Prophetic Picture

As everyone knows we are in the middle of our "Sex in the City" series. I called the The Leaf Chronicle newspaper and asked them if they would be interested in doing an article featuring the series. Of course as everyone knows they said yes and it was an absolutely awesome. Stacy did a great job. When I got to the Leaf Chronicle Office Stacy told me about the idea the photographer had. It was the picture you see above. I was sitting there as we were getting everything set up praying my butt off about the picture. I was very concerned that many believers would be upset and that the picture would be counter-productive to what I believe God is wanting to accomplish with this series. So as we were taking the photo I felt God say relax. Then He told me that it was a Prophetic Picture of His people. He went on to explain that His people have taken the pornography out the brown bag and put the Bible in it.

After praying I felt that this means that the people of God are no longer ashamed of pornography and have brought it in the light, but that they have taken the Bible and hidden it away.

Please pray for us as we venture into our second week of the series. This week we have our ladies meeting on Friday night where they will be conducting a study on "how to be better than a porn star." In this meeting they will talk about the deadly affects of pornography on women and families and what a wife can do to help her husband in the struggle for sexual purity. Then Saturday morning the men are getting together for "Porn and Pancakes" with Matthew Starks from Pure Life Revolution. In this meeting we will be discussing the damaging affects pornography has on men and the way they evaluate sex and their sex lives in marriage. Finally we will conclude on Sunday with "Porn Sunday." This will be a sermon where I will discuss what is actually going on in the world of pornography and how it is destroying marriages, families, men, women, and even children. Once again please pray for us that we can lead men and women into the fullness of Biblical Marriage and ultimately into a right relationship with Jesus Christ.

Earmarks of an Apostolic Church PIV

As we move forward advancing the Kingdom and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ it is always important to remember that He is the one who makes it all possible. It is Jesus Christ who has made us strong, bold, made it possible to be filled with the Holy Spirit, brought us into the realm of the supernatural, set us in this place for this time and Religions worst nightmare. Jonas Clark in his book identifies all of these as "earmarks of an apostolic church".

"1. STRONG
Apostolic churches have a spiritual strength and fortitude that transcends any natural ability. Not only do they possess an apostolic grit but they impart the same fortitude into those who join themselves with them. God told Zerubbabel, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts" (Zec 4:6 KJV) The spiritual strength of an apostolic church is the divine capacity given by the Holy Spirit that empowers the church to be vigorous, advance, grow, press on, increase, break through and move forward. It is the power to endure hardship, resist hindrances and obstacles while remaining steadfast, faithful, firm and durable. It is truly the grace of God

2. SUPERNATURAL
As soon as you walk into an apostolic church you can tell there is something different. What's going on? The atmosphere is charged with faith for miracles. Apostolic churches are set to flow in signs, wonders, and miracles. Altar calls for divine healing and the laying on of hands is common. God has never withdrawn his gifts and supernatural presence from his church.

3. FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST
The core group of apostolic churches are filled with the Holy Spirit and anointed for an active and effective Spirit life ministry. They understand there is no way to handle the extreme pressure and gospel opposition in our lives without the free gift of Jesus' dumanis power to witness, the Holy Spirit Himself. We must be baptized with fire. Where others may struggle in this, apostolic churches have the grace upon them to help people get easily baptized in the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist stated, 'I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchest of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire' (Luke 3:16 KJV). Jesus is our baptized!

4. SET IN CITIES & GIVEN TO TERRITORIES
An earmark of apostolic churches is their spiritual understanding of boundaries and assigned territories. They have a unique and heart-felt burden for their assignments. The Apostle Paul describes this territory like this, 'But we will not boast of things without our measure (Greek metron, i.e. place of spiritual authority and jurisdiction), but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you' (2 Cor 10:13 KJV). Apostolic churches are set in cities and given to territories with spiritual jurisdiction given by the Holy Spirit.

5. BOLD
Boldness is a trait of apostolic churches. They are as bold as lions (Prov 28:1) as they demonstrate a fearless when persecution, threatenings, and suffering arise because of the gospel (Phil 1:14, 1 Th 2:2, Acts 4:29). The Holy Spirit loves boldness. To be bold shows a readiness to take risks, face danger, be daring and fearless. It is not a boldness worked up by man's soul but, in fact, is an evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit and the manifestation of his grace.

6. RELIGION'S WORST NIGHTMARE
The religious church has a caretaker mentality with a don't-rock-the-boat mindset. It's cold, quiet, and formal. Where the pastor has been selected by some pulpit committee based on his religious education, affiliation or degrees, whose office walls are filled with plaques of men's recognition confirming that they have made the right choice. This is a church where you can have two lives, a religious one and a secular one. This is the 'bless me only, but don't ask me to change, become involved, grow, mature, advance, pursue, increase, or do anything' church. It is full of those with spiritual religious sayings and flattery, smooth talkers with vain words. This is a church where sin is seldom addressed and a false love covers the unrepentant, rebellious and defiant. This is the church where one can do according to his own deceitful heart's desire with no accountabililty required. The apostolic church is religion's worst nightmare."

Pastor to enlighten listeners on what Bible says on sex

By STACY SMITH SEGOVIA The Leaf-Chronicle
The Rev. John Renken, pastor of Xtreme Ministries on Fort Campbell Boulevard, leaps this morning into territory many Christian churches avoid.
Starting 11 a.m. today and running for five weeks, Renken's sermons will be about sex, in a series he calls "Sex in the City." Although he will illuminate what the Bible has to say on the topic, he's also interested in discussing the real struggles Clarksvillians are facing today — pornography addictions, infidelity, children exposed to sexual and violent images, unfulfilling sexual relationships.
"A complaint I hear about Christian churches is they don't talk about the issues, they cover them up," Renken says.
"If there is an issue, it needs to be discussed. It needs to be brought into the light. And I want to help."
Renken reveals the topic for each meeting:
· 11 a.m. today — The Sexual State of our City. "The first of five sermons, this one will lay the ground work for the rest of the series," Renken says. "I will be covering (recent) statistics in comparison to what the Bible has to say about how we should live."
· 8 a.m. Sept. 1 — Porn and Pancake Breakfast for men at Shoney's on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard. "In this breakfast guest speaker Matthew Starks from Pure Life Revolution will be discussing with men the adverse effects of pornography in their marriages, in their sexual life, and in their spiritual life," Renken says. "He will also be discussing how to break the bondage associated with pornography."
* 11 a.m. Sept. 2 — Porn Sunday. "I will share how our society has been attacked and is suffering from pornography," Renken says. "Once again we will be talking about how to break the addiction."
* 11 a.m. Sept. 9 — Sex According to the Bible ... a Look at the Book of Solomon. "In this sermon we will take a serious look at the Song of Solomon and what it has to say in regards to sex," Renken says.
* 11 a.m. Sept. 16 — Q&A. "This is where people can bring all their questions ... and I mean all," Renken says.
* 11 a.m. Sept. 23 — How to have the Best Sex Possible. Renken says he will reveal the keys to having the most fulfilling sex life possible.
The 34-year-old preacher and father of three says he hopes the "Sex in the City" series will help individuals, couples and Clarksville as a whole.
"I see what's going on in our community and I want to make a stand," Renken says. "We have hidden this stuff for far too long."
Stacy Smith Segovia can be reached at 245-0720 or by e-mail at stacysegovia@theleafchronicle.com.

Taking a look at 'Sex in the City'Father of 3, fighter, former soldier says porn becoming more of a problem

By STACY SMITH SEGOVIA The Leaf-Chronicle

Sex. Without it, none of us would be here.
We do it in private, behind closed doors, but sex is in our faces everywhere we go — in advertising, movies, popular music, magazines and on the Internet. John Renken says with all these unrealistic images of sex swirling around us every day, there's a desperate need for real, honest discussion of sex and its meaning in the lives of Clarksvillians.
Starting today and continuing in September, Renken will lead a five-week series of discussions about sex, called "Sex in the City." He will discuss pornography and answer any and all sex-related questions posed to him, including how to have the best sex possible.


The twist?
Renken is a Christian minister, the leader of a local church, Xtreme Ministries. A 34-year-old father of three small children, Renken is also a former Fort Campbell soldier, a former Satanist, and a current ultimate fighter, competing in and training others for no-holds-barred fights.
Because of his work as owner of Clarksville Mixed Martial Arts Academy, his background in the military and the location of his church/gymnasium on Fort Campbell Boulevard, Renken meets hundreds of soldiers every year. He says he sees among them, as well as among the larger population, a frightening increase in the consumption of pornography.
"We spend more on pornography in a year than we spend on baseball, basketball or football. Americans rent upwards of 800 million pornographic videos in a year," Renken says. "And pornography is getting far more violent and nonconsensual."
"Nonconsensual" is a key differentiator for Renken. He says the men he brutalizes in the ring as an ultimate fighter are there completely by their own choice, and beating them to a pulp is an entirely different act from hitting a stranger on the street or forcing a woman to have sex against her will.
"To be violent meant to literally violate someone," Renken says. "In Ultimate Fighting Championships, you have two adults who are not violating one another. A lot of those guys I've shared blood with, then gone out and had a pizza."
People seek out violent pornography when nonviolent pornography no longer turns them on, just as drug addicts must escalate to higher doses and stronger drugs to attain the same high that initially enticed them.
"I've counseled people who are addicted to pornography, and now they're less able to perform (sexually). Pornography in a less aggressive form can regress into a violent form, and it makes sense that it can regress into child pornography," Renken says. "I watched a special with Diane Sawyer and a porn star. The porn star (said she) was in a scene, and the guy reached down and started beating her. This is what people are buying. We don't think that's damaging? We don't think that's damaging to our children?"
Renken says even much milder forms of pornography, such as Playboy magazine, cause problems in families and break up marriages.
"Let's be honest. Those women aren't natural. They're enhanced. They're spray-painted. I haven't seen that much plastic since I walked down the Tupperware aisle at Wal-Mart — lips, butts, boobs," Renken says. "No one can measure up to that. We're making our women into objects. People don't want to talk about the ramifications of this."
Even super-romantic love scenes in a PG-13 movie can make couples feel like failures, Renken says.
"Have you ever had a kiss or a sex scene like that? It makes the married couple feel unfulfilled, like their marriage doesn't live up," he says. "The garbage that's being put out — it's propaganda. What you see is not reality. The top two causes of divorce are sex and money. In pornography, the woman is always willing, always ready; she's a sex goddess. If you have to compete with a porno star, how are you gonna fare? Women get headaches, men get tired from work."
Renken isn't a total killjoy. He says rather than focus so much of their sexual energy on outside stimuli, people in committed, monogamous, married relationships need to focus that energy on accepting and loving each other.
"Is there anything wrong with me looking at a naked woman? No, not if that woman is my wife," Renken says.
It's possible to find guilt-free glory and great pleasure in a sexual relationship.
"If God made sex for procreation only, he wouldn't have made it so fun," Renken says. "Sex came before the fall. God says it's good. So why can't we talk about it in a pure, holy way? Why can't we be open about it?
Stacy Smith Segovia is a features writer for The Leaf-Chronicle. She can be reached at 245-0720 or by e-mail at stacysegovia@theleafchronicle.com.

Sex in the City Series

Hey everyone check out our website. The graphic for Sex in the City is up.

Pray for Lori Goldman

Please pray for Lori Goldman her father passed away yesterday.

Lori's father had a quad bypass about a year and a half ago. Seemed to be doing well, but had a lousy family history for coronary disease. Yesterday, he was unhooking the tow car and had a massive coronary attack.

UPCOMING EVENTS AT XTREME MINISTRIES

AUGUST 5TH at 11:00 AM Dr. Tim Jenney will be speaking
AUGUST 12TH at 11:00 AM at Billy Dunlap Park we will be doing a Public Baptism
AUGUST 19TH at 11:00 AM we will begin our SEX IN THE CITY SERIES
AUGUST 24TH at 7:00 PM Prophet Clem Ferris will be speaking in an open meeting
AUGUST 26TH at 11:00 AM Prophet Clem Ferris will be speaking in Sunday Morning service
SEPTEMBER 2nd at 11:00 AM SEX IN THE CITY SERIES continues at 11:00 am


See everyone there.

Earmarks of an Apostolic Church PIII

As I have been reading this book 50 Earmarks of an Apostolic Churches I have been amazed as I see these qualities in the lives of the people of Xtreme. The laity, the everyday Joe, the people who attend on Sundays YOU ARE CALLED TO BE THE MINISTERS! I am very excited about all that God is doing in the lives of our people. As you read through these traits think about how they apply to our church, but also you individually. Remember the ministry is your workplace, your home, your neighborhood, not some church you attend on Sunday morning.

1. Set the Pace
"Apostolic churches are always doing something progressive as they move forward in the things of God. They are better understood if looked upon as God's pace setters. A pace setter is one that leads the way and set the pace for others to follow. In motor sport racing there is a certain car used to set the pace for the racers before the actual race begins. As they follow this car they get up to the correct speed for the race. This pace car can be likened to the progressive movement of an apostolic church."

2. Send
"Apostolic churches will send you forth on ministry assignments. To be sent forth (stello) and out from (apo) an apostolic church is the highest calling for a believer. It is vital to understand that in the New Testament apostolic churches people are not being trained to be separated from the local church forever. We have a misconception of using churches for their ability to raise us up to pursue our own ministries. God forbid! Sent, never to return again, is seldom, if ever, God's plan. Throughout Paul's ministry we see him continue to return to his home base, the apostolic church in Antioch, rather than his hometown of Tarsus."

3. Plant
"Notice that Paul said that he planted. When an apostle plants it is more than planting a new church, it also refers to the planting of a believer. The planting of a believer in an apostolic church is vital to one's spiritual growth and effectiveness. In order for plants to flourish, they must be planted in good soil that is needed for growth and maturity. Good soil is that which has been plowed, prepared and made ready for seed. To be planted means to be set or firmly fixed in position. Plants have roots and apostolic churches will challenge you to be planted in the house of God, and to become active in the life and vision of the local church. Today many people are not planted at all or they have been planted in the wrong places. Allow yourself to be planted in an apostolic church where you can mature and bring glory to our Lord."

4. Multi-Cultural
"The church in Antioch was made up of every culture represented in the city. There were Africans, Greeks, Syrians, and Jews (Acts 13:1). Those that attend apostolic churches come from various cultures represented throughout their cities. These churches are multi-national, heterogeneous, and are full of believers that have conquered racism and prejudice. Prejudice is a preconceived and usually unfavorable idea or opinion of others. It leads to hatred and intolerance of other races and cultures. In apostolic churches the wall of separation has been abolished by love one for another."

5. Set Order
"There are natural and spiritual things that need to be set in order. Apostolic churches will not tolerate things in disarray, neither spiritually nor naturally. Paul also said "Let all things be done decently and in order." (1 Cor 14:40) The word order is the Greek word taxis. This is where we get the English word taxi, like in a taxi cab. This order (taxis) has nothing to do with control but rather creates a structure for a proper flow of spiritual things. It is creating an order that the Holy Spirit likes to flow in. Apostolic churches understand how to set the house in order."