Are you are fighter or a fainter? Are you prevailing in prayer or growing weary? Just as the Lord trained David’s hands for battle, so He seeks to empower us with wisdom, authority and, most important, an anointing to be victorious in our battles.

Don’t doubt that the Lord can raise a war cry in your spirit. The Scripture says,

“The LORD will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies” (Isaiah 42:13).

One may argue, “But I am just a sheep, not a fighter.” Well, God’s word says that the Lord will visit His flock “and will make them like His majestic horse in battle” (Zech. 10:3). Yes, we are sheep-like in our relationship with Him, but His goal is to train us to serve Him, even as “His majestic horse” in battle. In truth, you’ve often been victorious in the past. Now it’s time to be win even greater victories in the future!

For more information on Francis Frangipane,  please visit his website by clicking here

1. If you were not here this Wednesday night, please listen to Pastor Rick’s message!  It was amazing and I was blessed by his insight, encouragement, and heart. Please listen to this “New perspective.” I am going to speak on having a new heart this weekend.  Listen Here

2. The first informal day of the Toledo site went awesome. Pastor Tim reported that they had a great service, heard a message of encouragement from me via video, worshiped Jesus, enjoyed fellowship and prayed for the future of the Toledo site, the Kingdom of God, and souls.  I am pretty happy guy!  Remember, January 29th @ 10 am is the day we launch to the public.

3. I have been in everfree youth the last 2 Monday nights.  We have a generation of young people seeking God, hungry for Jesus and the Word.  Keep encouraging our students, and parents, get them here Monday nights @ 7 pm.

4. Keep your Global Outreach Missions giving flowing. We need to keep giving to support 40 missionaries and ministries all over the world!  Also we have 16 going to Haiti Feb.  19-26th. Pray for them and give generously. You can give online anytime. Here is the link.  Give to your church.

5. We are showing the movie Courageous here free on Saturday Feb. 4th.  Invite a friend or a family to come.  This is an amazing movie. Our students will be selling snacks for STL.

6. I am going to ask you to pray for us as we decide whether we are going to suspend the Saturday night gathering when we publicly launch the Toledo site.  It takes a lot of resources (people, facilities, etc) to make this happen and we are sending over 50 people out. We are praying about it and I am seriously considering it.

7. I am super excited about 2012. I plan on seeing hundreds of people coming to Jesus, becoming disciples, and serving Jesus with greater passion than ever!  The week of prayer and fasting has been amazing.  Wednesday night we are going to pray more and take some testimonies about the week.

8. Wendy and I had a great time in Chicago to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.  We needed it and were more exhausted than we realized.  Thanks for your grace and love for us. We are honored to be the lead pastors of Compelled Church!

Don’t Forget the meaning behind our church name!           For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
         15      and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.    2 Corinthians 5:14,15

New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (2 Co 5:14–15). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

What are you reading for 2012.  Sidenote:  In Feb. Compelled Church will start the Forty Days in the Word!  I am super excited about that and I am praying for 50 groups and hosts. it is Six weeks. So what are you doing in the Word of God for 2012?  God a reading plan? Devotional book? Study plan?

19      So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.
         20      But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,
         21      for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (NASB)

This world can be a dark, dark, place.  Sin darkens and clouds our culture, media, and lives.  Even if we serve the Lord, times can get dark.  We encounter storms in life.  We have conflict with people we love.  People we look to disappoint us.  We have to deal with health issues as we age, and we bury those we love.  Life can be dark.  But God has given us light.  It is found in the revelation (revealing and unveiling) of God’s Word.  I find it can be pretty easy to neglect that.  We have so many other things screaming for our attention, from our phones, to email, to FB and twitter, jobs, kids, TV, and sometimes sheer exhaustion.  We must not neglect the revelation of God to man.   The Bible is a lamp shining and making manifest the truths of God!  It shines on the darkness and the darkness must flee.   When darkness envelops us, instead of trying to fix ourselves with more food, more TV, more sleep, or calling more people, let’s call on the Lord through His Word. Jesus is the Word, don’t forget that.  Living, alive, revealing, convicting, and encouraging.

Let God’s Word bring light to your heart.  Read it. Study it. Pray it. Speak it out loud as you read.  Fill your life and your home with the light and revelation of God, and the dark places will be extinguished by the Light of God’s Word.  I am determined to not allow the dark places to have any place at all in my life.  The Word is the Key, as Peter has written prophetically here.

Any thoughts when it comes to the Word. Can you add to continue to encourage our readers?

thanks, Nate

I remember the day very well. The night before we had a flawless and fun rehersal at Bethany Assembly of God in Adrian.  I was surrounded with family and friends as we met for after rehersal meal in the basement of the church.  I said goodbye to my fiance, who I would not see again until Randy walked her to me 25 years ago.  Todd Winkler and I stayed at Grandma Ford’s house in Morenci, as did Greg and Joel.  Grandma’s soft feather bed was super uncomfortable and we just rolled together all night. We had a good laugh over that.  The January day was beautiful. The sun was shining and the temps rose to 50 degrees!  The wedding was amazing.  Steve and Darlene sang, Wendy sang to me, the Bethany handbell played as the bridesmaids walked down the aisle. My nephew John was the ring bearer, followed by my neices the flower girls, Holly and Heidi.  My brother Steve was my best man (and still is). My friends Todd, Greg, Kurt, and Eric Bleich all stood by my side.  Wendy’s court was her cousin Jennifer, Lori burrows, my sister Pam Arquette, my cousin Melinda Elarton.  I do remember during the ceremony the sound system popping so loud everyone jumped.  Rick and Steve Flood were crawling under the pews in the balcony and snagged a cord!  Pastor Rick was 11 years old then.  Who knew we would minister together for 15 years now!

Pastor Leach, Pastor “O”, and Pastor Skoog all took part in the cermony.  The reception was right in the gym of the church with a huge cake and great food. It was one of the happiest days in my life.   We honeymooned 3 days at PTL in the towers in South Carolina, that was a gift from Dick and Shirley Treat. We were so thankful, as we had no money.

We returned for a day or two to the farm in Hudson. I married into an incredible family. I am thankful for Randy and Carol Bleich. They have loved me unconditionally, prayed for me patiently, and supported us in so many ways with their love and encouragement.  After our visit we packed up the red Reliant K car, and drove 12 hours back to North Central Bible College in Minneapolis to move into our apartment, start jobs, and jump into both of us being full-time students. Our wedding had provided just enough money for our deposit, first month’s rent, our books and that was it. I remember having less than $20 bucks for food that month, but we were so happy and excited to start life together.

Twenty-five years later, here we are in Temperance, MI.  We have lived in Alpena, Linton, and Metro Detroit, youth pastoring at great churches.  We launched out in faith in 1996 to plant Compelled Church (then BCC). We moved when Abby was one to the house we still live in.   I painted and was bi-vocational for 3 years until the church grew. Wendy by my side all the time.  She was ministering, doing kids church, kids clubs, helping in anyway she could. During this we have Gabe, and Levi. Life was full, tiring, exciting, and challenging.   So many times Wendy was my encouragement and her zeal for the church and the Lord carried me. Here we have raised our kids, had our boys, and seen so many incredible things that God has done.  I am in awe and amazed.  I am aware of His grace in my life.

Marriage is a blessing beyond words. Being married to Wendy is more than I deserve.  I married so far over my head. I am humbled by God’s grace and Wendy’s love.  We have had lots of good times, some sad times, challenging times, and joyful times, and through it all our love remains, deeper, denser, purer, and everlasting.  I thank Christ today, for without him, she would not be in my life, I would not have Abby, Gabe, and Levi, and most likely would have never made it through college or as a pastor. God has used her greatly to be a blessing to my life and so many others. My heart is filled with gratitude. We are looking forward to another 25 years.

1. This year I am going to be more dependent on God than ever before. God help our church grow in dependence, which means we must grow in prayer.
2. Growing Faith.  God please give us greater faith and may our mouths not speak doubt, destruction, despair, and unbelief.
3. Burden and passion to reach lost people.  Father give CC the greatest heart for those not saved yet.  Help us reach people with your good news, to love the where they are at, and to become their friends, mentors, faith coaches. May we give our time for the lost and not just our money.
4. No tolerance for sin.  May compromise, sin, and disobedience not enter our camp.
5. Marriages. God help marriages to be caring, loving, serving, and growing.  Keep the enemy from breaking the bond between husband and wife.  Keep oneness, connection relationally, sexually, emotionally, and spiritually. Keep the demon of divorce away from your marriages God.
6. Giving. May we be cheerful givers of our finances.  God I pray people find the joy of giving and the pleasure of giving our best to you, our first 10%, to fund the Kingdom of God.
7. Purity.  God keep us from impurity and the lies of the enemy.  Keep us sexually pure, and morally above reproach.  May we not be trapped by pornagraphy, inappropriate relationships, or compromise on any moral level!  May we be repelled by verbal, sexual, and moral filith at the movies, on the internet, TV, gaming, or speech.  May we find no pleasure in anything Jesus died for.
8. Serve. I pray ever CC attender would be  a servant and serve to extend the Kingdom of God.
9. Support. God, please keep us from critisizing leadership, being negative, but instead, supporting, encouraging, interceding, and becoming solutions to challenges, not deepening them.  Help us protect the unity of the Body.
10. Worship. I pray we grow in worship as we gather. That our hearts would be filled with gratitude and thanksgiving for who God is, what He has done, and what He is going to do.
11. Word. That we would love the Word of God more. Study it. Memorize it. Obey it. and walk in it.
12. Care. Father help us care for each other in every way, whether we know each other personally or not.  Give us attitudes that look for other’s needs before our own.
13. Sacrificial giving to Missions.  Father, may our generocity flow to missionaries who are taking the Gospel all over the world.  May we participate in every love offering and our monthly Global Outreach Faith Promises. God may we fund the Toledo campus. Bless people finiancially so they can bless the Kingdom.
14. Grieving. Father, many in the CC family are grieving the home going of people they love dearly.  Help us in our grief to press on.  Comfort those who mourn, and sustain the lonely.

Would you add any other prayers or resolutions?  I love you all. Pastor Nate

• Have you ever fell on your face and worshiped? Do you do it often?  Should it be our normal practice?
• Have you ever recited the words of revelation?
• When is the last time you raised your hands, got down on your knees, and just thanked God. (Music is great, not required for worship).
• Do you consider yourself a Worshiper of God?
• Is your heart right in understanding redemption with thankfulness and overwhelming gratitude.
• Do you worship intensely privately as well as publicly?
• Don’t forget Christmas is about God’s work for us to redeem us and that is why the elders worshiped him so intensly in Revelation. Don’t forget worship at Christmas..

As we begin a New  year, would you make one of the goals of life, to worship with greater intensity, greater honor, even greater demonstration.  You must step out of what you are comfortable with. YOu must not care what others think. You must recalibrate your heart for a state of amazing gratitude and awe.  Remember, Jesus is “seeking worshipers”  (John 4.23).

       And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
         12      saying,   “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Re 7:11–12). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

• We become ungrateful.
• Worship is trimmed as “unbelievers don’t understand.”  Jesus is not lifted up….we start losing little  by little our first love as we neglect to love corporately.
• We worry too much about the building instead of the Kingdom.
• We hunger for church growth instead of love and passion growth for Jesus.
• Pressures on Spiritual leaders push out passion, wounds from biting sheep hurt, leaders become “aware” of their vulnerability and try to guard that.
• People “church shop” for what church offers the most for their family instead of the love and passion for Jesus Christ.
• Life, and trials, try to stiffle our love.
• Busy church schedules, school demands, families overextend their schedules, and get tired, grouchy, and have little left for passion for Jesus, and the lost.
• Our desires often began to guide the church instead of His desires.  We plan and ask Jesus to bless our plans instead of us blessing Jesus by seeking His plans, His vision, His ways.
• The heart of Christ is to reach the lost. When we become inward focused, we disconnect in some ways, and our love for Jesus is compromised.
• The Scriptures, prayer, and an intimate relationship are neglected and we are lulled into a mediocre Christian life with minimal effort thus minimal fruit and then we fall from our hearts.

• Our you madly and recklessly in a living, growing, loving relationship with Jesus?  Do you still get choked up because you are saved, forgiven, and free? Does his love and mercy cause you to lift your hands, kneel, sing, laugh, cry, worship, and seek Him?  Do the Scriptures lighten your burdens, or are you burdened with the thought of reading the Holy Writings?  For 2012, make a goal to love Jesus more, to show that by actions, transformation, passion, time, talents and finances, and we you will never have to worry about Jesus saying that we have lost our first love.  Pastors, lead by example.  Let your love flow.  Let the reasons you went into full time pastoral ministry flow with fresh oil again!