September 2017

How are you doing? Send us a message. We would love to hear from you.

Update: Everything is very good with us. Developing a helps ministry has been this year’s most important goal for the work in Burgos. The Lord is helping us make real progress. We have also been working a lot on effective ways to reach out in Europe. The culture and belief system are very different from ours in the USA. We believe that God is giving us some good ideas about how to make a greater impact here. Perhaps I will devote an entire newsletter to European culture and outreach in the near future.

There is a move of the Spirit that will be lost to this generation if someone doesn’t teach and demonstrate it. The Lord revealed that to Kenneth E. Hagin. This is a serious matter. I don’t want to miss out on the smallest part of what God has for me. What does it mean? There is a way that the Holy Spirit wants to operate that is not obvious to the natural mind and senses. We have to be taught and shown these things to be able to participate in them.
It is interesting to consider this move of God in light of what 1 Corinthians 2:10 says about the “deep things of God.” In the natural world, deep things, those things that lie way under the surface of the ocean, will never be experienced by natural man without an expert who knows how to get down into the deep and bring us pictures and videos. These things also must be “taught and demonstrated” if we are going to experience them.
So it is with the deep things of God. Running around from work to soccer practice, Facebook to Twitter, and movies to bowling will not get us into everything that God has for us. While these things are fine and relaxation is good in the proper doses, we must seek to understand how to order our lives and prepare ourselves so that we can walk in a deeper relationship with God.
How do we get into this deeper place? How do we experience this move of God? Here are some tips to get us on the right path:

1. Build Our Lives on God’s Word – In Luke 6:48, Jesus said that those who practice His Word are like a man who “digs deep” and lays the foundation of his house on a solid rock. When floods or trials rise, that house, that life, will not fall. As Christians we must make sure not to read the Bible only because “it is the right thing to do.” We should be looking for specific instructions to put into practice in our everyday life. Popular culture and social media blare at us in order to influence our beliefs and actions. We are Christians. We only let the principles of God’s Word affect our beliefs and actions. This deepens our relationship with God and positions us to move with His Spirit.
2. Slooooow Down – In Luke 5:4-9, Jesus tells Simon (Peter) to “launch out into the deep” to catch some fish. Peter had been fishing in his natural strength all night to no avail. By obeying the Lord, he caught a huge amount of fish. In most lakes, the deeper part is further out. Ever consider the fact that it would take more time and effort to travel out into deep water? So it is with God. Some things happen fast with Him, but there are some things what will never happen if we don’t slow down and wait on the Lord.
3. Wait on Him in prayer – Isaiah 40:31 says that they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Waiting always takes time. Sometimes we only have a few minutes to pray, or we pray in the car on the way to work. These are good practices, but we should also set aside some long times to fellowship with the Lord so that we can really get to know him. This shows love and develops intimacy with God just like taking a long walk with our spouse. My Pastor, Michael Lokietek, has told us that not much happens in the first hour of prayer. We really get into the “deeper” aspects of God’s personality and works with time. And while we are at it we can pray according to Daniel 2:22. Ask God to reveal to us and our Pastors (and missionaries – wink) about His deeper self and the way He wants to move.
4. Prepare our heart before church – In Matthew 5:8, Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” A pure heart is a clean or clear heart. Preparing our heart can involve repenting from sin, but it may just be slowing down and making sure we aren’t thinking about work and family and bills all throughout the service. We quiet our mind and focus on God. If we do this, we will better hear and move with Him during our church services. Jesus told Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin that He has a specific plan for every service. He gives that plan to our Pastors, but, if we are sensitive, we can pick it up as well. When our heart is clear for church, we can better perceive what the Lord wants to do and cooperate with Him and those who are ministering.
5. Try to cut out some activities In Luke 14:16-24, Jesus tells a parable of a man that invited people to a fiest. They were too busy to come. One had just bought a field, another oxen, and the last person had gotten married. The parable ends with the man who held the feast saying that those guests will not taste of his meal. It makes perfect sense that they won’t eat his food if they don’t have time to go to his feast. There is nothing wrong with activities and involvements in themselves. However, we must remember God has prepared a spiritual feast for us every time the church building is open and every time we can get away to spend extra time with Him in the Word and prayer. If we are missing a lot of those opportunities because of a full schedule, then we are simply too busy. Ask the Lord what you can cut out in order to have time to get to know Him in a deeper way.

If we do these things, we position ourselves to move with God in all that He wants to do in this hour. I believe that we are going to see every last bit of it!

Fun Photos

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