Episode 149 – Can Anyone Ever Be Financially Free?

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

How Money Works slider

Welcome to the Transformed podcast.

In order to be financially free, we will need to know and practice all three factors that are involved in financial freedom. Unsurprisingly, the first one corresponds directly to the three “love commands” of the New Testament – love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; love your neighbor as yourself; and love one another just as I have loved you.

In this study, Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Lead Pastor at Pacific Baptist Church in El Segundo, California answers the questions, “What Is Financial Freedom?” “What Does It Mean to Be Financially Free?” and, “What are the Basic Factors of Financial Freedom?”

As we open our Bibles to Luke 16, let’s join Pastor Smith as he answers the question, Can Anyone Ever Be Financially Free?

 

 

Know that you are included in that prayer today for courage, strength and favor from God!

If you would like to explore how to enjoy a deeper life with God, one that God is pleased with, Dr. Smith has written a daily devotional book that will help you do just that!

In His Presence is a detailed look at walking with God through life’s ups and downs. Built around the premise that God welcomes you into His presence with joy and pleasure, In His Presence helps you see that the life of abundance can only be enjoyed when we take everything to the Lord and walk every day at His right hand.

You can order a copy of In His Presence from Amazon by clicking the link on the side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

Today’s episode was recorded live in El Segundo, California and edited by Ryan Longsworth in Los Angeles, California.

And now, until next time, I’m your host Mike Powers, praying that you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

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Mourning Will Have to Wait, There’s Ministry To Do!

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

matthew-16_24

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24, NKJV)

 

Personal needs often take a back seat to the disciple of Jesus. No matter the situation we are in, often the needs of others crowd ours out. And this is the way Jesus taught would be normal.  

With the murder of John the Baptist, Jesus calls the twelve to retreat and rest, recover and regroup in a deserted, quiet place. However, when people saw that Jesus was available, they swarmed Him. As they surrounded Him, the plans for grieving the loss of His cousin would have to wait. We read …

“And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:31–34, NKJV)

We imitate Jesus when …

  • We choose to put the needs of others ahead of our needs, despite the seriousness of our situation!

God gave His Son to be murdered because He loved us so much! (John 3:16) That model alone should reflect to us the importance of this life we follow, this King we call, “Lord.” While we would like to get away and grieve, God would call us to go along and give. How much more could we become Jesus to those around us?

 

 

© 2013 Dr. Matthew Lee Smith. All rights reserved. Not for resale.

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Episode 148 – Why Did God Make Money Anyway?

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

How Money Works slider

Welcome to the Transformed podcast. I’m your host Mike Powers.

Money. Just the word incites a flurry of emotions. People long for it, work hard to get it, will do many things in order to have more of it and wonder why it never satisfies their deepest needs.

In this first study, Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Lead Pastor at Pacific Baptist Church in El Segundo, California begins a truly life-changing study on, How Money Works … According to God.  Today we look at 4 of God’s purposes for money so that we might find the satisfaction we long for in this life. We will look into the life of Elijah and see how his situation is mirrored in the commands of the New Covenant over and over again.

As we open our Bibles one more time to 1 Kings 17, let’s join Pastor Smith as he answers the question, Why Did God Make Money Anyway?

 

 

With that prayer of repentance, Pastor Matt launches this series, How Money Works … According to God!

If you would like to explore how to enjoy a deeper life with God, one that God is pleased with, Dr. Smith has written a daily devotional book that will help you do just that!

In His Presence is a detailed look at walking with God through life’s ups and downs. Built around the premise that God welcomes you into His presence with joy and pleasure, In His Presence helps you see that the life of abundance can only be enjoyed when we take everything to the Lord and walk every day at His right hand.

You can order a copy of In His Presence from Amazon by clicking the link on the side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

Today’s episode was recorded live in El Segundo, California and edited by Ryan Longsworth in Los Angeles, California.

And now, until next time, we are praying that you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

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It Doesn’t Always End Well!

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Truth Is Always Right

Truth is not always popular, but it is always right.

 

There is a pernicious lie in the religion of Churchianity: If you do well, life will be incredible! Unfortunately, this is a truth from a different faith. One need only go back to the Gospels to discover that the Master of our lives was murdered, as was 10 of his closest followers. Even the “disciple whom Jesus loved” was exiled to a Roman rock quarry as an old man, conscripted to break big rocks into gravel. (John 13:23; Revelation 1)

In reality, when we stand for what is right and true, God often allows His children to suffer and, yes, even die for their faith. Why does He allow this? Some things are always right, no matter who thinks otherwise. Despite the shallowness of the faith of some or the carnality of the souls of others, God’s Word and God’s Will are always true and they are worth living … and dying for.

Your adversaries are waiting to pounce on you. When the time is right, they will take advantage of any situation to remove your convicting comments from their lives. Such was the case of John the Baptizer …

“Immediately [the daughter of Herodias] came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” And [Herod] was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.” (Mark 6:25–29, NKJV)

We imitate Jesus when …

  • We refuse to recant the express will and word of God, no matter the personal cost or sacrifice!

The adulterer gets her way and John’s life is forfeit. Yet, Jesus will call John, “the greatest in the Kingdom.” (Matthew 11:11) Compromise is a dirty word when it comes to the revealed will and word of God, for it is not within our prerogative to change it. “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18–19, NKJV)

 

 

© 2013 Dr. Matthew Lee Smith. All rights reserved. Not for resale.

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Episode 147 – Going After the Life of God!

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

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Welcome to the Transformed podcast.

It’s easier to do what you know and get what you’ve gotten than to do what God says and get what He promises.

But we don’t want 2013 to be a rerun of 2012 for any of us. We long for a year of amazing grace, incredible blessing and the presence of God in our lives … don’t you?

In today’s episode, Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Lead Pastor at Pacific Baptist Church in El Segundo, California wraps up his series on the rewards of God by talking to us about the three promises God makes to anyone who gives to the poor.

As we open our Bibles one more time to Matthew 6, let’s join Pastor Smith as he shows us how to Go after the life of God!

 

With that prayer of faith, Pastor Matt concludes this series, Going After God with All We’ve Got! May 2013 be the year of your incredible breakthrough as you obey these three areas of reward … giving to the poor, prayer targeting, and fasting.

If you would like to explore how to enjoy a deeper life with God, one that God is pleased with, Dr. Smith has written a daily devotional book that will help you do just that!

In His Presence is a detailed look at walking with God through life’s ups and downs. Built around the premise that God welcomes you into His presence with joy and pleasure, In His Presence helps you see that the life of abundance can only be enjoyed when we take everything to the Lord and walk every day at His right hand.

You can order a copy of In His Presence from Amazon by clicking the link on the side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

Today’s episode was recorded live in El Segundo, California and edited by Ryan Longsworth in Los Angeles, California.

And now, until next time, we are praying that you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

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Inspired, Not Transformed!

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

transformed - be

It says something about our times that we rarely use the word sinful, except to describe a really good dessert.

~ Willard Ferrell

 

Too many long for the inspiration of faith in King Jesus without the transformation of its discipline. In such cases, these people loathe the requirements but long for the benefits.

Such was the case of Herod, who enjoyed his adulterous marriage to Herodias, whom Herod had taken from his brother Philip. God clearly had spoken about such relationships at the beginning when he said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24, NKJV) This permanent union was to be respected until the death of one in the marriage.

With John’s condemnation of this divorce and remarriage, Herod acts to appease the anger he and his new wife felt toward the prophet.

“For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her. Because John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.” (Mark 6:17–20, NKJV)

We imitate Jesus when …

  • We proclaim the purity of the faith despite the personality involved or the pain it will bring to our own lives!

John shows us that there is a right and a wrong, no matter what people want to do. When we choose to compromise the revealed will of God for our own pleasures and desires, someone needs to come alongside and gently, but honestly, tell us our sin. All such counsel is for the purpose of restoration and never with a judgmental spirit (Galatians 6.1-2).

Despite the personal cost, John understood that when the leader sins, the followers suffer. Will you choose to follow King Jesus and do the hard work of gently confronting sin in the life of another God-follower?

 

 

© 2013 Dr. Matthew Lee Smith. All rights reserved. Not for resale.

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Episode 146 – Going After the Giver of Life!

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

 Going After God - web slider

 

Welcome to the Transformed podcast.

Can you imagine going on a date with your beloved and all they do for the entire time you are away is talk! They never let you get a word in. They simply won’t be quiet! What would your response be to that?

The Lord wants a conversation with you. He wants the enjoyment of your company, as long as there is a give and take in the conversation. God isn’t into repeated repetition or wrote prayers.  He wants to have a real conversation with you!

In today’s episode, Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Lead Pastor at Pacific Baptist Church in El Segundo, California leads us through the essence of a life of relationship and conversation with God as explained by Jesus in Matthew 6. As we study, we will discover that there are 5 prayer targets that our conversations with the Almighty are to focus upon, according the King Jesus.

So grab your Bible and let’s discover how to Go after the giver of life!

 

 

With that closing prayer, it is our sincere hope and prayer that you will review and return to Jesus’ 5 prayer targets each time you speak with God. Your focus promises to be rewarded by God’s goodness!

If you would like to explore how to enjoy a deeper life with God, one that God is pleased with, Dr. Smith has written a daily devotional book that will help you do just that!

In His Presence is a detailed look at walking with God through life’s ups and downs. Built around the premise that God welcomes you into His presence with joy and pleasure, In His Presence helps you see that the life of abundance can only be enjoyed when we take everything to the Lord and walk every day at His right hand.

You can order a copy of In His Presence from Amazon by clicking the link on the side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

Today’s episode was recorded live in El Segundo, California and edited by Ryan Longsworth in Los Angeles, California.

And now, until next time, we are praying that you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

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Episode 145 – Going After the Heart of God!

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Going After God - web slider

God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him! According to Hebrews 11.6, God rewards when we diligently seek Him …

In today’s episode, Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Lead Pastor at Pacific Baptist Church in El Segundo, California shares a message from his heart and soul to the people of God. That message is: God wants to reward you … to give to you for your faithfulness in obeying Him!

As you open your Bible to Matthew 6, let’s discover together the rewards God wants to give His disciples … if we will but obey Him.

 

And as Pastor Matt closes that prayer, men and women across the sanctuary stood to indicate their desire to follow Pastor Matt in diligently seeking after God for the next three weeks.

If you would like to join in the Daniel Fast with them, simply click the link in the show notes concerning the Daniel Fast.

If you would like to explore how to enjoy a deeper life with God, one that God is pleased with, Dr. Smith has written a daily devotional book that will help you do just that!

In His Presence is a detailed look at walking with God through life’s ups and downs. Built around the premise that God welcomes you into His presence with joy and pleasure, In His Presence helps you see that the life of abundance can only be enjoyed when we take everything to the Lord and walk every day at His right hand.

You can order a copy of In His Presence from Amazon by clicking the link on the side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

Today’s episode was recorded live in El Segundo, California and edited by Ryan Longsworth in Los Angeles, California.

And now, until next time, we are praying that you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

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Episode 144 – Going After a Life God Rewards!

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Going After God - web slider

2013 is finally here! Over the last 3 months of 2012 Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Lead Pastor at Pacific Baptist Church prayed, fasted and sought God’s face for His will and direction for the congregation there in El Segundo, California … and we are so excited to share this series of messages with you.

In today’s episode, which was delivered in January of 2013, Pastor Matt will show us how to please God. When we act by faith … when we choose to obey God as He has revealed Himself in His Word, he is pleased with us and he rewards us for such obedience …

If you would turn in your Bible to Matthew 6, we want to discover three specific acts of faith that God rewards. In fact, Jesus tells us that these three acts are things that all disciples should be doing on a regular basis …

 

And as Pastor Matt closes that prayer, we know you are as encouraged as the congregation in El Segundo was when he prayed it with them!

If you would like to explore how to enjoy a life God is pleased with, Dr. Smith has written a daily devotional book that will help you do just that!

In His Presence is a detailed look at walking with God through life’s ups and downs. Built around the premise that God welcomes you into His presence with joy and pleasure, In His Presence helps you see that the life of abundance can only be enjoyed when we take everything to the Lord and walk every day at His right hand.

You can order a copy of In His Presence from Amazon by clicking the link on the side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

Today’s episode was recorded live in El Segundo, California and edited by Ryan Longsworth in Los Angeles, California.

And now, until next time, we are praying that you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

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Changed Lives Get Noticed!

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Artwork courtesy of campusfellowship.com

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

~ Margaret Mead

 

When people truly change, no one can keep quiet about it! The best advertizing anyone can have is the power of transformation. When people begin to say, “What’s happened to you?” you know you are close to an explosion of free publicity.

As the Twelve continued their mission for Jesus, and Jesus continued His mission for the Father, lives were changing everywhere. People were repenting of sin, making things right with friends and neighbors and experiencing the grace and power of God as they were released from their prisons of possession and pain! As we discover, such real life change is noticed at the highest levels!

“Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. Herod said, “John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?” So he sought to see Him.” (Luke 9:7–9, NKJV)

We imitate Jesus when …

  • We persist in proclaiming life change through surrender to King Jesus and watch as God brings transformation to those people’s lives!

There is a fundamental reality to the discipleship of Jesus: You can’t stay the same and claim His name! God is all-powerful. When He truly arrives in a life, everything changes! If things aren’t changing, Jesus isn’t Lord and King there!

Confession marks the life of the Christ-follower. Those who have stolen come confessing their failure and repaying that which was taken. Where reputations have been maligned, honest and humble confession comes with sorrow and a request for undeserved mercy. Marriages are restored; families are rebuilt; neighbors are reunited. This is the “stuff” of the Gospel … tangible, transcendent tell-tales of His touch. As you change, be sure to proclaim the name of the One who brought light to your dark life and ask others if they, too, would like what you have. It will change the world!

 

 

© 2012 Dr. Matthew Lee Smith. All rights reserved. Not for resale.


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