Heartland News & Prayer

February 20, 2011 by Wendy Carter.

Happy Heritage Weekend Everyone!

“I… delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.” Colossians 2:5

Does some new order in your life encourage you? It does me. It’s great when I can add to my systems of life to help me improve or work more efficiently day by day. Paul seemed to think that was a good thing too. In our service last Sunday Sara mentioned about her research about the pomegranate. In ancient Israel scouts brought this fruit to Moses to show the promised land was fertile. The robe of the Hebrew High Priest was embroidered with pomegranates. According to tradition, the pomegranate symbolizes fruitfulness and it is also said that a pomegranate often contains about 613 seeds which correspond to the 613 commandments of the Torah. In any case, throughout the Bible and nature surrounding us we can understand that our God is a God of order and systems. Maybe we need to examine our lives more frequently to see where orderliness can benefit us in moving forward in our Christian walk. A little bit of change each day will encourage our hearts.

William is travelling by bus this next Friday (Feb. 25) to Ottawa. He will be preaching at services for two Burmese congregations. Pray for safety in travel and his ability to speak well in his home language of Chin to these people. May they be motivated to reach out to their Canadian communities. We have sold 18 hats and scarves for the church planting ministry of his father’s church in Yangoon, Myanmar. About a week ago the country named Thein Sein as its new president. Half of the 30 ministers in his newly formed cabinet served under the previous military regime. Pray that true democracy will take over this country in the years ahead.

Home Group happens this Thursday at the Burtons’ home at 7:00 p.m. We are continuing to view 14 sessions of a video series by Canadian, Don Carson on Christianity. We are appreciating his Biblical insights.

Birthday greetings to Mylene Nghiem this coming Wednesday. Thanks for taking such good care of William in your home during his Canadian visit, Mylene and Can.

Continue to pray for the search for a national president for our denomination, The Fellowship of Evangelical Churches in Canada. If you haven’t done so, check out Gary’s article on prayer in the Fellowship’s online magazine – www.thrive-magazine.ca.

Enjoy the holiday if you get one!

Wendy
wendy.carter@kainos.org
This blog is a summary of our 9:00 Sunday morning services held at 7777 Churchville Rd., Brampton, ON L6Y 0H3, 905-230-8116. It can always be found at www.blog.heartlandfellowship.ca.

An Angel Party by Gary Carter: Balloons, streamers and whistles etc signify party celebrations. Gary and Wendy’s 6-year old granddaughter, Sydney, called yesterday to announce her big news that there had been an angel party Friday evening, Feb. 18. At bedtime she had said she wanted to become a Christian. Her father prayed with her so she could invite Jesus into her life. What does this mean to her at this young age? Is it just a phase? Gary did the same thing with his dad at age 4. What a wonderful heritage to pass along. Jesus’ parables about the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son (Luke 15:3-10) all show how special and remarkable it is when someone has been found who was lost or comes to repent. In verse 10 Jesus says, “I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” This event is not all that common and a lot of work is involved e.g. there had been tremendous grief over the lost son who decided to go his own way. It is important to celebrate and mark these events in peoples’ lives.

William’s Eighth Song Again – Embrace Me Warmly in your Wings (www.william.heartlandfellowship.ca): William sang his song from last week again. He didn’t create a new one this week as he got stalled in reading about his favourite character in the Old Testament. Solomon was the wisest and richest man but as he got older his 700 wives and 300 concubines wanted him to worship their idols. God appeared to him to repent but he would not listen which made God angry. He didn’t punish Solomon as he remembered his father, David. Attendance at church and Home Group is not in vain. God loves and blesses parents’ faithfulness long term. When Naaman, the commander of the King of Aram’s army, contracted leprosy (I Kings 5) he was told by a Jewish slave girl to go see the prophet, Elisha. Elisha told him to wash himself seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman’s servants encouraged him to do this simple act and he was cleansed. Believers like to do things in their own way. When God comes to you in a simple way give it a try. That is why so many people miss Him.

My/Mine (Romans 16) - by Steve Macdonald: Ten of the people Paul greeted in Romans 16 were described as “my co-worker”, “my dear friend” or “my fellow…” Of these ten friends, six are thought to be among the 70 or 72 Apostles. This being the case, these six people would have to been near Jerusalem just after the transfiguration (Luke 10:1). So somewhere between Mt. Tabor, (likely place of the transfiguration - Luke 9:28-32) and Jerusalem, these new Apostles were sent out on their mission. The places known or associated with these friends are Pannonia, Corinth, Jerusalem, Odessos, Byzantium(Constantinople), Patras, Cyrene, Achaia, Rome, Ephesus, and Philippi.
Paul met Epenetus in Ephesus on his second journey and was the first convert in Asia. Was he also Paul’s first convert ? Priscilla & Aquila also met Paul in Corinth during his second journey although they believed before Paul. Did he first meet Rufus at a synagogue? Remember Simon from Cyrene? It was Jewish custom that you had to have at least ten members in a congregation before setting up a new synagogue. Is it possible that there weren’t many Jews from Cyrene in Jerusalem early in the first century? Were they forced to join with others to form a synagogue? Were Rufus and mom present when the trial of Stephen took place? (Acts 6:8-10) Were they standing there outside the city when the people laid their clothes at the feet of a Paul from Tarsus? If Andronicus & Junia were fellow cell mates with Paul, then they likely met in Philippi (Acts 16:23). Paul is arrested a few more times, however these all occur after the letter is written to the Roman church. Paul is arrested in 58 A.D. by Roman troops who save him from being killed in a temple riot. He is taken to Caesarea but this is after he wrote to the Roman church (Acts 23:23). Did Stachys, Ampliatus, Herodion and Persis ever meet Paul? Wikipedia could be modified to say almost anything, however there is not much to support these people ever meeting Paul. The strongest evidence comes in Paul’s own words, “my dear friends, my beloved friends, my co-workers”. Relationships run long-standing and become deep.

Blessings – Getting the Definition Correct by Gary Carter: Do you remember the old hymn, Count Your Blessings by Johnson Oatman Jr. written in1897. Did he get it right?

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

We enjoy a nice, sunny day, good family, our spirits to be buoyed up, something to make us feel happy. And we say we are blessed. However, in the early days of the church they were more truly blessed but not in terms we think of in our world. They took their lives in their hands to spread the Gospel. Our world has become too safety conscious; although we have had a little greater understanding of difficulties with William living before us telling of his life. If we don’t grasp the real truth about blessings we become cranky in ministry as the years go by. No one likes old and cranky people. Rufus’ mother was a blessing to Paul but we don’t even know her name. She is a blessing to us as well in this testimony and legacy she left.

Check this list of the 16 blessings Jesus promised and rethink the word blessing so that you use it correctly:
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Luke 6:20 Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Luke 6:21 … Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Luke 6:21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Matthew 5:10-11 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Luke 6:22 Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
Matthew 11:6 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.
Luke 7:23 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.
Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
Matthew 16:17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
Luke 10:23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
Luke 11:28 He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
John 13:17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Luke 14:13-14 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
John 20:29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.“
Acts 20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
We need to count differently, to count correctly, and to count later. God will be the last counter as He said, “…the last will be first and the first will be last” (Matthew 20:16). The jury is out until later. Matthew 5:13-16 reminds us that we are the salt of the earth and shining lights. Don’t lean on the horn to be noticed now. We will be noticed by our light. As time goes by things become memorable. What will be the blessings for the rest of your lives? The blessing is in living for the eternal not for the worldly things of time.

Communion: In I Corinthians 11 we learn about the chaos in the Corinthian church. Some were left hungry, others were drunk. They really didn’t know what the celebration of the Lord’s Supper was all about. Paul had to give instruction thus correcting the chaos. This is an opportunity to examine oneself, confess all known sin and repent. We must live our lives in remembrance of what Christ has done for us but also understand that the best is yet to come.

Proofreading Pays (particularly in newspaper headlines) by Steve Macdonald:
Diana was still alive hours before she died
Fish need water, Feds say
Midget sues grocer, cites belittling remarks
Homeless Man under House Arrest
One-armed man applauds the kindness of strangers
Opinions on the 44st President of the USA
Statistics show that teen pregnancy drops off significantly after age 25
World Bank says poor people need more money

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