http://www.apostolic.ca/index.cfm?i=2817&mid=25&blogid=6347 Just Saying AdvancedMinistry The Overcoming Life Look at Luke 23:34-46 This was not one of Jesus’ best days. We can call it Good Friday because of the victory that was won for us. It cost Jesus dearly. But He boldly declares that you were to die for He was betrayed, beaten, mocked, rejected, crucified, His Father turned His back on Him, He Died! Not one of us will ever experience a day like that. We have been called to approach our everyday life with the same attitude as Christ Jesus.  “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”  Luke 9:23 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:…and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”  Philippians 2:5-8  In this life we will have difficulties. No one is exempt from trouble. On Good Friday Jesus showed us how to be an overcomer even in the worst of times. 7 Principles of Overcomer’s Taken From Jesus’ 7 Statements From The Cross. 1. Forgive Everyone Trying To Ruin Your Life.   Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”  Many bad days are the result of another’s behavior. Don’t be victimized. Eph 4:2   2. Focus On Others In Your Time Of Pain.   Luke 23:43 “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Don’t allow what you are going through to make you selfish. Best therapy is to give.   3. Fulfill Your responsibility To Those Near You.  John 19:26-27 “Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother!” He died for your sin and took care of His family on the same day. Don’t neglect responsibilities in you time of struggle.   4. Direct All Your Tough Question To God.   Matthew 27:46 “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Get in the Word. PRAY! Turn to God ... He is ready to act for you. READ Psalm 18:6-7, 16-19    5. Be Humble Enough To Acknowledge Your Need. “I thirst.”   John 19:28 Jesus needed to make a bold decree. It is finished! When your mouth is dry you need refreshing. Get help when you need it. Don’t pursue self-pity or pampering, look for wise counsel.   6. Keep The End In Sight. “It is finished.”   John 19:30 This is the final sacrifice for sin. “…who for the joy set before him endured the cross,…”  Heb. 12:2  You are victorious! Already won! Keep that always before you   7. Let Go And Let God   Luke 23:46 “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit:” I completely release control of my life a yield to the Lordship of Christ! Father I completely trust you!   Go ahead and overcome. He wouldn’t ask you to do something you couldn’t do. You have the same anointing He had. The same Spirit is working with you.   http://www.apostolic.ca/index.cfm?i=2817&mid=25&blogid=6347&comments=22676 22676 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:32:00 +0000 God is looking for faith. God is a faith inspector. God responds to faith.  1John 1:4 “For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.”  AMP “Every God-begotten person conquers the world's ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith.”MSG   “…just shall live by faith.” Hab. 2:4 “…just shall live by faith.” Rom 1:17 “…just shall live by faith.” Gal. 3:11 “…just shall live by faith.” Heb. 10:38 If God repeats Himself 4x’s don’t you think we should pay attention! We were created to live by faith.   Faith is a law. Faith comes by hearing Gods Word. Faith works by believing and confessing. Put your faith to work!   “NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].” Hebrews 11:1 {AMP}   “Now faith is [the] substantiating of things hoped for, [the] conviction of things not seen.” Heb 11:1  Darby Substantiate:--to make real or concrete; give reality or substance.  Faith is the substance of things! Nothing exists without faith.   4 Basic Attributes of Faith I. Seeing Faith “And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.” Josh 6:2 Faith gives you sight in the unseen realm.   II. Saying Faith “…That whosoever shall say unto this mountain,… shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” Mk 11:23 The spoken Word was written so that we could speak it.   III. Staying Faith “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.   Hebrews 6:12 The enemy will challenge your faith. You must stand firm in your confession.   “Yet we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, I have believed, and therefore have I spoken. We too believe, and therefore we speak,…”  2 Cor 4:13 “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  Romans 10:10   Your heart is your believing mechanism. You need to have a liberated spirit of faith operating on the inside of you. You determine the climate of your heart. Your heart is a canvass, the Holy Spirit is the artist, and the Word of God is the oil.   The devil tries to lock up your heart by filling it with fear, doubt, unforgiveness, and unbelief. Your heart can only be preoccupied with one major emotion at a time. Provide God with a heart that is fertile soil for His supernatural expression.   IV. Seizing Faith “But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the LORD wrought a great victory.”  2 Samuel 23:10-12 Time for you to stand your ground. When you take the first step God will engage with you. Release your faith and watch the Lord in action.   Where is your faith? What is the quality of your faith? Does this help you get faith results in your life? http://www.apostolic.ca/index.cfm?i=2817&mid=25&blogid=6347&comments=22395 22395 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:40:00 +0000 Going After His Touch The are two basic types of encounters with God: God Initiates – Sovereign Touch We Initiate – Passionate Demand John 4:46-54  Example of Demand John 5:1-15 Example of Sovereign Touch   TEXT: 2 Kings5:1-14 4 Principles For Initiating His Touch I. Hunger Principle Get to the place of the anointing. “…Would God my lord were with the prophet …”  vs. 3 You have to leave the familiar.   II. Sacrifice Principle Come Prepared to give. “…and took with him ten talents of silver,…” vs. 5 You can not buy the anointing. How about giving something up? Repentance … CHANGE!   III. Humility Principle It demands a surrendered heart. “So he turned and went away in a rage.”  vs.12 Too many come full of themselves and miss the touch of God. “The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.”  Pr. 27:7   IV. Obedience Principle Soak yourself in His Word. Persist in your saturation. “…and dipped himself seven times …his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”  vs.14  You can’t go part of the way.   Some people are just not sick enough of their own self-righteous life. Keep on dipping. It takes at least seven good soakings to open your heart. With every dip God is breaking, recreating and forming a vessel for His Glory Get pickled!!!   The best touches are the ones that you initiate. You don’t have to wait on God. He is ready to embrace you over and over again. “I've never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!”   Jeremiah 31:3  (Message) http://www.apostolic.ca/index.cfm?i=2817&mid=25&blogid=6347&comments=22213 22213 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:37:00 +0000 Prayer is a Godly skill that can be learned. We can get greater results when we chose to become better equipped to pray.  “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].”  James 5:16b  {AMP}  “I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.”  Charles Spurgeon  “The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing form our prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.”   Samuel Chadwick   “What a man is on his knees before God, that he is, and nothing more.” R. M. McCheyne  “The man who mobilizes the Christian church to pray will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization in history.”   Andrew Murray  “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” 1 John 3:21-24  Prayer That Gets Results: 1. Flows Out Of Relationship  “…confidence before God.” vs.21     Clear understanding of your basis for approaching God.   2. Has A Defined Purpose “…we receive from Him…” vs. 22 Let your requests be known to God. The purpose of prayer is to put us on the receiving end of his grace.   3. Knows No Limitations  “…whatever we ask…” vs. 22 There are no boundaries on God’s desire to flood your life with grace.  4. Fulfills The Conditions “…obey His commands and do what pleases Him.” vs. 22 Realizing that prayer is going to result in Divine assignments.  5. Proves That He Abides With Us “…and this is how we know He lives in us.” vs. 24 Answered prayer is the proof of an abiding relationship with the Holy Ghost. http://www.apostolic.ca/index.cfm?i=2817&mid=25&blogid=6347&comments=22151 22151 Sun, 10 Apr 2011 14:38:00 +0000 Lost a very significant team member this week. A genuine father in the faith. What a glorious send off we had. Our time was made wonderful because the subject matter was so dear to our hearts. It was also great to be surrounded by so many family and friends. It helps you remember that you are surrounded by some pretty special and gifted people. It's "Dancing With The Stars" season whatever. These people have to work very hard to as individuals been seen to move as one. Fun to watch all the effort and emotion that goes into doing well.  I'm dancing with stars everyday. It takes effort and passion to do it well. Life is designed to work best in a culture of interdependence. There is not a dream that we possess that can be realized without the involvement of others. How do we work together without allowing the creepy interpersonal mechanisms of control and emotional manipulation cripple our progress? Working as a team is biblical. The best teams allow each person to realize self-actualization. Each member is empowered to operate in their unique gifting and calling while embracing mutual accountability. A delicate dance for sure.  “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me.” Apostle Paul – Romans 16:3-4 They were willing to give everything for the cause. The took personal ownership of a clearly communicated goal. A clear goal and and the ability to effectively communicate that goal are essential. Working with others but don’t know why. Effort without Passion  Working with passion but don’t know what. Passion without Purpose  “Cooperation is working together agreeably. Everybody sits down, and they’re agreeable. Collaboration is working together aggressively; and there’s a world of difference between those two.”  John Maxwell   The Church was birthed as a team working together with the Spirit. The Church became institutionalized. The first reformation gave the word of God back to the people. This current reformation is giving the Ministry of Christ back to the people. These qualities are essential for any team: 1. Teams Play To Win “Run in such a way as to get the prize.” 1 Cor. 9:24 Success – playing to win. Mediocrity – playing not to lose. “Difference between Gold Medal and Silver Medal is not skill it is attitude.”  (Study Of Los Angeles Olympic Games) “87% of all people who fail do so not because of capability but because of personality.”   Kurt Einstein   2. Teams Take Risks “If you wait for perfect conditions you will never get anything done.” Ecc.11:4 (LIV) “…feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap…”  Joshua 3:14-16 It is far better to try and fail than to fail to try. “Praise God! I’ve just been looking for a chance to die for Jesus.”  C.T. Studd His response when warned against returning to Africa. “Are gamblers for gold so many and gamblers for God so few.” 3. Teams Keep Improving “…are being transformed into his likeness with everincreasing glory,…” 2 Cor 3:18 “The ways of right-living people glow with light;  the longer they live, the brighter they shine.”   Proverbs 4:18 God detests the lukewarm attitude of status quo.  The highest reward for improvement is not what you get for it; it’s what you become as a result.   4.Teams Care About Each Other “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  John 13:34-35 God has made it impossible for us to be successful without others. “Few people are successful unless a lot of other people want them to be.” Charles Brower   Are you on the team? Do you understand the what and the why? Do you want to do more than you ever thought possible?  JOIN THE TEAM!!! http://www.apostolic.ca/index.cfm?i=2817&mid=25&blogid=6347&comments=22109 22109 Fri, 8 Apr 2011 13:00:00 +0000 Our national fellowship of churches has just experienced a great loss. One of our fathers in the Lord has gone on to his eternal reward. It has been my personal honour to have known and been significantly impacted by the life of Pastor David E. S. Morris. “What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. What we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.”  Albert Pine "A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could."  - Unknown 1 Corinthians 4:15-16 “For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. So I urge you to imitate me.” Pastor David’s life was a clear manifestation of the office of an Apostle. Being in His presence was to experience the influence of the heavenly realm. The authentic characteristics of the office, the mantel of humility and gentleness, were in constant display. In the passage of scripture above (1 Corinthians 4) we see an outline of six qualities of a father in the Lord 1. A Father Speaks The Truth Vs. 14 “I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you...” A father must warn and correct with the truth. Not to shame or to expose but to build up and bring adjustments so that the child of God will not miss the mark. 2. A Father Shares His Heart Vs. 14 “...you as my beloved children.” A Father is secure enough to express genuine love. To pour himself into another. 3. A Father Shows The Way Vs. 16 “So I urge you to imitate me.” You can’t recreate in someone else what you don’t possess.  4. A Father Sends You Forward Vs. 17 “That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord.” A father equips and launches his children into their destiny. 5. A Father Secures Your Foundations  Vs. 17 “...remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus,...” A father makes sure you are established in the Word and spiritual disciplines. 6. A Father Safeguards Your Future Vs. 21 “Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?” A father will contend with you if your future is a risk. Discipline will be applied. Pastor David will be dearly missed. Yet his legacy will continue because he was a genuine apostle to so many of us. Let us honour his life by following the path he so clearly marked out for us. Thank you Pastor David. May you enjoy your eternal reward.  “Well done, good and faithful servant; ... Enter into the joy of your lord.” Matthew 25:23 MORRIS, Pastor David E. S. (Retired Pastor of Elim) Peacefully went to be with the Lord at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre on Saturday, April 2, 2011 in his 84th year. Beloved husband of Florence for 62 years. Lovng father of Janet and her husband John Kristensen and John Morris. Cherished Gu of David, Joel, and Evan Kristensen and Justin, and Maggie Morris and great Gu to Rhys. Dear brother of Islwyn Morris and his wife Anne. Friends will be received at ELIM CHURCH (414 McKellar St at Park S.) on Wednesday from 6-9 p.m. Funeral Service to be held at CALVARY PENTECOSTAL CHURCH (1421 Lansdowne Street West) on Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 2 p.m. Interment to follow at Highland Park Cemetery. Reception to follow at Elim Church following the interment . In memory of David donations to Elim for Haiti Orphans. Friends are invited to sign the on-line book of condolences at www.nisbettfuneralhome.com http://www.apostolic.ca/index.cfm?i=2817&mid=25&blogid=6347&comments=21956 21956 Mon, 4 Apr 2011 23:34:00 +0000 I crave love. You crave love. Why is it so hard to accept that God's love is unconditional. Religion devoid of the agape love of God is such a cruel manipulator. Religion has been used to control and mislead the masses from the beginning of time.  I still want to be loved. "So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:..." Romans 8:31-35  Let's put an end to the conditioning that has deceived us into thinking ... I must earn His love. You can never achieve what must be received as an unconditional gift.  God loves me. He loves you. Good thing...cause I crave love. http://www.apostolic.ca/index.cfm?i=2817&mid=25&blogid=6347&comments=21868 21868 Fri, 1 Apr 2011 14:36:00 +0000 I Just read this today and I believe it is so true. “What you learn on Sunday will make you a rock star on Monday.” Tim Sanders --Author of (Today We Are Rich, Harnessing The Power Of Total Confidence.)  I’m a GUBA. I grew up born again. I am grateful that I was brought up in a Christian home. Everyday I approach life with a “wonderful complex” that was imparted to me by my parents. They told me that I could do anything. They introduced me to a God who was for me and who loved me unconditionally. What I learned on Sunday filled me with confidence to confront whatever life would throw at me. Do the people in our church rock their world on Monday because of the impartation on Sunday? The greatest compliment I have received as a Pastor was from the HR department of our local hospital. One of our members in her performance review was told by the department, “You received high marks in your review because of the transferable skills you have learned from your church.” I was blown away! That is what it is all about.  How do I approach the Sunday service when I know it is the most important time in the week? Monday morning rock stars are being produced this Sunday. I know that the Holy Spirit will testify of Jesus. I know the corporate anointing will so impact your life that you will approach every new adventure with an overcomers mindset. See you Sunday!  http://www.apostolic.ca/index.cfm?i=2817&mid=25&blogid=6347&comments=21831 21831 Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:43:00 +0000 www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com WOW! A site designed to keep you from being swindled. What do you think about this verse? Is it too good to be true? "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Phil 4:19 Not out of His glory but according to His glory! According to the Glory of God should be the realm of blessing that we walk in. Our standard should be no less and no more than as it is in heaven. What is your standard? Are you experiencing His riches in GLORY? Proverbs 30:5 "Every word of God is true." http://www.apostolic.ca/index.cfm?i=2817&mid=25&blogid=6347&comments=21781 21781 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:26:00 +0000 My daughter texted me to find out where her brother was. I texted back, "He is with me now." Later my phone began to buzz and beep with all these random comments. New friend requests for my facebook. I checked our where all this was coming from and I realized that I had not responded to my daughter but to the blog of another preacher. Fortunately my text fit right in. He was blogging about the presence of Jesus. My response, "He is with me now", was an encouragement to many. I was very glad that I hadn't texted something awkward. Words are powerful. (Proverbs 15:4) "The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit." All of creation was designed to respond to words. Words can heal or they can crush. Have you ever wished you could get your words back? "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers."(Eph. 4:29) Be careful little hands what you tweet. By the way ... "He is with me now!" http://www.apostolic.ca/index.cfm?i=2817&mid=25&blogid=6347&comments=21780 21780 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:25:00 +0000