To worship You I Live

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY had a great time examining the meaning of " WORSHIP". Before we began today's message we each gave our own definition of what worship meant to us.

Some of the things that were mentioned at the meeting was that worship meant being thankful to God and showing it without pride. Another word that was used was death to self, and to surrender our very best. Everything that we are " our soul, mind, and spirit".

We then watched a clip from the movie " There Be Dragons". If you would like to see the clip Click Here. After we watched the movie we shared what we felt the movie was saying about worship.

After the discussion Minister Tanya Merced shared on what worship and praise is all about. Praise in the bible refers to some sort of outward expression: lifting the hands, shouting, dancing, kneeling, singing, playing an instrument, etc. Praise is something you can see or hear. Worship on the other hand, is a form of sacrifice or humility.

In the Old Testament Genesis Chapter 22, God told Abraham to sacrifice his son and Abraham considered it to be worship unto God. Psalm 95, "come let us worship and bow down." Romans 12:1 tells us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, and that is considered our spiritual act of worship.

John 4:24 " God is Spirit, and those that worship Him will worship in Spirit and in truth." Jesus told us that we must come to the Father in Spirit, because He is Spirit. In other words, when Jesus said, " I am the way, the truth, and the life. God is spirit, and Jesus is truth. John 16 also tells us that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. Now that we have access to the Father we must come and worship as He is.

As Christians we must understand that Jesus was telling us and showing us that the Father is looking for those who truly worship. Is worship about singing, praying, studying the word, etc? The answer is that is just part of it. The kind of worship the Father who is Spirit is looking for is a living sacrificial one. We need to come to God in complete humility and lay aside our will so that God can have His perfect will.

The Heart of God = His Will

Humility has everything to do with the breaking down of our will. The will is the hardest thing to break, but David said "...the sacrifices You desire are broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart." (Psalm 51:17).

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY at the close of the meeting understood that in order to please and honor God we must get out of the way and say just like Jesus " not my will, but Yours be done".

You Can Do Anything with God by your side!

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY had an awesome time learning and studying God's Word.

Minister William Merced Jr. brought a timely message about how we can become more effective in our walk with God. Not only are we to read His word, but we are to truly be doers of God's word. Minister William Merced Jr. gave personal accounts on how we can be instruments of God. At times sharing the gospel is enough, but clothing, feeding, and helping those in need is the heart of God. Moreover, we must be compassionate like Jesus. God is all about love and we too must be love.

John 3:16-17 (New King James Version)

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY also had the privilege of having Andrew W. Merced teach Sunday School. Andrew W. Merced first began his lesson with a Sunday School Song called Clap Your Hands. After the song he told the children the story about a giant and a shepherd boy named David. Andrew handed out coloring pages and asked the children to point to the boy and the giant.

Andrew then read the following Memory Verse: " And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hands." 1 Samuel 17:47

Andrew asked the children what they learned and they said they learned that a little boy named David defeated a giant. Andrew told them yes, but the most important thing for us to remember is that it doesn't matter how old we are or how we look. God looks in our hearts. God fights our battles and therefore we are not alone. We can do anything with God by our side. Andrew then showed the children a special God Rock film with David and Goliath. What a fantastic lesson.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY is so proud of Andrew W. Merced. Andrew does not allow autism to stop him from achieving the very best. God wants our best.

What Does Resurrection Sunday Mean to You?

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY celebrated Resurrection Sunday with praise and worship. Thanking God for His faithfulness to us all.

Casting Crowns Set Me Free was played as we watched a clip from the Passion of Christ. What an awesome loving personal God.

We shared Holy Communion and were reminded that Jesus broke bread with His disciples and called each one of them friend. How awesome is He to call us a friend.

Today we focused on the following question:
What Does Resurrection Sunday Mean to each one of us?

We had the opportunity to see two films and then give our personal insight. If you would like to see both clips click on the following:

The Tomb is Empty
Tell Everybody

After seeing both films, I can honestly say that both have reminded me of what Resurrection Sunday really is all about, but the one that really spoke to my spirit was the second clip.

We see in the second clip Mary Magdalene crying passionately about Jesus' body being removed from the tomb. We see Jesus behind her and he wants to console her, but he can't. Mary recognizes Jesus and tries to hold on to him. Jesus tells her to not hold on to him.

John 20:17
Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

Jesus when he rose from the dead told Mary not to touch him. Jesus was telling Mary there is a new way ~ things are not the way it used to be. Jesus death on the cross and his resurrection created a new relationship between us and the Father (A New Covenant).

What Does Resurrection Sunday Mean to me?

Resurrection Sunday means that I have total access to the Father, because of Jesus obedience. I can know the Father as a loving, caring, personal, God and not like a distant force.

God's Will

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ

Minister Richard Altreche delivered such a dynamic lesson reminding us that God's will for our lives is indeed perfect. The Bible shows us many ways of what God’s will is for us as believers.

1Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to 18“give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

We see here that part of the Lord's will instructs us to give thanks in all circumstances, again I say in “ALL” circumstances, something many of us find very hard to do over and over again.

Minister Richard Altreche gave us the following scenarios: you just received an eviction letter, or your boss just fired or laid you off, you just got into a car accident which incidentally was the other persons fault, or maybe you just had an argument with a family member, your electricity was turned off etc. The list as you know can go on and on. Now somehow while these things are all going on or even after they have already happened, you’re supposed to say "Thank You". For most people this is very hard to do while all these issues may be occurring in their lives. None the less, the Word of God instructs us to give thanks.

Minister Richard Altreche asked WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ to take a closer look at the scriptures to see that God will never give us more than we can handle. We were reminded that we must be joyful always. You might be saying in your minds; “now you have got to be kidding me, I have to be happy and give thanks after my car just went through a house and into someone’s living room?

The answer is “yes” the Word tell us in Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” We are to trust God even when things do not seem to be right to us. We were reminded that we must understand that the "Joy of the Lord is our strength."

If you are finding yourself weak during these moments it may be due to the fact that you are using someone else’s joy and not God’s joy. God’s joy is genuine. The Word speaks about many ways that we can receive God’s joy. Sadly many seldom choose to look for it through the scriptures. What they look for are imitations of joy that have no validity to them. They are oftentimes empty, incomplete and hollow. We need to depend on the joy that will continue to persevere even through the trials and tribulations that we may face.

Looking back now to verse 17 we see that along with being joyful we must also “pray continually,” if we are to be steadfast we need to be in communion with the Father. It is then that we will gain understanding, it is there that we will receive insight from the very one that has designed the purpose for our lives. We must confer with the chief engineer of our destiny. He is the rock in which we must lay our hope upon. When we come to terms and realize all of this we will see that giving thanks will not be so hard after all. Then we will be operating “In the Will of God.” His good and pleasing will.

The Power of Words

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY

We first began with Cami Ortiz a young seven year old girl reading a verse from her Princess devotional book. What a beautiful moment we experienced in the presence of the Lord.

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY was presented with three clips from Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. If you would like to see each clip click here:
Lab Coat
Dad's Approval
Real You

After we viewed each clip we discussed what we saw and what lesson we learned from each one.

Proverbs 18:21 ESV
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Ephesians 4:29 ESV
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear it.

Proverbs 15:4 ESV
A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

Minister Tanya Merced focused on the three clips and shared that as a result of Flint's mother speaking life into her son's life he didn't give up. We see throughout the film that Flint states in his own words " From that moment on..." Although his future inventions failed Flint did not consider himself a failure. The reason why Flint did not feel like a failure was due to the fact that his mother changed a negative situation (teasing) into a positive one (perseverance). The mother deposited seeds that would later go on to multiply and produce good fruits.

On the other hand, Flint's father spoke death upon his son's dream. Flint's father never approved of his son's inventions. It may have been that his father wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and inherit the business. Another reason could have been he was embarrassed of his son or he wanted to protect his son from failure. We see Flint searching for his father's approval, but as a result of his father's actions it produced a strained relationship between the two of them.

It is the job of every believer to build one another and not destroy. We are called to encourage and to bring hope to a lost world. In fact we might be the only Jesus people see. Our life must be a reflection of the King of Kings. If we believers are speaking death (negative) than the only thing we will produce are rotten seeds. Remember seeds do grow and multiply under the worse conditions. What kinds of seeds would you like to leave behind?

Below you will find five simple things you can do to encourage one another.

1. Speak encouraging words.
You want the person to know that you care and that you know they can do it.

2. Encourage by cheering them on. (Praises help to motivate)

3. Follow the Lord's example. Be an encourager! (Psalm 10:17)

4. Think positive. Don't use negative words or ideas.
We all have challenges we have to deal with in our life, however, if you focus on the challenges you will never see anything good in your life. You will lose focus.

5. Pray and dig deep into the Word of God.
The more you stay connected to God the more you think like Him. Leaving no room for doubt or hopelessness.

Psalm 19:14,
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Using God's Approach

WOWgroup Global Fellowships NY

At times it may be very difficult to do it God's way. Minister William Merced shared such a powerful message about using God's approach instead of ours.

We were asked to look at two pictures and discuss how these pictures made us feel. One of the pictures made us think of relaxation, joy, fun and the other made us feel sad, depressed, gloomy.

Matthew 6:22-23 (NLT)

²² “Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. ²³ But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

Minister William Merced Jr. gave us examples about his childhood and shared how many of the things he saw he adapted, because he thought they were good. Moreover, examples such as smoking, becoming an abuser, drugs stems from what our eye sees and then internalizes it.

It is our responsibility as believers to represent the light and not to fill our eyes with things that are in darkness. One great example that was used by Minister William Merced Jr. was a conversation that he had at his place of employment. Minister William Merced Jr. stated " I found myself talking negatively about my employer and quickly I knew I had to stop and say instead of talking badly let us pray for that person". The conversation was quickly stopped, but Minister William Merced learned a valuable lesson he (the light) had the power to change the atmosphere from (darkness) back to light.

Spring Garden Party

WOWgroup Gelasia Women's Group Gelasia welcomed Spring with a Garden Theme Party. Throughout the evening the Gelasia ladies enjoyed words, sounds, laughter and food that welcomed Spring. Gelasia ladies played seed games, flower power games, relay races and as the night quieted down each Gelasia lady decorated her own flower pot. At the end of the evening prizes were won, flowers were sent with cards crafted with kindness. “Spring makes its own statement, so loud and so clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer.” Geoffrey Garsworth

The Fool

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ knows how important it is to seek wisdom.

Minister Richard Altreche reminded WOWgroup Global Fellowship NJ that a fool is someone who the dictionary defines as stupid, silly, lacks judgment or sense. A fool is weak minded.

A fool is not a wise person, but represents the total opposite. There is no one who wants to be categorized as a fool. Who would like to take on a label as a fool?

If we take on the label of weak minded than that would mean that we are unstable. The bible talks about an unstable man in the book of James chapter one, but if you dive in deeper into the scriptures we find that there are more descriptions of the qualities of a fool. The wise, however, is not a fool.

Let us focus on the fool so that we have a clear understanding and awareness, so that we can make wise choices and avoid making the same mistakes that overtake the fool.

Proverbs 14:18 " the simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge".

The book of Proverbs in the bible has many references to what a wise man is and a fool.
Are you a fool? Looking over the scriptures it is obvious that the Lord wants His children to recognize the poor choices a fool makes and what we should do to prevent from making the same errors.

Proverbs 1:33 Wisdom leaves us with a promise..."but whoever listens to me will live in safety and will be at ease, without fear of harm."

What a great promise for those who listen. The fool...Thank God that's not you or I.

The Sharecroppers Seed

WOWgroup Global Fellowship NY ~ Began its awesome Sunday Celebration with a Mime Give Me Your Eyes performed by Minister Tanya & Son Andrew Merced. If you would like to see this mime click here.

After the mime WOWgroup was paired into partnerships and each were asked to view the following two clips. After viewing the clips each partner had to compare and contrast the films and come up with a common theme.

Links: Wheat things

Johnny Appleseed

Scripture References:

2 Corinthians 9:10 (New Living Translation)

¹⁰ For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.

Galatians 6:7-9 (The Message)

^7-8Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.

^9-10So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.

Minister Tanya Merced gave the definition for a sharecropper and explained that the landlord was the father above who is the creator of all.

Def. Sharecropper ~ A tenant farmer who gives a share of the crops raised to the landlord in lieu of rent.

(God is the landlord and we the believer His children are the tenant farmers who have the responsibility to take care of the land and give Him the very best).

***One of the things that we must be aware of is that God doesn't need us to give. It is us who need to be blessed.

Let me just mention briefly some of the things every believer must give in order to live a blessed life.

1. We must be able to give to the Lord our hearts. We must surrender all that we are (our soul, thoughts, emotions, etc.) If we do not surrender this we find ourselves in a pit that produces no fruit. (These pits could be anger, unforgiveness, abandonment, self-pity, lust, adultery,etc.) When we give our hearts to the Lord He has something to work with. The process at times is very painful, but when the Master is finished molding us to His likeness we are able to produce fruits(blessings).

2. We must give our time to the Lord. We do this by spending quality time with Him, through prayer, meditation on His word, praise & worship, journals, etc.) You cannot trust a person you do not know well. (God is all about relationship). The more time you take in getting to know Him the more you will reflect Him and produce fruits(blessings).

3. We must give the Lord the tithe and offerings. The tithe which translated means "tenth or one tenth" it also symbolizes testing in the bible. Many of the tests starting with Pharaoh (10 plagues), Jacob with his wages (10) and other tests in the bible.

The tithe is not just one tenth of every dollar you make. It is your test. Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

I want to end with Nicole Mullen's song ~ Sharecropper's Seed.

http://www.rhapsody.com/nicole-c-mullen-2/sharecroppers-seed-volume-1

I am going to continue this teaching online at A Touch of Peace ~ I hope that I see all of you there so that we can dig deeper.

Gelasia~WOWgroup Karaoke Fundraiser Event

Karaoke ~ WOWgroup Global Fundraiser Event (Missions ~ Maylasia 2011)

Oh what fun it is to gather with some friends and sing the night away and raise funds for a wonderful cause.

WOWgroup Gelasia NY would like to thank all the ladies who donated to this fundraiser event.

As a special thank you we wanted to post some of the highlights of the evening.

Proverbs 19:17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.