Apr 25, 2014

What does the Bible says about "Faith"?

 Faith may be a little word, but it has tremendous significance to you!

In the Old Testament, we read that "6Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.(Genesis 15)". Now that is powerful, ...that an expression of Faith can make one righteous before a holy God?  As we study Chapter 1 of 2 Thessalonians, we see how thrilled Paul is as he sees evidence of their growing faith.  Why did Paul express such excitement?  I believe Paul knows the Thessalonians are becoming fully committed to God's plan for their lives after believing in Christ. Seeing the change in their lives in response to their faith in God, is fulfilling to Paul.


In the well-known "Faith" chapter in Hebrews we are reminded of what Faith is defined as, and it's significance:  "1Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1).

6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.(Hebrews 11:6)

Perhaps you are going through a time in your life where you need a little reminder of things that are accomplished by Faith?  ...not faith in Faith, but rather Faith in God!  Read Hebrews 11.

I paged through my New Testament and wrote down a few different passages of scripture where there are direct references to Faith.    I soon learned how significant Faith is to God and the value that God puts on Faith.  Here is what I found:

God "categorizes" Faith
·         "little faith"   (Luke 12:28)
·         in a storm..."you of little faith"  (Matt 8:26)
·         little faith = Fear (Fear is the antithesis of faith here)
·         "great faith"  (Luke 7:9)
·         Centurion's Servant Healed = "great faith" (Matt 8:10)
Faith "saves us"
·         "Your Faith has saved you" -Jesus talking to the sinful women  (Luke 7:50)
Jesus "sees Faith"
·         Paralytic man healed - (Luke 5:20) when Jesus saw their faith.
Jesus honors even "small" amounts of Faith
·         Matt 17:20 -with Faith as a small mustard seed, Nothing will be impossible
Faith in Jesus heals you!
·         "Receive your sight, your Faith has healed you" Luke 18:42
·         "your faith has healed you" - to women with the issue of blood  (Luke 8:42)
Jesus questions us about our Faith
·         "Where is your Faith" (Luke 8:24)
Without Faith it is Impossible to Please God
·         6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
God gives the gift of Faith
·         (Romans 12:6)
How does Faith come to us?
·         Faith comes by hearing...and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17)

Apr 14, 2014

MISSIONS REPORT/UPDATE - Aris Metaxakis

Ed's Note:  We have followed Aris as he has been in ministry in Greece.  For those of you studying 1&2 Thessalonians and Paul's 2nd Missionary journey, you will no doubt see some comparisons to Aris, as he travels in much of the same area, with much of the same message as the Apostle Paul did!  Here are some previous reports he has sent us from that area: Aris Metaxakis in Greece (click).



 FINAL  MISSIONS REPORT/UPDATE:   Aris and Mary,  Limenas Thassos, Thassos Is., Greece,   6/4/2014
 Dear Christian brethren and friends,
Greetings to all of you in Jesus’ name.  I trust you are all well and abiding under the shadow of the Almighty(! )  God is good to us even when circumstances would challenge us, try us and even distress us.
Organized evangelistic work progressed well  from middle of  January to  almost mid February  into  a number of new villages, and also started outreaches into  the mainland. In spite of many obstacles, we have witnessed the mighty hand of God to lead us, in amazing ways, to people whom God unmistakably ordained to receive a Christian witness.
 I made 2  evangelistic outreaches to the city square  of Xanthi, about an hour’s drive from the ferry port of Keramoti , just across from Thassos  Island. I went once alone and once with my English friend Bob Jones, a wonderful brother in the Lord.  The outreach was mostly in the square, to mostly Greeks and some Turkish Moslems. (This northern part of Greece, Macedonia and Thrake, all the way over to the Turkish border, has a mixed population going back to the Ottoman Empire) Both times,  It took me a while to open my mouth and preach the word. I could see from the reactions of people  that many listened intently. The high moment for me was when a little girl, called “Angeliki”, about 10-12 yrs old, approached me with her friends, as I was preaching, and stood close by me. Afterwards, her friends left but she remained behind and said, “you believe a lot in Christ.” I replied that He was my Saviour and asked her if she wanted to receive Him. She was keen and  I explained salvation and I prayed with her. I gave her a NT in modern Greek for which she was thankful.  I am grateful for the many interactions with people and tracks distributed during this time. 
On the island of Thassos one gets to know people easily. I have  made it a habit to revisit people in their small shops, as most work for themselves. God has given me opportunities to share the gospel of Christ with them. Also, my landlord Dimitris has been coming to church regularly and it is wonderful to see him being so keen.  
The church here is a warm and friendly group of people and it is growing, with mostly young people;  the amazing thing is they are all guys:  2 are sons of one of the Christian sisters in church,  and the rest are coming  through  friendship evangelism of others .  Pastor Dimitris and his wife Marjo have  persevered the last 14 years,  and now  are bearing fruit. The other great thing is, these young men are zealous for God and they want to reach out.  We are excited about the services in church as we sense God moving here and there is a sense of expectation in the air.
Unfortunately, over the last 7-8 weeks I have battled with chronic sinusitis and other health issues.  I have not been able to go out much for evangelism, other than daily interactions within town. I  have become an expert in snuffling salt water into the  sinus cavities and made some  improvement with more rest, home remedies,  antibiotics and lots of prayer, but the problem is stubbornly persisting.  Unfortunately, back problems have also re-occurred. Although I have been slowed down, I have been given  more and more  opportunities to preach in Sundays and God has been gracious to us to move on us by His Spirit.
Mary and I went to Turkey on March 4, for another 3 months visa stamp for Mary’s passport.  However, Greek custom authorities, as we were exiting Greece at the border,  called Mary and I into their office and informed us that she would not be allowed back into Greece, as her time had expired, within the rules.  The upside to this,  it made it easier for us to rearrange Mary’s ticket with Turkish Airlines in Istanbul for March 12.  We got that settled and were able to enjoy a little bit of the city of Istanbul of 25 million people.
 The Turkish people are friendly and there is strong western influence and an obvious desire to move ahead. Please pray much for the Turks that they will not be enslaved by  an Islamic agenda. We visited Cappadocia and at the hotel  we met  a young lady from Australia, who is the wife of the Turkish owner of the hotel. A very nice couple.  Just before we left I gave  her a folded up tract from my wallet and told her I wrote it.  She thanked me for it and told me her sister is a Family and Children’s minister in Australia(!)  The other interesting thing is her father is Greek.  I know God put this couple in our way. Please pray for Kemal and Debra.
There are many others I could tell you about such as the Turkish student lawyer named “Barkan” who also accepted my witness,  and  again I discovered that  one of his grandfathers is Greek. I piped up and said, “are there a lot of Turks with Greek blood in them ?” He said, “yes, in Istanbul there are.”
In closing, I must tell you that I have had to cut my remaining time here short due to health issues mentioned,  plus some other  medical issues which  I need to address now rather than later. I should be back in Canada April 10. I have made the decision  prayerfully, as so much work, expense and organization has gone into this trip. However, I am confident that God will finish this work and I look forward to things ahead, regretting nothing.  I also sense that the time back in Canada will be a time of healing, preparation and clarifying the next step in God as He leads us.
On a personal note,  I have enjoyed being here with Mary, meeting people and getting to know them. It is amazing how friendships have grown so close in just  a half a year. We  thank the Lord for this bridge building and working together with Thassos Christian Fellowship and its leaders, Pastor Dimitris and Marjo Pelidis.
We need to thank all of you from different parts of the church at large, both within the PAOC and beyond it, who so faithfully prayed for and supported us.
God bless all of you,
Sincerely,

Aris Metaxakis and Mary Oughtred

ANVIL Spring Retreat Coming Soon - May 31 to June 1, 2014


Apr 10, 2014

He Gave Me Beauty For Ashes



1The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,a
2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor. (from Isaiah 61)