Bengt Wedemalm

Glory to God!

Yesterday we were blessed to have Bengt Wedemalm with us. Click here to view his blog. Looking at Matthew 17:1-20 and learning about the properties of a mustard seed, this is what the Lord showed us:

• Every believer has faith. Rom. 12:3
• The faith we need to do the miraculous only needs to be as small as a mustard seed. Matthew 17:20
• Just as the mustard seed can grow in any area of the world, so the believer's faith will be effective anywhere.
• Just as the mustard seed is resistant and cannot be harmed by "sick" soil but rather "overcomes" the soil, so the believer's faith can overcome any sickness.
• Just as 1% of mustard seed amongst grain can multiply and consume a harvest, so the believer's faith has the power to consume, conquer and overtake ground.

We praise God for His Word to us and for the life and ministry of Bengt!

This Sunday we will be ministering to the poor and needy at our monthly soup kitchen and we are looking forward to exercising the faith we have received to see lives changed for the glory of God!

Quote of the week:

"Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20

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Experiencing God's Presence

Glory to God!

These are exciting times! The Lord is teaching us to fear Him as we learn to rely on Him, respond to Him and revere Him. Yesterday God showed us what attracts His manifest presence but also how the believer can hinder the tangible, experiential revelation of God. This is what He showed us:

• The number one thing that demonstrates our fear of the Lord and our complete dependency on God and that attracts His manifest presence is sacrifice.
• The follower of Jesus is called to deny himself, thus putting self-dependency to death. Matthew 16:24
• The believer is called to live his life as a living sacrifice in depedence on God, because of God and for God's pleasure. Rom. 12:1
• Dependence on self is idolatry and is rooted in evil. James 3:15
• Many believers try to get God's attention instead of dying to self and depending on God to attract His manifest presence.
• The two altars on Mount Carmel represent the altar of self and the altar of God. 1 Kings 18:16-39
• The altar of self (Baal) is surrounded by those who worship self and depend on self to draw attention to themselves.
• The altar of God is surrounded by those who deny themselves and rely on God to attract His manifest presence.
• Those who rely on self and try to draw attention to themselves and try to control others and God, reveal 5 characteristics that expose self-worship and self-dependency.

1. Self demands to get attention instead of obeying and waiting. 1 Kings 18:26, 36
2. Self displays by performing to get attention instead of simply trusting God pointing to Him. 1 Kings 18:26, 36
3. Self tries to do more for God to impress Him and control Him instead of denying self and resting in His grace. 1 Kings 18:28, 36,37; Isaiah 30:15
4. Self destroys itself to get attention and control instead of denying self in dependence on God. 1 Kings 18:28, 32-35
5. Self displaces God when it cannot get what it wants instead of revealing God by denying self and attracting the Lord's manifest presence. 1 Kings 18:29, 36,37

• The altar of self will not attract God's manifest presence but the altar of death to self attracts the manifest presence of God! 1 Kings 18:29, 38,39
• The believer must make a choice to follow God and not to follow self. 1 Kings 18:21

Sacrifice demonstrates the believer's fear of the Lord
and attracts God's manifest presence!

We praise God for shining His light into darkness and exposing the influence of the enemy on our lives that causes us to rely on ourselves rather than on God.

This Tuesday we are starting a weekly discipleship class that will help our people become true followers of Christ and grow in their relationship with Him. Click here for more information.

This Sunday we are excited to have Bengt Wedemalm with us - a man of faith who attracts the manifest presence of God!

Quote of the week:

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'" Matthew 16:24

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Living from God

Glory to God!

God is speaking to us about Living in the fear of the Lord, showing us what it means to live from Him, because of Him and for Him as we rely on Him, respond to Him and revere Him in order to live godly lives in fellowship with Him, doing what pleases Him.

On Sunday the Lord showed us what it means to live from the past, the present and the future and that whatever we live from will determine how we think, what we feel, how we perceive things, and how we behave.

Living from the past

Those who live from the past instead of living from their new life in Christ carry a memorial with them that leaves them in bondage to guilt and shame (Mark 5:1-15). Forgiveness is the key to breaking the chains of the past to make room for the healing presence of God.

Living from the present

Those who depend on their present circumstances to experience and know God do not live from God but from their circumstances. Faith in God means the believer lives beyond the present circumstances in complete dependency on God (Phil. 4:10-13; 2 Cor. 11:23-29).

Living from the future

Those who live from God, live from the truth of what is to come (Rom. 4:18-25; 1 Peter 1:8,9).
Those who live from God, live free from the past and beyond their present circumstances, living from the future (Rom. 4:17; Heb. 11:1,24-27). The believer's future hope in the natural is a present reality in the spiritual (compare 2 Cor. 15 with Eph. 2:6).

We praise God for His awesome revelation to us!

On Sunday we also rejoiced with the Philippine Church in Mindanao as we received reports of their thanksgiving for the gift we gave them this past Christmas. We praise God that we can glorify His name through offerings that bless the Body of Christ across the world (see 2 Cor. 9:12-15).

On Sunday evening all our friends that attend our monthly soup kitchen for the homeless and needy were invited to a special dinner provided by the NH hotel group. Our precious people were served a delicious meal and blessed by Claudia Lemperle who sang for them and worshipped with them. We praise God for these opportunities to bless those who are so close to God's heart!

We are looking forward to having Bengt Wedemalm minister to us on the 30th of January and we are excited to be connected to such a great man of faith!

Quote of the week:

"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible." Heb. 11:24-27

Living in the fear of the Lord

Glory to God!

Yesterday the Lord continued to speak to us about living in the fear of the Lord and this is what He showed us:

Living in the fear of the Lord means:

Godliness

• We rely on God by living from God to be like Him. Gal. 5:22,23; 1 Cor. 1:30

Fellowship

• We respond to God by living because of God in obedience to Him out of our fellowship with Him. 1 John 1:5-2:6; Psalm 139

Co-labour

• We revere God by living for God and doing what pleases Him. 2 Cor. 5:14,15; Rom. 12:1

Yesterday we also blessed and celebrated the marriages of two KLF couples who got married this past week. The children shared Scriptures with them that the Lord had given them for the two couples and together with the adults we prayed for the newly weds. It was a very special family time and there was much joy in the "house!"

Quote of the week:

“Ransomed men need no longer pause in fear to enter the Holy of Holies. God wills that we should push on into His presence and live our whole lives there. This is to be known to us in conscious experience. It is more than a doctrine to be held; it is a life to be enjoyed every moment of every day.” A.W. Tozer (The pursuit of God)

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God's purpose for KLF in 2011

Glory to God!

The Lord's word for KLF for 2011 is Acts 9:31:

"Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers."

Yesterday God spoke to us about His purpose for mankind and how it relates to the fear of the Lord. This is what He showed us:

To understand God's purpose for mankind we need to look at three significant supernatural "births" in history.

1. The birth of Adam

God’s purpose for Adam:

Godliness

• Adam was created in God’s likeness to be like Him. Gen. 1:26,27

Fellowship

• Intimacy with God. Gen. 3:8,9
• Without shame. Gen. 2:25

Co-labour

• Blessed to multiply. Gen. 1:28
• Blessed to rule and be co-labourers with God. Gen. 1:26; Gen 2:19

The Fall

Because of Adam’s disobedience, man fell away from God’s original purpose for mankind. Man became separated from God and therefore became:

Ungodly

• No longer like God – ungodly. Rom. 5:6

Separated

• No longer intimate - enemies of God. Col. 1:21
• No longer without shame – guilty. Eph. 2:3

Unproductive

• No longer connected to the will of God – unable to produce lasting fruit. John 15:16; Eph. 2:1-3

2. The birth of Jesus Christ

God, therefore planned another supernatural birth – the birth of Christ, the last Adam. Rom. 5:14; 1 Cor. 15:45

Jesus came to model restored humanity

Jesus modelled godliness

• Jesus is the image of God. John 14:9; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3;
  

Jesus modelled fellowship with God

• Jesus lived in complete intimacy with the Father. John 17:21
• Jesus lived a blameless life, without shame. 1 Peter 2:22

Jesus modelled co-labouring with God

• Jesus came to do the work of the Father. John 14:31

3. The birth of the Church

The third supernatural "birth" is the birth of the Church through faith in Christ.

• Through faith in Christ, the believer is born from above. John 1:12,13
• Humanity is restored to God's original image and purpose in Christ. Gen. 1:26; Col. 1:15; Eph. 4:24

Jesus came to restore true humanity

• Christ is the first-born among many brothers. Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:15
• Those who believe in Christ are conformed to His image. Rom. 8:29; 2 Peter 1:3; 1 John 4:17
• Jesus came to model true humanity as God intended it in Adam and Eve. 1 John 2:6
• Jesus came to empower man to live according to God’s original purpose for mankind. Eph. 4:20-24; 5:1

Created in Christ

Created in Christ to be godly

• Created in Christ to be like God. Eph. 4:24; 2 Peter 1:3

Created in Christ for fellowship

• Through Christ we have intimacy with God. Eph. 2:18
• In Christ we live without shame. Rom. 8:1; Col. 1:21,22; 1 Peter 2:6

Created in Christ to co-labour

• In Christ we are blessed to multiply. 2 Cor. 9:11; Matthew 28:18
• In Christ we are blessed to rule and be co-labourers with God. 2 Cor. 6:1; Eph. 2:10

God’s purpose for man

• Created in Christ to live from God (godliness) – dependence on God
• Created in Christ to live because of God (fellowship) – obedience to God
• Created in Christ to live for God (reverence) – living to please God

The Fear of the Lord

When we live from God, because of God and for God,
we live in the fear of the Lord

We praise God for revealing His purpose for us and for teaching us what it really means to fear Him.

In the evening we had another opportunity to minister to the poor and the homeless at our monthly soup kitchen. We worshipped together, shared God's truth with them and ministered to the sick and saw God touch people's bodies and minds as they experienced the healing power of God. We believe we are going to see a greater measure of God's power released in our meetings and yesterday was just a foretaste of what the Father has planned for these precious people. Hallelujah!

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