Heartland News & Prayer

March 27, 2011 by Wendy Carter.

Hi There!

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:35-37)

So we are facing another election at the beginning of May. It sounds as if it could get quite heated up by watching the passion and determination of the candidates already. The choice is in the hands of Canadian citizens. People in other lands are definitely continuing to stand up for their choice for democracy and against indecent human acts. What will be the end result? Thank goodness God is in charge as government rule is getting way too complicated. Our choice of government in Canada fortunately is not life or death as with many countries but our choice to follow Jesus is. I appreciate studying that whole chapter of Romans 8. How about you? At one point Gary and I even memorized it together.

William was pleased to make another trip to Ottawa this weekend to meet with his Chin Burmese friends. Today he is preaching for about 9 hours at two or three congregations. He will return home tomorrow as one tired camper. We have located another Chin group for him to visit that meet for church at Benton St. Baptist Church in Kitchener, ON Sunday afternoons. Please remember to pray for the remainder of his visit with us in Canada and check out his blog, www.william.heartlandfellowship.ca. You will get a better feel of his heart and overwhelming thankfulness for his current Canadian journey. This past Thursday he was late for our Home Group meeting because he was depending on the light of day to remind him when it started. When you live near the equator light does not change from one day to the next as is our experience. There are so many subtle differences between countries that one cannot realize unless firsthand knowledge is gained by living actually there. William has been helping Can & Mylene Nghiem with their house painting. Maybe he can set up a painting business in his unpainted city of Yangon.

Gary hit the send button Friday afternoon which means his files for Life on the Zipline – From Fear to Awe have been posted with our publisher. Since then the files have been approved. We should receive a draft copy in a few days. This book is a compilation of writing by three of his colleagues and himself who have established Compass Coaching International (www.compasscoachinginternational.com) for life coaching. Their tele-course begins once again on April 18. The book will enhance the course and is a good informative read for believer/unbeliever who wants to move forward in their life journey and have a relationship with God.

We are happy for Debbie Macdonald this week as the cast on her upper arm was removed. Pray for Frances Kerr who was in a recent car accident. She was not harmed but it is still very upsetting. Her sister-in-law has also just been diagnosed with bowel cancer and has had surgery.

Home Group happens this Thursday at the Burtons’ home at 7:00 p.m. as we continue to view Don Carson’s video series and pray.

Lap up that sun!

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.

The Impact of an Eye Witness by Gary Carter: Kaiya Burton, Gary’s granddaughter taught him something new this week about the assassination of the US President John F. Kennedy in 1963. The Burton family vacationed in Dallas, Texas during spring break and visited the Grassy Knoll where Kennedy was shot. Kaiya took a video of Mike and his account and bought his magazine about the shooting which took place when he was only 13 years old. She shared this with Gary (listen to their radio broadcast this next week – www.thelittlebigshow.com). There seems to be more to the story than the official history that Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone gunman. Was there a conspiracy by several others? The evidence (which seems to have been doctored) would point in that direction. Kaiya is convinced and Gary tends to believe what she learned. In the New Testament, Jesus’ disciple John was an eye witness. John 1:1 records his words about Jesus, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life.” Many walk by the Bible being sold in Chapters week by week but unless someone actually takes it off the shelf and puts it into someone else’s hands with further explanation, the Bible will not get read.The power of the passionate eye-witness is what it takes. If you know Him you are the only eye-witness someone may know. Share the story!

Barnabas - by Steve Macdonald: Another one of Paul’s associates is Barnabas, a Levite and native of Cypress who is mentioned about 33 times in the New Testament (Acts; I Corinthians 9:6; Galatians, Colossians). In Acts 4:36-37 we learn that his name means “Son of Encouragement”. He sold a parcel of land and gave it to the apostles. Was this land located in Cypress or Israel? Was he one of the 120 believers mentioned in Acts 1:15 and might have witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion? Was he one of the 3000 in Acts 2:41 who listened to Peter’s address, was cut to the heart and accepted the Holy Spirit? Acts 11:24 records, “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith …” He was a great business card for himself.

Even though Barnabas had probably seen Saul’s previous persecution of Christians because of his perceptiveness he was willing to take him to see the disciples in Jerusalem after his conversion (Acts 9:27). Through Barnabas’ persuasion Paul (renamed) was accepted among these believers. Barnabas is listed as the seventh of the Seventy according to Eastern Tradition. Was he a member of the same group that included Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias, the men who were with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry? Was he an even earlier believer following John the Baptist. If so, did he meet Apollos? Did he help lower Paul outside the city walls when others plotted to kill him? He was willing to set aside his Jewish prejudices to work with Gentiles. He was loyal to Paul and Mark.

On Paul’s first missionary journey he and Barnabas travelled about 1400 miles (from Houston, Texas to Washington, DC): Acts 13:1 Antioch; Acts 13:4 Seleucia; Acts 13:5 Salamis; Acts 13:6 Paphoso; Acts 13:13 Perga; Acts 13:14 Pisidian Antioch;  Acts 13:51 Iconium; Acts 14:8 Lystra; Acts 14:20 Derbe; Acts 14:24-25 Pisidia and Pamphylia; Acts 14:26 Attalia. Was there a “Mrs. Barnabas” to accompany them? His associates were John Mark, the original disciples, Agabus, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyren, Manaen, Proconsul: Sergius Paulus, Bar-Jesus and Elymas. Some stories connected with Barnabas were: he was one of the Seventy; wrote the Epistle of Hebrews according to Tertullian; authored the Epistle of Barnabas; a brother to Aristobulus; founder of the Cypriot Church; schoolmate of Paul; and studied under Rabbi Gamaliel.

Conversations with Jesus (Part 6) – The Paralyzed Man (Luke 5:17-25) by Chris Burton: At the end of the conversation with this paralyzed man, the Pharisees and the crowd, the crowd exclaimed, “We have seen remarkable things today.” This event was remarkable because friends lowered their paralyzed friend through the roof so that he could come face to face with Jesus. If that wasn’t enough Jesus forgave the man of his sins and then to further make a point, He healed the man so that he could walk again.
In Biblical times, the home could have been an estate style home with a central courtyard and a number of rooms opening off of it. The size of the rooms was limited because they could only be as wide as the beams that supported the roof. In an urban setting, beams, usually wooden, reached from one wall to the other and were covered with a mixture of woven branches and clay smoothed with a stone roller. A wooden ladder or a set of stairs led to the roof, which was used as an outdoor room partly shaded by matting or a tent-like superstructure.
Four men made a tremendous effort to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus (v.18-19). The men demonstrated their faith by their behaviour. This faith in Jesus compels/moves Jesus to forgive the man’s sin (v. 20). Jesus challenges the Pharisees (v. 21). He establishes His authority and where this authority comes from - then He heals him (v. 22-24). This is the first time in Luke where the Pharisees begin to take exception to what Jesus is teaching. They put Him on their watch list. Do you have four friends that would rip a roof off for you?

Ready … Reset by Gary Carter: Through the years of time people have always been looking for a better world. King Jehoshaphat, King Asa’s son (II Chronicles 17-20) was another interesting character in the Old Testament. He also had good and bad things happen in his life. “The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years he walked in the ways his father David had followed (II Chronicles 17:3). He sent his officials in the third year of his reign throughout the towns to teach the people about the book of the law of the Lord. You always have to get a book or a video in the hands of people. You never know what might happen. More next week!

Not Newspaper Headlines but Close! by Steve Macdonald:
Ronzoni Pasta for Sale – 3 for $.99 – you must buy 4.
Neptune Front Load Washer for $799 – built-in high definition tuner, digital cable ready with cable card slot, built-in 20 Watt stereo speaker system.
Gentle Eye Remove - $4.89
Boneless Bananas – 58 ¢ lb.
Piggly Wiggly – Best Wishes for a Happy Passover.
Back to School Safeway coupon – Kellog’s Raisin Brain
Budweiser, Millers or Coors Cereal

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