Welcome to the Victory Blog

Church is only half of God’s story for you. The other half is on the mission field right outside the church doors – where God expects you to live what you’ve learned while you were inside.  Week after week in church, so many Christians get built up on the wonders of Jesus and all His glory, but then that’s it. It stops there. The purpose of the Church is to equip you for what you need to do, which is hold Jesus up for all the world to see, not keep Him concealed or tucked away neatly within four walls.

The one question we need to ask ourselves after every message we hear in church is, “How can I take what I learned in here, out there?” As each of us increasingly acts on what we know, the Church body begins to reflect what it was always intended to be – united in thought and purpose (1 Corinthians 1:10 NIV). How are you doing on your part in this? If you’re connected to a church that feeds you well, how much do others on the outside reap the benefits of your fulfillment?

Many of us know why the Church exits. We understand that worship, ministry, evangelism, community and discipleship are basic purposes of the Church that train us to make Jesus known.  It’s great to be passionate about hearing His Word, but let’s be just as passionate about doing it. God has given us His Church to help us be successful.

Listen to Pastor Johnson’s teaching on the purpose of the Church here.

At any time if you’ve desired to get more involved in church, that’s an urge to pull away from selfishness and a longing to jump forward in your process of becoming a fully committed disciple of Jesus. God has a calling on your life; how can you operate in it if you’re just sitting in church?

God’s plan for His Church is about us, but not how we think. While most of us go to church for how it can serve us, God is focused on how it can grow us. He wants to mature you and equip you to do the work of His Ministry, and the Church is the training ground for that to happen.

When you understand God’s plan for the Church – why we go, how it works – you begin to better understand where you fit in it. There’s an incredible fulfillment that takes over your life when you lock in to a church that is alive and filled with Jesus. How and where do you start? Make yourself available to help or serve in any ministry, take classes that grow and change you, and get committed. You’ll begin to mature in very visible ways as you find yourself moving into the calling of God on your life. When you do this, you get strong and wise enough to defeat anything the enemy throws at you.

Get more on the plan of the Church here.

Cutting Church off is popular these days. People grow tired of this or that and feel the need to break away, thinking they can develop their relationship with Christ independent of His Church. But I’m not so sure we really understand what it means when we disconnect ourselves from it. The very foundation of the Church is Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16).

You could be in your lone corner of the world, on fire for God, but before long your fire will go out. You have no real power by yourself; you have power with people, and it’s the Church – not the individual – that has the power to change society.

Hebrews 10:25 reminds us, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

If you’re on a serious path to becoming a fully committed disciple of Jesus, what’s your relationship with His Church? Do you understand it? Knowing the price paid for it causes you to see it through brand new eyes. Click here for more in-depth on this message.

If you’ve accepted Christ as Lord, then His promises apply directly to you, and He says He’ll provide for our needs like no other can or will – even in a dead situation. So what’s preventing you from living like He’s your Radical Provider?

From an economy perspective, what’s bad now will be even worse in the days to come. There are no earthly solutions. God has the spotlight on us, and He expects our mode of operation to be the exact opposite of fear, worry and survival. When you’re in Christ, you don’t have to “survive.” You live for the will of God, whether you survive or not.

We can depend on Jesus to be our Radical Provider, but can He depend on us to have radical trust, radical priorities and to live with radical stewardship? Listen here for more on how to live and respond to the way Jesus taught concerning provision from God.

The Christmas Eve service at Victory World Church was a wonderful musical treat and an uplifting experience that truly glorified the birth of our Lord. We were greeted by one of VWC’s hard-working ushers, Mark, who told us to get prepared for an incredible service.  Mark had already served at two Christmas Eve services this day and was still excited about the service that was about to start.  Senior Pastor Dennis Rouse mentioned that it takes around 1000 volunteers to conduct services on a typical Sunday and that giving all those volunteers an opportunity to enjoy Christmas day with their families is the reason VWC decided to focus on Christmas Eve services this year.

It was apparent at a glance that the stage layout was a little different than usual:  there was a grand piano on the stage, the monitors displayed falling snowflakes, and there were Christmas lights strung along the stage scaffolding.  As the service started, a man in a tuxedo strolled slowly across the stage, sat down at the piano, and proceeded to play a delightful mix of classical music, traditional Christmas carols, music from the Charlie Brown Christmas special, and even a little Chopsticks.

He was soon joined by the full Victory World Music crew, and they were in fine form.  They rocked out with some instrumental tunes before the vocalists came on stage.  The mix of music was really amazing and just perfect for Christmas Eve.  They played many classics, including “Feliz Navidad” and “O Come O Come Emmanuel.”

There were special guests throughout the service.  Worship leader Montell Jordan welcomed Beckah Shae to the stage, and she sang “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and “Oh Holy Night.”  There was an unusual mix of cello and beatbox vocals performed by Kevin Olusola.  One of the most moving moments of the evening for the congregation was when surprise guest Caleb Graves came on stage for “Little Drummer Boy.”  Caleb is a VWC youth minister that lost his leg in a hit and run accident earlier this year.  The entire congregation came to their feet and gave thanks and praise to God for the wonderful Christmas gift of seeing Caleb playing with the band.

Pastor Dennis took to the stage only briefly this night, once for the offering prayer and again to lead us in the Lord’s Supper.  After communion, Pastor Colleen joined him and lit the first candle, reminding us that Jesus called us to be the “light of the world.”  Then one from another the candles were lit as the house lights came down and Montell and his daughter Sydney sang “Silent Night.”  Assistant Fusion Pastor David Stephens led the congregation in a closing prayer.

After the service, people lingered for a good while, wishing one another Merry Christmas and looking at the live nativity scene on the front lawn.  It was a lovely way to spend Christmas Eve and prepare our hearts for Christmas day.

You don’t need a big, outgoing personality to be able to relate to people. You just have to genuinely care about others and make them priority. If this is a struggle for you, find all the encouragement, guidance and wisdom you need in the radical love of Jesus. It has the power to transform us into radical relators.

When we’re God-inspired in such a way that we make it a point to add value to people, no matter how undeserving the world labels them, we become radical relators like Jesus. How could He accomplish the extraordinary by relating to people in an ordinary way? Ordinary wasn’t sufficient enough. He had to be radical in his interactions with others in order to reach them, and He let love take the lead on His mission.

Pastor Colleen’s extension of the Radical Love message highlights several examples of how we can relate to people more radically, like Jesus. Watch it here.

I recently redirected my life back to Christ when He called me to Him this past May. I was chatting with a co-worker named Richard. He started talking about Jesus and I could see how passionate he was. Suddenly I felt a rush of heat come over my entire body and I excused myself and ran to the bathroom to drink some water and splash some over my face. I didn’t realize what was happening to me. When I finally cooled off I came back to Richard and he immediately asked me what my relationship was like with Christ. I had to admit that I was lukewarm in my faith and that I never fully committed to Christ. At the age of 13 I was saved but I still didn’t fully understand what it meant to receive Christ. Richard told me that I needed a pick me up, so he suggested that I read a book called “Heaven is For Real.” I picked up the book and couldn’t put it down. God renewed my faith and gave me hope. Well I now call Richard “BUBBA” to show my appreciation to him for helping me get back to my real home…. “JESUS.”

Well, I made it back home from that deployment and started to look for a church near my house. When I searched online for a church in Norcross, Victory World Church stuck out like a sore thumb. That following Sunday I made my way to VWC and instantly felt comfort like I was right where I needed to be. There was a guest speaker named Christopher Alam and he was speaking about the four parts of Faith (Hearing it, Believing it, Speaking it and Doing it).  His message was strong and it set me on a path to put my faith to the test.

Low and behold, I still had great struggles on the inside of me, so I finally broke down and asked God to take over me because I was clueless and very tired of trying to figure out life by myself. It felt like I was running a never-ending, purposeless marathon with no rewards. I needed comfort so I traveled to my hometown of Fort Myers, FL to be with my family and friends. I stayed in my mother’s empty condo where I grew up. There was no T.V and no furniture; it was just God and me. I started going to my old church where I got saved and starting reading my bible, praying and believing that my trip back to my hometown would bring some clarity to me. Well it did. I prayed that God would lead me to a new success so that I could start helping others. It became my heart’s obsession.

I got an opportunity to learn about real estate and I jumped right into it. I prayed that God would give me bragging rights by making my first deal within my first 30 days. I had a new confidence and I just knew that it would happen. In the middle of my stay, my friend Christina called me to come and hang out with her so I did. She and her husband have been my good friends for the longest. They have two beautiful little girls and they have so much love for one another. They are the married couple that you hope to be like. I noticed something was different and that they were struggling with getting around without transportation. When I went back to the empty condo that day I prayed that God would make a way for me to help them.

Not long afterward, I got called to duty on another deployment so my peaceful stay in Florida ended. But God’s plan didn’t. I got called to North Carolina and had to be there within two days. Within a couple of weeks I get a phone call from my best friend Salina and she starts talking about our friend Christina and her husband. She admitted to me that she had it in her heart that she wanted to help them. I screamed and told her that the same thing was on my heart heavily. Well Salina said, “You know what that means right?” She continued with, “When two on earth agree upon something that my Father in Heaven shall make it come to pass.” So I said, “Let’s do this!” That same day I received a call saying that my first real estate deal came through and that I would receive my commission check in the mail that week. I screamed so loud and told God how awesome He is.

I felt like that commission check was meant for helping my friends, so I called Salina and told her the good news. I asked Salina if she would just start looking for cars since I was no longer there, and she did. I told Salina that my faith was on fire and that I believe that God will make this happen for our friends. Three weeks went by and Salina found the perfect car on the third try. Well, let’s just say that our friends are riding around in a car that’s fully paid off! God made all of it possible and all glory belongs to Him…and I found joy in giving, just like God does in giving us His love.

When Christina’s husband drove in to his job, his boss asked how he got the car and without hesitation he told him that God made it happen! His boss immediately changed his position and told him that he could use him in another department now that he had a vehicle. The new position came with a raise and the company is paying for the gas in his car since it is being used for business. Now Christina, her husband and their two daughters attend church faithfully with Salina and they are filled with joy.

God is showing up in 3’s. I am convinced that since I put my faith in the right place, The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit are showing up and showing out! I have never been this happy in my entire life.

When I finally made it back home to Norcross, GA, I decided to make the most important public announcement I’ve ever made. I came to Victory World Church on Sunday Oct 2^nd and lined up to be baptized. There were guys near the end of the line that asked me if I had already accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and I told them yes. Then they continued to tell me that being baptized didn’t promise a miraculous change overnight and I had to stop them right there and say, God is already making miraculous changes within me and that’s why I am here. So they laughed and said that they obviously weren’t ready for me, and said “Let the girl get through!” I laughed my way into the water and declared my love, my life and renewed faith in JESUS.

Since then I have been sharing my testimony and attending Victory World Church faithfully. I am also taking the challenge to read the New Testament by the end of the year and in doing so, it keeps me on track. Every day that I read the word I am filled with so much joy. I came to Jesus because I needed rest, and now I have it in Him.

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We want to hear about what God has done in and through you at Victory. Whether long or short, complex or simple, your story is worth hearing, and there are others who need to hear it. Won’t you please consider sharing your story with us? If you’re willing to do so, please click the Share Your Story quicklink above, write your story, upload a nice photo (if you can) and click submit. It’s that simple. Now, don’t be shy. God’s given you a story for a reason! Share it today!

If you want a better relationship with Jesus, jump into His Radical Love. Seek it out and study it. His is the ultimate bond of love, superior to any other you’ve known. It’s mind-boggling to even realize that this unending, perfect love of Jesus is aimed directly at us. But just as He so freely sustains us with it, He wants us to model it in our lives and share it with others.

How do we love like Jesus when we’re hurting? How do we do it when we’re ashamed, stuck or afraid and everything around us is opposite of Him? He knows what we feel today, but just as there is power in His name, there is also power in His love. We are overcomers because of His shed blood and sacrifice for us on the cross; we have victory because of His radical love! Believe that and then decide to be focused and pursue it.

This week’s message covers four dimensions of the radical love of Jesus. When you get a basic understanding of these four and apply them, you’ll experience full life and power in Christ. Click here to watch.

I can have it all… Really?

“I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, and never let him forget he’s a man. Cause I’m a woman.” The 1980s ad for perfume is one of the audio/visual examples used for the night. It is fitting since, we, as women have been taught (at least since the sexual revolution) that we can have it all, and have it all at the same time. Tonight is about the dangers of believing that myth.

As with any Chick Chat meeting, the women have come out in droves. It is a virtual potpourri of femininity. Women of all ages and from every culture and socio economic background, and educational experience have come to get the knowledge offered by a successful panel of women which include Pastor Colleen, Shaunti Feldhahn, a bestselling author, speaker and nationally-syndicated newspaper columnist, and Valorie Burton, also an author and certified personal and executive coach. The teachings tonight come not just from their own personal experiences but also from years of study and what may be hundreds, if not thousands, of interviews with women at various stages in their lives.

Sitting in the V1 auditorium, the atmosphere is all abuzz with excitement. There is a joyous sense of relief as the panel discussion becomes clearer to the audience and we as women realize we don’t need to kill ourselves trying to gain it all in one season. We can forgive ourselves and not hold onto the guilt we feel about not being able to achieve in Corporate America while baking homemade cookies and pies for the PTA. It’s about give and take. This is the final Chick Chat of 2011.

We are reminded that it is good to have it all but we won’t have it all in one season.  Valorie tells us about the “hedonic treadmill.” She explains that on this treadmill you are chasing after what you think you need in order to be happy. Once you get it, you are happy. But that happiness is fleeting and off you go on the treadmill again chasing the next object of your happiness. She explains what scientists call “decision fatigue” – the idea that it is good to have choices but too many choices can overwhelm and depress.

How do we, as women, become successful? It all depends on your definition of success. The women in this room have differing opinions. For some it is happiness, comfort and spiritual motivation. For others it is love and support from family. Some say it is the balance between fulfillment and priorities or the success of their children.

Here is what this writer took from the meeting — satisfying your needs will make you happy, but how do you truly know what it is you want?

1) Ask questions of yourself

2) Be honest with yourself

3) Be thankful and appreciative for what you have at the moment

Remember that there are certain tradeoffs you make in order to be happy or successful. Some of us have given up on some things in order to have other things. Some of us have made mistakes that have gotten us where we are today.  Be able to forgive yourself and don’t place your measure of being a woman on what the media tells you it is.

The words of wisdom from the night are prolific and powerful.  Valorie says, “There has got to be an answer for modern women because God would not leave us with a Bible that gradually becomes obsolete.”

Pastor Colleen says, “Every created thing has a reason it was created. We are all called to do certain things. You cannot operate in ways that you were not designed.”

Shaunti broke it down as such:  “We are made in God’s image, created as women, and finally, created as you. Where those 3 things come together is your calling, what you are built for, where you thrive.”

This life is about having choices and making the right ones. Where is God leading you?

HER LIFE WORKS is a new ministry created by these three dynamic women of God. It will begin on January 20 and is designed to teach women how to apply the Bible to their daily lives. The ministry will meet and be broken down into groups of like-minded women, with entrepreneurs in one group, single moms in another group, etc.  Essentially, the ministry will help women to access one another and to navigate successfully and spiritually. Look for HER LIFE WORKS at the beginning of the year.

As we pursue Jesus, I believe one of our most consistent prayers right now should be for a true revelation of how radically powerful He is. When we get a deeper understanding of Jesus’ power, nothing in us can stay the same. Everything about us shifts as we become convinced that there really is more to Jesus than the images we’ve confined Him to.

All too often we know Jesus as our Savior, but we don’t bow to Him as the all-powerful Lord of our lives. Do you see Jesus as more than the baby in a manger, the humble one who died on the cross, or your forgiving best friend who you can always count on? Do you sometimes secretly regard Him as a weak entity who was beaten, bruised and killed, and in need of your worship? He doesn’t need us. We need Him. His name is the Word of God and He is the Word Made Flesh.

This weekend, Pastor Johnson painted a very clear picture of our Mighty Jesus, laying out implications of His radical power and how we can live by it. This message will stir you into truth about the Great I Am who is Lord over all. Click here to experience it.