All Hail King Jesus!

OVERCOMING STORMS -by Frank Telford (via Gord)

OVERCOMING STORMS BY DISCERNING THE SPIRITS God never told us life would be easy. He was very straight forward and told us we would indeed face tribulation. But He insured us that this is nothing to fear because He has overcome everything that is in this world. Now that is a great thing for us. He has given us the authority and power in His name to do what He did. It is written, "that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. " Let me try to put this in a very clear picture for us. The living Spirit of God is within every believer. The same power that created all things and raised Christ from the dead is with you everywhere you go. Any trial, storm or tribulation we will face is nothing compared to the power we have over it.  Let us take a look at this power in action and see what we can learn from it. 35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”[a] 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” Mark 4 The storm that rises up out of nowhere is symbolic of the trials and tribulations we all face in life. The boats that the people are in are symbolic of our own lives. Jesus rebuked the disciples for having fear and little faith because they did not recognize that God was in the boat with them. They actually thought they were going to die even though the power that was with them could silence the storm with just a word. When they stopped trying to navigate and fight the storm by themselves and went to Jesus, they got their peace. The answer was that simple. The answer to their problem was always with them and the power to stop the storm was as well. Where do these storms in our lives come from? Some people think most things are caused by a random series of events and coincidences. Some work in our favor and some don't. But the word of God establishes a completely different perspective and reality. Paul wrote that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against a spiritual enemy that is hell-bent on stealing, killing and destroying us. They want to steal our inheritance, peace, joy and salvation. They want to kill our bodies and the life we have been blessed with and they want to destroy our souls.  The spiritual world is driving the physical one.  Understanding this is key to maintaining peace in our lives. In 1 John 4 we are told to test every spirit to determine if it is from God our not. How do we do this? The story of Jesus in the boat gives us a great example of how Gods Spirit will feel. Can you imagine being in a very desperate situation and finally being rescued? Jesus is our hero and we would cling to Him and thank Him for saving us. Think about the relief we would feel. How relaxed we would suddenly get. It is peace at its finest. It is an exhale because we are safe and we can finally relax. That is what Gods Spirit feels like. But to the contrary, demonic spirits produce feelings of dread, hopelessness, fear, anxiety and constant worry. Remember the disciples at one point thought they were going to die and they marveled at the fact Jesus was sleeping and didn't care. That was a lying spirit of fear and death coming against them. Consider how you feel when fear is in you. Everything is tense, instead of an exhale you naturally inhale to brace yourself for what is scaring you. Its a very uncomfortable feeling and it is the opposite to peace. These physical feelings are an indicator for a demonic attack. This type of spirit is not of God they are demonic spirits. So what do we do about these attacks? Jesus is always our perfect example. Just like Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves. We need to rebuke the enemy. Jesus said, "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you." Luke 10:19 He has given us the same power, how awesome is that? We just have to recognize who we are. We are His children and He is within us. Through His name we can silence the storms. The answer to our trials is Jesus inside of you. But He didn't put us here so He could do everything for us. Life is a learning experience. He wants us to learn how to trust Him. That is how we find our rest, by trusting Him. If you truly Have faith and believe what He said was true, peace will be with you. But if you doubt the enemy will come and try to steal what is rightfully yours. Jesus came to give us life and freedom from these things. He overcame the world for us so that now in His name we can do the same thing. He said, "I have given you the power over all the enemy." Do you believe Him? When the enemy attacks will you curl up into a ball of hopelessness. Will you run to a bottle of alcohol or pills for relief? Or are you willing to claim what has rightfully been given to you and fight back? If God is for us who can be against us?  Absolutely nothing in this world can stand against us. Its not even a fair fight.  Maybe the gates of hell can prevail against those who do not believe but against God's church they don't stand a chance if we stand and fight. We are not given spiritual armor and a weapon for no reason. When the next storm raises up against you speak these words with confidence: "Satan, demons and all unclean spirits I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. With the power of of the living Spirit of God inside of me I bind you up and command you to leave me and go straight to the abyss until the time of your final judgement has come. I plead the blood of Christ over my house and over every member of my family and through that power be gone." Rebuking the enemy is the fulfillment of these verses: 4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. 2 Cor 10 This is a daily thing. Rebuking the enemy with the word of God is our spiritual weapon. It is a sword in the spirit world and it tears down the strong holds being formed against you. Be prepared and be ready to fight back and never forget who you are and who is with you everywhere you go! No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. (Isaiah 57:14) Click here to Reply, Reply to all, or Forward

Knowing God - Dr. Dwight Pentecost

"...it is more important to be preoccupied with Jesus, than to be preoccupied for Jesus!"  Dr. Dwight Pentecost

Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Bible Exposition, contends that we must spend time getting to know God before ministering for Him.

50 Things the Holy Spirit Does in Your Life -CHARISMA Magazine

50 Things the Holy Spirit Does in Your Life

8:00AM EDT 5/7/2014 FRANK VIOLA

 

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What is the role of the Holy Spirit? (CreationSwap/Gary Buchanan)

Editor's Note: The following article comes from Frank Viola's new book, Jesus Now: Unveiling the Present-Day Ministry of Christ.

1.      The Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8).

2.      The Spirit guides us into all truth (John 16:13).

3.      The Spirit regenerates us (John 3:5-8; Titus 3:5).

4.      The Spirit glorifies and testifies of Christ (John 15:26; 16:14).

5.      The Spirit reveals Christ to us and in us (John 16:14-15).

6.      The Spirit leads us (Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:18; Matt. 4:1; Luke 4:1).

7.      The Spirit sanctifies us (2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:2; Rom. 5:16).

8.      The Spirit empowers us (Luke 4:14; 24:49; Rom. 15:19; Acts 1:8).

9.      The Spirit fills us (Eph. 5:18; Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17).

10.    The Spirit teaches us to pray (Rom. 8:26-27; Jude 1:20).

11.    The Spirit bears witness in us that we are children of God (Rom. 8:16).

12.    The Spirit produces in us the fruit or evidence of His work and presence (Gal. 5:22-23).

13.    The Spirit distributes spiritual gifts and manifestations (the outshining) of His presence to and through the body (1 Cor. 12:4, 8-10; Heb. 2:4).

14.    The Spirit anoints us for ministry (Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38).

15.    The Spirit washes and renews us (Titus 3:5).

16.    The Spirit brings unity and oneness to the body (Eph. 4:3; 2:14-18). Here the Spirit plays the same role that He plays in the Godhead. The Spirit is the life that unites Father and Son. The Spirit plays the same role in the church. When the Spirit is operating in a group of people, He unites them in love. Therefore, a sure evidence of the Holy Spirit working in a group is love and unity, not signs and wonders (those are seasonal and can be counterfeited).

17.    The Spirit is our guarantee and deposit of the future resurrection (2 Cor. 1:22; 2 Cor. 5:5).

18.    The Spirit seals us unto the day of redemption (Eph. 1:13; 4:30).

19.    The Spirit sets us free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2).

20.    The Spirit quickens our mortal bodies (Rom. 8:11).

21.    The Spirit reveals the deep things of God to us (1 Cor. 2:10).

22.    The Spirit reveals what has been given to us from God (1 Cor. 2:12).

23.    The Spirit dwells in us (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16; 2 Tim. 1:14; John 14:17).

24.    The Spirit speaks to, in and through us (1 Cor. 12:3; 1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 2:11; Heb 3:7; Matt. 10:20; Acts 2:4; 8:29; 10:19; 11:12, 28; 13:2; 16:6,7; 21:4, 11).

25.    The Spirit is the agent by which we are baptized into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).

26.    The Spirit brings liberty (2 Cor. 3:17).

27.    The Spirit transforms us into the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18).

28.    The Spirit cries in our hearts, “Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:6).

29.    The Spirit enables us to wait (Gal. 5:5).

30.    The Spirit supplies us with Christ (Phil. 1:19, KJV).

31.    The Spirit grants everlasting life (Gal. 6:8).

32.    The Spirit gives us access to God the Father (Eph. 2:18).

33.    The Spirit makes us (corporately) God’s habitation (Eph. 2:22).

34.    The Spirit reveals the mystery of God to us (Eph. 3:5).

35.    The Spirit strengthens our spirits (Eph. 3:16).

36.    The Spirit enables us to obey the truth (1 Pet. 1:22).

37.    The Spirit enables us to know that Jesus abides in us (1 John 3:24; 4:13).

38.    The Spirit confesses that Jesus came in the flesh (1 John 4:2).

39.    The Spirit says, “Come, Lord Jesus,” along with the bride (Rev. 22:17).

40.    The Spirit dispenses God’s love into our hearts (Rom. 5:5).

41.    The Spirit bears witness to the truth in our conscience (Rom. 9:1).

42.    The Spirit teaches us (1 Cor. 2:13; John 14:26).

43.    The Spirit gives us joy (1 Thess. 1:6).

44.    The Spirit enables some to preach the gospel (1 Pet. 1:12).

45.    The Spirit moves us (2 Pet. 1:21).

46.    The Spirit knows the things of God (1 Cor. 2:11).

47.    The Spirit casts out demons (Matt. 12:28).

48.    The Spirit brings things to our remembrance (John 14:26).

49.    The Spirit comforts us (Acts 9:31).

50.    The Spirit makes some overseers in the church and sends some out to the work of church planting (through the body) (Acts 20:28; 13:2).

The Holy Spirit unites us to Jesus Christ and to His body. The Spirit reveals Christ to us, gives us His life and makes Christ alive in us. The Spirit takes the experiences of Jesus—His incarnation, ministry, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension—and brings them into our own experience.

Order Jesus Now by Frank Viola from Parable.com between May 5 and May 8 and receive the book at a 50 percent discount (the best price anywhere) plus the study guide as a free gift. 

Frank Viola is a speaker, entrepreneur, author and writer of the blog Beyond Evangelical. 

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)

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

The Offence of the Cross! -Billy Graham

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)

Rapture! ...An UNPRECEDENTED event is about to occur.

>1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11

• An UNPRECEDENTED event is about to occur!  The bible says the church will be "raptured" or "...snatched away with great force".  

   Yesterday, I was researching the events of "911".  Terrorists flew two Boeing 767's full of passengers from United Airlines and American Airlines straight into the World Trade Center.  I was at home and in shock as I watched the second plane hit the tower live on TV. Over 2,600 people lost their lives in the tragedy!  I was reminded of the fact of how our world was instantly changed...nothing has been quite the same since.   Personally, a few weeks later, my job came to an end as the company folded under new pressures directly because of this murderous act.  This terrorist event was UNPRECEDENTED in human history!

   The prophet spoke of an event to come.....Messiah, Jesus our Saviour would come!  When it DID happen just as the prophet had said, His first arrival was terrific news for humanity. Although he made quite a humble entry, that God would personally intervene in the affairs of humanity.... that the "Word would become Flesh" wasUNPRECEDENTED in human history...something of this nature had never happened before!   He brought us life and hope in the Salvation he offered. When he went away, he said he'd be back....unschedulled.....like a thief in the night. "...I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:3).  

   Perhaps I would be remiss if I did not mention that when he went away, he gave us the Promised Holy Spirit, the Comforter!  This is an UNPRECEDENTED gift to those who believe and a very deposit of Himself!

   Because of the signs he gave us, we are expecting this UNPRECEDENTED event of the Rapture to occur at any time, and the signs are likely it will occur VERY SOON.

The Rapture of the Church.  

• This is Christ coming FOR his Church. (1 Thessalonians 4)

   In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul counsels us on what is ahead...

"16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."

The Second Coming.  

• This is Christ coming WITH his Church.  (Rev 19 /Zech 14 /Mat 24 /Mark 13 )

   It is important that we have a biblical understanding of the sequence of end time events. Sometimes people confuse the Rapture with the Second Coming.  This mistake is easily recognized with a bit of bible study.   The word "Rapture" is not "seen" at first glance in scripture, at least not in English.  However, when we know that the New Testament was written in Greek, we can source the New Testament Greek word "harpazo", from where we get the translated English words "caught-up" or "rapture", and the meaning is to be "...snatched away with great force".

   One of the ways we can better visualize these events is through the use of charts that artists and scholars have created from what scripture has revealed.  Here are a few for you to study. (click on the chart to enlarge it).

   I hope you enjoyed this chart study.  The bottom line....be waiting, watching and ready for His promised return!  By His UNPRECEDENTED Salvation we have an UNPRECEDENTED way of escape from the horror and wrath the bible tells us is to come!

   "...3how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?" (Hebrews 3)