Aliyah - fell asleep while eating

Here is a picture of Aliyah. She completely fell asleep in her high chair while eating. I had to take this picture and post it up, this is exactly what I did when I was little. This is too cute!

Goodbye Domanjko Family

This past Tuesday, the Domanjko family moved back to Florida to continue in the ministry there at Calvary Chapel Merritt Island. We do thank the Lord for the Domanjko family. When we first moved here to Germany, they helped us out in many ways with getting adjusted here, and for that we thank them very much.

We were definitely blessed to have met them and that the Lord put them in our lives. We do look forward to all that the Lord will do in and through them at their home church in Florida! God Bless you Domanjko Family! We love you! We will miss you!

Our Little Princesses

UMKEHR - REPENT

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to be able to teach at our Youth's Winter Retreat. The theme of the camp was UMKEHR - which means Repent. I guess it is a more modern day word for repent. Anyways, Michael (the youth pastor here) asked if I could teach 3 studies for the camp. I was really excited about doing these teachings. To be honest, any time someone asks me to teach God's Word, I am excited. As I began to study for the teachings, the Lord began to do the work in my own heart. Obviously if the theme of the camp is REPENT - you know that there is going to have to been some change in your life. It seems as though the Lord is having me do quite a few studies on this topic. (3 with this theme and the 7 letters in Revelation - 5 of which tell the church to repent) Anyways, I am so thankful for this time with the Lord and how He is using it to do a work of His Spirit in my own heart.


In the first study I focused on this word Repent and what it means. If you don't know, the word repent means - a change of one's mind for the better. I began to share with them why we should repent (because of our sins and the end result of sin - death) and how it is not just a "little" change that we would need to make in our lives, but more of a radical change in our lives. We then finished off this study with talking about the promise that we receive if we do repent... Our sins will be blotted out, times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord, etc. Well praise the Lord, many of the youth either dedicated or rededicated their lives to the Lord. Also on the first night, I was able to pray with a girl who was a Muslim to receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior! Praise God for that!
The next morning - for the second study - I taught on how to have Victory over sin! We look at both Spiritual and Physical ways to have victory over sin. But then we really focused on our hearts and how the Bible says that they are desperately wicked, so once again, this is going to have to be a radical change in our lives to begin to walk in the newness of life.
I was then blessed to spend the day with the youth, eating, playing games, playing soccer (which I love) worshiping, and then back to the third session of the Word.

Playing soccer - for around 3 hours - it was a blast - then I was so sore!

During this game - it was my job to count the push ups of the youth - someone has to do it!

During the third session, we talked about how we can learn from our past and move forward in our walks with the Lord.
The Lord really used these studies to do a great work of His Spirit within the lives of the youth and in my own life.
I had to leave, but Michael told me about some of the testimonies that some of the youth shared at the end of the weekend.
Praise the Lord for all that HE did! It was such a blessing to be a part of this retreat!
Continue to be praying for the youth that went to the camp, that the enemy would not RIP THEM OFF - but they would begin to walk on this new path of righteousness.
Thank You!

God's Calling on our Kids

Please pause the music player at the bottom before you play this video

TRUST HIM

Prayer Warriors - THANK YOU

This is a picture of a missionary prayer poster that some prayer warriors back home at CCCH made for all of the missionaries. How radical is this. It is in the design of the CCCH logo. To all of you that are praying for us and the other missionaries - THANK YOU. Continue to labor in prayer with us for these areas, that the Lord would pour out His Spirit.

Woman at the Well - this is AWESOME!

Please pause the playlist at the bottom of the page before you listen to this!

Pics of our trip to Heidelberg, Germany

Getting on the tram

Katie didn't want her pic taken

Heidelburg Schloß

Rebecca briefly sharing about Jesus with a stranger on the bus

Aliyah fell asleep on my shoulders

Alt Stadt Heidelberg

The Old Bridge

The Roper Fam in Heidelberg

Roper and Jewett kids

Rebecca and Michelle Jewett (missionary in Heidelberg)

Noah's Passport

Hey Everyone
Today we go to Frankfurt to go turn in the applications to get Noah's passport, Social Security Card, report of Birth, and soon we will be going to work on getting his visa. Please do pray for this process, that it goes smoothly!
Thanks

Roper Family

Herborn Missionaries

Thursday Nights with Greg Laurie

Untitled from Harvest Online on Vimeo.


I would challenge all of you who live in So Cal to invite people to go hear the Gospel message on Thursday evenings. These are the last days and we got to get the WORD out.

German Lessons

Hey Everyone!
I just finished registering for my German Lessons. Please pray for me as they will begin on April 21 and run through June 4. Monday through Friday 9am-12 noon.
Also pray that I would be able to bring it home and be able to teach my wife!

We really want to effectively minister to the German people by being able to speak there language! This is a huge prayer request!

Thanks

9 years - part two

Before you read this one - this is part two - so please read the one below first!

Well, a few weeks later I was able to meet with Pastor Jack at our old coffee shop that we had in town. I then began to share with him all that the Lord taught me at the youth pastor’s conference. He listened and then when I was done, he asked, “Is that all?” I then was quiet for a moment and went ahead and shared with him of all that the Lord was doing in my heart in regards to the youth and also in regards to what many people were telling me. He then began to share with me some amazing wisdom and some very important insight out of Galatians 1:15-17, which says, “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.” Through this he made it very clear to me that it has got to be of the Spirit and not of man. If it is of man, it will come to nothing, but if it is of the Spirit, then no matter what I would go through – I knew that it was of Him and not of me.
So let’s fast-forward. On March 12, 2000 I started full time in the ministry. I will honestly never forget that day for many reasons. 1) On that first day of ministry I was able to bring our youth drama ministry to Diamond Bar High School’s Christian Club to do a skit and share a Bible study. But when we arrived that day, the student who had arranged it for us got us out to the quad or little amphitheater that this school had and we did an evangelistic drama called “Redeemer” and I then changed my message on the spot to give an evangelistic Gospel message. The Lord did a great work through this little outreach. I will never forget this! I began to think, “Wow! What a great way to start in the ministry full-time!” 2) My first couple of days or weeks was pretty funny on staff, because the people knew who I was but they began to ask, “Why is Joey always here now?” To be honest, I thought it was pretty funny! 3) Lastly, I will never forget sitting behind my desk thinking, “What in the world am I supposed to do?” You see, I was only 19 years old. I was trained in many things from my youth pastor (Edmund Coronel Sr.), but I had no training on how to run a youth ministry. I didn’t go to Bible College. I didn’t go to Seminary. I dropped out of the School of Ministry, because I felt that the Lord was calling me to step out in faith in going full-time. I was so reminded of the following verse. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised that no flesh should glory in His presence. God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are.”
I then served 8 years as the Junior High pastor at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, serving alongside many men of God. I have been so thankful to not only grow up in the ministry at CCCH, but also to have had the opportunity to serve at such an amazing church. The Lord has used and is continuing to use CCCH in a mighty way, and I am so blessed to have been part of it. Serving alongside Pastor Jack Hibbs was a complete blessing. You see, I often learn by watching. And as I watched Pastor Jack over the years, he was truly an example to me. Truly a man of the Word, a shepherd of God’s people, a man that sits at the feet of Jesus, a man of vision, a man that has a heart for the lost, a man of prayer, and so much more. But I know that it not him, but Jesus working in and through him! I could go on and on with what I learned, what I experienced, all of my mistakes that I have made, the grace that I have received, but this would be way too long of a write up to share it all. I praise the Lord for those 8 years at CCCH!
And now, I am writing to you from Herborn, Germany! The Lord called my family and I out here on September 5, 2008. We have been here for six months now and have loved serving the Lord. We know that we have so much to continue to learn and that the Lord not only wants to do a mighty work of His Spirit here in Deutschland, but that He wants to work in our hearts!
Let me end this, by going back to the verse that I started with. Psalm 20:4, which says “May He grant you according to your heart's desire, and fulfill all your purpose.” As I look over these past 9 years in full-time ministry. I see the Lord’s grace. I do not at all deserve to have been a part of His amazing plans. I still do not deserve it. And yet, by His grace He is continuing to grant to me the very desires of my heart. All I wanted to do was teach God’s Word and that is exactly what I have been doing. As time went on, I wanted to minister to the youth at my church, and the Lord granted that to me. As time went on, I believed that the Lord was stirring my heart for the mission field, and guess what? That is where I am! God has been so good to me! I don’t deserve it, but I praise HIM for it all!
And now, my family and I are here in Herborn, Germany serving alongside with Pastor Edmund Coronel Sr. (my youth pastor at CCCH) and his wife Martha. How amazing it is to be able to serve alongside a man that radically poured into my spiritual life during my teenage years. God is so good!

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

March 12 - 9 Years in Full Time Ministry!

9 Years in Ministry!
Yesterday in my devotions I read Psalm 20:4, which says “May He grant you according to your heart's desire, and fulfill all your purpose.” As I began to meditate upon this verse and talk over it with the Lord, I began to think on what has been my hearts desire. And as I look over my life, the Lord has done this very thing. By His grace, He has called me to do the very things that I have desired to do for Him. Let me go back some years and give you some history.
After I graduated high school in 1998, the Lord was stirring my heart to want to teach His Word. Without exactly knowing this, He began to stir my heart to be in the ministry. Some of my friends at the time were starting to attend the Calvary Chapel Bible College and so I thought that this would be the best thing for me. But this is not what the Lord had in store for me. Looking back, the Lord taught me a lesson on submitting to and honoring my father who had told me that he desired me to go to college. This was not my desire, but I willingly (through the Lord working on my heart) submitted to this and began to attend Mt. Sac junior college. I only went one semester. Now I want you to understand; this junior college is one of the biggest junior colleges in the United States (at least that is what I heard). I spent so much time looking over all of the classes to see what it would be that I would pursue. As I began to look, honestly, there was not one thing that I was interested in, except sports. So I did my semester.
I then heard about some details with the School of Ministry at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. My mom began to let me know that this might be something that I would be able to do. So I looked into it, talked it over with my dad, and he let me know that he was okay with me going to this school. I would be able to go to the school and still keep my job at Chino Lumber. I will never forget that first day at the School of Ministry. I remember sitting in the class (the youngest one in the class), and taking notes to a Bible study. I will never forget it. Carl Westerlund was teaching out of Ezekiel 34 and was teaching on what a true shepherd should be. I couldn’t believe it! I was going to school, where I was able to study the Bible! This was the very desire of my heart. I was so excited about these next two years that I would invest at the School of Ministry. So I thought!
Throughout this time, I was also helping out in our youth ministry at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills. I was overseeing the drama ministry within the youth and was teaching once or twice a month on Wednesday nights. I had a good job, I was going to school where I wanted, and I was serving in the ministry that I loved serving in. And yet, it seemed in my heart, that I wanted to do more. I wanted to do more in the ministry. I remember having a meeting with my best friend Josh Blevins and the lady who was overseeing the youth at the time, Janet Baumgartner about the youth ministry. I remember saying, “I wish I could just come work here at the church and teach the youth the Bible.” Little did I know what the Lord had in store.
I now finished my first semester at the School of Ministry and there was a little break between the semesters. Towards the end of this first semester was the annual Calvary Chapel Youth Pastors Conference. I had never been to one, but I was asked if I wanted to go. This was not only for youth pastors, but also for those who served within youth ministry. So, I was able to go! And the Lord began to do a great work of His Spirit in my heart that week. Even before the conference started, the night before, I was reading in the Gospel of Matthew in chapter nine. I then came across the following verse…”But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” I immediately began to think of our youth group and saw how that this was a picture of what was going on with our youth. There were sheep, but there was no shepherd for them. To be honest, I didn’t think too much about it. I just began to pray that the Lord would bring a shepherd to them.
Throughout this conference the Lord was teaching me so much about youth ministry. I had already been involved with youth ministry between three and four years at that time, but I still had so much to learn. Also throughout this conference I was seeing people that I had met over the years of ministering alongside them at their churches. The more people I would see, the more people began to say the following statement, “Joey, why don’t you do it? Why don’t you become the youth pastor?” I thought, “What! Are you crazy!” In fact, the first person that told this to me is a good friend of mine, Amir Tsarfati. It was amazing that within a short time many people were telling me the same thing. I began to think, “Lord, what is going on?” And then it came to the end of the conference and I wanted to say goodbye to a good friend that I had met years before. While we were saying our goodbyes, he began to ask me, “Joey, do you have a few moments to talk?” “Sure.” So he began to say that he was watching me throughout the conference and he was watching me worship and then he said, “Joey, why don’t you do it? Why don’t you become the youth pastor?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. So to keep this short, I began to share all of what was happening with him and then we prayed.
I then headed home and went straight to the church to go get things ready for the youth group that evening. Instead of walking into the youth room right away, I walked in the front office and guess who was standing there – Amir! He then asked how the conference was and I asked why he was there. He then told me that he would be meeting with Pastor Jack. So when Robin (Jack’s secretary) called Amir in to the meeting, I asked her if I would be able to just say “Hi” to Jack. To be honest, that is all I wanted to do. So Amir and I went into the office and I just popped my head in and said, “Hey Jack, I haven’t seen you in a while and so I thought that I would say hello.” He then asked how the youth conference was. I let him know that I was extremely blessed and let him know that it would be cool if we could meet sometime and so I could share with him what I learned (I was not at all thinking about this whole youth pastor thing). He told me that he would love to do that. He then asked me one question, “Joey, did you find us a youth pastor?” I said, “No, Jack, I didn’t find you one sorry.” He then replied, “Maybe thou art the man.” I couldn’t believe what I had just heard! I then looked at Amir who had the biggest smile on his face and then quickly excused myself…

I will finish this tomorrow - it is 12:15am here in Germany! I am wiped! look for part two!

Noah Daniel - 1 month old!

It has already been a month with our little boy Noah. We can't believe it! He is truly a blessing from the Lord and we look forward to all that the Lord wants to do in his life. Continue to be praying for him as he grows more and more.

Welcome Little Baby Noah!

Well, it’s been three weeks now since baby Noah was born and I finally have a moment to sit down and tell you about how amazing our experience was with his birth. I know Joey wrote a few things, but this is for all the women out there who love details! Guys, feel free to skip ahead to the bullet points. J

First I have to start out by saying that EVERYTHING about this baby and birth experience was different than it was with the girls. For one, this pregnancy was a surprise to us both. With plans underway to move to Germany, having a baby was about the last thing on our to-do list! But praise the Lord He had different plans! His ways are truly higher than our ways! Then in August we found out we were having a boy! (What in the world do you do with boys?) We were so excited! But this was the most difficult of all my pregnancies having broken my tailbone a year ago, December. After moving three times, I had tweaked my back so that at one point I couldn’t walk for a few days. With memories haunting me of Aliyah’s traumatic birth, the baby’s due date being in February in the midst of snow and ice, and the hospital being 40 minutes away when I have very fast deliveries… needless to say I was anxious over many things!

I had met with Gundi, the midwife from the church here for my prenatal appointments. She has a birthing center attached to her home, which is very quaint and I felt very comfortable with her place and with her. She lives only 10 minutes away. I was weeks away from the due date and still hadn’t made a decision about where to deliver. A still, small voice said, “Go with Gundi.” But my fears kept me from giving myself entirely to that direction, until the Lord gave me such peace and the assurance that no matter what happened, no matter what decision I made, He is Lord over all and has absolute power over all circumstances. What rest this word brought to my soul! He reminded me of the scripture verse He showed us when Aliyah was in the NICU at St. Jude’s Hospital from Psalm 100:3, “Know that the Lord, He is God. It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves. We are His sheep and the people of His pasture.” I’m so thankful how the Lord leads us, as a Shepherd tenderly leading His sheep beside still waters of peace. Even our moms, who came to be here for our son’s birth, when they met Gundi and saw her birthing room, fell in love with her and had total peace and excitement. Praise the Lord!

Fast forward to February 10, the night before the baby’s due date; Joey and I went out on a date to eat at a great Chinese food restaurant while our moms watched the girls. We joked that I would have to have the baby that night because with both girls’ births we had Asian food the night before. Between bites, I asked Joey, “So, what’s his name going to be?” Again, another example of how different this pregnancy was. With the girls, we had their names picked out and their rooms completely decorated in the first trimester, and everything prepared to deliver at the hospital, epidurals included! Now we’re in a foreign country, don’t speak the language, his room had been the storage room up until a week before his birth, and his name was affectionately known as, “Baby Brother.” I had let Joey know what names I liked (Noah), but always it seemed to fall on deaf ears. He liked one name, and one name only (Isaiah). But he must have had a change of heart because he answered my question with, “Noah Daniel.” We had been reading in the Bible about how Noah was “a righteous man” in his ‘last days’ before the flood, “perfect in his generation” and that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”. Our prayer is that our little boy would be a righteous young man in his generation, these ‘last days’ before Christ’s return, obedient to God to tell the lost of His salvation. We also read in Matthew how Jesus said in the last days it would be “as in the days of Noah.”That night my water broke (another new experience) and I went into labor! We joke that this baby is German because he came right on time! Calmly Joey and I got dressed and drove to the midwife’s house. We prayed and thanked God for His peace that surpasses all understanding. Even in our excitement, the Lord brought to mind the verse in Isaiah, “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You; trust in the LORD forever, for in Yah, the LORD, is everlasting strength.” We arrived safely, despite the thick snow on the ground, and Gundi turned on some worship music and got the bathtub filled up with warm water for me. With my sensitive tailbone being an issue, the last thing I wanted to do was to labor on my back! It was so relaxing to float weightlessly in the water. The midwife asked if I wanted to turn around and get on my knees. I did, and that is how I delivered the baby, squeezing Joey’s knees as he sat beside the tub! The whole labor and deliver was only 2.5 hours! Immediately, the midwife put him on my back. I heard his sweet cry and Joey exclaim, “MY BOY!” with tears in his eyes. What a beautiful moment that was! She asked me, “What is his name?” I looked at Joey and asked, “What is his name, Daddy?” Joey answered, “Noah Daniel.” Yeah!
Even our moms were able to be there for his birth, thanks to Pastor Edmund who drove them there at 4:30 in the morning, and Martha who stayed with our girls so we didn’t have to wake them so early. After about 500 pictures of us with Noah, I got dressed and we were all invited to have breakfast with Gundi and her husband in their dining room! We sat around the table with Noah bundled up in a chair next to me, looking out at the beautiful snow covered hills, eating a delicious German breakfast. It was such an amazing time, a true gift from God! He is so good! I think of Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.’” How I praise the Lord for His peace and His guidance in our lives! He desires to bless us! He is not the author of fear or confusion, for He loves us and leads us according to His perfect ways. Welcome, little Noah Daniel Roper!

• Noah Daniel Roper
• February 11, 2009
• Born at 6:27am
• 7 lbs., 9 oz., (3,600 grams)
• 20 ½ inches long (52 cm)

6 months in Deutschland!

Today marks 6 months for us being here in Deutschland! I can't believe it! We still trip out that we live in Germany and that He has counted us faithful by putting us into the ministry here in Herborn, Germany. I do praise Him for all that He has done so far in us and through us. We know that we still have so much ahead of us. So much to learn. So much to give. So much to receive.
Please do keep us in your prayers! These next few months is usually the time when missionaries begin to "hit the wall" being away from family, friends, etc.
We look forward to what the Lord want to continue to do!

A Letter to the Persecuted

Last Sunday, March 1st, I had the opportunity once again to teach through our series "Are We Listening?" here at Calvary Chapel Herborn. This time we examined the letter that was written to the church in Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11). Now this letter to Smyrna was a completely different letter than that to the church of Ephesus. Smyrna was located around 40 miles (65 km) north of the city of Ephesus. Nowhere in Scripture, outside of the book of Revelation, do we see the church of Smyrna referenced.
I do want to point out Acts 19:10 which says, "And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks." This speaks of when the Apostle Paul was in Ephesus. I believe that through the work of the Lord that was being done in Ephesus, the word of the Lord reached Smyrna.
What we see in this letter is that this church was going through some heavy persecution. In fact, the root word of Smyrna is the word myrrh. Myrrh is a fragrance that is only released when it is crushed. This church went through an intense crushing and yet it yielded an amazing fragrance of Jesus that impacted many lives.
I this letter we note that Jesus tells the church of Smyrna the following:

• I know your tribulation
• I know your poverty (but you are rich)
• I know your reviling

And yet the word that Jesus uses in saying "I know" is speaking of a fullness of knowledge. He is not saying that He knows about it, as if He just sees what is happening to them. No, He the term that He uses is as someone who has also gone through these things. (Tribulation, Poverty, and Reviling) In fact, He went through them to the fullest degree of it.
How comforting it would be for the church of Smyrna to receive such a letter written from the First and the Last. The One who was dead and came to life. There was nothing that was happening to the church of Smyrna that Jesus Himself did not know about (knowledge) and that He Himself did not experience.
And yet, no where in this letter was there a word that He would deliver them from these tribulations. No instead, He told them that greater persecutions, greater imprisonments, greater tribulations were ahead of them. And so He speaks two things to this church. 1) DO NOT FEAR and 2) BE FAITHFUL UNTIL DEATH
As I think about this letter once again, I know that I cannot personally relate to this church of Smyrna, and yet, I am reminded of some verses in Hebrews 13:3, which says, "Remember the prisoners as if chained with them--those who are mistreated--since you yourselves are in the body also."
May we be faithful to pray for our brothers and sisters around the world that are being mistreated for the sake of the Gospel. May the Lord continue to strengthen, protect, and encourage them to FEAR NOT and BE FAITHFUL UNTIL DEATH.

Lastly, to those of you that are going through trials, tribulations, persecutions in some way shape or form, may you also be reminded by the Lord to fear not and to be faithful. Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:10-12 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."Depicted here is a picture of Polycarp being martyred for his faith - this took place in Smyrna

Here is the account of what happened:
According to church history this messenger (pastor) is Polycarp. He was a disciple of John (the disciple of Jesus). He was martyred in his 90’s. During this time there was perhaps as many as six million Christians martyred for their faith during the Roman government’s attempt to wipe out Christianity.”

THE GOVERNMENT PLANNED TO KILL THIS AGED MAN BY BURNING HIM AT THE STAKE:

The executioner: “ I hate to see an old man die. Just recant (deny) Christ and we’ll set you free. Then you can live your last days in peace.”
Polycarp: “ For over 80 years I have served the LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. Not once has He denied me. I shall not deny Him.”
The executioner: “ the fire will be hot.”
Polycarp: “ Not nearly as hot as the fire you will experience.”

First Love

On Sunday, February 22nd, while Pastor Edmund and Martha were down ministering to the saints in Sao Vicente, Brazil, he asked if I would teach for him while he was gone. And so I was excited once again to have the opportunity to teach the Word to the body here in Herborn. So we picked up where we left off, on a series that I have called "Are We Listening?" This is going to be a series that we will do whenever the opportunity arises.
Now as I began to think about the verses that we would go over (Revelation 2:1-7), I was excited because I knew that we would be discussing the topic of getting back to our first love - Jesus! I began to immediately think how the Lord was going to use this study for the saints here in Herborn and how it will challenge them in this area. Little did I know that the Lord wasn't thinking the same thing. Well, I know that He is, because I know that He loves the people at our church, and I know that He used the message to work in their hearts in a mighty way. But this is what I am saying... this message was going to be for me!
As I began to read over the verses and read through a commentary by G. Campbell Morgan, the Lord began to reveal to me that it was me who would need to repent. It was me who needed to get back to my first love. It was me who had let business get in the way of my love for Him. It was me!
After getting the study all prepared, my lovely wife and I had the opportunity to go out to dinner, since our moms were here and were able to watch the kids for us. It was a great time with her. In this time I began to share with her the things that the Lord was showing me and how I feel that I have clearly represented the church of Ephesus.
As you look at this letter you will see how Jesus commends them for all the things that they are doing. And what amazing commendations they are! On the peripheral view, everything was amazing. They were laboring for the Lord. They were steadfast in their service for Him. They didn't tolerate sin in the church. They didn't tolerate false teachers or false apostles. They were doing everything for His name's sake. They did not become weary in these things. They were not wanting to "throw in the towel." And yet Jesus tells them, "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love." Wow!
And so as I open up before all of you who read this, I am so thankful that the Lord allows us to repent and come back to Him. Getting back to my first love with Him! Getting back to Him being the focus and not the ministry. Honestly, there is so much more that I could share, but I want to leave you with a few things to think about.

• What about you?
• Have you left your first love? - JESUS!
• How & when did it happen?
• Have you let complacency creep in?
• Have you let your job get in the way?
• Have you let people get in the way?
• Have you let ministry get in the way?

No matter the case, remember where you have fallen from, repent, and do the first works!
I love you all and will continue to be praying for you. Please keep me and my family in your prayers!

By the way, if you are interested in listening to the message, Click here.