 “I Can Only Imagine,” is the most radio-played Christian song ever. The movie with the same name—based on the lead singer, Bart Millard’s personal life story, was expected to gross $2-$4 million. After three weeks this movie has grossed over $70 million. The reason? It contains some very powerful real-life happenings that lead most people to a sense of hopelessness and despair, and tells the story of redemption, forgiveness, and hope. Beginning Sunday April 15th, I will be preaching a 4-week series based on the truths presented in this movie. I will be using interview clips of the lead singer and movie clips from the movie that is currently in the theaters. In week one, I will deal with IDENTITY THEFT. If life, from your past or present, has left you believing something about yourself, your worth or your potential that does not agree with how God sees you or His plan for you, your identity has been stolen. Get it back! Come this Sunday, April 15th at 10am to Delphi First Assembly of God and experience God the Father’s, amazing love for you. Through Him, you can reclaim your true identity! 
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In the Holy Scriptures, it says, ‘By those who come near Me, I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified’ (Leviticus 10:3). God is a holy God. However, that understanding of our Creator, and the appropriate response by humanity has overwhelmingly ceased. In the Scriptures, those who encountered God’s presence God trembled, fell on their face as dead, repented as they recognized their sinfulness, etc. We must not ignore him, treat Him as if He doesn’t exist, or treat Him as if He is so far away He doesn’t matter. He must be regarded as Holy! I’m preaching a series on our Holiness of God, and how we as Christians ought to respond to Him…and not just to Him, but to all that He calls holy. Be challenged by this challenging word!   I remember as a child, riding in the car in downtown Kokomo, Indiana. At certain times of the day you could smell the aroma of fresh-baked bread from the Wonder Bread Bakery.” All you wanted to do was to open the window, close your eyes and sit in that smell!
Our time of prayer and fasting is just that—to “sit in the fragrance of Jesus!” The Word of God says He is the Bread that came from heaven. If we could only slow down life enough to “smell” His fragrance, everything would change—our attitudes would change, our pursuits would change, our relationships would change…everything! So, going into our last week of fasting and prayer, I invite you to pull over, roll down the window to the heavenly Bread, take a deep breath and smell the Bread!  No one gets to where they are by themselves. I encourage you to stop for a moment and think of that person or those people who helped you along the way. Furthermore, we should regularly cultivate a thankful heart, followed by expressions of thankfulness. Thankful people are more joyful and more at peace. Thankful people have a better outlook on life. Oh, I know, there are plenty of negative things that one could choose to dwell on, but that would only serve to dampen spirits, and drag us down. In turn, it would also negatively affect our relationship with others around us. So today, make the choice – be thankful! Whisper a prayer to God, expressing your thankfulness for His many blessings! And, while you’re at it, why don’t you contact that person or those people towards who made or make a difference in your life, and express that to them. It’s the right thing to do! And… you’ll be glad you did! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)  Spiritual quacks keep setting dates for the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. This is part of the reason why I am currently preaching a series on Bible prophecy. Using Scripture, I am attempting to separate fact from fiction, truth from hype. Since the Bible says that no one, not even the angels in heaven, knows the day or the hour of His return, therefore, no one in humanity can discover the date. That being said, the Scripture also says that, “Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door” Mark 13:29 (NIV).
How will we know His coming is at the door? Signs! Similar to when you travel—when you get closer to a destination you begin to see signs of how far until you arrive. The above Scripture notes that those who are able to understand the signs will KNOW that it is right at the door. I’m seeing signs! They are clear! They are real! It sure feels like we’re very close! I’m sharing them here and in my messages each Sunday morning at the 10am service at Delphi First Assembly of God, because we must be prepared. We must declare the message, “Repent and turn to Jesus! The Kingdom is at hand!” Whether or not you believe it won’t matter. It will affect you! Get ready  Did you know that 27% of the Bible is prophecy? Prophecy was when God spoke through people to tell them what was coming. God spoke of events, judgments, etc. He also spoke about one of the most dramatic events that has, or ever will take place—the second coming of Jesus Christ. When you talk about the second coming, some people think everything bad thing that happens is a sign of His coming. Then others just yawn and mock the idea that the second coming of Christ could be near.
In my new preaching series, I’m going to use the Scriptures to clarify teaching on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. I can, through the Scriptures, prove that we ARE in the “last days,” help you to have an understanding as to why all this turmoil in the Mideast, and what will be the outcome. If you need HOPE in these “last days,” I urge you to join us at Delphi First Assembly of God on Sundays at 10am.  Health, beauty, fitness, youthfulness—qualities that are sought after today. Our emphasis on these qualities seems to have lead our society to diminish the value of our older generation, who see these qualities fading. Yet, last Sunday at Delphi First Assembly we were able to bring focus, emphasizing the tremendous value of the “older” generation. They have “been through the fire” …and are still standing! They have so much to teach us! Leviticus 19:32 says, “You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the Lord.” And the Apostle Peter admonishes, “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders… be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble" 1 Peter 5:5. As you can see, the Scripture ties the fear of the Lord and humility to honoring, submitting to, and showing respect to the older generation. Twenty seven people, from age 70-96 years old sat in front of us as we called forward our young adults to love on them and pray for them. About a dozen of them had wise words to say to us. Such a special moment! May you be encouraged to be a blessing to an aging parent, grandparent, neighbor, or even one you are passing by today…and not just today, but every day!  Generation Impact: Honoring our Heritage August 2017  The concept of one-stop shopping has revolutionized how people get what they need. While there are still specialty stores, many people opt for going to the one big store where they can get most or all they are going to need in one place. Unfortunately, most people have not yet discovered that God has been offering them this all the time.
People search for happiness, joy, fulfillment, peace of mind, and love. They run here and there, from this person to that, buying this and that…and only temporarily finding the satisfaction for what they want or need. Jesus told us that when He ascended into heaven, He would not leave us as orphans, but would send the Holy Spirit, who would be with us and live in us forever! Later in the Scriptures, it says that the fruit of the Spirit (evidence of the Spirit being in us) would be love, joy, peace, etc. Therefore, when a person is born again—a spiritual birth called salvation, his continuing relationship with God becomes one-stop spiritual shopping. Need peace of mind? It comes by the Holy Spirit! Need joy (inner contentment)—it comes by the Holy Spirit! Need to be or feel loved, or have a greater capacity to love others—it comes by the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit (He) is the fulfillment of all you want or need! Why exhaust yourself by running here and there to temporarily get what cannot fulfill you, when through a relationship with God and the precious Holy Spirit you can be fully satisfied? Jesus describes this as “living water” so that you’ll never thirst again! My message on the Holy Spirit continues, as we learn the importance of the Holy Spirit to our everyday lives. Delphi First Assembly of God, 10am Sundays!  "Our present vision determines the future of the next generation." As God is stirring this thought in our hearts, we have looked around and found in our congregation, approximately FIFTY young adults in their 20s (a few younger, a few older). Wow! What an army this could be for the kingdom of God! It is our intention to give this generation every opportunity to fulfill the purposes that God has for them. Culture and society says live for the moment and look out for #1, but these young adults are going to march to the beat of a different drum! As they arise to serve God and others, they will lead the next generation into living for a purpose beyond their own. Many ideas and plans are in the making, which include several Sunday night services this summer, led by our young adults. But even if you are not a preacher or singer, but simply want to live for a higher purpose, please contact us!
 Seeing a bright full moon is an enjoyable experience. It looks awesome against the blackness of the sky. Yet we know this—the moon’s light is a reflection of the sun. God has designed that His followers would reflect His light, and shine bright in a dark world. I was reading 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT) the other day. It says, “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord…” In other words, to “reflect his glory,” we must first “see” His glory. Like a lunar eclipse, there are times that things get in our way, where we lose sight of the Lord. Troubles, trials, or circumstances can block our view of God. Relationship troubles overwhelm us and we lose sight of God—this results in discouragement, frustrations, and feelings of hopelessness and despair. However, if we can press in and maintain our “sight” of God…no matter how dark our world gets, we will receive His light(maintain confidence in His presence) and His light will reflect upon and through us for the benefit of others.
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AuthorPastor Brent Oliver grew up in Kokomo, Indiana and is an Ordained Minister through the Assemblies of God. Before embarking on God’s plan to establish a church in Delphi, Pastor Brent served in both Peru and Logansport, Indiana encompassing over 29 years of fulltime ministry. His vision and creativity has been the benchmark for the growing ministry at Delphi First and after 23 years, his passion and leadership could not be stronger. Archives
April 2018
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