Monday, July 26, 2010

WHY PRAY?

   1) There is a God
   2) He listens to prayer
   3) He hears my prayer    


I choose to believe in God because the alternative is simply void. ..void of purpose. ..void of compassion. I cannot relinquish my faith to mere coincidence. I refuse to base my existence on a random set of events whose mathematical and scientific permutation are unfathomable. Without divinely given purpose, and the capacity for self willed compassion I am subject to nothing more than animalistic instinct. I have no wish to live in a world where intellectual and physical strength leave no room for the beauty of the God given soul. I choose to leave behind the bleak and barren landscape of humanistic rhetoric. I choose to believe in God. So, for me there is a God.

If l believe there is a God then, I accept my existence is the result ofGod's will. God is infinitely greater in power, knowledge, and goodness than I am. Therefore, if l am aware of his
existence; he must surely be aware of mine. God knows my thoughts and intents. He must know my words! If God has given me life and purpose, he must care deeply for me. 

"For this reason I kneel before the F ather, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the .fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us ,to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen. " [Ephesians 3: 14-21] Paul's prayer for Ephesus.

There is a God, he listens to prayer but, how does he hear my prayer among the countless prayers of all humanity? For this I would like to borrow from a metaphor presented on the BBC by one of the giants of Christian apologetics, C.S. Lewis. 


God is timeless and as such has eternity to access every moment in time. Lewis presented God as the author of a book who may at any time walk away from writing. For the characters in the story, the time between when the author stopped writing and then returned to his work is undetectable. The events of the story will just continue to unfold from beginning to end. In this sense, to us our lives are on a continuum but, God possesses the unique ability to access us at any point in time. With this being understood, God has all eternity to listen, ponder, and respond to each and every one of our prayers. God is never too busy to hear your prayer.

This may seem to some simplistic and bold but, the truth often is just that. ..simple and bold.


How special would you feel if you had a direct line to the President, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Lebron James, or some other World renowned celebrity? How many times a day would you call? If we could even begin to comprehend God's love for us, we would never again forget to pray. ..we would "pray without ceasing." [ I Thessalonians 5: 17]
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Rev. Andy Wilson is a licensed minister with the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ (ALJC) and a life long member of New Life Apostolic Church in Watkinsville, Georgia. Andy and his wife Tammy have one child, Caleb. They have served in several capacities in the church such as preaching, youth ministry, and teaching. Andy is an anointed man of God and has been mentored by great men of God such as his late father, Rev. Jim Wilson, Bishop Douglas Hammond, and our current pastor, Rev. Tim Hammond. Andy and his family are tremendous assets to the Kingdom of God. You can contact him at nlac.tv@gmail.com. Thanks for reading his article. God Bless, Scott Strawn



Monday, July 12, 2010

2010 GEORGIA DISTRICT CAMP - JULY 19, 20, 21

Georgia Apostolic Crusaders Youth Camp is quickly approaching. We will be having our camp this year at Legacy Retreat Center in Commerce, GA on July 19-22. We are very excited about our new location and are expecting great things. Bro James Chessor will be preaching the nights and Bro Chad Erickson will be preaching the mornings and leading us in praise and worship. Our theme for this year is EMERGE.

Emerge- to rise, come forth into view or notice; rise up-reach out

My vision is for the students in our Georgia District to Emerge; Rise Up and Reach Out! We are a generation that has been called out of darkness, into His marvelous light. Our teenagers and college students are facing more today than we can even fathom. They have been told by this world that they can’t make it. In a society where celebrities, athletes, and politicians continue to fall, they’ve been made to believe that it’s impossible to live and be Christ-Like. The bible says in Matthew 19:26, “with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

It’s my ambition and goal for our students to reach out to their schools, communities, and families. Mark 16:15 says “go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Two key words in that passage are “all” and “every.” Our students have been given the opportunity to go to all and preach to everyone. They can reach people that we could never reach. They have to believe in themselves and trust in God. The world says that one person can’t make a difference, but God says that you and I can make a difference. “Two are better than one…” Let’s EMERGE and rise up and reach out in 2010.

Jason Hagwood (pictured left with his wife Deesha) is a licensed minister with the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ (ALJC) organization and a youth pastor with New Life Apostolic Church in Watkinsville, Georgia. He also serves as the Georgia District President for the ALJC. He is married to Deesha Hagwood and they have two children. Jason can be reached at jhag7780@aol.com.