waiting for you to claim in faith.

When relationships become strained,
when illness robs your days,
when your stomach churns from the stresses of life,
when the unexpected happens…
Do you crumble alone,
or do you turn to Him to find strength and hope?

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good
and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. — Jeremiah 29:11

Sometimes in life we just need a partner—
we need someone who can be strong when we are weak,
someone who will always believe in us.
Guess what? God is that someone!

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. — Isaiah 41:10

Every now and then we need a safe place to take refuge.
Jesus accepts us even in our darkest hour.
He takes us in when we are downhearted and worn.
He surrounds us in His peace.
He sees us as we are and comforts us in His kindness and mercy.

For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed;
but my kindness shall not depart from thee,
neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed,
saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee. — Isaiah 54:10

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. — Matthew 11:28-29

Joy, peace and hope are being offered to you by God!
These are not just promises to “get by” or survive,
they are promises of overflowing hope,
of being filled with joy and peace!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. — Romans 15:13

THIS IS YOUR YEAR!!! Are you going to step forth and take it? It is my prayer that your faith and trust in our Heavenly Father will be increased as you seek Him to supply your every need this year. May you be abundantly blessed this year and all those to follow.

Everyone is welcome,

Pastor Tony Hoult

But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. – 1 John 3:17-18

As the new year begins, GFIC Jesus prepares for another year of reaching out to the community, both locally as well as internationally. The team leaders get together monthly and share the many great ideas they hear from the congregation. We encourage everyone who has an idea to bring it forward, so we can determine if we can make it happen.

Would you like to share some of your ideas? What would you do to reach out and help someone? Please come join our congregation and share your ideas and your love for our beloved Lord and Savior! Everyone is welcome!

GFIC Jesus has many gifted and talented people in our congregation. We have singers, greeters, cooks, and security, just to name a few! We are reaching out to children and adults who are gifted in playing any type of musical instrument, or have any other gift they would like to share.

AS GFIC Jesus continues to grow, we would like to include you in our ministry. Do you have a gift or a talent you’d like to share? If so, give us a call, or join us for any of our regular worship sessions or special events. Don’t be shy! Step out and let your light shine! We would love to have you.

GFIC Jesus Holiday Agreement

Not so long ago I spoke to you about the importance of love for one another, and more specifically, how God created us out of love, and OUR actions towards one another should emulate HIS love for each and every one of us.

Well, the season is upon us, and that means it’s just the beginning of all the holiday parties and family gatherings to come…

Unfortunately, most people find that what should be a time of joy and relaxation, turns into a long month of frustration and stress. And it’s no wonder, with all the extra activities and commitments interrupting our everyday lives and routines—when the word “miraculous” only comes to mind when we think about surviving the next couple weeks of December, the traffic, the lines, the rude clerk, that infuriating shopping cart and its broken wheel, the family feud of “who gets to host what party, where,” etc., etc., etc.

Grace Fellowship In Christ Jesus invites you to join us in this year’s holiday challenge!

This year we are going to be intentionally and purposefully practicing Dr. Kent M. Keith’s Paradoxical Commandments. Let’s see what kind of difference being an example of Christ will make – in both our own life, and the lives of others. I truly believe that it’s going to work so well, you’ll bring it along with you right into New Year!

The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

So what do you say… up for the challenge?

I knew you would be! Print a couple copies of this—hang it on your bathroom mirror and look at it when you get ready in the morning. Keep another copy in your purse or wallet. Have a spare by the bed or in the car… The important part is to read it often enough that you’re confident in how to react when He gives you the opportunity to be His vessel. As followers of Christ, it is up to us to share this message—not through words, but by becoming a living testimony of the loving God we serve.

Remember, we’re in this together so if you need some extra support (and I’m not talking about Aunt Edith’s eggnog…) just send me an email at info@gficjesus.com or give us a call 214.498.3692

Everyone is welcome,

Pastor Tony Hoult

The GFIC Jesus choir comes together as one voice for the Lord. Our choir has practiced on numerous occasions for the congregation and most importantly for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As they sing together, the sounds their voices create join in harmony to share the beauty they each have in the Lord.

The GFIC Jesus Choir will be performing its Christmas concert in December, so stay tuned for the dates and details and plan to join us for a joyful celebration!

You can experience the beautiful music by joining our regular church choir in early 2016. The love you feel in the choir will amaze you. Everyone is welcome!

You may not think of stories as a basic survival need, but our brains require them to give structure and meaning to our lives. The stories we tell ourselves about our lives don’t just shape our personalities—they are our personalities, and this plays a large role in who we were in the past, who we are in the present and most importantly, who we can become in the future.

A life story is written in chalk, not ink, and it can be changed. You are both the narrator and the main character of the story—not just simply living it out, but actually in charge of writing
it.

Is your story a thankful one?
Thankfulness is a prominent Bible theme. First Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Did you catch that? Give thanks in all circumstances. Thankfulness should be a way of life for us, naturally flowing from our hearts and mouths.

When we are thankful, our focus moves off of the pain of our current circumstances, and helps us remember that God is in control. Using thankfulness as the base for writing your own story is not only fitting, it’s actually healthy and beneficial to your mind, body and spirit. Utilizing thanksgiving in our everyday lives, in every situation, reminds us of the bigger picture, that we belong to God, and that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing, and truly, we have an abundant life.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him. – Colossians 3:17

Is your story one of redemption?
A redemption story starts off negative but ends positively. This means that no matter what life throws at you, no matter what sins you have committed, no matter the tribulations you’ve endured—you have found (or rewritten) new meaning and redemption in all circumstances.

And through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him. – Colossians 1:20-22

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are given a clean slate. For some this comes as a great relief, but many more are still haunted by their past. If you are still living in shame or blame, I urge you to let go. God forgave you―long before you asked, and He is ALWAYS going to love and accept you no matter what! Glorify Him by making your life’s story a redemptive and thankful one.

Your story belongs to you, from beginning to end. It is still evolving. Your past can be retold. And the rest…is still waiting to be written.

Everyone is welcome,

Pastor Tony Hoult

Fall is in the air and that means we are gearing up for our Fall Festival. So get ready to come out and join the fun and festivities!

The event will be October 20th from 6pm to 9pm, on the church parking lot at 411 S Westmoreland Rd, Oak Cliff. We will have a bounce house, popcorn machine, hot dogs, cotton candy, cake walk…just to name a few of the activities. We are also inviting the Fire Department.

This is a great event, so don’t miss out on the fun and fellowship!

Good news travels fast… For several months, Pastor Tony has felt we needed something for our young adults. Well, Praise the Lord! Pastor Odell has stepped into the gap. In just a few short weeks he has started to remodel their class to fit their needs and began putting a curriculum together!

The group for the youth (ages 12-18) is off to a great start. We are in the process of setting up a space JUST FOR THEM! The next generation of the mighty ones is called The Journey – the first step on that path is to know “Who Am I.” When the Lord begins to move He doesn’t waste time! Thank you Jesus!!

Join us for a fun time in the Lord each Sunday following Praise and Worship!

Even when you don’t feel like it…

Rejoice in the Lord always
And again I say rejoice
Rejoice in the Lord always
And again I say rejoice
Rejoice, rejoice
And again I say rejoice
Rejoice, rejoice
And again I say rejoice

Do you remember that song from Sunday school? It’s still one of my favorites to this day. So much so that I even sing it in “big people” service! Even with such simple lyrics, it’s message is quite profound. Because you know what?Sometimes it’s hard to rejoice. Sometimes, you just have one of those days. And other times it seems like you’re having one of those weeks, or months, or years…and these are the times you might not feel up to rejoicing.

I remember a period of time in my life when things just seemed so hard…so long…so difficult. Everything was more complicated than expected – even things that should have been easy, weren’t. In fact, nothing was easy! Finally I had ENOUGH—I threw my hands up to the Lord and said, Where’s my freakin’ easy button? I mean really, what had I done to deserve this kind of treatment??? I was being a good and faithful servant, I was giving so much of my time to the service of others that I didn’t have anything left for myself, I mean I was being a saint! So, why? Why me?

After patiently waiting for my tantrum to die down, God put something in my heart that I hadn’t thought of in ages…

You can choose to say:

Good morning God!
or
good god, morning (uuughhh…)

Every morning it’s up to me. It’s my choice either way, but I guarantee you, choosing the first option makes for a much better day – even the hard ones.

Truth is, we are all just mortals living in a temporary home. Sickness, turmoil, troubles and grief are all part and parcel of our place here. There will be days, weeks, months, and yes, maybe even years, that will seem to drag by at an aggravatingly slow and weary pace.

But remember, we are supposed to be rejoicing in the LORD, our Father who waits for us in our real home, and is preparing a place for us at His table—not this earth and all the trials that go with it!

Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven. – Luke 10:20

Believe me, the only thing worse than a bad day is…a bad day with a bad attitude. I don’t want you to think that I’m preaching down at you. It’s quite the opposite – I know what it’s like to struggle. I know what it’s like to wake up in the morning and wish you could just pull the covers back over your head. What I really want, is to remind you that there is still something to rejoice about, even in your darkest hours.

So my friend, what will you say tomorrow morning?

✦ A Special Note from Pastor Tony ✦

Listen, I understand how it feels to have those awful, terrible, no-good days. I wanted to share a few scriptures that help pull me out of rough patches and back to rejoicing in my Lord. Print them out, tape them up where you can see them first thing in the morning, even carry a copy in your wallet!

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:6-7

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by his love; He will exult over you with loud singing. – Zephaniah 3:17

Do not be anxious about anything, 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 understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. – Matthew 11:28-30

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. – John 16:33

Everyone is welcome,

Pastor Tony Hoult