Pastor's Blog

Ministry IDOLS

Wednesday, 03 April 2013 09:12 Morgan Clough

I have not blogged in a very long time but the past few days God has been all over me on a lot of things and i just feel impressed to share this whith you today....Someone NEEDS to hear this.....

WHAT IS YOUR IDOL TODAY? Ther bible says anything we put before GOD is an idol, IS it Your motorcycle ministry ( ours was) is it singing in the choir ( it can be ) yes church can be come an idol if we put that THING before GOD. It becomes and IDOL that we worship more than GOD....

Full Throttle warriors our biker "CLUB" became that a club, the patch was worshipped more than jesus, the leadership was worshipeped more than jesus and therefore FTW became an idol...

Enter one lil weak man named GIDEON in Judges 6 :25 GOFD tells him make an alter kill your daddys bull and CUT DOWN THAT ASherah pole. The pole was used in worship & for pole dancers alike.....GOD said CUT IT DOWN...get rid of it you can not worship me and that pole...

HE said to us ( FTW) CUT DOWN THAT PATCH...you can not worship that patch and me at the same time...beccause if that patch gets elevated abouve jesus it becomes all about you and you become GOD....

SO we did , I personally that afternoon sat down and cut my patch off and it will never ever get back on....

WHAT in your life today is an idol?

IS it YOUR ministry inside a church? IS it your being a teacher in the church? Is you being center stage showing off whatever ministry you think you HAVE to do?

WHAT IS YOUR IDOL? GOD saying CUT IT DOWN.....

Let me share what has happened since we cut our pole down....

18 people have been saved in the last month

GOD has exploded the growth at our church by 20% in one month

God has given me the opportunity to share the gospel with 5 different TV interviews ( pointing to jesus not me)

And this is the begioning, when we worship- GOD and not the ministry HE SHOWS UP and BLESSES

CUT YOUR POLE DO IT NOW

Submition

Sunday, 13 January 2013 08:12 Morgan Clough

Submition is not a word we hear about to much today..In todays society we have become power hungry, ego driven ME ME ME society. Just like the J G Wentworth commercial, " Its my money and i want it NOW"...

Jesus was the exact opposite, it was all about serving someone else. It was all about putting your feelings aside, your needs aside and actually caring about someone else more than yourself.

When JESUS laid down His life for us, HE paid the ultimate sacrifice of serving. Wouldnt it be nice if the Church of America got that message today? Stop the ME ME ME game and started the YOU YOU YOU lifestyle.

What are you doing today to serve you and and how can you turn that to serve others..

4 miles with Jesus

Tuesday, 14 August 2012 10:03 Morgan Clough

im not really sure where to start this today....But i know i must write this.

I starfted OAA Worship center 4 plus years ago with my wife, with a vision to change Monroe County. We have met opposition at every step of the way , much of it from people who call themselves Christians, many whom are pastors, and leaders in other churches. Opposition , not because we were doing something wrong, opposition because we were different.( its still GODS church not mine).....

GOD Almighty Himself has given me a clear vision of who we are as a church, and what direction to go with HIS church.Last year Sept 2011 i was given the opportunity to speak to a crowd of 5,000 plus atr world fair park commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9-11....I was awe struck at the opportunity ,and so humbled that little ole me, a pastor of a small church ( 35 at the time) would be asked to speak and pray at this event. At the conclusion of that event GOD spoke again on my ride home and said" Stay close to me and i will show you Authority in a larger scale"....

In the past few weeks i preached a sermon series " I dopuble dog dare YOU to change" ....it has taken root in me and i cant shake it...Its a story of GIDEON who was found hiding in a cave afraid to take a stand for GOD...( to many CHREISTIANS today are hiding in cave afraid to take a stand for GOD)....I vowed then and there to Step up my game and stand on the highest soap boix GOD would give me , and tear down monroe Counties Idols and win this county for GOD.

Since then , my House AC system has shut down....my cars ac and trucks ac have quit working....my washer/dryer have ceased to work.......my refridgerator died.....and yestarday.....MY friend, who never asked anything of me but love, my friend who always sat and listened to me rant and rave with out even a wimpher....he just loved me for me unconditionally was taken from me.....( ill miss you chucky, u were mans best friend)

Today i got up and went for a walk( normally 2 miles) and me and jesus had a loooong heart to heart

Mile 1---Lord you promise to take care o=f all our needs according to your riches in Glory, I dont think your riches are like this......YOU Promised lord.....

Miles 2-Lord what am i doing wrong? What sin do i have in my life that i havent asked forgiveness...Your promises come with my obedience, lord i ve been obediant

Mile 3- God speaks--Morgan, like gideon you are following me, and following me comes at a cost...You put up a billboard daring Monroe county to change...Satan is mad and coming after you.....3 of your children have almost died ( i rescued all 3) Are yoiu with me or are you gonna give up.....

Mile 4- thank you Lord, ...to satan....you have wrecked havoc on my finances since day 1, you have tried to kill my children, you have taken my best friend......BUT KNow this you vile viper, i will overcome and their is nothing NOTHING that you can do to stop JESUS from chganging MONROE COUTNY...i will fight you untilo my last stinking breath is ripped from my body, i will stand at the gates of hell and rip every sole from your grasp that i can, i will raise others to stand with me ...your reign in EAST tN is coming to a close...Gloves are off ...GAME ON BIG BOY and my jesus wins.......Then exhausted i collapsed in the parking lot for 5 minutes to recover....

As i sit in my office now, i have no idea what will transpire or how god will fix all this....I have not taken a salary from OAA in 4 years, and GOD has always provided and im sure i will continue....today OAA is a church of 100 and GOD is blessing this little church, who is coming out of a cave....45 people saved this year and many lives have been changed and impacted,....I WILL NOT STOP>>>>>>>

Just for the record

Monday, 20 August 2012 11:45 Morgan Clough

So word on the street is "preacher morgan " is a liberal.....He welcomes jeans and flip flops, he plays upbeat contemporary music, he hangs with them motorcycle people....( hmmm starting to sound like the people who bashed Jesus huh) He preaches tithing even when ya poor and cant afford it( the old woman and the mite).....the list goes on

So JUST to set the record perfectly clear for ALL YALL....yuns......

I am a Religeous LIBERAL ( yup i said it) when it comes to things that dont really matter....I dont think Jesus cares if you come to church in jeans and a tshirt ( as long as your covered) ...I dont think JESUS cares cares what instruments are played and what the tempo of the music is, AS LONG AS IT HONORS and WORSHIPS HIM..I dont think GOD cares that we have a FREE coffee bar in the church......

NOW ...I THE MOST RELIGEOUS CONSERVATIVE when it comes to the BIBLE....IF GOD said it i belive it and thats it....Many in East TN have NOT been taught BIBLICAL truth, and when they are faced with it, they dont like it.....WE dont wanna hear GOD wants 10% of your paycheck....we dont wanna hear smoking ( which is killing your temple) isnt right....Drunkeness, watching vile stuff on tv or at the movies.....WE dont want to change......When the whole bible is actually talking about BECOMING a NEW CREATURE.....OLD things have passed away and ALL things become new.......

We dont wanna hear we have to change we wanna just like the god of LOVE not the god of discipline.....

So for the record...I keep the main thing the main thing and stuff that dont matter i dont mind.....I think JESUS would rather have us HIS kids ferevently seeking the lost and unchurched than belittling HIS kids.....

Done ...have a blessed day....

Preach

the state of the modern day church

Wednesday, 25 July 2012 11:46 Morgan Clough

I was recently handed a note from a friend, It was given to him by an aquaintence of his who knew that HE was friends with me. The note read " in Revelations there are 7 churches being described, which do you feel best represent us today".

WOW , i will be honest i never gave it a thought, See i am what a call a realist preacher, I preach and focus alot of my sermons on CHANGE. We must change our lives today to follow GODS will and be obediant. So i dont tend to focus alot on what Heaven will be like etc etc.

I opened my BIBLE and began to reread the REV. 2 the loveless church, the persecuted church, the comprimising church, the corrupt church, the dead church, Faithful church and lastly the lukewarm church.

I personally feel we could fit into a few buit the one BEST suites us today is the last one, LAODICEANS, the lukewarm church....REV 3:15 " I know your works, your neither HOt nor cold.So because you are lukewarm , neither hot nor cold I WILL VOMIT YOU OUT OF MY MOUTH...

Luke-warmness is the fact that we say we BELIEVE in JESUS, but we refuse to obey GOD. We make excuses for our sin and we are NOT HOT on fire for GOD to obey and follow his will, and we arnt cold towards GOD....

BUt what kills me, is many lukewarm people claim christianity, and think that they are ok with GOD, WHAT PART OF ' I WILL VOMIT YOU OUT OF MY MOUTH" says he is ok with you?

IF you make him sick to the point GOD PUKES you out of his mouth, i think there is a problem.

This represents the church of AMERICA today. Across all denominations there is a sense of Lukewarmness, lets not preach against gay marriage it will offend some, lets not preach agaisnt sexual immorality it will offen some, lets just preach god is love without the god is just its more palatlable... focus on God is love will kepp our eyes and focus off GOD punishes those he loves.....lets just preach feel good and rip the pages out of the bible that we dont like to agree with......

Yuip thats the church of America today, the luke warm church who has abandoned its first love,

GOD, i pray today that you continue to give me the boldness to stay HOT for you and please never allow me to become lukewarm. Lord i do not want to be vomited out of your mouth, and may we rise up a new generation of fully devoted followers of you. May we also change the tempature setting in mornroe county, mcminn county, blount county Lord forgive us for being lukewarm and may you usher us into your presence with thanksgiving and joy...thank you daddy AMEN

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