***So Excited about worship tonight! Join us for an awesome alternative worship experience and for Holy Communion this afternoon at 5pm, 4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Come Expecting Change!

Recovery Christian Center Daily Devotion - 7/28/12 - Step 12 - Remember Where We Came From

"Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But—“When God our Savior revealed His kindness and love, He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of His grace He declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone." Titus 3:3-8 NLT

Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these step, we tried to carry this message to others and practice these principles in all our affairs. (12 Steps For Christian Recovery)

There is no doubt that as a result of a relationship with Christ, the process of recovery, and some willingness to change and allow God to change us that we are vastly different than who we were when we first came to Christ. We have moved from self centeredness to Christ centeredness, from fear to faith, from self destruction to spiritual rebuilding, from denial to self awareness and God awareness, from isolation and loneliness to a relationship with Christ and fellowship with other believers. We are no longer dying spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. Instead we have found abundant life. We who mostly sadness and pain have found indescribable joy! We are grateful and in love with Jesus.

While we understand that God has forgiven us and forgotten our transgressions, we can never afford to forget where we came from or that it is Christ that has made this miraculous change in us. If we forget we can begin to think that we had a hand in it and that leads us to pride and self righteousness. In order to carry this Gospel Message we must remember that we still need it ourselves. We can't afford to be judgmental of others because we are still a work in process. We can't be intolerant or impatient with others still in bondage because, when we are honest with ourselves, we still have some things we need to be delivered from as well. The Word tells us love covers a multitude of sins, so we can't afford not to show the love God has shown us to everyone we encounter. The best message we can carry is the power of example.

We are pleased and excited to announce our membership in the Eastern District of PA of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, International

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Full-Gospel-Baptist-Church-Fellowship/103112929729266?ref=stream

Looking for a place to beat the heat today? Join us at Recovery Christian Center, 4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104 for a Life Changing Word! Service Starts at 5pm!

So ready to PREACH! Come get this Word! Tonight, 5pm at Recovery Christian Center, "Destiny Is Not A Spectator Sport!" It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE! 4110 Haverford Ave. Philly, PA.

***I apologize for not posting the daily meditations for a while. We had internet issues. Thank God for their resolution. Time to get back to imparting to God's people***

***Join us at RCC this week for an exciting and LIFE CHANGING new series "Impossible Made Possible" Saturday at 5pm, 4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104***

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 6/26/12 - Speak Life Not Death

"Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring." James 3:2-12 NLT

The Apostle James was right in cautioning us about how much trouble our tongues get us into and how hard it control them. The other day i was visiting a church and then a recovery meeting and both times saw young women dragging their kids to the door cursing at them, yelling at them and calling them names only to go inside and share and testify as to how good God is and how blessed they are. As the text says, "blessing and cursing pouring out of the same mouth." My mother used to say, "You don't have to say everything you think." We as saved and delivered folk literally have the power to speak death or life into people. Think how much damage we could do to a soul seeking God and recovery if we speak unnecessarily harsh to them. Or how folks who know we are saved see us having a meltdown and say, "See look at them. I told you that God stuff don't work!"

Now think how much good we can do for someone who is struggling just by giving them some kind words. Ask a person who's having a bad day, "Can I pray with you? I just want to encourage you." What a difference we can make if we just remember that every person we come in contact with has been created in the image of God. Speaking life and love and encouragement into everyone we meet will have a lasting impression even on the folks who have hurt us. We must remember that when Jesus was being nailed to the cross, He didn't rage at them. He prayed for them. Can we afford to do any less?

You don't want to miss this service. Join us at RCC this Saturday at 5pm. Worshiping with us will be Pastor Michael Heath and Living Waters Ministries. Pastor Heath will bring a Rhema RIGHT NOW Word! Join us at 4110 Haverford Ave, Philadelphia, PA Saturday @ 5pm! You will be blessed!

***Even if you have never worshiped with Recovery Christian Center before you don't want to miss this new series beginning tonight "Spiritual Reconstruction and Renovation" It Will Change Your Life! 4110 Haverford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104***

Recovery Christian Center Daily Meditation - 6/2/12 - A Life Transformed

"One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him."

The man called Simon in the text is eventually the man Jesus calls Peter, which means rock, and eventually He will tell Peter he is the "rock on which I will build My Church" (Matthew 16:18) but at this point Simon isn't quite there yet. The man Jesus eventually names Peter is a professional fisherman, a large powerfully built man. He can be reckless, thoughtless, doubtful, a brawler and a bit of a thug. His ideas of what He thought Jesus should be caused Him to doubt Jesus's mission and methods on several occasions. His fear and low self esteem and sense of superiority sometimes caused him to miss the lessons Jesus was trying to teach Him. Even after salvation and receiving the Holy Spirit he would still doubt what God was telling him which led to a long an unnecessary feud with the Apostle Paul. Despite all of this he was still the rock on which the church was built. God still used him in an awesome way.

If God can transform Peter despite, and maybe because of his past, and use him in an awesome way even though he continued to make mistakes, then God can do the same for us. God uses imperfect people to carry out His perfect will. No matter how bad you think your past is or what you're struggling with in the present, God can transform you, and make you into the person He has called you to be.