Clean Hands and A Pure Heart (Days of Power Series) [47:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

This Sunday’s sermon from Pastor Ron Bontrager was based on Psalms 24:3-4, “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.”

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 Never Be Afraid of the Glory of God’s Presence [45:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

In this Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Ron Bontrager encouraged the congregation to never fear the glory of the presence of God.

Fear will keep me from receiving God’s glory
Fear will keep me from seeking God’s glory
Fear may even cause me to demonize God’s glory

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Oct 25th Devotional
Study:
Luke 2:8-20. The Shepherds responded to God’s presence and awesome power with fear. They were ’sore afraid’ according to KJV. What is it about the presence and power of God that intimidates us?
Challenge:
Examine your heart. If you were a shepherd on that glory filled night, would you have experienced the wonderful Messiah [...]

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Oct 24th Devotional
Study:
Mark 6:7-13. Jesus called His disciples and then sent them out with God’s power to affect human lives and destiny with the same power. Is it entirely possible that God wants to do the same thing with us? We are to view our life in Christ just like the disciples. We are each [...]

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Oct 23rd Devotional
Study:
Ephesians 6:10-18. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Are you? Talking about God’s power and being clothed in it are two different things.
Challenge:
Pray through each part of the armor and ask God to clothe you fully in His awesome power.

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Oct 22th Devotional
Study:
Acts 8:9-24. This story is amazing in that Simon the Sorcerer, after he witnessed the power of God flowing through Peter and John and how many lives were transformed, he actually offered to pay them so he could get their power. God’s power is not for sale, but it is free to those [...]

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Oct 21st Devotional
Study:
Matthew 4:23-24, Matthew 9:35-38, Mark 16:18. Jesus had a healing ministry. He healed sick people, freed people who were bound, and saw God’s power do miracles through Him. He then sent His disciples out to do the same, and promised that ‘greater things you will do because I go to the Father.’
Challenge:
Do [...]

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Oct 20th Devotional
Study:
Luke 4:31-37. When Jesus was living on earth He was not content with simply going around TEACHING people about God. He knew they needed to also ENCOUNTER the living, presence and power of God. So everything that Jesus did was geared for truth and power, for knowledge and encounter. Jesus was never content [...]

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Oct 19th Devotional
Study:
2 Corinthians 12:7-10. In this amazing passage Paul explains that the power of God is most often demonstrated through seasons of weakness in our life. Paul said he actually came to the place where he embraced suffering and difficulty because again and again he saw God’s power being released through the pain.
Challenge:
List [...]

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 Truth and Power [47:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

This week at Lakeview Church, Pastor Ron Bontrager’s sermon was based on Ephesians 1:15-22, where Paul urges believers to know both the truth about God and to experience the power of God.

Knowledge and power were marks of Jesus’ ministry
Knowledge by itself can become an idol
Experience can actually outpace knowledge at times

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Oct 18th Devotional
Study:
Ephesians 1:15-23. Notice how Paul passionately identifies both knowledge and power. Knowledge and truth without power and an encounter with the living God are limited. If we stay focused only on knowledge and truth but never experience the transforming power of God we are really only walking in about HALF of what God [...]

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Oct 17th Devotional
Study:
Mark 5:18-20. The formerly demonic man was turned down by Jesus to travel around with Him. Instead he was summoned to go back to his town and tell everyone everywhere he went what Jesus had done in his life.
Challenge:
Tell someone today about the way Jesus has changed your life.

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Oct 16th Devotional
Study:
Mark 5:15-17. Not everyone will applaud you when you lay down your demons. Some will say you are out of your mind! It may even scare some people. Those closest to you may like you better with the demons than they do with power of God operating in your life.
Challenge:
Are you pursuing [...]

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Oct 15th Devotional
Study:
Luke 24:49. My verse for 2009 is Isaiah 26:3; “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” I find that keeping my mind on God and on things above is a real challenge. We are children of the information age. We are barraged [...]

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Oct 14th Devotional
Study:
Luke 10:38-42. One of Satan’s most effective strategies in our day is a frenzied, busy, never-shut-off spirit that has no rest. Mary chose to sit at Jesus’ feet while Martha ran around busy, frustrated, and driven. Jesus said that Mary had chosen the better part and it would not be taken from her.
Challenge:

Honestly [...]

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Oct 13th Devotional
Study:
Ephesians 4:17-24. Our mind has been called the battle field of life. I think it’s where the devil attacks us the most. Bill Provost was right when he said, “Only when you rule your mind can you possibly rule your world!” Are you winning the battle of the mind?
Challenge:
Take an honest assessment of [...]

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Oct 12th Devotional
Study:
Ephesians 5:18, 6:18. Why should we desire to be filled with God’s Spirit? The answer is really very simple. When we are filled with God’s Spirit then we are filled with God’s power. In the Gospels Jesus taught one of the primary ways for Christians to experience God’s power was through the infilling, [...]

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 God's Power Over a Troubled Mind [48:45m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Today’s sermon by Pastor Ron Bontrager focused on a passage from Mark 5:1-20 about a demon-possessed man who was healed by Jesus. Pastor Ron discussed the significance of three things that the story tells us about the man: He was sitting, clothed, and in his right mind.

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Oct 11th Devotional
Study:
Ephesians 4:17-24. Are you living in the power of a renewed mind? How does one access the renewed mind of Christ? God has promised a changed, sane, clear mind to those who seek it through His awesome power.
Challenge:
Take time today to meditate, pray, and reflect on the power of a renewed mind. Ask [...]

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Oct 10th Devotional
Study:
1 Corinthians 11:27-32, Psalms 139:23-24. Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. We have a monthly ritual called Communion, the Table of the Lord. It is an opportunity to look deep within the recesses of our heart and see if there be any wicked way in me.
Challenge:
Set up a ‘personal communion’ [...]

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Oct 9th Devotional
Study:
James 5:14-20. This passage centers on healing after removing the blockage to the flow of God’s power to heal, which is identified as hidden sin. James says we are to confess our sin to God and one another. There’s a powerful principle here that affects this life and the one to come.
Challenge:

Is there [...]

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Oct 8th Devotional
Study:
The Genesis 20 story of Abraham’s lie and how it caused God to close up the wombs of all the women in Gerar. The flow of God’s power and blessing was hindered by the disobedience of Abraham.
Challenge:

Ask God to show you if you are doing anything that is stopping the flow of His [...]

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Oct 7th Devotional
Study:
Joshua 7:1-26. Right after the greatest of all victories at Jericho the Israelites immediately fell in battle to a far lesser enemy, the city of Ai. The fall came as a result of one reason. There was “sin in the camp.” Sin will cause us to lose the power of God and expose [...]

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Oct 6th Devotional
Study:
Psalms 51:9-12. This passage comes from the life of David after his fall into adultery and murder. David realized how his sin affected the power of God in his life, and he pleads with God to restore His Spirit within him and the power that follows.
Challenge:
Is there a sin that you have hidden [...]

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Oct 5th Devotional
Study:
Judges 13-16. This is the complete story of Samson. It ends with a very telling statement in 16:20-21 with Samson not knowing the power of God had left his life and he was taken captive and lost his eye sight. This can happen to us as well.
Challenge:

Ask God if His power is growing [...]

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 God's Power [50:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

This week, Pastor Ron Bontrager answered the question, “Why do we need to be filled with God’s power?”

God’s Power Can Lift Us Emotionally
God’s Power Can Lift Us Mentally
God’s Power Can Lift Us Physically
God’s Power Can Lift Us Spiritually

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Oct 4th Devotional
Study:
Ephesians 1:19-20, 3:20, 5:18, 6:10. Paul’s driving passion was for the Ephesian Christians to be filled with God’s Spirit and thus God’s power. How do we set out to experience the power of God? What will it take for us to walk in the power and what difference will it make in our [...]

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Oct 3rd Devotional
Study:
Isaiah 40:25-31 and consider the concept of waiting on the Lord to receive His power. How long does one have to wait? The disciples waited 10 days in the Upper Room before the power of the Holy Spirit was poured out into their hearts.
Challenge:

Spend time ‘waiting’ on the Lord. The Lakeview Prayer Tower [...]

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Oct 2nd Devotional
Study:
Job 26 and revel in the awesomeness of God’s majestic power. This same power is available to you. Are you accessing it? Are you walking in the power of God or floundering in the weakness of man? It’s up to you!
Challenge:

Meet with another believer in the Lakeview Prayer Tower and pray for each [...]

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Oct 1st Devotional
Study:
Read Colossians 1:1-14 and note the balance between the ‘knowledge of God’ and the ‘power of God.’ Both are important. The knowledge of God is primarily accessed by the Word. The power of God is primarily accessed by prayer.
Challenge:

Fast a meal today.
Ask God to reveal ways to plug into His immense POWER.
Make [...]

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 Full of the Holy Spirit [36:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

In this Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Ron Bontrager introduced a new sermon series called 31 Days of Power, which will last through the month of October.  He asked the congregation to consider 3 questions:

Are We Spirit-Filled As In The Noun Or The Verb?
Are We More About Words Or Power?
Is The Pentecostal Experience Growing or Dying?

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