Dr. Chris Stephens

Hey Friends,

I just started another book called Eyes Wide Open, Enjoying God In Everything. It is an amazing book. The book shows how God is the creator of beauty and how we all crave beauty. The book helps show how we crave it and how to enjoy God in everything. I have loved it so far. The Author is Steve DeWitt and he is a pastor and a friend of mine.

Let me give you a short paragraph from Steve: “This book flows from a conviction that we have largely missed God in our experience of beauty. That day as I experienced my surprise concert at Midway Airport, I listened through a wall. We are all standing outside a wall. We enjoy the divine music of beauty, but our enjoyment often stops there. The greatest wonder is not the music itself but the Musician, not the creation but the Creator. He is beautiful. As Richard Harris puts it, “the fact is that God is beautiful and the Church is hiding this.’”

This book is different than many of the other books I have read. I love the angle. I hope you might give it a try. Most of us never think of God as beautiful but there is no doubt He is. How do you see it? Let’s expand our thoughts as it comes to the Creator.

Just a thought.

Love ya,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

This week has been awesome! I’m still soaring over all the Lord did through Easter. We at Faith Promise make a great team. I am now excited about what is coming up this weekend. We are starting a new series from the number one illustration in the whole Bible. That would be the Exodus! Our Bibles would shrink greatly if that story and all the times it is used, talked about, or referenced were taken out.

We are going to focus on one major issue in the Exodus and that is the wilderness wandering. It was an 11-day journey from Egypt to the Promised Land and yet it took 40 years and everyone died on the way. That is a bummer deal. Not only did they die wandering in the wilderness, but they also missed God’s will and all He had for them. God had planned a land of plenty and they died in the desert.

Could it be that most Christians do the same thing?  We have been saved and yet we wander in the wilderness. It is God’s revealed will that we walk in victory after we are saved, rescued from the slavery of sin. As you look around do you see believers living in victory? Nope, and why not? The same reasons the Hebrews wandered around complaining until they died.

In the new series, Road Trip, we are going to learn how to live in victory! We are going to learn how to enter our own personal Promised Land purchased by Jesus on the cross. This is His will for you to walk in. The choice is yours. Life or death, blessing or cursing?

As a pastor of thousands of people I stay burdened and broken by how believers live. I watch them wander in their own personal wilderness and never achieve what the Lord had for them to do. If this might be you, I challenge you not to miss a message in the new series starting this weekend at Faith Promise. The door to your Promised Land is standing wide open. By faith, walk in.

Love ya,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

It is Monday morning and I just put my journal and Bible down, and I am overwhelmed at the goodness of God. His favor, grace, mercy, and presence are awesome! I feel like the most blessed pastor in the world. I feel like God’s most favorite servant. 30 years ago this month I was rescued by Jesus and He has not ceased blessing me for even one day. Thank You Lord for you indescribable gifts.

Well this past weekend was an Easter to Remember! We had almost 7700 in attendance in 14 services in 5 locations. What is even cooler than the record attendance is the fact that people walked out of the prison cell of sin every service. How cool it that?

We launched our new North Knox Campus with 1208 in attendance! Another Eph. 3:20 answer to prayer:

“Exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask or imagine…”

As I write these miracles down I am blown away about our future and the favor of God falling on us and setting the captives free. How many will walk out of their prison cells of sin? 1000s and even more. God’s hand is on Faith Promise in an unusual way and we are grateful. I received emails and notes yesterday from some of the core at North Knox. Many wept as they had to give up their seats for new souls. Faith Promise has the heart to win the lost.

I wanted to say thank you to all the staff, volunteers, and core team that worked so hard to make this weekend a success. My son Micah who had the idea to film a movie and so many that invited lost friends and family. Faith Promise truly is a team and a family after the heart of God.

This weekend we start a new series called Road Trip! The topic is how to walk into your promised land purchased by the blood of Jesus. Help me get the word out so no one misses the start of the new series.

To God be the glory great things He has done!

Love ya,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

It is Wednesday morning and I am pounding on the door of heaven. I just laid down my journal to ask you to pound and pray with me. Prayer is awesome but specific prayer is even more effective. Then, if you add the agreement of many believers, well, it is off the chart what the Lord will do. Help me to get all the Promisers praying this for the rest of the week:

Easter! My mind is consumed with all the Lord will do. Pray for all of our 14 services in 5 locations.

Next, let me paint a picture for you to pray about. You know we have shot a short movie as the drama this weekend. This is a first for us and God is all over it. The film is about a man released from prison and is about to go back. I can’t spoil the plot but imagine with me, over a thousand people with us this weekend who are trapped in their own cells of sin. I can testify that prison life sucks! Being captive to sin is no way to live.

Jesus paid for our pardon and He opened our prison doors. That is what the resurrection is all about. All we have to do is walk out of the door. The lost are blinded to the cell of sin and have no plans to walk out the door. Pray BIG TIME that everyone sees the cell and the open door. Pray that the lost walk out of the cell and into the arms of Jesus – out of sin and into forgiveness and grace. Into a new life purchased for us on the cross!

As you pray, imagine the cell or even remember your cell and how the Lord revealed to you your sin and your salvation. The captives released! Pray it happens hundreds of times this weekend. Pray for the souls of the lost and for the binding of the enemy.

This Easter will be a celebration in heaven more than we can imagine. Pray! Pray! Pray!

Who knows, the person who walks out of the cell of sin might be someone you know and love.

To God be the glory great things He has done!

He is Risen!

Love ya,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

Wow, so sorry it has been so long since my last blog. I have kept the roads burnt up!! I have seen some great things happening and am so grateful for all the Lord is doing. Last week I was at The Gathering in Sevierville for Refuge Prayer Conference. It was awesome. God was moving and teaching us some great things.

Thursday morning we got a call from Jentezen Franklin’s office saying he could not come and speak for the last night. He had a staff member killed in a traffic accident. We were heartbroken for their church staff and wondered what we were going to do. We knew that if the attenders heard that Jentezen was not going to be there, many of them would go home early. It seemed like a tragic end to what had been a great conference.

As we prayed and thought about it the thought hit us – did we want the Person of the Holy Spirit there or a personality? Give us God! Some left to be sure. The ones that remained got a mega blessing. Prayers were answered and God moved in power. He is the Lord of the resurrection and the power to transform lives. Yes, we want many to be here but even more we want God in the house.

As I reflected on the event the thought hit me – Chris, you worry about how many people are at church when you need to worry about Me being there! If God shows up regularly then the people will be there. This weekend is Easter! I am praying for over 7,000 to be in attendance and over 1,000 at our new North Knox Campus. We are asking for people to be saved at all 14 services.

Pray with me, not just for Faith Promise but for all churches to experience God in all of His glory. I will still set goals and pray for numbers, but more important is the presence of God. Where Jesus is in the house they will still tear the roof off to get in!

Agree with me for the glory to fall.

Love ya,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

We all know prayer is the key. As a matter of fact, I’ll bet no one would even try to argue the point. With that said, there seems to be a disconnect between our hearts and our heads. We think one thing and yet we do something entirely different. Since we are in a prayer series at Faith Promise called:

Whisper – Listening to God’s Voice

 I thought I would give you some prayer thoughts. We are also in 21 days of fasting and prayer for Easter and for the launch of our North Knox Campus. A prayer guide has been provided on the Faith Promise website. Let’s look at three stages of prayer:

Stage One is a problem or burden we find or face. We begin to pray about this issue.  Many people just mention a thought to God and off they go. There is no travail or laboring before the Lord. Most of us give up before we ever get started seeking the Lord on an issue.

Stage Two is praying through. This is a commitment to keep knocking on the door of heaven until our knuckles are raw, our voices are gone and our knees are sore. This is a level few get to unless it is an issue so dear to their hearts. When was the last time you prayed through? When have you prayed until you knew Jesus had answered your request?

Stage Three is praising through. This stage is when you know God has answered even though it has not happened in the natural. This would be like a wife wanting to get pregnant and yet it has not happened. The promise of the Lord is given before the test is positive. You begin to praise the Lord  for the child even though it has not been conceived. You rejoice for the promise and you believe it will happen. This is rejoicing by faith. Have you ever gotten to this point with a problem you have taken to the Lord?

I am praising the Lord for 2012 being the best year Faith Promise has ever had. I am praising the Lord for over 10,000 books sold this year when 5,000 have not even been printed yet. A move of faith would be to order them now, wouldn’t it? I will very soon!  The Lord just challenged my faith as I write this blog.

We serve a God that can. Are you seeking Him in prayer that moves His heart? Together we can see His favor fall and His Hand open to save and to heal.

Love ya,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

I read a great thought from Mark Batterson in his latest book, The Circle Maker. It was about our life getting more complicated. I know many of us long for the “simpler days” of our past. It is easy to look at our “to do” lists or the problems we face and wish them away. Rejoice in them! Complications are proof of His blessings and favor on us. That is the best way to look at things.

When I was single life was far more simple, but I would not trade my wife for anything. God blessed me with a great wife but it did add complication. Then the Lord gave us three kids, and what blessings they have been in our lives. But you know as well as I do, they put complication on steroids. I would not take a million dollars for one of them and yet I would not give you a nickel for another one just like them. There is no question that the more you are blessed, the more complicated your life will become.

Another illustration of my point is money. When I was poor, life was so much more simple! Now that I have more money it adds layers of complication. Lord complicate our lives!

Now, let me ask you, do you like complication a little more? I am praying for the Lord to complicate my life, family, and ministry. I want all the Lord has for me and that means complication comes with it. Pour it on Lord. I thought life was complicated when I was doing one weekend service and the church was small. Now I preach at least four times each weekend and we have five locations. Thousands of people show up every weekend and we are highly favored, but think of the layers of complication. I would not want to go back to a simpler day and forget about all the people who have been saved.

Complication is a great mark of God’s Hand of favor resting on you.

Now, how do you view a complicated life?

Just a thought…

Love ya,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

Starting Monday, March 19, we are calling on all Faith Promisers to start a 21-Day Fast for Easter and the launch of the North Knox Campus. You can fast all 21 days, a meal each day, or fast from something in order to pray specifically for God to move on Easter. We are asking for HUGE things from Him.

We are praying for over 1,000 at the North Knox Campus. Pray for Pastor Mike and Kandice Baker as they lead that campus. Pray for many lost to come there on Easter and be impacted with the Word.

We are praying for over 7,000 in attendance at all of Faith Promise combined. We are asking God to save people at every campus. Pray for the Spirit to move in a major way. A 21-Day Prayer Guide to help you will be available for download on the home page of our FPC website beginning on Saturday, March 17.  Please fast with me and let’s pray through. God is at work at Faith Promise and we need not take it for granted.

As you fast:

1. Pray for the power of God to fall at every campus.
2. Pray for the people God wants you to invite.
3. Pray for the other campuses even if you do not attend or serve there, for we are one family with many locations.
4. Pray like you never have before. Draw a circle around you and ask God to move in the circle. Ask the Lord to make you whatever He wants so He can use you.
5. Pray for the Easter presentation as it will be a short movie and we have never done that before.
6. Pray for the staff and the follow up after Easter.
7. Pray for the 10 goals for 2012. Easter plays a big part in moving forward.

Together we can make a huge difference in making it hard to go to hell from East Tennessee.

I love you and fully trust you are doing your part.

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

Occasionally I ask you, my faithful blog readers, for some help and this week is one of those times! On Tuesday, March 13, I will be appearing live on Daystar Television Network’s Celebration program in Dallas, hosted by Marcus and Joni Lamb. I will be discussing my newest book, The Plan of Your Life.  This book was God-inspired, and I truly believe it can change the lives of anyone who reads it. 

I am asking for your help in getting the word out about the Celebration program, which is available to over 100 million homes in the United States and 680 million homes around the world.  Celebration will be shown live on Tuesday at noon Eastern Time and will be rebroadcast at 9:00 pm Tuesday evening and at 1:00 am Wednesday morning.  

Daystar is available through the following services:

• Direct TV Channel 369
• Dish Network Channel 263
• Verizon FiOS Channel 293
• AT&T U-verse Channel 563

You can also stream the program live via this link: http://www.daystar.com/ways-to-watch/live/.

Please help me pass the word along through Facebook, Twitter and any other means you can think of, especially around noon and 9:00 pm on Tuesday.  I am counting on you!

I am so grateful for your help and support.  Please join with me in praying that God will use me to touch thousands of lives.  Together we can make a difference for our Lord and His Kingdom!

Love,

Pastor Chris