Thirsty For More?

One of the most encouraging things is seeing some people stay longer with us at Church at the Manor after lunch.  Lunch usually begins with the initial fare of sandwiches, salads and dessert that more recently has changed to the crock pot warm up essentials of pastas, stews and soups. They are joining us for worship, for the sharing time and even interacting during open discussions.  It has also been so good to see some come to faith and join in communion as well.  I have listened to guys who share about their longing towards freedom from alcohol or anger more recently.  Some are making progress by switching to ginger ale or alcohol free beer, but deep down I know there has to be a longing for something more. They are so open to having someone pray for them and I pray in earnest for their freedom and the tears flow. They are so raw in their honesty with me , they are broken and desperate and it is when we all get to this place, that there is a great opportunity for a lasting exchange.  It brings me to a passage in John’s gospel where Jesus spoke of living water!

Empty Games

Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—his disciples did). 3 So he left Judea and returned to Galilee.4 He had to go through Samaria on the way. 5 Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar

We pick up a story in John 4 on the ministry that Jesus was on.  Make no mistake that Jesus was annoyed with religious people.  The fact that they were keeping count of baptisms, making comparisons, #numbers was not something He was interested in and so, He simply left that scene.

It is interesting to note that Jesus intentionally makes a point of travelling through Samaria.  The Samaritans were a despised people, a mixed race and they also mixed up religions, worship, idolatry as well.  The Jewish people of that day would actually walk twice as far to avoid Samaria altogether because they didn’t wanted to be ‘contaminated’ by anyone in this area.

So, here we find Jesus in Samaria engaging a Samaritan woman. In terms of the culture of the day that was two strikes against her… a Samaritan and a woman.

Empty Buckets

Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. 7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” 8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. 9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water?

 …13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”

Jesus makes no distinction of person, class, race or position.  He is all inclusive, all willing and all ready to give life giving satisfaction to anyone who comes to Him.  He is the real thirst-quencher and a real relationship with Him brings incredible meaning and understanding to life.  This is a great truth highlighting the truth that yes, Jesus spoke to the masses, but He was also great one on one with people and had a profound way to connect with them.  Unfortunately for her she doesn’t get it and she still things Jesus is talking about high quality H2O!  She is like where can I get this ultimate Gatorade?

Empty Wells

The third strike against this woman was that she was a victim of many failed relationships.

¹⁶ “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.¹⁷ “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— ¹⁸ for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”¹⁹ “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. ²⁰ So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”²¹ Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 

In v19 She creates a diversion with her question on worship and tries to move away from the real heart issue within herself, but she now knows that this isn’t just a simple conversation about where to find the best water. She finally gets it and relates to Jesus on a spiritual level and brings up a really good question about where is the best place to worship God.

Jesus makes it really clear that worship will no longer be about a specific place or time for that matter. It is about the attitude of the heart and He calls us to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.  The Old Testament predicted it and the New Testament fulfilled it.  Worship wasn’t going to about tablets of stone and stone buildings, it will be about a heart of flesh and living temples, our bodies being the place where His Holy Spirit dwells.  1 Corinthians 6:18-20

For her, the well that she was trying to find satisfaction from was simply put, men.  She was looking for real love and she was trying to get her needs met in a relationship and it had miserably failed her.  She was broken and He was calling her to exchange her disappointment, her loneliness, her emptiness for love everlasting.

Jesus doesn’t condemn her by bringing up her past, but only to make her realize her need for something far greater that she had ever known.

The same question needs to be asked of us…What are the wells that we try to find satisfaction from?

How many wells full of sand and dirt have we taken a drink from?  How desperate are we for living water?

The Holy Spirit is our water!

23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

It is also interesting to note that Jesus uses the masculine pronoun when making the statement to the woman.  In essence he was placing her on the same level as a man, that there was no hierarchy here, all of us receive this abundant life giving stream in the same way.

Jesus is calling us to drink from the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives, to discover joy, peace, love and the presence of God.  It just grieves Him to see us trying to desperately seek satisfaction from cheap and empty substitutes. 

Another way to look at it is this,  The Holy Spirit is calling us to go deeper with Jesus… Holy Spirit is saying, Delight in my presence, delight in knowing me like the sun that beats down on your face, so my radiance will be on your face, in your heart and on your mind.  Don’t dwell on lesser things; your soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods.  Enjoy my goodness, my grace and my mercy.  Let it fill your soul.  What does He tell us over and over again,…Come to me to have your needs met.  I will satisfy you, drench you with my loving-kindness.

Are you thirsty for more?  I am.

2016...Year of the Great Exchange!

Last week I went horseback riding and I was SO looking forward to it… the only thing I wasn’t prepared for was that it was -19C with the windchill.  I am a roofer, I work outside in all elements, but that day was my undoing.  I was on that horse and all I could think about was turning around and getting back to the barn. I could not stay warm for the life of me and my  message to my horse “Captain Kirk” was ‘beam me up Scotty”…get me outta here!  It was serious, I honestly felt that I was going to throw up, my hands were tingling and there was no feeling in my feet.  When we returned to the barn,  I was huddled by the fire until I could feel again. 

In many ways this experience relates to how I feel about repentance.  It is a 180 degree turn out of the cold, out of the place where I have lost all sensitivity, a place where if sin runs it’s full course, make me vomit to a place of real revelation to the effect it has had on me.

In the Old Testament Hebrew, the word for repentance is shub.  It is found over 1000 times and the vast majority of occurrences refer to a literal change of direction.  There are 200 times where it refers to Israel or God turning toward or away from one another.  It is a turning away from idolatry and from cold-hearted disobedience.

There are two terms in the New Testament, nacham which means to be sorry, or to pity or console oneself and more closely translated, metanoia in the Greek.  It literally means to change one’s mind or purpose, to repent.  It is a reversal of thinking.  You see yourself differently.

When we get off track as Christians, we have an internal GPS, the Holy Spirit, who is quick to remind us to ‘recalculate’!  We also need to remember that there is nothing that we could ever do in and of ourselves to make ourselves acceptable before God.  It is a coming to God that says , “you know what, all other roads lead me to dead ends.”

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness leads you to repentance ( is intended to turn you from your sin?)

Romans 2:4

Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person because our natural tendency is to ignore our sin or cover it up.  Conviction is a good thing and it happens through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. John 16:8.  The Holy Spirit brings the realization of ultimately what we are doing.  When we choose to sin, we are saying God, I don’t trust you to meet my needs so I will take matters into my own hands. 

“Against you, You only, have I sinned, and done evil in your sight.” Psalm 51:4

The wonders of conviction of sin, complete forgiveness and becoming holy are so intertwined in bringing joy and freedom into our lives.  We reveal the power of God when we choose to move in the opposite direction that our sin was once leading us and by the grace of God we are now blazing a new trail.

Anything less is just simply feeling bad for the consequences of my actions, but not fully ready to leave the path that I am selfishly on.

So, a great exchange begins by moving from just being sorry to doing a 180 degree turn by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I’ll never forget how one person showed me how they truly had repented of a drug habit.  They said, “Jack, what I do now is look down the road to where my habit takes me.  I look beyond the instant gratification to the place where I become really sick, hungry and broke.  I recognize where my actions will lead me.  I remember that feeling, the  pounding in my head, the hunger pangs in my stomach, the feeling in my spirit to know that I have zero cash and I know I don’t want to go there again.”

The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable “goodness.” Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life (see Galatians 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses— repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.

Oswald Chambers

So, what are we asking God to exchange in 2016 as affirmed at Church at the Manor this month!

·         Exchange my just feeling sorry to a repentance, real tears and a real turnaround!

·         Exchange my weakness to  His strength

·         Exchange my pride to humility

·         Exchange my anger to self-control

·         Exchange my self-defensiveness for trust

·         Exchange my lust for love

·         Exchange my hate for acceptance

·         Exchange my disbelief for belief 

·         Exchange my fear to boldness

·         Exchange my brokenness for restoration

In The Fullness of Time

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

All the conditions were perfectly lined up for the birth of God’s own Son, Jesus.  The political, spiritual and social climate were all set for the entrance of the Messiah into the world.  At this time, we also reflect on how God’s timing is always perfect in orchestrating the events for Church at the Manor.

One of our recent highlights began one afternoon began as Sharon and I along with Steve, Carolyn, Kristen and Jen blitzed the local neighbourhood surrounding the Manor with flyers sharing that Mike ‘the bull’ Roberts was speaking the next day.  We met lots of people from talks at the door to apartment lobbys.   There was a great build up of excitement, prayer and anticipation on that Saturday. Then Sharon and I had to race off to pick up Carrie who was speaking that night at “Break The Chains,” an event being held  the Father’s Heart Ministry in Waterloo.  By the way, she did fantastic… check it out here   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN3I2IBp4Sg

So, there we are making our way to this event and a text came to Sharon.  It was Mike and he was sorry, but he was going to have to cancel his engagement with us.  My heart sank and we were stunned by the turn of events.  He went on to share that he had spoken tirelessly at so many church and school events that week and was completely spent. He spoke with his mentors and felt he needed to take time off.  What do you do?  Do we accept it or challenge him to reconsider.  As it turned out Sharon and I had just spoke about the fact that we wanted to bless Mike and his ministry with what little we had at the Manor…sometimes the offering in our beer bucket is $3-, but we were determined to honor him.  So, Sharon asked him to simply pray and ask God to speak to him and we left it at that.  Shortly after, Mike made the decision to come and honor his commitment.

Sunday is here and the Manor is packed out to the gills!  We have one of our best attendances to date with over 70 people present to hear Mike share.  Mike is pulled aside to meet with Roger in his office as an engaging conversation unfolds as Mike shares how he was once a white supremacist, but how God changed all that one night while lying on the floor in his apartment.  He speaks of going to Auschwitz and the smell of death and how God broke him.  They talk about their dogs and have a great moment.

Later Mike shares his story, going from notorious to glorious, from a life of abuse, crime, drugs, gangs, violence to being completely transformed by the love of God. 

Sharon pulls me aside to share how we need to have each person come forward afterwards to bless and encourage Mike.  A beer bucket is placed on the stage behind him for people to give to bless his ministry.  So, a long train of people unfolds and for the next 45min, the people who attended did just that, blessed him and gave.

Here follows how Mike shared about the events that unfolded that day.

so there is no other way to describe what happened today other than to say holy s__t I can't believe that just happened.yesterday I was so deflated and never wanted to go speak at my event today.but I went anyway because I gave my word. The strip club I spoke at was full and I spoke next to the st poll and between the blessing the people gave me and the line up of thank you and encouragement all I can say is God came to help me today and renewed my strength I feel very humbled and thankful for the church at the manor that blessed me today it has been a long time since I have felt so appreciated for the work I do. Even the owner of the joint invited me back to his office for a chat nice Jewish fella...thank u lord for m daily bread

Over $1000- was generously given in the beer bucket to support Mike's ministry!

And now here is the teaching focus for Church at the Manor.  We took time to look at life lessons on breakthrough from Jonah.

Running in the opposite direction!

The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”

3 But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.   Jonah 1:1-3NLT

Why did Jonah do that?

Did he really think that he could get away from the Lord?? As Pastor Jim has shared, sin makes you stupid!

Sin also brings shame - hiding from God is our natural learned tendency. Instead of running to God, we run away… in the opposite direction!  We run, withdraw when we sin. We choose independence from God

Jonah really had no interest in going to Ninevah, there was no love for the people there.  In fact, he most likely wanted nothing to do with them.  It’s like being a pastor and God says, you know what, I want you to go and start a church in a little place like Timbuktu but no, this pastor wants to go to sunny southern California where it is warm and sunny and more fun!

Have you ever gone completely opposite of what you know God told you to do or spoke to you about?

Why do we do that?  What is the lure?

Often we think we know best.  We say things like ok, God, this is the path that I’m choosing, now go bless it.

However, it doesn’t work very well does it?

The starting point for all of us in knowing the right way to go is to not lean on our own understanding.  The first decision we have to make is to say, OK, God you are in control.

Proverbs 3:5,6  Where are you leaning?

REMEDY – lean heavily ON God for wisdom, direction in all life’s choices.

Swallowed Up By Our Bad Decisions

12 “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”13 Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.”15 Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! 16 The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.

So, here’s an incredible takeaway that even in our poor choices God can use us.  He can use our life lessons to reveal Himself powerfully to others, yes, even in our own stupidity!  The sailors were completely transformed by these events and worshipped the Lord.  Nothing is impossible for God

Have you ever made a bad decision that you later paid dearly for?

What happened to Jonah?

He knows that he is running from God and it is not just affecting him, but it is affecting those around him.  He knows that he has to take responsibility and he own his mistake.  This is huge and this is a really important part of the Christian life.  It is called repentance.  He does a 180 degree turn in his thinking that leads to a change of direction.

Listen to his prayer in chapter 2. It is beautiful and it is powerful. We have all been there figuratively speaking.  We’ve been in the belly of the whale, in a place of despair.

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. ² He said,

“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble,
    and he answered me.
I called to you from the land of the dead,
    and Lord, you heard me!
³ You threw me into the ocean depths,
    and I sank down to the heart of the sea.
The mighty waters engulfed me;
    I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves.
⁴ Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence.
    Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’

⁵ “I sank beneath the waves,
    and the waters closed over me.
    Seaweed wrapped itself around my head.
⁶ I sank down to the very roots of the mountains.
    I was imprisoned in the earth,
    whose gates lock shut forever.
But you, O Lord my God,
    snatched me from the jaws of death!
⁷ As my life was slipping away,
    I remembered the Lord.
And my earnest prayer went out to you
    in your holy Temple.
⁸ Those who worship false gods
    turn their backs on all God’s mercies.
⁹ But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise,
    and I will fulfill all my vows.
    For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

¹⁰ Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.

What does God do?

He does the unthinkable and Jonah is swallowed by a fish.

Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

What happens to us?

I believe with all my heart that God is gracious and He is completely forgiving, but yes, we still live with the scars and the memories. 

The hope is that those painful memories serve as a reminder for us.  The decision is that I won’t go down that path again, but I will allow those moments to propel me into the presence of God.

Do you know God as your deliverer, your rescuer? You can!

REMEDY – God is our rescue!

Matt Redman

Who, oh Lord, could save themselves,

Their own soul could heal?

Our shame was deeper than the sea

Your grace is deeper still

You alone can rescue, You alone can save

You alone can lift us from the grave

You came down to find us, led us out of death

To You alone belongs the highest praise

You, oh  Lord, have made a way

The great divide You heal

For when our hearts were far away

Your love went further still

Yes, your love goes further still

When Things Don’t Go Our Way…or according to plan…or should I say OUR plan.

So, Jonah finally is obedient and He follows through with the message that the LORD gave him and plans change.  He brings a message of judgement,  it’s time to pay the price for Ninevah’s wickedness, but the LORD sees their change of heart, their repentance and a miracle takes place!

5 The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow.

6 When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in burlap and sat on a heap of ashes. 7 Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city:

“No one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all. 8 People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. 9 Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.”

10 When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.

When has God answered a prayer in your life that turned out differently than you expected?

 How did you respond?

What happened to Jonah?

He has a pity party and he sulks about his situation, but the story is left unfinished and the hope is that Jonah does another turn around and continues to be God’s messenger.  The final chapter didn’t get published for his life and we have a cliff hanger.

What happens to us?

So, maybe we pray God get me out of here…BEAM me up Scotty so to speak.  I don’t want to be here, but God doesn’t answer that way.  Often, He keeps us right in the place we are and He enables us to bloom where we are planted.  He doesn’t remove us from our world, our situation, but He allows us to be transformed in the midst of it and we become an amazing testimony or story for God, of His power and His presence to carry us through!

It could also be that we have a difficult time praying for someone that God is calling us to forgive.  It may feel like the last thing that we want to do.  You might even say it’s not in me to forgive and I would agree, but then, we are in Christ and only because of Him do we have to strength to forgive those who have wounded us.  God is pretty serious about the whole forgiveness thing.

25But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”  Mark 11:25

We are called to obey His whether we agree or not with God.  We all have unanswerable questions with God. We need to trust God with this.

What will be the final chapter be in our lives…that we finished well I pray!

It is only by the Holy Spirit’s power and the presence of Jesus in our lives.

And on that day

When my strength is failing

The end draws near

And my time has come

Still my soul will

Sing Your praise unending

Ten thousand years

And then forevermore

Forevermore

From 10000 Reasons Matt Redman

Joey, the latest person to be baptized at Church at the Manor on Sunday December 13th!

Overcoming The Giants In Our Lives

A couple weeks ago on a Friday morning I went down to the Manor to meet with Roger, the owner, to discuss the Christmas party that we were having for Church at the Manor.  By the way this year, Roger is paying for the catering that will cover the costs for all the hors d'oeuvres and food for the festive event.  It all started last year with generous friends from BC, Tammy and Ross, who believed this is what the Lord told them to do and put on a lavish event last year https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goQvD86BPdI

So, here we are again and now Roger wants to make it bigger by inviting all the staff of the Manor and friends and well.  A Jewish owner of a strip club paying for a Christmas party for a Christian church celebrating the birth of the Messiah!  Amazing…only God!

As I walked in the office there was a man with his head in his hands overwhelmed by his own personal situation.  Michel hadn’t been able to see his boy, Bentley, for the past 6 months and he was distraught.   He just recently started doing renovations for Roger on some of his rental properties.  Roger tells him Jack is here for you and he can help you with your soul.  So as Michel shares  and I listen, we connect and a good conversation flows.  At the end of our time together, I ask Michel if I can pray for him and  prayer begins for reconciliation with the mother and for God to open the door back to allowing him to see his son.  Michel shows up for church on Sunday and listens to our message on ‘Overcoming Giants’ in our lives and there is an opportunity to take smooth stones and a sheet of verses to remind those attending on how to slay the giants in our lives.  I hand them to Michel and encourage him to trust God. 

The next Sunday Michel shows up to church and he is flying high.  He has been reunited with his son and he can’t contain himself.  It was such a great opportunity to affirm the power of prayer that we have seen and the bond that we both have after sitting together in Roger’s office….God works in mysterious ways.

It appeared to be a giant in Michel life, but it was overcome by the power of God.

So, what are the GIANTS that we face in our lives… well we took an easel out at church and here are the responses we heard

·         Finances, fear, depression, anxiety, fear of death, fear of others, loneliness, stress, self-doubt, jealousy, believing lies, rejection, frustration etc..

Just as David took up five smooth stones to defeat the giant Goliath in his life, we need to take the same approach and be on the offensive with the stones we need to use to slay the giants in our lives.

We affirmed the following as the stones we need to use in our day to day lives.

1.       Worship and Thankfulness

2.       Speaking Truth and Declaring Verses Out Loud

3.       Forgiveness and Love

4.       A Renewed Mind – Staying positive, focused on the good things. Simply put,  if you focus on all the crap around you in your life, you are going to feel like crap!

5.       Stay in Community, not withdrawing.    Learning to reach out for support, positive influences in your life, people that support you and encourage you. 

The smooth stone is a take home reminder, something to place on your bathroom counter and the verses need to be put on your fridge or bathroom mirror.

WORSHIP and THANKFULNESS – to overcome a spirit of worry, anxiety, finances

Psalm 100:4

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

SPEAKING TRUTH AND DECLARING VERSES OUT LOUD – to overcome fear

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit,

 John 8:32

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

2 Timothy 1:7

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

FORGIVENESS AND LOVE – to overcome unforgiveness, bitterness, anger

1 Peter 4:8

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Colossians 3:12-14

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

RENEWED MIND = to overcome depression

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

Romans 12:2

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

STAYING IN COMMUNITY – to overcome loneliness

Hebrews 10:24,25

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

So I had a wonderful opportunity to pray over Carrie’s home last week as she and her children discovered that there had been a little baby’s life had been taken in that apartment by a former tenant.  We wanted to pray over that home and pray against the spirit of death and pray for the Spirit of life to dwell there.  We prayed over every room and anointed them… even the bathroom!  Why?  Well, the enemy can also grip us with lies about who we are in that place.  So, it was powerful and God was moving and we took turns praying.  Before I left, Carrie asked her daughter, Trinity, if she would be ok with me praying for her.  She said yes and we had a great talk first and it was in her room that I sensed a spirit of anxiety.  She readily affirmed that social anxiety was a huge struggle for her.  As we talked it became clear that even days before when Sharon was there that she struggled even with living itself and through Sharon’s hug, she felt the presence of God.  She wanted more and that led us to a time of prayer where she gave her life to Jesus!  It was such a strong affirmation that God has placed on my heart to see new adoptions into God’s family and raise up sons and daughters of the King!

Loosening The Grip

The afternoon started as Larry approached me about his need for reconciliation with Jesus and in a relationship as well.  As he shared, the tears welled up in his eyes.  He needed to receive deep, inner healing and he experienced it.  Earlier in his life he had found Jesus and today, he reaffirmed His faith as we took communion together.  It was a great moment for me to be there with him.  Normally, I would have been behind the sound board tweaking the music for the band but because Juan Carlos stepped up to be our sound guy, I was available at that very moment.  I love how God provides because it was only a few weeks ago that our core team was praying for someone to step into this position.

Ed Witvoet, on behalf of Love In Motion, blessed ‘Church at the Manor’ with  a cheque for over $4K supporting the ministry at the Manor.  Love In Motion is connected with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and unites cyclists and motorcyclists as well in raising funds for ministry projects across Canada.

http://www.loveinmotion.ca/

http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/ra-dickey/

Today we brought in R.A. Dickey to share his story of surrender… by video.  It felt very fitting seeing that he will be pitching on Tuesday night and because it’s a powerful reminder of the power of the cross and the transforming power of a life changed by Jesus.  We took time to celebrate communion and remember that Jesus is our bread of life and our forgiveness. 

Hebrews 7:26 He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. 27 Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins. 28 The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.

Today we clenched our fists as a spiritual exercise to express to the LORD the things that we are hold on to, whether it was something that was done to us, abuse, neglect  or something that we have done, whether that was a sin that we have not forgiven ourselves for or something  or someone that we can’t let go.  In an act of surrender after time had passed for us to ponder where we were at, the challenge was to release it to God in an act of surrender. 

The challenge in an act like this is if we can say, ‘thank you Jesus that you are my permanent High Priest, You are pure, blameless, set apart and that you always live to intercede for me!  You have made a sacrifice once and for all and paid the ultimate price, Your life for me.

There is no limitations with Jesus, no sin He cannot bear, no burden He cannot bear when we come in our own human weakness to the cross, when we come in humility and bring the pain, the need for forgiveness, the need whatever it is, He can take it and He is there to take it.  Can you loosen your grip and open your hands to trust Him with your life?

Listening When It Really Matters!

This is why I use parables.  For they look, but they don’t really see.  They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.   Mathew 13:13

I am convinced that God is always speaking to us, but the question is are we really hearing His voice.  It has been said that the average person interrupts a conversation about 17 seconds into one with another person.  Most of us are really good at letting God know what we think matters, but how good are we at listening to His voice for what really counts?  Now when we talk about hearing God’s voice, we aren’t talking about new age philosophies or inner monologue, mediums or philosophies or self-talk for that matter.  It is real intimate conversation with Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit.  It is the voice of the Shepherd that we want to recognize because ‘my sheep hear my voice’ in John 10.

The exercise of hearing God’s voice is for those who have put their faith in Jesus, believe that the Bible is God’s Word, desire to submit to God and allow Holy Spirit to direct you.

This is not a mind thing, this is a Spirit thing where our spirit connects with the Spirit of God.  God wants to direct us through Holy Spirit.

I also want to note that these following keys are comprised from the teaching of Mark Virkler on this subject.

Key#1  Be Still

1 Corinthians 2:9-10New Living Translation (NLT)

9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared  for those who love him.” 10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.

The challenge here is to turn off all the competing voices in our life so we can actually focus on His voice.  This means turning off the phone, computer and remove myself from all distractions.  Recently I watched the movie,  War Room, and it was the walk-in closet that became the room where the battle was fought, where prayers and verses covered the walls.  It was inspiring for sure!  Go to your sweet spot, that place where you can be in His presence.   If you have distracting thoughts, take a piece of paper to write the “to do list’ down.   It is also a good time to confess your sins and just be humble in His presence.  Think about your day, the attitudes, reactions, wrong words etc… Confront them, accept them as sin and get it right with Him.

Key#2 Fix Your Eyes On Jesus

Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Take time to bring yourself into His powerful presence.  Worship music is a great way to draw near to Him and reading Scripture is also excellent.  I also find that even a simple act like taking my shoes and socks off to remind me I'm in the presence of God is a powerful act of faith.

Become aware the presence of God - this is where great accomplishments start. Acknowledge God-  The name of God is embedded in the name  of Jesus.  Yahweh is in Yeshua  Agree to His assignment- if God is in it, it's going to be easy.  He's the One who does it.  All you have to do is say yes.  It's God in you the hope of glory. Our job is to yield, surrender to the HS.  The biggest battles are inside of me.  Less striving, more receiving.  Heroes aren't born, they are cornered.  I love this statement because it reminds me that there is always going to be a battle between where I am and where God wants to take me and it is the same for all of us!

Key # 3 Tune Into Spontaneous Thoughts

John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.

The mind is analytical and the Spirit is spontaneous, it bubbles up and flows like a river inside of us.  The ways that God speaks to us are many but they include the Bible, pictures, dreams, a word and there are those who have heard the audible voice of God.  If it’s a picture, journal it and take time to look up the meaning or biblical significance of it.

Key #4 Write it Down!

Revelation 1:1 This is a revelation from[a] Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John, 2 who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Take time to write down what you sense God is speaking to you.  Get a blank journal and fill it with your God thoughts and insights.  Let it inspire, motivate and challenge you.

So, what would get in the way of hearing His voice? 

·         Unforgiveness in our heart – bitterness towards another person can keep us disconnected.

·         An idol in our heart –it becomes are sole focus when we are connecting with God, it could be a relationship, our job, whatever is consuming us.

·         Our own agenda – we already know how we are going to handle the situation.

How can I know if it’s God ?

Some tests are:

1.        Is it encouraging and building you up?  God will convict you, but He will not shame you.

2.       Does it contradict the Word of God?  God will not contradict Himself with messages that He gives you.

Questions to ask God

How do you feel about me?

What do you want to say to me today?  Speak LORD for your child is listening!

God is not a crystal ball, He is not a magic genie.  He is not going to tell you when you are going to get married or when you’ll die…

Finally, leave your agenda.  He knows what you need to hear.  He knows your desires, your thoughts.  Give Him freedom to speak into your life.  Remember He is a good God, trust HIM and know that His plans are good. 

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

Breakthrough FAITH!

The gospel of Mark is one of the biographies of Jesus’ life.  Mark gets straight to the ministry of Jesus and here in chapter 2, we see that Jesus is preaching the words of life to a packed house as the place was filled to overflowing. Jesus was gaining a lot of attention as people were being healed everywhere he went.

They knew that Jesus was the only hope, He had a ministry of healing and they needed a miracle

 (The following is comprised with thoughts from Josh Monen)

What happens when you or someone very close to you has a need. A need that only Jesus can meet? A need that can only be met by a miracle? 

Without oversimplifying, I've discovered that there are two basically different mindsets on this as it relates to people who call themselves Christians.

The first teaches that you can, and should, press in for breakthroughs. And even if circumstances seem really dire and bleak, you still contend for it and believe in God’s power to overcome and see the breakthrough.

The second is more of a passive approach. This belief system teaches that God will move in His own time and there is nothing we can do to influence Him to move. And really, the breakthrough is not what’s important anyway, what’s more important is “accepting” that God has ordained these circumstances and that they are all part of a bigger plan...

Now, I have a real problem with the second mindset. I believe it’s this kind of thinking that has hurt a lot in Christian circles.  Why is this?  Well, when we are not allowed to press in for breakthrough we are sentenced to a life where circumstances become our lord instead of the Lord.

OK, let's look at this amazing story in Mark 2

2 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

 Four friends bring their paralyzed friend to the meeting where Jesus was. They could not get in through the front door so they dug a hole in the roof and then let down their friend through the hole.

Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. Mark 2:3-4 

And what did Jesus say when He saw this?

When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”  Mark 2:5

First of all, he admires the boldness of the friends and He rewards their faith.  It is amazing to see that our collective faith makes a huge difference.

So, here is what He didn't do... Jesus didn't rebuke them for their “works”. 

Did He remind them it is God alone who has the power to heal and in “His time” He would do it, “if He was willing”? Did He stop the meeting and point to the men and teach everyone that man can do nothing and these presumptuous  men should learn to “wait on God” instead of taking matters into their own hands?

No. He did none of that.

Instead the Bible says, “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

Why are we afraid of being bold?

 Wow! What these four friends did was considered an act of faith and Jesus honored them and healed the man. Where is this kind of teaching in the church today? Why are we so fearful of being accused of “taking matters into our own hands” and approaching God?

The Bible teaches us to approach His throne with confidence and boldness in Hebrews 4:19 This does not mean we are arrogant or full of pride. We desperately need to understand the difference between arrogance and boldness. 

We need to understand faith and works.

Of course we cannot perform miracles on our own. Nor can human will power take the place of God’s power. But we can exercise our will and our faith so that we can achieve breakthroughs with God.

Does that make sense?

Those men believed something and that belief led them to overcome any obstacles in their way. They did not look at the problem of a full meeting and say, “God must have other plans for our friend.” No, they said, “We will get our friend to Jesus and we’ll do whatever it takes.”

Whatever it takes

Jesus Christ is perfect theology. He is a perfect representation of Father God. If He commended these men for their faith this should encourage us not to back down when we are seeking breakthroughs of our own and for those we love.

Josh Monen

TAKEAWAY

Let’s  BE BOLD and really trust God for the miracles, believe that He still heals, He still speaks and wants to be involved in our lives, in the big things and little things.