Zechariah 3:1-5

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?’ Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Take off his filthy clothes.’ Then he said to Joshua, ‘See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.’ Then I said, ‘Put a clean turban on his head.’ So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by.

OBSERVATION

The Lord has cleansed us and made us clean. He did this for Joshua, then he addresses the way Joshua looked. He had filthy clothes on that needed to be replaced. This passage is so much more than what we wear or if our clothes are clean or not. However, it is interesting that the angel of the Lord associated filthy rags with Joshua’s sin. I do my best not to judge a book by it’s cover, but our outward appearance can often reveal our inward condition.

APPLICATION

Today, I am travelling out of state. I will travel with confidence in my God with a fresh set of clothes on. I will be neat in appearance and clean. I want my outward appearance to reflect the victory and joy I have on the inside!

PRAYER

Lord, thank you for the victory and joy you give to me every day. No matter what I am fighting, you are in my corner. I thank you for the coaching, the advise and the support. You love me no matter what and I  need you more than ever. Today, let me make you proud. I will travel today representing you in all I say and in all I do. Let my outward appearance reflect my inward condition. Bless this day, my family, my friends and the wonderful people of Connection Life Church! Amen.

Mark 5:27-34

When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ ‘You see the people crowding against you,’ his disciples answered, ‘and yet you can ask, Who touched me?’ ‘ But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.’

OBSERVATION

There is so much I can say about this scripture, but what I would like to share today is the fact that Jesus “realized” that power had gone out of him after someone with faith touched Him. This indicates that He didn’t plan on power coming out of Him, He didn’t command power to come out of Him, it just happened automatically.  What I see here is that God’s power is released out of Him without Him even trying. His blessings are automatically poured out over those who exercise their faith.

APPLICATION

Today I will touch God. I will press through the crowds and tap into His auto-blessings! I’m going to simplify and testify and receive His automatic blessings. Everything I say and everything I do, I’m going after the hem of His garment!

PRAYER

Lord, thank you for your automatic blessings. Thank you for your faithfulness. I pray that everything I say today and everything I do pleases you! I just want to touch the hem of your garments! You have been my strength and my salvation and you are worthy of our praise. Bless this day, my family, my friends and the wonderful people of Connection Life Church!!  Amen.

Mark 4:37-41

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’

OBSERVATION

God is the God of ALL! Even the winds and the waves obey Him. Even when the storms surround us to the point that it seems like we could die, our Lord is calm and in control.

APPLICATION

Today I will remain calm no matter what the storms of life look like. I will have faith in my God and trust He is still in control even when the storms appear they can kill me.

PRAYER

Lord, thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for always being in control of my life even when I don’t always recognize that you are in control of my life. Give me the strength and disciplines to continue through my storms knowing that you are in control. Make me a warrior in your kingdom connecting the lost to you. Bless this day, my family, my friends and the wonderful people of Connection Life Church! Amen.

Luke 10:20 NLT – “But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”

Heaven is longing for the 99% & the 1%! Our Lord is longing for you. Join us for this 4 week series by Pastor Kevin as we dive into the depths of Heaven and what it’s all about and we’ll occupy Heaven together!

It was such a pleasure to have Pastor Sol Mondragon and his lovely wife Nora with us in service at Connection Life Church. Pastor Sol and Nora pastor Comunidad de Esperanza in Portland, OR. He brought a powerful Word to our congregation that kept us laughing and pondering and wanting more of God than ever before.

Mark 4:26-32

He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain–first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.’ Again he said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.’

OBSERVATION

We can’t fathom the greatness of our God and His Kingdom. We often see things as insignificant, but as the Word says, even the smallest seed becomes the largest of all garden plants. What we might see as insignificant is actually growing into something magnificent.

APPLICATION

Today I will look for opportunity to sow seed. Though I may not be the one that waters that seed or even harvest that seed, the seed (as small and insignificant as it may seem) will grow into a bountiful harvest.

PRAYER

Lord, thank you for your Word this morning. Use me to plant a seed. Use me to water a seed. Use me to harvest a seed. Help me to recognize your work and the glory of your kingdom. Bless this day, my family, my friends and the wonderful people of Connection Life Church! Amen.

Psalm 100:1-5

A psalm. For giving grateful praise. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

OBSERVATION

God is a great God and He’s worthy of our praise. We should praise Him in all things. Give Him thanks and remember His goodness. He is faithful, forgiving and loving!

APPLICATION

Today, I will praise Him. Even though life is tough at times, He is faithful. And with Him I can do all things. He is my strength and I will declare that today!

PRAYER

Lord, thank you for being the awesome God that you are. You constantly pick me up when I fall. You are my strength even when I don’t deserve you. Today I lift up my praise to you and give you thanks! Bless this day, my family, my friends and the wonderful people of Connection Life Church!!! Amen.

Welcome to Worship Unleashed. Here at CLC we love to worship. We  believe we have been created for God’s pleasure and that He inhabits the praises of His people. Today the entire service is dedicated to worshiping Him. We encourage you to worship how you feel comfortable. You can stand, sit, kneel or even dance. Unleash your worship and let God bless you today!

The kids will remain in service this morning. We encourage our families to worship together. The nursery will be available for those who need to use it.

Mark 3:7-12

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, ‘You are the Son of God.’ But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.

OBSERVATION

Even Christ would plan a way to escape crowds. This shows me that it is entirely possible to love like no other, care like no other, pray like no other, believe like no other, walk like no other and yet still consider what’s best for you.

APPLICATION

Today I will love God and love people, but my boat is ready. Today is my son’s birthday and though I have a class to teach tonight, I will do everything to prepare for a great time with my son.

PRAYER

Lord, thank you for your love, your compassion and your grace. I pray that you would give me the same love, compassion and grace for others as you’ve had for me. Today, make me sensitive to my son who is celebrating his 15th birthday and I pray that he would be supernaturally blessed! Bless this day, my family, my friends and the wonderful people of Connection Life Church!!! Amen.

Mark 3:1-6

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, ‘Stand up in front of everyone.’ Then Jesus asked them, ‘Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’ But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

OBSERVATION

The work of God has never been bound by the law. His power is available without limitations! People have always tried to “define” how and when God could touch people. But He doesn’t touch people based on a set of rules, He touches people based on His love for us and His abounding grace.

APPLICATION

Today I will walk knowing that God is in control and there is nothing that can limit His power over my life.

PRAYER

Lord, thank you for loving me the way you do. Thank you for your abounding grace. I pray that I will have the strength and the disciplines to live free in you always. Without limitations, without a set of rules governing my steps, but rather, help me to live and walk in relationship. Bless this day, my family, my friends and the wonderful people of Connection Life Church!!! Amen.