Travis Verge Ministries

I woke up on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 to hear the news that one of our past youth died last night. When I was in youth ministry, he was one of the first youth I had. Jacob Gibbs was an extraordinary young man who was not afraid of what people thought about him. He looked different, acted different, and had some health challenges, but was very vocal about his faith in the Lord. I know that Jake can see things that I long to see. He is awaiting our arrival as he understands that it was all worth it to hold on to his faith in life.

Everytime someone close to us dies, it reminds us of how short this life really is. My wife and I watched a movie last night entitled “Courageous”. It was a tear jerker, but it calls men to be courageous in their families. I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants to be challenged on how to live in faith, as well as all dads to see and be motivated from this movie.

Why am I here? That seems to be the question for many. You are here to glorify and honor the one true God who created you. You have been created to be with God for all eternity. It really comes down to your choice. You can choose to come to know Jesus Christ and make the choice for Him to save you or you can make the choice to save yourself. There is only one qualified Savior and he is Jesus Christ. It helps that His Father is the Judge. You either have Christ standing by you in judgment or you will stand alone. I celebrate in this time when many are hurting because I know who will stand beside Jake and I know who will stand beside me one day.

I have been preaching a series on Sunday mornings entitled “Spiritual Disciplines”. This week the discipline discussed was fasting. I am convinced that for many this is a lost discipline in the church. Many people commented after service about how they had never fasted and had never understood fasting from the Scriptures. Many had mentioned that they had never heard a lesson about fasting in all the years of the church. When you read through the Bible, fasting is mentioned, discussed, and practiced throughout, yet for many churches today, it is not even discussed. If you ever hear about fasting today, it is fasting from the TV or facebook, but in the Bible, the point was to give up food and allow God to fill you up. Jesus said that His food was to do the will of the Father who sent Him.

I started a few years ago taking a fasting trip to begin my year. I have a fasting trip set again for the beginning of 2012. Many ask why I do this. There is something about taking a few days in a row and going to spend that time completely with God. There is something about how God speaks to me in those times and how I see Him and His will so clearly for me in my life. Each year I go, I am amazed at how full I feel and how my fears are taken away. I am amazed at the strength that God gives me to be a better minister, a better husband, a better father, and better friend, and a more eternally focused man of God.

As I continue to be a minister of Jesus Christ, I will share all that the Lord tells us and challenge all of us to be disciplined spiritually to experience all that we can experience of HIM. Living in America where many of us never have to question our next meal, we should take the spiritual discipline of fasting even more serious. To give up a meal when we have so much in order to seek the Lord, shows our priorities and our heart before the Lord. Even though we have so much, we trust Him and need Him for true fulfillment.

Jesus was the ultimate example of a man who put His Father over eating and even sleeping. He needed His Father more than anything! To be like Jesus, we must walk as He walked. It may not be a 40 day fast from food, but it might be a meal that we give up to spend time with the Lord. The worst excuse in the world is that I do not have time to be with the Lord. If you have time to eat and you have time to sleep, you have time to be with the Lord.

I got a few messages about a church that is close to my heart. It is hard to watch people struggle and it is hard to watch a church struggle. I have to be reminded that if we struggle and trust in the Lord, than we always come out victoriously. I have learned in life, that as much as we want things to stay the same, change is inevitable. As much as we would like to have the same people, do all the same things, and everything to stay the same in a church, the reality is that God calls people different places at times and we must cherish the memories.

Sometimes it seems as if a person or a church is being pruned by God. We must realize that is not a bad thing. Pruning helps bring about fullness and new life within a plant, a person, or even a church. Pruning is because of God’s love for us and because He does not want us to get to comfortable and lazy. In the first century when the church was growing by the thousands, persecution came and people spread out. This was good and right because the church spread all over the world instead of just one big church in Jerusalem. I heard a quote one time that stated, “Manure in a big pile just stinks and is gross, but manure spread out is fertilizer.” We must have a Kingdom view when people leave and change occurs. Don’t get me wrong, I struggled with change when all I knew and loved in ministry was changing, but I leaned on the Lord and took a look at myself to see who God needed me to be. I want all to know that if you feel as if there is a pruning going on in your life or in your church, we must take a good look at ourselves and see the new that God is wanting in us. It is not enough to continue doing what we have always done. God is teaching us and we must learn from Him or the impossible hurdle will be just that. When God wants us to move, it is time to move and I must make sure that I am ready spiritually, emotionally, and maybe even physically. Things do not seem easy at the time, and maybe even impossible, but we serve a real big God. He can take a struggling minister and use him to be effective and he can take a struggling church and with new vision and true leadership, He can use it to make an eternal difference.

To all the readers, remember the Lord is in control and when the task seems impossible, it really is with your own strength. It is time to turn to Him and see His power at work and participate in what God is doing FOR HIS GLORY and NAME’S SAKE.

I have been working on a lesson that will be coming up in a few weeks that deals with being one heart and one mind. My first thoughts were, “Of course, unity”. I looked up different passages where God is calling His people to have one heart. In Ezekiel, God says that he will give them one heart and put within them a new spirit.

As I was working on this thought, it dawned on me that having one heart was not really the desire. Here is why. Christians can have one heart and it be towards the wrong thing. Just because Christians are in agreement on something, does not mean that they agree on something that God wants. A great example of this is in Genesis 11 with the tower of Babel. They all agreed and it was only an act of God that could stop them. So, they had one heart, but it was not in the will of God. It is hard enough for the church to have one heart, but even if we do, having one heart is not enough. Our one heart must align with the heart of God. So in order for us to align with the heart of God and Christ Jesus, we must ask the question, “What is the heart of Christ?” Answering this question, is what the church must align with to be of one heart with Christ. Jesus’ prayer is not just for His people to be one, but Jesus says, “That they may be one, just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me.” We are to be one with Jesus in us as the Father is in Jesus.

If you want to know more about the heart of Christ, I preach on this on October 23rd at the Bozeman church of Christ. My lesson will be available on my website (TravisVerge.com) or (Bozemanchurchofchrist.com) on Oct. 24th.

Send me your thought on what you believe is the heart of Christ we must be aligned with.

I am now getting settled here in Bozeman, MT. I have preached for 7 weeks now and I am currently in a series entitled “Experiencing Family”. This series has been challenging because of the history of divisions and judgment in the body of Christ. Jesus died so we could be family and we see this family as a curse and not a blessing. In this series, God is opening our eyes to see the heart of God. We are learning about Respect, love and humility. This week we are going to be challenged to see with Kingdom perspective and that the body of Christ extends out past our own walls. I believe many are tired of the fighting and judging within the churches and are ready to love, forgive, show mercy, and show grace to each other. The reality is, we all want people to show love, mercy, forgiveness and grace towards us as well.

This past Sunday during the invitation song, the Spirit of God moved mightily in the hearts of His people. We experienced God mending relationships and people being real with each other. We all saw God’s power and healing hand at work. We joined hands in the closing prayer and went before the Father as the family of God who stands together. May God be praised for what He is doing in the hearts of His people!

In Bozeman this past Sunday we began a series called New Beginnings. Our lesson was entitled “The Called” from 1 Samuel 16 as David was called. David would not have been anyone’s first choice to be King, but God knew the heart of David. He saw what David could be with His Spirit and His Power. If we ever think that we are not ready or trained enough to do what God is calling us to do, know that god has us right where we need to be. Because now, God will be glorified as He does a great work in us. David was anointed as King before the Goliath battle. I wonder if David has some confidence against the giant because he knew that he was chosen and called by God. When we understand that God has called us is when we can face the giants, and through His power, the giants can be defeated in our lives.

The next lesson is title “The giants”.

Here is a copy of my outline:

New Beginnings—The Calling

Story of my boys being born

–being overwhelmed yet excited

1 Sam. 16:1-13

What did God see that man did not see?

–God saw the heart of David and that he had a heart for the Lord. He would shepherd his sheep and play the harp for the Lord and spend time with Him.

Story of awesome speaker of a church of thousands. I listened to him on CD and could not wait to hear him in person. When I saw him he was wearing blue jeans, acne on his face and I could not believe that was him until I heard the voice and his speaking.

What does God see in this us? Are we the most spiritual bunch, most dedicated, most humble, most loving?

To the leaders—He chose you, not because you are the most spiritual

To the worship team—He chose you not because you’re the best singers

in the church

To those who serve—He chose you not because you’re the greatest

servants

To the minister—He chose me not because I am the best minister or speaker, or the most spiritual

He chose us because we are willing and He could be glorified in and

through us.

God has anointed you for His work, not because you are so great but because you will listen to Him and are willing to be used by Him.

He will be glorified if we lead and serve for Him and not ourselves.

Everything in life was getting ready to change for David

Example of a great talent that comes on Americas Got Talent

–Are you ready for this?

Was David ready for this?

God always looks at the heart. He sees you for what you will be with His Spirit and His power.

1 Cor. 12:9–Power is perfected in weakness

The question to ask is:

Are you willing and will you give all glory to Him?

My family and I just arrived in Bozeman, Montana to begin our new mission here. From Metro to Bozeman has been quite the experience and it has taught me to trust God. The last few months, the Lord has been teaching me what it means to lead and love. God has renewed my heart and revived my spirit so I can serve Him faithfully. David Uth is a minister in Orlando, Florida and he has inspired me and set a good example of longevity and joy in ministry. He exudes humility and love and leads a church of 14,000 members. How God brought him in my life is amazing and I can see the fingerprints of God all over it.

As I have now begun this ministry here in Bozeman, I must say I am humbled that God has chosen me for this ministry. I am indebted to Him and realize that this His work that I am an instrument in. The people here are great and it is encouraging to see all the new people that God is bringing into my life here. I love that this church and leadership are not indebt and use their resources to reach the community and provide for them. They are housing people this week for a program called Family Promise to help people get back on their feet. To use your facilities to give a safe and restful place for those struggling reveals the hearts of this leadership.

Coming here was a matter of faith as we are yet to have a permanent place to live, one car, bills piling up from being out of work for months, we left our family and friends, and more, yet God continues to provide and make a way for us. To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever!! God worked out the renting of our house in Florida, the selling of a custom car, a good Christian moving company that can store our things, safe travel, a free place to live in Bozeman for a month, and so much more. Our God takes care of His people and I thank Him for His faithfulness and love.

Jesus’ Peace in the Storms

          Have you ever wondered if anything rattled Jesus? The demons did not frighten Him, the storms did not scare Him, and death itself did not bring out any selfishness in Jesus. Jesus experienced a peace in life that I believe we all desire. Jesus was not exempt from suffering by any means, but He successfully overcame any situation of suffering that came His way. Jesus probably suffered the loss of His earthly father, possibly as a teenager. He experienced poor relationships with His half-brothers and half-sisters as they refused to believe in Him before His resurrection. He experienced the storms of temptation and the storms of betrayal. He understood what it meant to not have a place to lay His head at night. He knew what it felt like to be hungry to the point of starvation. He experienced suffering as people wanted to kill Him, as people mocked Him, as they beat Him, and as they finally crucified Him in a shameful death. In this section, I want us to see the calmness of Jesus in the storms, and unlock the secret to what gave Him this peace in the storms.

          First of all, Jesus never seemed to be scared in the actual storms. Remember the story where Jesus is asleep on the boat and these disciple who were experienced fishermen, were afraid that the boat was going down and the ship would sink. They are calling out or should we say screaming for Jesus to wake up and help. I can see Jesus calmly getting up and taking care of the situation. Do you remember what Jesus said to His apostles after He calmed the storm? His words are expressed in Mark 4:39-40 where it says, “And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

And He said to them, “Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?” Jesus acts as if there is no need for them to fear or be afraid. Why was Jesus not fearful?

          The story of Jesus walking on water shows a trust and confidence in the storms. This great miraculous story taken from Matthew 14:25-31 where it says, “During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” shows us so much about the faith and calmness of Jesus compared to Peter. Jesus did not sink, because He did not doubt. Remember, Peter was afraid as he looked at the wind and waves. Jesus was walking calmly in the midst of the wind and waves, yet He was not afraid. One of the gospels says that Jesus was intending to pass them by as He was walking on the water. Jesus was taking an early morning stroll on the water, without any fear because He had just been in the presence of God.

          One of the most graphic stories of demon possession is taken from Mark 5:5-10 where it says, “And constantly night and day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out and gashing himself with stones. And seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; and crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” For He had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” And he began to entreat Him earnestly not to send them out of the country.” This man was full of so many demons that he would beat himself to try and stop the torment. The gospels refer to this man as being naked, cut from the rocks, and extremely strong. This man comes running at Jesus. What would be your first impulse or reaction of this crazy man running at you naked and screaming? Jesus was not afraid as He spoke to this man and released him from the captivity of Satan. Satan did not fear Satan but always had trust in God. Over and over Jesus appears to not fear, but rather love and trust.

          So, what was the secret for Jesus time and time again? I believe the secret was Jesus’ prayer life to the Father. I have mentioned this earlier in the book, but Jesus put prayer time with His Father over food and sleep. As seen in the walking on water story, Jesus had just come from an almost all night prayer session with His Father. Jesus did not doubt because He knew His Father and knew that His Father could and do anything for Him. Peter had this same Father, but Peter just didn’t know him the way Jesus did. Jesus had invested His entire life knowing the Father. Did regular prayer keep Him trusting? Did this time set apart with God continually remind Him of who was really in control? I believe it did! Jesus walked on water because of His trust and His relationship to the Father. When Peter had this faith and trust, he walked on water also. If you want peace in the storms, you are going to have to walk as Jesus walked. You are going to have to make talking to God and listening to God a regular pattern in your life. This time will not be timed or hurried, just as Jesus did not see prayer as an action that needs to get done that day, but as a lifestyle and something Jesus lived and relished. You are going to have to see time with God as more filling than food and more restful than sleep. You are going to have to discipline yourself to be dependent on God as you are dependent on air to breathe. I believe Jesus confirms to us that prayer is the secret to peace.

Living many years in Florida, we have experienced our number of hurricanes. There is what’s called the eye in the storm or the eye in the hurricane. This eye can be miles long, and as a fierce hurricane is going directly over you, you can find yourself in the eye of the storm. No clouds above you and no wind or rain, yet the storm are all around you. The storm is all around you, yet you experience calmness. I see prayer as experiencing the calmness in eye of the storm. The bigger we see our problems, the smaller God appears, but the bigger we see God, the smaller our problems appear. If you want calm in your life, you need to get close to the one who has the power to calm. Peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of God. Where there is “no prayer” there will be “no peace”.