Greetings!

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Philippians 3:20

About thirty-five years ago Gary and I with three children moved to St. Thomas, ON for Gary to take on the role of Christian Education & Youth Pastor at Faith Baptist. We met a fine, Godly couple, Bob & Audrey Ormiston who helped us establish Eastwood Baptist a few years later. After 66 years of marriage Audrey gained her citizenship in heaven last Sunday afternoon. That’s a lot of years. A favourite Canadian Christian author, Phil Callaway says of his marriage, “We’re learning to celebrate and emulate God’s grace. It’s not so much where we start out but where we end up that counts.” He also quips, “Sometimes I tighten jars. That way she needs me.” We attended Audrey’s joyful and sad funeral Thursday morning when God and Audrey were both honoured. It is also always fun to get re-aquainted with old friends, some we haven’t seen for 30 years. Time does march on; however Christian marriages and friends can last forever even through all the hard stuff.

Home Group happens this Thursday at the Burtons’ house at 7:00 p.m. when we will be reviewing the videos on Islam we have been watching for the past several months.

God bless,

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.

Myanmar Update by Gary Carter: Richard’s Bible School graduation happened this past Tuesday with 10 graduates and Pastor Jake Stewart, the special speaker with William translating. About 200 people attended. Richard is extremely resourceful being able to pull this event off with rented gowns, hats and a tent with about two weeks’ preparation time. From the money Jake brought over to them Richard has been able to purchase one brick form plus other needed materials to get started. The students have cleared land for the bricks to dry. They even had a prayer of dedication to begin this new business adventure. It is amazing that our church plus other outside supporters including $6000 from a local foundation have donated about $30,000 over this year to the various ministries we are connected with in Myanmar. Richard needs about $6000 for a truck that is yet to be purchased - $3000 of which has already been pledged by mid-February. This truck will be available for other deliveries and so his business sense is increasing so much so that he is thinking that eventually he will be able to get another truck. His latest e-mail says, “If we can have two truck every day they can get money for to carry ( bring ) for other people need. Yesterday, the truck owner say to me, for one year he can get the original money in one year.” He is now seeing hope to be able to solve their own problems and we are very pleased and gratified with the total progress thus far. (Capital Cost is Ks. 4,500,000/- = $6,000; Net Profit / Delivery = $10.50; Deliveries / Day = 2; Delivery Days / Year = 250; Deliveries / Year = 500; Net Income Per Year = $5,250) Please remember to pray for Hillary Clinton’s visit to this country this week. This visit is similar to President Nixon visiting China way back when. Also we are very grateful to Jake. This has not been a vacation for him and it will probably take him a few days to get back to normal living. He has learned a lot. We are very proud of him and everyone else in this project.

Revelation (part 8 – Revelations 5:6) by Steve Macdonald: This verse reads, “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center before the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” Steve was good with seven lamp stands and seven Spirits of God from 4:5; but he just didn’t understand about the Lamb with this mutated image that “looks like it was slain” before he really started his study. A slain lamb stays slain; it doesn’t look dead - it is dead. We know that Jesus is the “Lamb of God” and this chapter is referring to Jesus, stressing His sacrificial death on the cross, on our behalf. Jesus died, was dead for three days and rose again.
The Lamb is still bearing the marks of the sacrifice, but He is standing because He rose again. Here is the New Testament theme in one line - victory through sacrifice. But why make the Lamb look so different? John is writing this all down. He is using symbolism for his readers to relate to while making points about doctrine. Jesus does not always appear this way in heaven. The first time John saw Jesus, Jesus appeared to him in the form of “a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest…” So why the change? The Spirit of God (the seven Spirits) and God are inseparable.  John knew Jesus as a man and was the only one of the apostles who watched Jesus die on the cross. He witnessed the Lamb being slain. But now the Lamb appears to be one and inseparable with the seven Spirits of God. This is a lesson on the Trinity;God, the Spirit of God and the Son are not separated from each other; but they are all One.
But why seven horns and seven eyes?  These represent two of the main ways that the Holy Spirit operates, power and revelation. Horns are a Biblical symbol for power or strength (Psalm 75:4-10; Psalm 89:17-24; Psalm 132:17; Psalm 148:14; Jeremiah 48:25; Lamentations 2:3-17; Daniel 7:8-8:22). Horns symbolize various military rulers (Micah 4:13; Zechariah 1:17-21).  Seven horns point to the power/strength of the sevenfold Spirit of God. Eyes are a symbol of spiritual knowledge. The Bible makes reference to this in 2 Chronicles 16:9, Proverbs 15:3, Psalm 33:18; Psalm 11:4. Zechariah makes reference to the seven eyes of God in Zechariah 3:9 and 4:10. The Holy Spirit searches all things and knows everything; the Holy Spirit is our source of true knowledge and revelation (I Corinthians 2:9-10). The number seven is used 55 times in Revelation. It usually means fullness or completeness as in seven days of the week. God rested on the seventh day. Revelation 5:6 (NIV) has 49 words. In these 49 words we are told the Lamb of God was slain as a sacrifice; is still alive; is in heaven; is in front of the throne of God; is not separated from God; is One with the Spirit of God; is the source of true knowledge and revelation and searches all things and knows all things.

Conversations with Jesus - “That Love Thy Neighbour” thing, I Meant that – God: by Chris Burton: The parable of the good Samaritan is found in Luke 10:25-37 – Who is my neighbour? When Jesus was here on earth, He did what He taught. He was willing to help those who came to Him and asked His help. He never ignored or rejected those who were wounded, hurting and broken. All the miracles that happened through Jesus are the results of His compassion. He did every miracle out of His love for the hurting even though sometimes He sounded harsh. The news spread through the testimonies of those He helped. When Jesus sends out the 72 they are in many ways testing the waters, looking for those that are receptive - searching for some “Good Neighbours” (10:5-17).
Jesus tells us through this story that our neighbour is the one who is in need – the broken, the wounded, and the worried around us. The expert in the law was testing Him to see how much He really knew or wanted to trap Him. Robbers didn’t generally mess with priests or Levites. The priest and Levite who didn’t help were probably concerned about becoming unclean from his blood. The Samaritan, one who was treated as if he came from the other side of the track, cared for the man. If we don’t consider those around us, we in fact, are not loving them as God wants us to do. The one who had mercy on the needy is a real neighbour. God doesn’t want people to remain in problems; so He sends somebody to rescue them. His compassion is shown through people. God wants to see those who act on seeing a need. Those who are willing to be good neighbours will find opportunities where they can help others (like helping our friends in Myanmar). They are not forced to help someone, but willingly come forward to do it anyway. BUT if we pass by on the opposite side of the road, if we turn a deaf ear when we hear of a need, if we don’t give what we can, are we not like the towns that did not welcome the 72? Do we not risk answering some tough questions at the throne of our LORD?

Obstructed View – Why Can’t They See? by Gary Carter: As a Grade 7 & 8 teacher, Chris Burton often sees a child misbehaving and knows that there is a reason behind this misbehaviour. Too often his colleagues will just yell which doesn’t really help. You cannot avoid important questions in life e.g. what happens after death? Gary and Wendy ate supper at Costco Friday night. Gary was watching all the various nationalities around him. How many of them have heard the name of Jesus? There is always the alleged problem: How could a good God punish people for eternity when they have sinned for three score and 10 but get punished forever particularly when they have never heard the Gospel. Who can be saved? There are various thoughts that have been formulated to soften the blow such as everlasting might not be everlasting; the elect might get a second chance after death; hell might diminish in punishment strength; the highest levels in hell might not be much worse than life on earth. Before redefining your beliefs make sure you ask the question, “Where did they get that?” and be sure it is based on Scripture and considers the full weight of God’s revelation.
Jesus speaks about hell in Mark 9:42- 48. Hell has fire. Verse 48 reads, “…their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” It is like a stinky dump where garbage is burned. You don’t want to go there; it is not pretty. Maybe we have to do radical surgery in our lives so that we have a guarantee of not going. Another passage is in Matthew 22:1-14. Quite often it is the down and out who come to Jesus first. But you can’t sneak in to heaven. You have to wear the right garments – no designer religion. There is no party in hell. There is darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth. People around us worry about various human problems. For example, deaths in the US in a year are caused by family baby cribs (4); lead paint (5); speeding (14,000); AIDS (18,000); alcohol (75,000); obesity (120,000). However, taking out those who claim to be born again there are 1,725,000 at risk of going to hell. There is no greater problem. Softening the definition of a real hell to solve a human intellectual problem about how it all works is no solution and very risky business. In Canada there are 225,000 deaths per year – about 25,000 are born again and about 200,000 are at risk of hell.
Degarmo and Key were well-known Christian singers in the 80s. One song called Boycott Hell says it all.
We got a job to do, runnin’ out of time to do it
You got a gift to use, get out in the world and use it
Bury your foolish pride, we gotta unionize
Hey don’t you think it’s time to boycott hell, to boycott hell?

We got the strength to win, standin’ arm-in-arm together
Forget our differences, we can change the world forever
Bury your foolish pride, we gotta unionize
Hey don’t you think it’s time to boycott hell, to boycott hell?

Don’t let a neighbour go, form a holy picket line
We gotta let them know
Don’t you think it’s time to boycott hell, to boycott hell?

These Must B Punny! by Steve Macdonald:
The Disco Craze by B. G. Singers
Why People Avoid Me? By B. O. Problems
I’m in Debt by Bill Zardeux
The Pullman Sleeper by Bertha Buv
The Smorgasbord by Buffy Dinner
Uninteresting Road Signs by Bill Bored
How to Go Broke Fast by B. X. Travagant
Handbook of Great Art by B. U. Teeful
Custom House Construction by Bill Jerome Holme