Life Lessons from my Dad

LIFE LESSONS FROM MY FATHER

MY DAD (DR. RON PHILLIPS) WHEN HE WAS AROUND 32 YEARS OLD SHORTLY AFTER HE CAME TO CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH.

Father's Day is such a special time for so many of us. It is a time when we stop, pause, and give Honor to our Fathers. My Dad has been a mentor, friend, and pastor to me, but most of all he is my Dad. He is someone who I love and respect and will fight you over. Make no mistake about it. I love my parents. We have our differences, but they are the most giving and loving people I have ever met. Although I walk in my own anointing and have my own voice, my Dad will always be at my core.

I have seen my Dad preach to four major Christian denominations (SBC, AOG, COG, IPHC) at their largest conventions or Pastor's conferences. He has been around the world and blessed to see so much. I was with him when he met President Bush and preached at the Southern Baptist Convention. He has preached for John Hagee, Rod Parsley, Jentezen Franklin, Jerry Vines, Joel Osteen, Rodney Howard Browne, Jerry Falwell, Adrian Rogers, Perry Stone, and so many other great men and women of God around the world. I have been with him for most of his big moments. I've pretty much gotten to ride shotgun for most of his journey. It has been a tough road at times, but a blessed one nonetheless. I want to quickly give you the top 4 things my Dad has taught me. He has taught me hundreds of lessons, but I want to list the top 4 on this Father's Day weekend;

1) Faithfulness

He has taught me to be FAITHFUL. He has modeled faithfulness. He has challenged me to be Faithful in my love for Jesus Christ, his BODY (the local church), and his word. He has taught me to be Faithful to my Family, and in the little things that people don’t see everyday. My Father has withstood lies, attacks, threats, and every kind of religious junk you could ever face, but he just keeps being FAITHFUL to God and us. He has taught me that perseverance pays off when you go with God. I admire that!

2) Boldness

My Father will stand when it is time to stand. Dad has a short fuse and I have a long fuse, but mine is more explosive. Whenever I want to cower back and get concerned about the opinions of others, I think of him. He has never wavered from what he believed. He will not back down from God's word. He has stood for the Bible, the local church, and his family. He is a true scholar of God's word and knows how to stand against the demonic spirits that come after us. He taught me to stand for what I believe in and to not look back. I admire that!

3) Humility

Some people think my Dad is this arrogant and angry man. The people that think that don't know him personally. Maybe that is the way he has been portrayed at times, but nothing could be further from the truth. I mentioned earlier about some of the larger venues that he has preached in, but my Father preaches the same way to 15 people as he does to 15,000. He treats everyone the same. He loves helping churches and size/position has never been a big deal to him. My Dad has given his name and his life to the local church as a seed for it to grow. You won't find many pastors that would do that. For all that he has accomplished and that God has done through him in 50 years of ministry, he still has a child-like spirit. He still loves his sheep the best he can. He still gets excited when people get saved, baptized, and filled with the Spirit. He still cares about what is going on in the life of our church and God's kingdom. I admire that!

4) Loyalty

One of my Dad's friends once told me, "The great thing about Ron is he is loyal. The bad thing about Ron is he is loyal." I would have to agree. My Dad believes in everyone and has always tried to be loyal to his friends and our church. He would rather err on the side of Grace and Love, than to be quick to write someone off too soon. Sometimes loyalty will get us in trouble, but friendship, faithfulness, family, and faith are still things that matter to him. I admire that!

Father's Day is a tough time for many who have lost their fathers or didn't have one. I am praying for those of you who have lost your fathers or have never known the love of an earthly father.  The Bible teaches us that God is our Father (Matthew 6 and Luke 6, 12, John 15:1-2).

He is the Father of the Fatherless and protector of widows (Psalms 68:5). He is a God that always welcomes his children home no matter what they've done (Luke 15). He is a God that loves us enough to chasten us and discipline us. He is a God that loves us (John 3:16, John 15) in our mess. He is truly our Abba Father this Father's Day and we are blessed to have access to him through his son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. (JN 14:7-11)

Nothing will fill the void in your life like a relationship with Jesus Christ. If you would like to begin your relationship with the Father, click on this link below to learn how. Please email me if you have questions.

http://www.ronniephillips.org/headlines-and-news/

Pray for us as we are leaving to Nicaragua with a team of 52 people tomorrow. We believe many souls will be saved and lives will be transformed this week. Consider going on a mission trip with me someday. The dream is real and there are churches to build and things to do in the USA and around the world!  RPMI needs your help! Partner with us as God leads during these summer months!

Greater Love (Remembering Derek Simmons)

Greater Love (Remembering Derek) 

Derek Clayton Simmons

Today marks 15 years since I lost one of my best friends. Derek Simmons died of an accidental overdose around people that cared very little about him. I tell the detailed version of his death in the "Power of Agreement". Not a week goes by that I don't think about him. I celebrated 15 years of marriage this past year and all Kelly and I could think about was how he would have enjoyed the celebration. The country artist, Cole Swindell has a song on the charts now titled, "You should be here". It is a pretty fitting song for anyone that has lost someone they love. Derek's death on 5/5/2001 altered they way I viewed life, faith, and many other aspects of how this fallen world operates. Derek has lived on through his parents, friends, and his brother Colt who was married this past year. Ironically, Colt's wife's name is Derika (you can't make this stuff up).

Derek and I had our teenage struggles, but he believed in me and told me I would preach and serve God one day. To date, I have seen over 5,000 people make decisions for Christ when I tell his story. Last night, I prayed for one of our members who had a brother in jail. The brother's name was Derek. 

The events surrounding Derek's death are still very fishy, but his friends and family are at peace with his transition and know God used it for good (Romans 8:28). Today, I honor the legacy of my friend and will continue to live with the pain of regret that fuels me to spread the gospel and help people in the struggle. Somehow by helping them I am helping him. 

I am thankful that Grace is never about how good we are, but always about how good God is. Derek was saved, baptized, and was touched by the Holy Spirit as a teenager. He died in a season where he drifted away, but I believe I will see my brother again in Glory. Jesus Christ laid down his life for his friends. Derek's death changed the lives of many for the good and was and still is a reminder of what Jesus did for all of us. He had to die so that we might live.

There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. John 15:13

I am praying for every person that has lost someone they truly loved. Hold on to the hope we have in Christ Jesus and his word.

Here is a message I preached at Abba's House (Collide 2015) in memory of Derek. I have told his story in 8 different states and 3 countries. I have shared it in high schools, middle schools, churches, and universities. God continues to use this story to touch this generation, but at the end of the day I still miss my friend. 

In Awe of God!

In Awe of God 

Reflections on our RPMI Passover Conference

Over the last three weeks, we've been talking about how we were made for MORE! I have challenged you to take small steps to begin living a life of faith, stand shoulder-to-shoulder in agreement with fellow believers, and ask God for His physical power daily.

Today, I want to challenge you to increase the amount of awe you have in your heart for God.

According to Dictionary.com, "awe" means "an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like: in awe of God; in awe of great political figures."

We serve an awesome God, and He does awesome things for us day in and day out.

But do we notice? Do we take the time to stop and thank Him for everything He has done? Do we look for His answers to our prayers, and admire Him and His work when we see Him move?

 I don’t know about you, but sometimes I forget. If you’re human, you probably do too. And when we do forget, we tend to start thinking that He isn't working. When we don't thank Him for His blessings and recognize them as such, we lose our wonder for our good, GOOD Father.

 But there's an easy remedy. Romans 1:20-21 tells us how to solve this problem:

 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (emphasis mine).

According to this passage, glorifying God and being thankful are the opposites of thinking futile thoughts and having our hearts become dark and foolish. So if we want to live a life of awe, focused on God's tender, loving care and His awesome works, we can do so by glorifying God and giving Him thanks.

 I'm in a place of awe right now. I’ve been overwhelmed with gratitude for God all week. We just wrapped up our first Ronnie Phillips Ministries International Passover conference this week, and God showed out in a big way. Here are just a few of the amazing things He did:

 ·       People Accepted Jesus Christ as Savior.

·       The Kingdom of God was Accepted and Embraced.

·       Blind eyes were opened. I know this may sound crazy to some, but a man walked in with a “See and Eye” dog with someone to help him move around. He could not open his eyes, but later opened them and was reading the Bible after our intercessors prayed for him. I was brought back in to see this for myself.

·       Unity and Restoration came to Faith Worship Center and they have shifted to another level.

·       Worship took us to the King!

·       We almost met both of our financial goals for the mission of RPMI.

 I'm in awe of His goodness and at the generosity of His people. Because of your help, our ministry is working on these mission projects and more:

·       We’re hosting an evangelistic crusade in Nicaragua in June.

·       Plans are underway for Abba's House Haiti and Abba’s House Cuba.

·       We have a dream to build a second church in El Rubio, D.R. This area has not been reached with the Gospel yet, but we have people on the grounds that are eager to begin the work there.

·       We will be able to continue funding our local feeding and homeless ministries every week.

·       We want to support local churches in the inner-city as they work to solve Chattanooga's gang problems with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are talking with like-minded individuals right now about some partnership ideas. 

 All of these things are just the beginning. I can't wait to see what He does and where He leads us from here!

 I want to thank all the people who helped make this conference possible, and then I want to challenge you to do something special this week that will help you deepen your awe of God too.

 First, let me give honor to whom honor is due:

 Kelly and I want to thank Pastor Greg & Tiffany Collins and the Faith Worship Center leadership team for believing in RPMI and having the faith to host us. We want to thank Abba’s House, RPMI (Bill, Jim, Alicia, Greg), our intercessors who prayed and drove to Chatsworth every night to help us, all of our guest speakers and worship leaders, choirs, friends, and every person who helped us! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Now, I want to ask you to do something special that will help light your fire the way God has lit mine this week.  

• Get out your smartphone, journal, or notepad. 
• Start a list right now of everything God has already done for you today. For example, did He help you make it to work on time? Did a friend call you to say hello at just the right moment? Did you get an unexpected check in the mail? Did your lunch date pay for your lunch unexpectedly? Write it down.
• As you move throughout your day, keep jotting down each thing God does for you. 
• As your list grows, THANK HIM for each thing He does.

 If you will do this, I believe you will begin to notice God at work in your life in tremendous ways that you might not have seen before. You'll see His provision, His favor, and His blessing in undeniable, blazing color. His tender mercy in your life will become obvious, the moment you begin to look for it.

 And as you glorify God and are thankful, your "awe factor" will increase. God's power will become more real to you, as you honor Him with your attention.

 Our Father has been so good to us, and He deserves every bit of the worship and thanksgiving we can give Him. Will you join me as we stand in awe of His work in our lives today?

We are so thankful for our new partners who have made a decision to stand side-by-side with Kelly and I to do the work of the Kingdom. Many have asked us how they can become a monthly partner. We now have the capability for you to do that on our website. Click on the “Give and Partner” button and register to become a monthly partner or give through the APP. No gift is too small. If God hasn't lead you to give, then go ahead and sign-up for our free weekly devotionals and become a prayer partner. Will you come into agreement with us? We hope you will. Thanks again to our friends and family for loving us and believing in us.

 Pastor Ronnie & Kelly Phillips 2016