Heartland News & Prayer

October 30, 2011 by Wendy Carter.

Hi there!

“Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:18

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.

Do You Take Shorthand? by Gary Carter: Do you know what shorthand is? Some may have taken a course to learn Sir Isaac Pitman’s shorthand introduced in 1837 and revised many times since then. The skill of this “abbreviated symbolic writing method increases speed or brevity” of one’s writing. It was very advantageous for employers dictating letters to their secretaries; however in the 70s it rapidly disappeared with the use of audio recorders or transcription machines. Many may have resisted this change for we know what we like and like what we know unless there is an adaptation to make the task easier. Old or new is not necessarily good or bad. Gary likes his cell phone except for the touch and feel keyboard that is too sensitive. It is just different. Texting shortcuts are really a form of shorthand. We need mechanisms to evaluate what is more useful or not as some new things don’t always work. The challenge is to open up our filters and listen to the Bible so that we can build on a firm foundation for life and know where we should head. It is important for us to focus on Jesus Christ and what He came to do. Bring every thought and every decision under the microscope of his care as new things come your way. Hebrews 13:8 declares that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Conversations with Jesus – Healing a Demon-Possessed Boy (Luke 9: 37-43) by Chris Burton: Jesus, Peter, James and John came down from the mountain and met up with a large crowd. A father begged Jesus to heal his son. Matthew 17:14-20 and Mark 9:14-29 record this same story with added detail. Was Jesus frustrated with the crowds, the disciples, the dad or perhaps it was a combination of everything? He has just come down from the mountain where His heavenly form was revealed. This is kind of like shedding your sleeping bag on a cool morning and then basking in the warmth of a morning sun with a nice cup of coffee. Then your coffee is knocked from your hands and the sun goes behind the clouds. Jesus walks into this crowd of people that are grumbling and begging and accusing - what a downer!
But He doesn’t dwell on His frustration for long and tells the father, “Bring your son here.” The ailment is referred to as a spirit in Matthew, Mark and Luke so perhaps it was more than just seizures. In each case the spirit is rebuked and cast out. Luke comments on the crowds again being amazed. In Matthew and Mark the focus shifts to the disciples asking why they couldn’t do it. The disciples have been given the power to drive out demons and to heal but they still seem to be lacking something. While Jesus is finding quiet places to pray the disciples are kicking back as if waiting for His next move. Jesus is trying to grow their faith but they aren’t always making the connection. They have the knowledge. They’ve seen the examples. They’ve been given the blessings. Now they need to make it a lifestyle. So what’s Jesus’ frustration? If we blend all three it may go a little something like this:
1. Who do the people say I am? (How long until they get it?)
2. Who do the Pharisees say I am? (You perverse generation!)
3. Who do you say I am? (Show me your faith…pay attention…I don’t have much time left…don’t look to me…turn your eyes and heart towards heaven…that’s where you will find me.)

Revelation (4) by Steve Macdonald: When driving a vehicle it is important to understand the many road signs or symbols along the way e.g. the stoplight. If you drive in Ireland, you may need to know that if you see a road sign with an inverted bump, there is a sharp depression in the road ahead and if you value the suspension in your car, SLOW DOWN! In the book of Revelation we continue to read about many symbols.
John heard Jesus’ voice both in chapters 1:10 and 4:1 that sounded like a trumpet. In 4:2 “at once” means there was no hesitation, no backing out, no getting a rain cheque or exercising an option to go later. Check out I Corinthians 15:52 and I Thessalonians 4:16 for a familiar theme. Jesus is always calling whether we hear Him or not. When He comes we are out of options and like John we must go immediately to face Him. Continuing in 4:2 it is safe to say that John is in the Spirit of God. In an out of body experience, likely as we have previously seen, God tends to use people in the Spirit to prophesy. Ultimately, John is taken to the future to the day of the rapture. Paul tried to describe the same thing in 2 Corinthians 12:-1-2. John saw God on His throne (Psalm 103:19) with the appearance of the precious stones jasper and ruby (Sardius/carnelian are precious stones of similar blood-red colour but sardius is generally harder and darker. Jasper comes in numerous colours.) Why describe God as precious stones? Exodus 28:17-20 describes the breastpiece, “Then mount four rows of precious stones on it. The first row shall be carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; the second row shall be turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; the third row shall be jacinth, agate and amethyst; the fourth row shall be topaz, onyx and jasper.” The first and last stones of the tribes of Israel are carnelian and jasper. In Revelation 1:11-1:17-2:8, Jesus tells John that He is the First and the Last. “A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne” (4:3). This rainbow was the covenant between God and man. The first rainbow (Genesis 9:12-13) was a sign of a promise from God to man that God would never again destroy the earth by water.  The rainbow encircles the throne as a constant reminder to God and man of the covenant. The colour emerald or green is most often associated in the Bible with plants, growth or a new beginning.

Obstructed View – Why Can’t They See? by Gary Carter: The Carters grew a very tall sunflower and a couple of shorter ones this summer. The flowers were cut off and seeds left to dry over the last few weeks. If the seeds get mixed together then next year they would not know which ones would grow tall or which ones grow short. The end result cannot be seen beforehand. We need to structure our lives for the maximum benefit in the next life (Matthew 6:20-24) even though we don’t see the results during our life on earth, the seeds we sow will reap a harvest of one form or another. It’s all about deferred gratification.
Matthew 19:16-22 tells the sad story of the rich young man who asked Jesus, “…what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” He did ask the right question but was actually buying or negotiating the price to get the lowest price to pay. He claimed right morals and lived the right lifestyle but he just didn’t get it. He was serving the wrong master; he wanted to manage his own universe and was not willing to pay the real price. There is really no evidence that he ever did get it. The next step had to be obedience. Jesus let him go (Matthew 19:23-30). The obstructions are big. Salvation is impossible on our own terms. The rewards are outstanding on His terms. The obstructions must be forsaken - houses / brothers / sisters / father / mother / wife / children / fields. Many losers will be winners and many winners will be losers. Let us do what we can and live radically for Him. It is the best life.

Punny, I Thought So! by Steve Macdonald:
The Money Cage by Jim Panzee
Don’t Let Me Stop You by Kerry Onn
The Hoosier State by N. D. Anna
Tickling the Ivories by P. N. Noe
Neat Dress Shirts by Preston Ironed
Irish Spies by S. P. O’Nage
The Fall of a Watermelon by S. Platt
Hollywood Gossip by Phyllis Zinn
The Grass is Always Greener by N. V. Uss

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