Trinity College Ministry

I wanted to take a brief moment and share some thoughts withyou. I remember when I was 5 or 6 years old. I came to the conclusion that Iwanted to follow Jesus Christ as my personal savior. In my living room inPlainview Texas I prayed a simple prayer.

What happened next was amazing- I was baptized. I remember in detail everyaspect about the day I was baptized. I was wearing an orange shirt with handpainted cars, airplanes and trains that my mom and memo (grandmother) made forme with some swim shorts. I could barely touch so I tip toe jumped all the wayto my dad who was going to baptize me. I stood there on my tippy toes andremember a lady with huge curly hair, big glasses and a camera taking mypicture. The events to follow changed my life forever.

My dad asked me if I had accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior- My reply wasYES! He asked if I understood what it meant to be baptized with water. Ithought that was easy we just went over it in the back of course I know what itmeans. When you go under the water the old you is washed away and when you comeup the new you is introduced. Simply put it was an outward expression of whathappened inwardly to my heart when I received Jesus as my personal Lord andSavior. He covered my nose and mouth and put me under the water, and that wasit I was baptized.

Why is this important? Because it is biblical. The Bible instructs us to bebaptized. Every time in Acts when there is a new believer they are baptizedwith water, this is true today. If you have accepted Jesus as your personalLord and Savior the next step in your journey with Him is water baptism.

If you have not been water baptized I want to personally invite you to ourChristian Foundations class at Church this Sunday during the 11:30am service.Following this call please come to our Baptism class this Wednesday or SundayMay 16 @ 5pm. The reason I say this is because on Sunday May 16 in the eveningat our Encounter service we are going to be baptizing people...this is yourchance!

Please let me know if you have any questions by sending me an email cwinkler@trinitytoday.com. If you areinterested in these classes or getting baptized please email me asap with acontact number so we can get it set up for you to be baptized on May 16.

In our college ministry we are in a season of fasting for the next 40 days. This is an exciting time and we would invite you to be part of it. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Should believers fast? Does 50 pounds of flour make a big biscuit? Fasting is an essential part to the life of the believer. However the discipline of fasting is becoming one of antiquity. If we truly honed into this spiritual blessing we would find that the reward at the end of a spiritual fast is indescribable.

There once was a marine who came out of the marines and for 30yrs wore nothing but civilian clothes. The marines called and invited him to come to a marine banquet. When he put his uniform on it did not fit. You see for 30yrs he did nothing to maintain his shape and discipline as a marine. So when he tried to be a marine in a moments notice he was not ready. This is the same with Christianity. If we make a commitment to follow Christ and then put it on the shelf for days, weeks, months or years at a time, when it is time for us to be ready we would be like this marine who could not fit into his uniform.

1.       Fasting as a means of repentance

a.       Nehemiah 1

b.      Jonah 3

2.       Fasting as an essential means of Sanctification.

Fasting pulls you away from the World and pushes you closer to God

a.       1 Thess 4:3-8

b.      Daniel 1

3.       Fasting and Prayer allows us to not only be led by the spirit but to operate in his power

a.       Luke 4

b.      Acts 2

4.       Fasting as a Tool for Spiritual Warfare- Ephesians 6:12

a.       Daniel 10

b.      2 Chronicles 20

Vegetable
Full Fast- consult a doctor
Water only
Daniel Fast- grains-vegetables

3 Day fast
24 hr fast
10 day fast
21 day fast
40 day fast

• Fasting and Prayer realigns our obedience-
  Isaiah 58
• Fasting and Prayer Changes our focus-
  Isaiah 58
• Fasting and Prayer opens up doors in the physical world- Esther 4
• Fasting and Prayer opens up doors in the spiritual world- Daniel 1 & 10
• Fasting and Prayer releases a new ministry-
  Acts 13
• Fasting and Prayer allows us to not only be led by the spirit but to operate in his power- Luke 4 
• Fasting and Prayer defeats the enemy-
  2 Chronicles 20
• Fasting and Prayer shows us the battle is not ours-
  2 Chronicles 20
• Fasting and Prayer gives us on outward focus-
  Isaiah 58
• Fasting and Prayer allows us to hear God’s decrees- Exodus 34
• Fasting and Prayer restores nations-
  Nehemiah 1
• Fasting and Prayer allows us to face the lions-
  Daniel 6
• Fasting and Prayer brings repentance-
  Jonah 3
• Fasting and Prayer brings salvation-
  Acts 9
• Fasting gives us a front row seat to see the redeemer- Luke 2 

Today I slept in. It was not a 5 minute slip up it was a hour and a half head wound. I woke and began to get ready while my wife Deborah packed our boys lunches and fixed breakfast. Josiah woke up we fed him changed and clothed him. As we finished his routine Joshua woke up and we began to take him through his routine. Everyone climbed in the car and we drove to work. Fortunately our work and the boys “school” is at the same location- Trinity Church. We got them out of the car and took them to their class rooms.

Deborah and I had no breakfast, limited sanity and I was without phone. I jumped back in the car to go home and get my phone. I was driving through the church parking lot and lo and behold I approached the dreaded four way stop. The car to my right beat me there by at least 10 seconds but it didn’t matter, what happened next was inevitable. There was an awkward pause where we just sat there and looked at each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move. He motioned me through but me being the Good Samaritan I am I shook my head and allowed him to pass through the stop sign safely.

As I started my journey home the Holy Spirit began to speak to me. I heard Him say these words to me “I love awkward pauses.” I was so confused what did that mean. He began to minister and speak to my spirit in convicting fashion. This is what the Holy Spirit left me with:

“As you go through the busyness of your life even with right motives and a good heart you can miss the voice of God. In missing His voice you begin to feel disconnected and begin to allow yourself to become busier than before. It is in this rush of life that you come to a screeching halt. Drowning in busyness you approach the inevitable four way stop. Gods will approaches first and yours comes stumbling up after. You sit awkwardly waiting for Him to make a move- the anticipation of which move He is going to make is about to overwhelm you. He gives the choice to pass through…in that moment you can allow your busyness overtake you or let His will be done in your life.”

WOW! I now love awkward pauses it is in these moments where I anticipate God to be the clearest and the loudest. Let Him lead! Remember his Yoke is easy and his Burden is light…and that is scripture. See you at the next awkward pause.   

Let me know what God speaks to you at the next awkward pause in your life.

I am heart deep in a book right now by Mark Batterson called, Wild Goose Chase. If you have not read this book buy it. If you cannot afford to buy it let me know and I will get you a copy. It is a must read. Most of my thoughts in this post come from this book, while the rest lay in the Bible.

Assumptions are the leading cause for a boring Christian life in the world today. We assume and profess to have unlocked the mysterious attributes of an infinite God. The reality is we have fashioned God into our image; a bleak and indefinable image at that. However we still hold fast to our own assumptions about God. We use words and phrase like God cant, God wont and it’s too late or too early for me. These assumptions and this approach to God only creates a tiny box in which we train our minds to force God. I think the movie, Aladdin, paints this picture best when the genie says, I have ALL cosmic power and iddy biddy living space.

So challenged! Have my own assumption conditioned my mind to take a genie approach with God? I rub the lamp when I need something from Him but ignore His leading and purpose for my life by pushing Him back into His lamp. The only way to allow God to take His rightful place is to stop assuming. Stop assuming that God can’t or won’t do something. I believe it was the Sadducees who said the messiah couldn’t raise from the dead. Their assumption was that resurrection could not happen. Good thing Jesus didn’t assume that- what a catastrophe that would have been!

Stop assuming and start believing! How many instances in the Bible does God take impossible situations and make them possible? Luke says that with God all things are possible! Today I choose belief over assumption. What would happen in our own lives if we assumed less and believed more? Take God at His Word and don’t assume you know more than you do. You know what they say about assumptions.

A recent statistic just came out that Lubbock Texas per capita is one of the drunkest cities in America. We beat out towns like Las Vegas and New Orleans. Some might be proud of this statistic and express their desire to continue the celebration with a party. This statistic does not arouse this response in my spirit. In fact it shows a greater problem and dilemma. It shows the hopelessness and loneliness people walk in…but call it partying.

There are numerous verses that invite us to taste and experience the goodness God has to offer. Psalms instructs us to “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Ephesians says to not be drunk on wine but be filled with the Spirit. It seems that when we overwhelm our bodies with substance to fulfill the need for pleasure outside of God it leaves us empty and longing. A.W. Tozer writes, “Deep within the heart of a man lies a shrine that was intended for God.” I find it interesting that he uses the word intended. It seems that we replace the shrine for the things this world says is satisfying and good.

The illusion is that we can experience pleasure in the world and boredom in Christianity. Some go to the gray areas of faith to experience the worlds pleasure while others consume everything the world has to offer: emptiness, loneliness, depression and a false sense of control. Let me be the millionth person to make the declaration that, JESUS IS BETTER!

Psalm 16:11 says that in God’s right hand are His eternal pleasures. When we experience pleasure in the context of God’s plan for our life we are eternally and internally satisfied. Where the world offers emptiness; God offers completion. Where the world offers loneliness…God offers friendship. Where the world offers depression…God offers life and life more abundant. Where the world offers a false sense of control…God offers guidance and purpose. Trust me between the world and Jesus. Jesus is better!