Pastor's Message
Sunday, June 4th, 2006
“Handle With Care” (Pastor's Appreciation Day)
(Phillipians
2:19-30)
Reverend Sherman Roberts, Full Gospel Church of God by Faith -
Wyanach, NY
Reverend Roberts was our guest pastor for our Pastor's Appreciation Day
and his message was "Handle With Care". He specifically reminded
us that when we honor our leaders (Pastor George &
Lady Michele Dix), God blesses the House. So we are to "handle
with care".
God had the plan for PASSAGE thousands of years ago. He planted the seed
in our shepherd, Pastor George Dix Jr. and in spite of all the pain, the
hurt and the obstacles, it came to fruition.
If you have Jesus, "handle with care". Affliction can bring us
to the next level, so we must handle pain and tears with care. Reverend
Roberts encouraged us to praise God at all times, because
the Devil is allergic to our praise.
Respect your leaders. Don't let just anything come out of your mouth. God
chooses the rare breed, and like when God chose Paul, He chooses those who
are willing to repent and serve. So remember that you have a special gift
in Pastor George & Lady Michele Dix, so "handle
with care"!
Quote of the sermon:
"Every tear is a down payment for your Victory!" - Reverend Sherman
Roberts.
Scripture References:
Sunday, June 4th, 2006
Sunday, June 18th, 2006 - Father's Day
“Battle Scars That Are Worth Having” (Part 2)
(Matthew
5:11-12)
(Acts
5:12,14,17-20,21a,24,40b-41)
It was a joyous Father's Day at PASSAGE and Pastor
George Dix Jr. didn't hold anything back with Part 2 of his message
"Battle Scars That Are Worth Having".
Pastor reminded us that we need to fly at a higher altitude. "The
Lord is coming back". We won't have time to ask for forgiveness. God
is giving us one more chance to get things in order, to hear his voice and
to obey.
There will be battles in life and you'll get some scars. You won't have
to search out the battle. It will find you. The Devil catches us off-guard
because we're often distracted by the battles we often endure. So if we're
going to have battle scars, why not have battle scars that are worth displaying?
Pastor George encouraged us to obtain battle scars that are worth displaying.
Battle scars that come from Kingdom work, and from our testimony of God's
faithfulness in our lives. If the Lord were to show up today, could you
give an account... a testimony of your Kingdom work? Could people look at
you and say, "Wow! Even through adversity, they made it through!"?
Anyone can testify in the good times, but how about in the bad times? Will
you be able to testify when times are difficult and the enemy is coming
in like a flood?
Pastor reminded to take the focus off ourselves with this poignant quote:
"There's nothing that we can do that's worth 10 cents if it's
not for the Kingdom."
Pastor also asked us this question,
Q: Can you afford battles that will only serve to set you back or derail
your future?
God has a divine plan for us, and as the Bible says, "only the things
we do for God will last".
"You need to know when to 'hold up' and you need to know when
to 'fold up'."
Failure to learn from the past is what causes us to get caught up in the
same battles. The School of Hard Knocks has a high price. We must lose our
"I've got to have it now... and I'm not waiting" mentality. As
Pastor put it, "If you have to take the long way around, TAKE THE
LONG WAY AROUND!"
Pastor Dix admonished us that if we "condition ourselves for the times
of battle, we won't fall into Satan's trap." Satan is an equal opportunity
hater, and there's an all-out assault on Men. God wants to work through
Man, so Satan attacks us to thwart God's plans. God ordained man as the
head of the family and if Satan continuously attacks man, he can destroy
the bond of marriage and thus destroy the family, and thus destroy the Church.
We men need to persevere, rise up and be the Mighty Men of God
that we were divinely appointed to be.
In closing, Pastor encouraged us to "..not grow weary in your
well doing." The apostles were imprisoned for their preaching.
God needs men who will be righteous, stand up for what is right and endure
the battle.
Quote of the sermon:
"There's nothing that we can do that's worth 10 cents if it's
not for the Kingdom."
-Pastor George Dix Jr.
Scripture References:
Sunday, June 18th, 2006
Sunday, June 25th, 2006
From Rags to Righteousness
"Something Stinks! Is it me, God?" (Part 1)
Pastor George Dix began this series on a somber note. With tears in his
eyes, he beseeched us to take heed of the Word we hear today as it can save
our souls and determine our eternal destiny.
Sin stinks in the nostrils of God. And it's not just any
stink... more aptly put, it's a truly egregious stench, an odor that's so
abominable, that it is utterly sickening to God. All unrighteousness is
sin, and if we do righteous deeds with the stench of sin in our lives, our
"righteousness is like filthy rags" (Isaiah
64:6).
We have to get beyond thinking of our sin as just 'being bad'. Sin is truly
repulsive to God, and without Jesus, our righteousness means nothing. Unless
it has God's stamp of approval (i.e. it's done in the name of Jesus), none
of our good deeds or righteous acts matter.
Everything we do, whether it's our work, our relationships, or our thoughts,
they must be done for the glory of God. (I
Corinthians 10:31). Rather than asking ourselves "What will
other people think of me?" we must ask ourselves, "What
is God going to think of me?". Is what I'm doing for my
glorification, or for God's glory?
God wants to use us! If we do things in the name of Jesus, it is like a
sweet aroma to God's nostrils.
When we're sincere in our righteousness, the blood of Jesus covers our
sin, and we are forgiven.
Scripture References:
Sunday, June 25th, 2006
Nuggets of Truth
- June 2006
PASSAGE
Ministries Inc.