New Covenant Church of God
Experience The Difference
Register for Son Surf Vacation Bible School
0312 days
by Keith Hawes
in Devotions
Click here to register for VBS 2011
That One Thing
0325 days
by Keith Hawes
in Devotions
Many of us have that one thing in our life that we just can’t seem to get rid of. The Apostle Paul said it best,
I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate (Romans 7:15 NLT)
If you would like to know how to get free and stay free from those “bags” that you just can’t seem to get rid of check out the message–Baggage Part 3_handout
Relational Wounds- Baggage Part 2
2340 days
by Keith Hawes
in Devotions
When I was 6 weeks old, I had to have surgery for the first time. No one just looking at me could ever tell that I have a scar. Wounds of the heart are the same way. We cannot look at someone and see their scars and wounds, but they are there. If you have suffered relational wounds in your life check out the latest message. Many people were touched by the love of Jesus as they dealt with some of the hurts they faced in their relationships.
Baggage Claim (Part 1)
0344 days
by Keith Hawes
in Devotions
Check out the sermon notes from our current sermon series Baggage: Live Free and Travel Light.
A New Day Has Dawn
0369 days
by Keith Hawes
in Devotions
Ralph Winter said that the last wave of missions would be in America and Europe. He said that in 1974 not last week. The bottom line is the church has lost influence. At one time, the church was the center of society. Think about it! Go to New Orleans and you will see the center of the French Quarter was a church (not Bourbon Street). Today this is definitely not the case. So when did this all begin? This shift in thinking. 1960 with the hippies??? NO
- THE RENASSAINCE- 14th century
- The Protestant Reformation—a divided church lost influence (although the division was necessary)
- Nationalism-the church began to lose its political power as people began to put more of their focus on their national identity as a result of the two world wars
- Science- challenged Christianity’s pre-scientific assumptions about the universe.
- Enlighten- People began to focus on reasoning.
- Technology- With mass media, technology and entertainment the Church not only had to fight alternative thinking but compete with people’s time
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- During this time the people began to rediscover Greek philosophy and began to focus on what was here and now—this was the birthing place of humanism or a human centered existence rather than a spiritual centered existence
Unfortunately, the churches response was not always the best response. For years, the church fought societal changes rather than bridging the gap with popular culture. In return, society clung to its change and saw the church as an institution against progress.
How can we redeem a culture that has for the last 600 years drifted away from a Christian worldview? I believe the answer is found in an ancient text. Colossians 1:28-29,
“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”
At New Covenant Church, we are focusing all our energy on proclaiming, admonishing, and teaching people. In other words, we want to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. The key word surrounding all of this is WISDOM. For years, the church has done a great job of proclaiming, admonishing, and teaching but they did it according to their own ideas. In today’s changing society, we must look at the most effective strategies of fulfilling the Gospel Mandate and utilize them. Flannel Boards and Transparencies are not for today.
Sunday we committed to the GC Life (Great Commission Life). This is the mandate God has given to our church (Proclaim, Admonish, Teach, and Present). A new day has dawned for New Covenant Church of God, and I am excited about what God has in store
Turn Your Hard Place into a Dream
3484 days
by Keith Hawes
in Devotions
After having made some choices that alienated him from his own family, Jacob finds himself on a journey. Along the journey, Genesis 28 records that he came to a “certain place.” I’m sure many of you have come to a “certain place” before. A place where you were certain you did not want to be. After his exhausting journey, (most scholars I have read believe he had traveled at least 40 miles), he finds a rock to his as a pillow. I don’t want to misinterpret scripture or place my own meaning (eisegesis), but I’m sure that you must be tired to use a rock as a pillow. Some might say you were between a rock and a hard place (lol). On this rock, however, Jacob has a wonderful experience with God that is forever etched in history.
So, what does this have to do with your situation? I’ll tell you! You, like Jacob, may be going through a rough time in your life. You may even be suffering the consequences of you own decisions. The place where you are may be hard; it may even be a place where you have difficulty finding rest. However, if you can allow the place where you are to be the place where God meets with you. The Scripture speaks often how God is near those with a broken and contrite spirit. Know today that your current state of brokenness can be the “certain place” where God meets with you.
By the way, that “certain place” is no longer called “certain place.” After Jacob’s experience with God, he called it Bethel (House of God). My prayer for you today is that the place that you are in will become a place that you can say, “I met God there.”
Pastoring from Facebook
0558 days
by Keith Hawes
in Uncategorized
One of the great privileges of being a pastor in the 21st century is the myriad of ways one can communicate with members. Never in the history of man has communication easier than it is today. In a single click from a phone or computer, I can connect with thousands of people. I realize that the internet can be damaging to people’s spiritual lives, but it can also be one of the greatest tools of both discipleship and evangelism. Here are a few reasons why I choose to pastor from Facebook:
1. I can easily keep in touch, comfort and encourage church members and others who share their life situations on their FB pages. Many people are just more comfortable sharing a difficult situation on Facebook than they are calling the office to request prayer.
2. I can start and participate in discussions on my passions, which are disciple making strategies and organizational change. My FB page connects me with all sorts of people. When I find something interesting in what I am reading, I put up some quotes on my wall, and it appears magically everywhere. Those who find it interesting comment, those who do not just ignore it.
3. FB provides a connection between all sorts of people who reflect the complexity of my interests. I find it very interesting to be a link between such diverse kinds of people.
4. It gives me the opportunity to connect with other ministers. I don’t like to call people, but with FB, I can keep in contact with many of my fellow ministers for encouragement and support. It is also good to see when God is moving at another church.
A Look Back
1624 days
by Keith Hawes
in Uncategorized
Next month my beautiful wife and I will celebrate one year as pastors of New Covenant Church of God. We are also expecting the arrival of our first child. In the last year we have experienced tremendous personal growth, and God is continuing to expand our vision for northern Tangipahoa Parish. As I look back at the past year, I see how the hand of God has been working so strong in the church. Here are some leadership lessons that I have learned:
- Delegate authority, not just responsibility
- It is really hard not to lead from your emotions
- In ministry we lead as we are lead by the Holy Spirit
- Love should guide all decision making
- Communicate the heart of God for your community
- Stay focused on what God has called you to do. Problems come only to distract
- If it is a silly complaint, there is probably a deeper rooted issue
I am so proud of the people of New Covenant Church. I feel like I pastor one of the greatest churches in Louisiana. In the last year, we have seen 17 people join our church, people who were far from Jesus come to a place of pursuing a relationship with Him, and several baptized in the Holy Spirit. My 2 personal favorite events: Vacation Bible School which was a tremendous success and outreach to our community and the Outpouring Camp Meeting.
The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.Zeph. 3:17
Do You Still Believe in Holiness?
0667 days
What comes to your mind when you hear the word holiness? Many people think holiness applies to people who have chosen to live a lifestyle that is separate from mainstream society. Some have a negative view, having been hurt by some people who considered holiness to be more about the outside than the inside. Others, like me, have had a positive impact from these “holiness” people. I remember the first “holiness” church I ever went attended. It was a dynamic experience. People were shouting, praying aloud, and dancing around the altars. I never saw people worship in such a passionate way. It was something about the way the worshiped that drew me back Sunday after Sunday. It was something about the preaching that intrigued me. I am still blessed when I get around the older saints that gave up everything because they believed that is what God wanted.
If you are a part of the Church of God like me, you know that the declaration of faith says, “Holiness to be God’s standard of living for His people.” I think in the last 100 years, we have always tried to define what we all believe to be God’s standard. At one time, it was a sin to do just about anything. Today, we have the opposite problem. The error in both cases has been HUMANS trying to define God’s standard. Because of the error, many of us have stayed away from preaching about it. I have to say that preaching holiness probably will not fill a stadium. It will probably not cause anyone today to get a letter from a major television network inviting him or her to star on a new program. However, holiness is still right. It is not about wearing your sleeves to your knuckles or refraining from taking medicine. It is about the purity of heart. If that is the case holiness will always be relevant. Why? We have all made mistakes, and God is calling us to Himself.
I have met several young ministers (below 30), who have committed themselves to preaching this message of holiness and right living. It is not about clothes, but it is about making Jesus the center focus of their lives. As I met with these young men, I thought of A.W. Tozer who said, “Holiness is not an option.” My prayer today is that we ask God once again to reveal to us what is it that is in our life that keeps us from Him. If you dare to pray this, I dare you to listen and obey.
Do you still believe holiness is God’s standard of living?
Changing Lanes
0694 days
Driving down I-55 the other day, I was faced with a decision. The decision was to stay in the right lane and face running over an eighteen-wheeler tire that had fallen off OR move to the left lane. Naturally, I chose to change lanes. It made the most sense. In life, there are times when a “lane change” is needed, but for some reason many of us stay in the same lane. Maybe because we are comfortable, maybe because it is all we know. We stay in the lane.
Everyone wants to live life to its fullest. We all want to live a life without regrets. Yet we often settle for less than the best life we could live. Lulled into sleep by a sense of apathetic compliance, we accept as limitations situations that could be transcended. My question for you today is, “Do you want more out of this next phase of life than what you have now?”
The truth is we can only correct what we confront. When a child is being bullied, we tell him to confront the bully. When an adult has a problem at work, we tell him/her to confront the problem. However, when there is something in our life that is blocking us from going further in our journey, we have a tendency to ignore it.
Paul shares some wonderful truths in 1 Corinthians 9:26. He states, “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.” I know that the pressure is on. You have been attacked mentally, physically, financially, and in your relationships. You feel like you have been fighting the air. You have punched, kicked, and screamed. You have done everything you can, but nothing seems to work. You have been beating the air. Let me tell you it doesn’t have to be that way.
I have written this today to encourage you to keep fighting. Stay in the Race! Paul said everyone who runs in races goes through strict training. You’re training may be tough, your training may be hard…but you are training for reigning because God has a great future ahead of you. Paul said they do it because they desire a crown. Let me tell you that the blessings of God are what you are fighting for. It’s your children you are fighting for, it’s your marriage you are fighting for, it’s your health you are fighting for, it’s your ministry you are fighting for. It’s not time to give up! It’s not time to give in! It’s time for you to stand up, put your dukes up, and say DEVIL I’M READY FOR THE NEXT ROUND!
How do you do this? How can you go from the lane of defeat to the lane of victory? Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 9:26-27
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
- Arm yourself with an accurate analysis of your purpose and dedicating your efforts to cultivating the area of your gifting. It’s much easier to fight when you know who you are and you know what you are fighting for. You are running this race to win it. You were not designed for defeat, rather you were destined for victory.
- Get in the right lane. Once you know where you are headed, you may have to change some things. You may find that some of the problems you are facing are self-inflicted. I want to encourage you today to make the necessary changes in your life that is needed. God will help you make the change, but He won’t provide the help until you make the step.
- Stay in the right lane. Paul said that he did not want to be disqualified from the race. I know for myself, after great times in the Lord, the enemy comes in to discourage. No matter what may come, stay in the direction God has set you in. You won’t go wrong following His direction. He will always provide the encouragement we need along the way.
Keith Hawes
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