The Key Ingredient by Pastor Stephen Kaneshiro Last week ...storage.cloversites.com/valleyislefellowshipchurch/documents/02.23… · you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold,

February 23, 2014

The Key Ingredient by Pastor Stephen Kaneshiro

Last week we talked about moving on to be great people. Today I want you to know what the key ingredient is in order to be great people. It may seem boring because I am being so repetitive, but I cannot express this enough because this is so important.

Valley Isle Fellowship 473 S High St • PO Box 886

Wailuku, HI 96793 808.244.0865 (ph) • 808.249-0235 (fax)

[email protected] www.vifmaui.com

Matthew 22:37 (NLT) 37Jesus

replied, “‘You must love the Lord

your God with all your heart, all

your soul, and all your mind.’"

The problem is that too many Christians compromise on this. Many read that they must love God and then they stop there. They need to read and realize the whole verse, because it goes on to say that we are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, all of our soul, and with all of our mind. The compromise is this: We can love the Lord, but not with all of our heart, mind, and soul. This is the critical compromise that can be very fatal.

Let me give you an example. I can love ice cream, chocolate ice cream, but do I love it with all of my heart, mind, and soul? If I love it with all of my heart, mind, and soul I would not eat any other kind of ice cream. It would consume my thoughts, my actions, and even the things I say. If you were a stranger to me, it would not take you long to see that I love ice cream, chocolate ice cream.

The same is true for loving Jesus with all of your heart, mind, and soul. Compromising on this wonderful and marvelous command of the Lord is the devil’s biggest accomplishment. You see, if the devil can get us to compromise on loving Jesus with all of our heart, mind, and soul he has defeated us. This is the biggest problem of the Western church, the church in America today.

Compromised love it not really

love at all. In Revelations 3:15-16

(NLT) 15“I know all the things

you do, that you are neither hot

nor cold. I wish that you were

one or the other! 16But since

you are like lukewarm water,

neither hot nor cold, I will spit

you out of my mouth!

(continued on page 2)

Valley Isle Fellowship

This is the most wonderful and marvelous key to being the great people that I wrote about last week. If there is nothing else that you do in your Christian life, this is the most important aspect to accomplish. Again, I want to say this is the most important aspect!!! If you don’t do anything else, if you accomplish this without compromise, you have done very well.

This was written to the church at Laodicea. Here the Lord is saying that you are lukewarm. This means that they had compromised their love for the Lord. The end result was that they became sickening to the Lord and he wanted to throw them up. We in the Western church, including we here at VIF, have been fooled by the devil into compromising our love for the Lord.

You might be asking where is the proof of what you are saying? Go back to my illustration of loving chocolate ice cream. Can you say that you love the Lord so fully that you can’t help but give out overwhelming and compelling evidence that you love the Lord? In fact, can you truly say that you just can’t help it because that is who you are?

(continued on page 2)

IN THIS ISSUE 1 The Key Ingredient 2 The Key Ingredient (continued)

3 AM Service: Spiritual Sight & Spiritual Blindness 4 PM Service: Salvation 5-6 Announcements Cleaning Schedule Sunday School Schedule Tom & Jane Crick - Couples

Weekend Out 7 VIF 2014 Calendar

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I can’t help but to give out overwhelming and compelling evidence to everyone around me, even to strangers, that I am short. I can’t help it because I am short. That is who I am. I want this to also be true of my love for Jesus. I want there to be overwhelming and compelling evidence that I am in love with Jesus, because that is overwhelmingly who I am. I want this one fact, this one relationship, to define who I am. Dear people of Valley Isle Fellowship. If our uncompromised love for Jesus begins to define all that we are, do, and will be, this will be a great accomplishment. This will truly make us great people and we will bring glory and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ. May we all move on to loving the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, and soul. God bless you all.

Yours in Christ,

Stephen Kaneshiro

6. Too Laugh...

"Each year, we honor the life and work of Annie Walker Armstrong (1850-1938) when we give to the annual offering for North American missions named after her. As a tireless servant of God and a contagious advocate and supporter of mission efforts throughout the world, Annie Armstrong led women to unite in mission endeavors that ultimately led to the formation of Woman's Missionary Union, for which she served as the first corresponding secretary. Annie rallied churches to give more, pray more, and do more for reaching people for Christ. As we continue to unite to make her vision a reality in North America today, we can be confident that her legacy will also be ours."

http://www.anniearmstrong.com/whoisannie/

The Key Ingredient (continued)

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He

answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who

is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this

world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near

him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would

have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

1. Spiritual _________________. (vs. 39-41)

a. Still ____________. (vs. 39)

b. Refuses to admit ________________. (vs. 40)

c. Rejects true ___________. (vs. 41)

2. Spiritual ______________. (vs. 35-38)

a. God’s ______________. (vs. 35)

i. Trust the ____________________.

ii. Be aware of his _____________.

b. Requires ____________. (vs. 36)

i. Faith is not ________________.

ii. Faith is not ________________.

c. Understands the importance of ____________. (vs.37)

i. More than a __________.

ii. More than a ____________________.

d. Always leads to ______________. (vs. 38)

i. True belief is ________________.

NOTES:

Spiritual Sight and Spiritual Blindness John 9:35-41

AM Service: Pastor Jeremy Kaneshiro

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4

Salvation To Know and To Live

1. What is the meaning of Salvation?

a) _________________.

b) _________________.

c) _________________.

2. Where does it come from?

3. How is Salvation provided to us?

In the Old Testament: Many believed that God rescued His people for only ____________and

_______________ purposes.

In the New Testament: It is understood that God is redeeming people for an ______________

_______________ and ______________.

NOTES:

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PM Service: Pastor Darren Sarmiento

Volunteers Needed! We are in need of people to volunteer to clean our church facilities on High Street. Tasks include:

Sanctuary/3 bathrooms: 1. Vacuum floors 2. Empty rubbish containers 3. Straighten room/dust as needed

Annex Big Room 1. Vacuum floor 2. Empty rubbish containers Please sign up on the back table if you'd like to help. We ask that you choose one day of the following: Thursday, Friday, OR Saturday of the week that you are able to volunteer to do the work.

If three people were to volunteer each week, it would take only about an hour or so to complete. By joining together in this task, we can have fellowship, fun, and bring glory and honor to the Lord. Please pray about this need.

High Street Cleaning Schedule

Week of February 27-March 01 Iwami, Shishido, Yamasaki

Week of March 6-8 Blando

Week of March 13-15 Waki, Hashimoto

Schedule

Today

February 23, 2014

Team 1

Jennifer Egami

Corey Egami

Donna Nozaki

Elijah Douglas

Christian Motonaga

Next Week

March 2, 2014

Team 2

Joycelyn Kiaha

Marion Kimura

Elaine Yamasaki

Avery Yamada

Zachary Yamada

Kaiani Kiaha

Daniel Olaso

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Tom & Jane Crick from Saddleback Church in California

will be here on Maui to host:

Couples Weekend Out March 28-29th, 2014

A GATHERING FOR MARRIED AND

ENGAGED COUPLES

JANE CRICK has a heartfelt passion and desire to serve the Lord and to help all women see God working in their lives. She especially loves sharing with women about their role as Godly wives and mothers. Jane helped develop the Saddleback Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry and served in the Ministry for 10 years. Jane spoke at LifeWay sponsored Woman to Woman Mentoring Training Events, as well as Two About His Work Ministries conferences and retreats for many years.

TOM CRICK is the Pastor of Small Group Health and Men’s Ministry at Saddleback Church for over 10 years. After 25 years of Senior Management experience in the high technology workplace he answered Gods call in 2003 to full time ministry. He also consults nationwide with churches in building and maintaining Small Group and Men’s Ministries. He is also the co-author of Sleeping Giant, a Men’s Ministry cornerstone book published by Lifeway.

Jane and Tom’s life mission is to mentor couples to help them traverse the challenges and growth opportunities marriage brings. Their passion is to walk alongside other married couples and guide

them to the ONE that can grow their marriage.

Jane and Tom have been married for 34 years and live in Mission Viejo, California with their two children Sonja (27) and Teddy (23).

Friday - March 28, 2014

6:00pm-9:00pm

Couples Night

Saturday - March 29, 2014

8:30am-1:00pm

Fellowship & Training

Check upcoming newsletters for more information and details.

Want to sign up NOW? Check the back table for the sign-up sheet

or Contact James Blando @ 808.871.7572

*Childcare available upon request*

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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February:

23 AM Preaching – Pastor Jeremy – John 9:35-41

PM Preaching – Pastor Darren– BFM: Salvation (BFM)

26 Prayer Meeting

March 2014:

2 AM - Pastor Darren – John 10:1-21

PM - Pastor Stephen – BFM: God’s Purpose of Grace (BFM)

2-9 Annie Armstrong Offering Week of Prayer

8 "G" Force

9 AM - Pastor Stephen – John 10:22-42

PM - Pastor Jeremy - BFM: The Church

16 AM - Pastor Jeremy – John 11:1-44

PM - Pastor Darren - BFM: Baptism and the Lord's Supper

17-21 DOE Schools Spring Break

23 AM - Pastor Darren – John 11:45-57 PM - Pastor Stephen - BFM - The Kingdom

24 Surf Ministry 26 Prince Kuhio Day - church office closed

28 Couples Night w/ Tom & Jane Crick from Saddleback Church

29 Fellowship & Training w/ Tom & Jane Crick from Saddleback Church

30 AM - Pastor Stephen – John 12:1-11 PM - Pastor Stephen - BFM - Last Things

Senior Pastor

Stephen Kaneshiro

Cell: (808) 419-8100

Email: [email protected]

Assistant Pastor Darren Sarmiento

Cell: (808) 757-1651

Email: [email protected]

Assistant Pastor Jeremy Kaneshiro

Cell: (808) 280-2780

Email: [email protected]

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Valley Isle Fellowship 2014 Calendar