new look w Holiday colors!!

All right, it took me some time and some headache, but I have changed my blog around a bit. Let me know if you like, or if you no like. I kinda like it; the template is much easier to work with.

Jesus was wealthy (?)

A few weeks ago in Biblical Economics class we were taught on the subject of "Jesus was wealthy". Lets examine this, if we shall.

• An Old Testament sign of the blessing of God was a person's wealth and possessions. And since Jesus walked in the days of the Old Covenant (the New hadn't been instigated yet) it is logical to assume that these blessings would've rested upon Him.
• Jesus' parents had money. They had money for the tax. (Luke 2:4-5) What tax, I don't know. The Bible says nothing of a tax, but maybe history proves otherwise, I don't know.
• They had money for the hotel. Luke 2:7. I'll buy this one. They indeed must've been able to afford a room at the Inn, there was just no room for them.
• They had money to buy a house in Jerusalem. (Matthew 2:10-11) If it was their house, or Elizabeth's house, or someone else's house is up for debate as well; it just says "the" house.
• They had money to travel to another country and live there. (Matthew 2:13-14). I'm not sure. Maybe, I guess. I know I haven't had money for my last trip to Africa, or for Bible School, yet God provided.
• They had money to buy another house in Nazareth. (Luke 2:39-40). Wow, now this is getting to be that Mary and Joesph were not only 'not poor', but they were 'loaded!!!' Once again this is extreme conjecture, in my opinion.
• They had money to start a business. (Mark 6:3) Hmmmm.................sure, if thats what you think.
• They could afford a large family. (Matthew 13:55-56). There certainly was brothers and sisters.
• Jesus was well educated. (Luke 4:17-18). Argument here is that if Jesus could read then His family must've had money to send Him to school cause not a lot of people could read in those days. This is plausible, but can be explained in many other ways. Ok though, not bad.
• He was well dressed. (John 19:23-24). Um, He did have some nice clothes, or, at least, one nice shirt. I recently acquied a nice dress jacket, not even throwing a dollar away to achieve it. Thanks Sam. I wonder if Jesus knew anyone like Sam............likely.
• His ministry needed a treasurer. (John 12:4-6) Indeed it did. There must've been some funds going through the ministry for sure.
• They travelled extensively (food, etc). Yeah, you can argue they needed loads of cash to get around. It's not in the Bible though.
• They financed their own crusades and meetings. Do I need to keep commentating on these?
• He provided for His family because no brother of Joesph came to marry Mary. If in fact Joesph died. I've a couple of ideas regarding Joesph, but nowhere in the Bible or history does it reveal what happened to him.
• He had the funds to buy bread for the multitude. (John 6:5). I'll buy this one. It indeed appears that they could have afforded the bread.
• He supported His disciples and followers. Wow, what scripture did this one come from?

Now, I don't really mean to be critical :), or do I? Nah, not really. Seriously. It makes me wonder where the scriptures like Luke 14:33, Luke 12:33-34, Matthew 13:44, Matthew 13:45-46, Hebrews 13:5, James 4:1-3, James 5:2-3, 1Timothy 6:6-11, Proverbs 23:4, etc etc etc, fit into the picture. Is there a better way? I see much emphasis on wealth in the 1st World Church. The phrase "It's ok to have things as long as those things don't have you" is quoted often. There is a fine line between having things and those things having you! I'll tell you something though. To do all that I believe God wants me to do takes money, and a whole lot of it. Thats the thing though, I need money to bless others, not to accumulate things for myself here on earth, where they will be useless to me in Heaven. Know what I mean? All I give up here on earth for the sake of others will be far and above abundantely supplied to me in the next life, so why bother storing things up here. When you get a taste of heavenly things, your interest in these second rate earthly things is not so great anymore. It's a Kingdom fact. Anyways, I'm sure many, many people will disagree with me, and I'm sure I haven't communicated my thoughts on the subject as accurately as I would have like to, but that's what it is, and that's what I wrote.

......to the point of shedding blood.......

I was just sittin around at home last night and I came across a sermon by Rolland Baker at www.fathersglory.com and it is one of the most amazing things I've ever heard. My whole focus here has shifted and I see what has inspired me so much the last few years. Words cant describe it, cause it is the heart of what Christianity is, not what the church has made it. I wept over and over during and after it; repenting to God about how I had forgotten what I hold most dear in this life. About the thing which gives my life purpose and drive. (As always, dont take me too much out of context. I love my family and friends, etc). Last night I was literally touched by the fire of God, and it's not the awesome, 'cool' thing that a lot of christians think it is. It hurts, it breaks you, it forces you to do what Jesus would do. It burns away your flesh until you die, but it's good; there is a way no other. Watch this if you dare; it's quite a dangerous word.

http://fathersglory.com/media/Baker/051115-Roland_Baker-Dunamis_Now-River_of_Life-Phoenix-AZ.wvx

Abounding in Love

To know God is to know eternal

and perfect love.

His love is spiritual, not emotional.

It is based not on feelings or

circumstances, but on who He is.

God is love and therefore He

loves. He loves because it is His

nature to love.

WIBI or HoGi?

Things are well. We are so blessed here in the west that we don't even realize a fraction of it. It's crazy. So much we take for granted.

I've really been challenged lately, since I met a fellow HoGi here in the Niagara region. I asked myself a question: Am I a HoGi (Holy Given) or a WIBI (World Impact Bible Institute) ?

To me (and that is the key thing), a WIBI and a HoGi are immensely different. I don't want to really share how I think they are different because I don't want people to misinterpret what I mean. I'm not saying one is right/better, the other wrong/worse. But there are stark differences, to say the least.

When you get in a certain environment, you start to take on certain characteristics and mindsets consistent with that specific environment. You become what you learn. If you learn how to do the same thing in different ways, then you go with the one which suits you, who you are, inside, in your Spirit.

With that, I can defintely say that I am indeed a HoGi, through and through, and not a WIBI. I believe a laid down life (where your possessions and 'stuff' are really a hindrance and offer nothing that is really important, in the grande scheme of things) is more applicable to how I think and feel, and what God is molding me into. I like bizarre Spiritual manifestations, prophecy (no matter how wild or innacurate it may be before we learn to hear God better), a life lived in the dirt with the poor, persecution, taking up my cross daily, dying daily to self, worshipping on God's schedule not ours, giving up our lives because God gave up His life for us. "Lower and slower". "All fruitfulness flows from intimacy". "Love the one in front of you". Etc etc.

I've learned more on the foreign mission field in one week than I've learned in western christianity in 5 years!

The self denying mindset, which may have been stifled a bit of late, has roared back to life. It's hungry.

.........................Is it time to graduate yet?

*On a sidenote: it is 17 degrees in St Catharines today; craziness!! And on sunday I went to Westview Christian Fellowship instead of NCC. It was pretty sweet. I plan on going back, fo sho.

Jesus -- A Man for all men

The following has been said about Christ:

He came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a woman. He put on humanity that we might put on divinity. He became the Son of Man that we might become sons of God.

He was born contrary to the laws of nature, lived in poverty, was reared in obscurity, and only once crossed the boundry of the land--in childhood. He had no wealth or influence, and had neither training nor education in the world's schools. His relatives were inconspicuous and uninfluential.

In infancy He startled a king; in boyhood He puzzled the learned doctors; in manhood He ruled the course of nature. He walked upon the billows and hushed the sea to sleep. He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His services. He never wrote a book, yet all the libraries of the country could not hold all the books about Him. He never wrote a song, yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all songwriters together. He never founded a college yet all the schools together cannot boast of as many students as He has. He never practiced medicine abd yet He healed more broken hearts than the doctors have healed broken bodies.

He is the Star of astronomy, the Rock of geology, the Lion and the Lamb of zoology, the Harmonizer of all discords and the Healer of all diseases.

Great men have come and gone; yet He lives on. Herod could not kill Him; Satan could not seduce Him; death could not destroy Him; the grave could not hold Him.

He is the Christ--the preeminent one; the All in all.

Isaiah 55:8-9

God does things in our lives when we least expect it: when we aren't praying for it, and even when we don't even think we need it. Such is the striveless, easy, fluent life of living in the flow of Holy Spirit. Rolland Baker said last year that the Christian life was an incredibly easy one to live because of how God usually works. Now don't take this whole rave out of context, God does indeed move when we pray, and when we need Him too (sometimes!!) etc. But think of the really influential things that have happened to you, and you usually find out that they happened when you least expect them, when you weren't praying for them, and when you didn't even think you needed them. Such is the life I live, such is the life I am growing in.

Sometimes you don't really know how much you need something untill that need is met. Then you look back and say, "Wow, thanks God." I often struggle with a lack of like-minded people whom I can really connect with. People who are molded out of the same Spiritual background as I. People with the mindset of 'laying it all down for the sake of the Gospel'. There is a freedom theirin that western Christianity is missing, that they are passing by.

OK then! 1. I am now working at Wal-Mart. On my first shift there, 2. I run into Amy Good in one of the isles, who was at Holy Given last summer in Pemba, Mozambique. This was a divine meeting if ever there was. And 3. I was offered a car yesterday if the insurance, gas, etc are affordable to my budget. Now, I did pray for the job, but the others God threw in as freebies. How about that? I don't know what to think sometimes. I do think however, that we're on the verge of something BIG! Holy Spirit is getting sick of waiting for us to come in line with Him. He's already ready, and His soveriengty is irritated and impatient. Who Knows what this will look like?

God takes His stand in His own congregation
(Psalm 82:1a)

on and on and on

WIBI has been going good. The ministry aspect has picked up and that is good. My hamstring is gettin better but not near 100%. The WIBI Bowl may be hard on me!!

So today Kyle, Jenny and I went on the Door-To-Door evangelism deal. Some pics are here to show you our hard work. It was pretty sweet. 'Nancy" was in some need of some leaf raking and we arrived on the scene none too soon. Good times.

Last night, Josh and I went to TACF and took part in Patricia King's Glory School. It was awesome. WE are heading there again tonight for another go at the Glory. It should be a wild time. If you don't know of Patricia King, then you surely don't know crazy!!





Things are going good still, the teaching has been pretty solid and its a good bunch of students. I move the end of the month out of the residence into a duplex with a couple other students. It's a bit more expensive, but its a way nicer place. The rent is going towards supporting a missionary in Indonesia too, so thats some good spendin.



But anyways, I should cruise cause I got to head to Toronto. Oh yeah!!

ouch!!

So yeah, ouch!! I believe I just pulled my hamstring practicing for the WIBI Bowl. And it sort of hurts! Anyways, its all good, I think. The WIBI Bowl is next saturday and its a football game between the WIBI students and the WIBI staff. The students have never won, so we're hopin to change that this year.

In other news, the ministry aspect is goin good. I was back at the Detention Center on monday and met with one of the inmates for about an hour and a half. It was pretty awesome. What a great chance to speak 'life' into guys that normally only have 'death' spoken into them. So that was good.

Yesterday, I took 4 other students out to the community to rake leaves and serve. We went to about 10 houses before someone finally answered the door. They thought we wanted money, but we had to explain to them that we were there only to serve, not to be paid. He was rather delighted, and surprised. So we went to work and raked his leaves for the next hour or so. Good times.

And Casey and I have been working on the NCC Float for the upcoming Christmas Parade. It needs a bit'o'work, so we've been taking a few evenings to work on it. They say the Church always puts in a good showing, so we'll see how she goes.

Other than that, class has been good. We are 1/4 of the way through this year, and it's goin quickly. Soon it will be time to head back to Africa; Hallelujah!!

lots goin on

Yes, there has been lots goin on! I have not recieved a job yet, so all you who voted 'yes' are WRONG!! Sorry. Anyways, I'm still looking. But, my laptop has arrived, but I needed to send it to Gateway for further repairs :(. Whatever though.

I have gotten out of the Overseas Missions Ministry and switched over to Prison Ministry. On monday I went for my first visit to the Niagara Detention Center for a tour of the facility. Quite a spot. Once a week from now on I hope to visit the Center for one-on-one visits with some of the inmates. What a great time and place to minister the love of Christ to broken, hardened (for the most part) people. Exciting stuff.

Last friday NCC hosted LIVE, which was an outreach directed towards kids aged 10-18. It rocked. There was like 3 live bands, a volleyball net set up in the sanctuary, with big screen video games, ping pong, air hockey, gladiator battles, huge twister, basketball, food, smoke machines, and free ipod giveaways. We had about 70 or so youth show up, and a dozen or so got saved, and all had a good time, I believe.

Halloween, NCC hosted Hallelujah Harvest, which was a huge outreach directed towards children aged anywhere between 1 and 13. We turned the cafeteria into a games room where our Bible based action games were a big hit. To end off the night, we gathered the 50-60+ children into the multi-purpose room and Melody Wallace and I presented to them a Gospel puppet show, completely ad-lib. T'was an event, to be sure, complete with the Salvation Prayer at the close. Kids are great at recieving the things of God, it's pretty sweet.

So there are some other things goin on too, but usually just the run of the mill, everyday, stuff associated with the ministry here. Pastor Peter Youngren is in Surabaya, Indonesia right now conducting giant Gospel festivals and seeing amazing things happen. God is good, and faithful.

This month is shaping up to be something really good. There is another ministry opportunity rearing it's head as well, but I wont divulge any details of that one right now. It could be a big one. OK everyone, bye bye. Have a good one.