December 25, 2011 by Wendy Carter.

Merry Christmas Greetings!

“… the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7

Gary and I attended two granddaughters’ special school concerts this past week. Kaiya Burton is in Grade 5 and probably the only white child in her class. The songs celebrated a mixture of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Her sister Carleigh’s nursery class, which rents facilities from a local church, consists of brown, black and a few white children. Her program was very organized by the staff and the children performed extremely well. However we were quite upset because the name of Jesus was not mentioned once. The children have spent several weeks learning about Frosty or Santa through song and were very excited when Santa actually popped in for a visit bringing gifts. What an opportunity this church is missing out on to meet these new Canadian families and tell them about Jesus’ story, the real meaning of Christmas. These children don’t know Away in a Manger. Are we as Christians once again withdrawing in fear of offending others? Not good!

Please remember to pray for the Burton family as they begin packing up their household for their move January 20 to a new house. A lot of decisions need to be made ahead of time for this move e.g. preparing a room and washroom with new shower for Ron, Chris’ brother who suffers from cerebral palsy.

Home Group happens this Wednesday at the Burtons’ house at 7:00 p.m. when we will be reviewing our study on Islam and praying for our world, our country and each other.

We are planning a New Year’s Eve party at the Burtons’ house at 8:00 p.m. Bring your friends and your table games along. Gary is celebrating his birthday this day as well. God’s best to you in 2012, Gary! May your See You Next Week! system affect many lives for His glory.

Enjoy being with your families during this special season of the year!

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.

Agape BrickWorks by Gary Carter: Would you believe that Richard and his crew in Myanmar have made 21,500 bricks since the beginning of December? They have certainly been industrious. Please check out this link - Click Here – and pass it along to anyone you know that might be interested in hearing this story. (A couple of people have experienced an echo sound but not all.) We are raising money for a much needed truck so that all these bricks can be delivered to buyers in the new year.

Are you familiar with the biography of H. J. Heinz who established his ketchup/pickling business in 1890 in the U.S.? Were his pickles any better than anyone else’s? Not necessarily so but in order to brand himself Mr. Heinz always washed his trucks which were colourfully painted with a pickle on the side. When Gary and Steve visited Myanmar they did not notice much advertising in the whole country except for Royal Crown Whiskey. When Richard buys the mid-size truck he has found Gary will recommend that he engage his teenage boys in keeping the truck clean along with painting a sign, Agape Brickworks, on the side so that they can all make a name for themselves.

Gift Giving by Steve Macdonald: The RBC survey found that Canadian gift-givers are planning to spend an average of $640 on gifts, an increase from the $624 reported last year. A recent survey also found that Canadians expected to spend $612 on holiday frivolities, including entertainment, decorations and travel which is up from the $512 spent last year. Quebecers were the most frugal gift buyers, reporting a gift budget of about $461, while Canadians in Atlantic Canada had the highest gift budget $877. The BMO reports in Ontario and the Atlantic region, spending will be about $1,420 while Quebec is below the average, at $1,320. The increase, up $92 to $1,397 per person, will largely go on entertaining.

So what is all that money being spent on? Here are the top 10 items this year. Xbox 360 with Kinect, 3D LCD/LED, televisions, Apple iPad 2, Espresso Coffee Machine, Sports/Concert Tickets, Golf Clubs, clothes, Foot Massager, Pet, Amazon Kindle.

So what is the perfect gift to give this Christmas? It is not in the top 10 list. It does not involve driving everywhere to find it. It does not involve being shoulder to shoulder in crowded stores. It does not require standing in a long line up. After getting it, you are richer than you were before you got it. James 1:17-18 records, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.” In Genesis, God created the heavens, the earth and all living things; He thought that this was good. According to James, the only good and perfect gift comes from God in heaven. He knows what we need and He provides it to us. In James 1:5 we are told that, “… He gives generously to all without finding fault…” What is the perfect gift to give this or any time of year? Give someone the chance to know Jesus. He will always fit. He will never break. He is always there. He will supply all your needs. You do not need to line up to get Him or see Him. Just explain to everyone you know about the truth and what happened when you received the Perfect Gift. An excellent Christmas song written in the last couple of years is called Where’s the Line to See Jesus? sung by Becky Kelley – http://bit.ly/urLLGq. Since he had been taught as a toddler that Christmas is the holiday that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, 4-year old Spencer asked this question when he saw kids lining up to see Santa in the mall.

Merry Christmas by Gary Carter: Are you familiar with Mark Lowry’s Christmas song, Mary Did You Know? The Carters heard it on the radio station CHFI yesterday as the were travelling in the car. Mary actually did know the role that her Son would play in the world and it is creatively described in the song.

1. Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you’ve delivered, will soon deliver you.
2. Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.
Chorus: The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb.
3. Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you’re holding is the great I am.

The last letter in the word Icthus is sigma standing for Savior. It is also a symbol we use for sum. This term is mentioned 34 times in the Old Testament and 24 times in the New. The name Savior is surrounded by various modifiers in most instances.
1. Psalm 24:5 records the collective term, “their.” “They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior.”
2. “Your Savior”, another collective term is found in Isaiah 17:10, “You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress.”
3. Isaiah 43:11 declares that there is no other Savior, “I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.” Christ’s role in our society today has been greatly diminished.
4. Micah 7:7 talks about “my Savior”, “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” This depicts a personal relationship. It is not abstract.
5. The name Jesus is added to Savior as read in Acts 13:23 “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.”
6. 2 Peter 3:18 exhorts us, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” We are to submit as humble sinners to who and what Jesus is. We are surrounded by too many who don’t believe they need a savior. They look for solutions by e.g. following a politician, rock star, TV celebrity; but it is not working.
7. Jude 1:25 reflects that Jesus is the complete savior when he says, “..to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
Life will beat us all up in this messy, sinful world at some point or other. We will be rejected. Who is the person who ever got the long end of the stick? We must never lose sight of the real truth and teach others to do the same. We all need a Saviour in the ordinary setbacks of life but moreso for eternity.
It’s Christmas! by Steve Macdonald:

Where does Santa put his suit after Christmas? In the Claus-et.
Why did Santa start sneezing after going down the chimney? He caught a nasty flue.
What is Frosty’s favourite snack? Brrrrrrrr-itos.
Why did the Christmas gift feel it was being teased? It took a lot of ribbon.
What did Santa say when he built a ski resort? I’m making a lift, checking it twice.
How does an Eskimo put Christmas decorations on his tree? Igloos them on.
Why did Frosty go to live in the middle of the ocean? Because snow man is an island.

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December 18, 2011 by Wendy Carter.

Merry Christmas Greetings!

“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.’” Luke 2:13-14

Gary and I went out Christmas carolling this past Friday evening with some of our neighbours to new neighbours that have moved in this past year and shut-in seniors throughout our village of Churchville. I presume there are not too many places left in Canada that have carried on that tradition. We were very well received by the listeners – a lady with a European accent shed tears of joy as she thought it was so beautiful. One carol we sang was Hark the Herald Angels Sing and we were wondering if our friends were really giving much thought to the words they were singing. We can’t get peace until we do give glory to God as individuals.

Please remember to pray for William’s ministry in Yangon and for Richard’s ministry about 400 miles further north in Myanmar. Bricks are in the process of being made. Please pray that they will be able to find a buyer for them all. This is a huge learning curve in setting up this business and being guided by a budget rather than just begging which has been their usual pattern.

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.

We are planning a New Year’s Eve party at the Burtons’ house. Bring your friends and your table games along.

My Christmas cactus is getting ready to fully bloom for next Sunday. How will you celebrate Jesus’ birth that day? Our Sunday service will take place at 9:00 as always.

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.

What Were You Thinking? by Gary Carter: Here is a quote from Thomas Aquinas, a Catholic priest (1225-1274), “Man cannot live without joy; therefore when he is deprived of true spiritual joys it is necessary that he become addicted to carnal pleasures.” Our sensory perception comes through seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. We also have a reticular activating system or secretary of the brain that causes us to pay attention or not to the millions of stimuli constantly flying at us. Young married couples often have difficulty in their first year as a man has tunnel vision and has not learned to expand his horizon. He doesn’t often see what his wife sees should be done. The almond-shaped amydala in our brain is the centre for our emotions and is well-formed by the teenage years teenagers; whereas the prefontal cerbral cortex, our thought system stemming from our life experiences and influences, isn’t fully developed even up to age 30. The prefrontal cortex keeps our amygdala in check Teenagers like to have fun but their parents should still take the responsibility to structure their lives as they often can’t see the consequences of their actions. If parents have not developed in this area themselves all they do is jump in and start yelling which becomes counterproductive.

An event occurs which is followed by one’s reaction (for example, boredom, elation or anger) to it and this helps create an eventual outcome. If someone spends too much money on a shiny new object obessively and thus avoiding responsibility then that person will have to live with the consequences or implications. We must train our children to predict the outcome of an event and thus react properly in the first place. We all know about teens drinking and driving causing death. Gmail has an “unsend” function which allows the sender five seconds to reconsider after submitting his email message. 2 Corinthians 10:5 is a very good verse to memorize, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” This summarizes the Christian response to managing the inner workings of the brain.

Revelation (Pt #10 – 6:1-8) by Steve Macdonald: In this passage the Lamb or Jesus opens four seals on a scroll. So who or what are the four horses that appear? Is the white horse and rider the Holy Spirit, spiritual warfare, Jesus or the Antichrist? Is the red horse and rider sin or war? Is the black horse famine or pestilence? Is the pale horse and rider death or devastation? Is John explaining the entire Bible in a different manner? Is the white rider God’s goodness and then sin came into the world followed by war, pestilence and then death? That could work except John is being shown the things that are to come; the history lesson was over in chapter 3.

White is the the symbol of purity and peace. Is this rider coming in with the message of
peace? That could be the Holy Spirit. It could be Jesus. It further reads, “…as a conqueror bent on conquest.” Picturing Jesus riding out after being crowned to conquer the world doesn’t fit. He has already defeated sin, death, Satan. If we look ahead to Revelation 19:11-16, we see Jesus riding a white horse, but described very differently. Jesus is wearing “many crowns”, not just a single crown as worn by the first horseman. And instead of having a bow, Jesus has a sword with which He strikes the nations. Another problem I have with this being Jesus is the creature calls to the rider “Come” and the rider does. Maybe this is when the rider gets the crown. But we recently saw that the elders and creatures all fell down and worshipped the Lamb (Rev. 5 :8). Would the creature go from ardent worship to commanding the Lamb to “Come”? I am thinking telling the boss’ son what to do is a career limiting move. Is the rider Jesus? I don’t think so.

If we take Jesus off the rider’s list, I am comfortable also taking off the Holy Spirit from the list. God, Jesus, Holy Spirit are one and inseparable. What about spiritual warfare? Is God planning to send His Spirit out into the world? Genesis 1:2 tells us His Spirit was hovering over the waters. His Spirit is already in the world, so there is no need to send it out now. We have all been filled with His Spirit to wage the spiritual battle every day. So we can strike this one from the rider’s list as well. By process of elimination, it has come to the point that the rider is the Antichrist. Can this be backed up? Check out Matthew 24:4-8. If we look at Matthew 24 and what Jesus is telling us, the Antichrist will come claiming to be Jesus. To do this, he will need to somehow appear as Jesus - dressed in white with the victor’s crown. The crown is a symbol of military conquest. The Greek word used is stephanos, which was the victor’s wreath, not the diadema which meant a royal crown. So if we understand what Jesus is telling us in Matthew, we get a series of cause and effects - if the Antichrist comes then wars and rumours of wars will follow; if wars then famine and pestilence will follow; if famine and disease, death and hell will follow, if you follow the Antichrist who is in the world to conquer and deceive.

So who or what are the riders and what do they represent? Once again, you can spend an awful lot of time trying to figure out the hidden meanings, focusing on what could be or may be a logical explanation to the symbolism to make it all crystal clear. Or you could focus on Jesus and not worry about the who or what - is it a royal crown or a victor’s crown? When you focus on Jesus, you know you are following the only One who is worthy. When you focus on Jesus, you know you are focusing on the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Petra by Chris Burton: In the early 1970s, songwriter and guitarist Bob Hartman met bassist John DeGroff and formed the band Dove. DeGroff left to attend a Bible school in Fort Wayne, Indiana and Hartman soon followed. In 1972 he and DeGroff joined two classmates, guitarist Greg Hough and drummer Bill Glover to form Petra. The band played small midwest venues such as churches, coffeehouses and parks to share the message of Christianity with concert goers. This mix of evangelism with rock placed Petra among the early pioneers of Jesus Music, part of the larger counterculture Jesus Movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Church authorities struggled with and frequently opposed the use of churches for rock concerts. Few Christian radio stations, with the exception of some college-based signals, would play the band’s songs.
For the second record, a number of guest vocalists were brought in. Among them was Greg X. Volz. In 1977 with Greg X. Volz as a guest vocalist Petra covered the song, “God Gave Rock and Roll to You.” It was extremely controversial at the time as conservative Christian churches were speaking out against rock music. In 1979 Greg X. Volz was brought in as the full-time lead singer and the “Classic Petra” line up was formed. Their first album together as the new line up was Washes Whiter Than. The album produced their first radio hit “Why Should the Father Bother?” Joining the MTV world, Petra also recorded its first music video for Beat the System’s title track, then went on tour again, playing what was considered “the biggest Christian rock tour of its time.” Petra ultimately played to more than 500,000 people in the year-long world tour which ranked second in all of Christian music only to Amy Grant’s. The “Beat the System” tour would be the last for Greg X. Volz. As constant touring took its toll on the band, Hartman and Volz began to disagree about Petra’s future, both on stage and off. The tour, while it drew more fans than ever, was expensive, and it left Petra hurting financially. Increased competition from other Christian rock bands, for whom Petra had paved the way, led to lower-than-expected showings as the tour went on. Their accomplishments, however, resulted in 20 studio albums, 13 Grammy awards and 10 Dove awards. They were the first Christian band whose memorabilia was included in the Hard Rock Cafe restaurant chain and they were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Their Christmas song, Mary’s Song, has very interesting words.
1. Hold that blanket closer Mary dear
All the world waits with you for your day
But for now the wind is cold and it’s drear
And Bethlehem’s still so far away
Do you remember the way you felt back then?
Joy and wonder filled your soul and when
The angel slipped away
You knew your life would never be the same
Chorus: And now you’re travelling, travelling on a road to Bethlehem
Wandering thoughts fly away
If you knew the road that lay ahead of Him
Would you break down and cry?
Your child is born to die.
2. Feel that hand of strength upon your own
A husband’s love that guides along the way
And as his understanding has grown,
His hopes too are centered on that day
For do you remember the way he looked back then,
Pain and sorrow filled his eyes until when
The angel came to say
The Savior’s birth was meant to be this way.
3. Think back on that promise you received
For Him in whom the prophets long believed
Now belongs to you, you’ve been chosen too
But He’s the One Who’s gonna shine
We call His name Jesus, Immanuel
He’ll save His people from sin and hell
And of His kingdom there will be no end.

Merry Christmas by Gary Carter: The next letters in our “Ichthus” study is “thu” which means Son of God. It occurs 38 times in the New Testament. Being a son of someone used to mean something regarding one’s family heritage as in “chip off the old block.” The Son of God is the image of the invisible God, and thus God the Son.
There are 12 New Testament passages which call Jesus the Son of God in a Derision (e.g. Matthew 4:3 - “The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’”). In five passages there is Devotion towards Jesus (e.g. Matthew 14:33 - Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’”) Six passages record a Declaration of Him as the Son of God (e.g. Acts 9:20 - “At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.”). Nine passages portray a Doctrine (e.g. Romans 1:4 - “… and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”). Six passages focus on the thought that an individual Decision has to be made regarding the Son of God (e.g. John 20:31 - “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”). The message of Christmas is that you can make it through this world (I John 5:5) if you believe in the Son of God (I John 5:10). Whoever has the Son has life (I John 5:12).

Communion: The observance of this command by Jesus reminds us once again that He predicted He would be betrayed and His body broken for us. John was the only disciple who stayed at the foot of the cross to see Him on the cross as He suffered with the horrific loss of His blood as he carried the sin of humanity in his broken body.

Questions for the Noel it All by Steve Macdonald:

What do elves learn in school? The elf-abet!
Why did Santa spell Christmas N-O-E? Because the angel had said, “No L!“
Did you hear that one of Santa’s reindeers now works for Proctor and Gamble? Its true - Comet cleans sinks!
Why did the elf push his bed into the fireplace? He wanted to sleep like a log.
What do you get if you deep fry Santa Claus? Crisp Cringle.
Why was Santa’s little helper depressed? Because he had low elf esteem
Why does Santa Claus go down the chimney on Christmas Eve? Because it “soots” him!

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December 11, 2011 by Wendy Carter.

Merry Christmas Greetings!

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, ‘God with us.’” Matthew 1:22-23

Don’t you just love the warm sun pouring through the windows in your home? Unfortunately it is showing up my housework in my office as I can see a very complicated spider web hanging from a bookshelf. And yet maybe that’s not so bad as it reminds me about the God we serve. His nature is full of order, perseverance and lots of repetition. Spiders know all about that. Do you recognize the verse above from last week’s blog? Isaiah’s words from the Old Testament are repeated in Matthew’s recording in the New Testament. When you finally do get down to studying the Bible you really do see how much God has revealed about Himself in its pages along with our own similar characteristics.

Please continue to pray for Debbie Macdonald’s mother who had knee surgery recently plus other complications. Also remember Steve Macdonald with his ongoing health issues and added pressures at work particularly this week when he has to lay off workers just before Christmas.

Home Group happens this Wednesday, instead of 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.

Enjoy!

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.

More News from Myanmar by Gary Carter: So we are in the brick-making business in Myanmar. 500 bricks were made the first day and 1000 the next. It’s working! The only problem is that they are one truck short for a brick load! If one brick sells for 20 cents then they will make $200 for 1000 bricks. The goal is to make 2400 in a day. Richard has always just called a prayer meeting when in need. Now he and his staff and orphans can pray while they work. He has 5 Bible School students teaching the older children with younger ones looking on. Their campus is buzzing with activity and excitement. Over time their muscles will ache and it will become tiresome to keep up the challenging pace; however now they have the means to buy their own food. Outside help is very important for them to move ahead as there are no banks in this country and private lenders gouge them. Spread the word around as there may be others whom you know that would like to share in this cause. What will this very simple business look like in a year? God only knows.

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus: Sara Burton led us in the singing of this Christmas carol written by Charles Wesley. It only has two verses but this carol says it all.
1. Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
2. Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.

David Meece – We are the Reason by Chris Burton: Chris is taking a break from his conversations with Jesus until after the Christmas season. He has decided to take a look at some of the well-known hymn writers from the 70s & 80s.
David Meece, born in 1952, grew up in the small town of Humble, Texas. As a child he began touring as a concert pianist at the age of ten. By fourteen, he performed the Mozart Piano Concerto in F Major with the Houston Chamber Orchestra. He won a nationwide talent show at the age of fifteen and toured England, Germany, France, Switzerland and Holland. When he was sixteen, he was the featured soloist with the Houston Symphony. David received a full scholarship to study at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland. It was there that he fully surrendered his life to Christ.
David found his goals changing from his intended career as a classical pianist as he began to write songs about his relationship with the Lord and sing them. Immediately upon graduating from the Peabody Conservatory, he became a worship/youth pastor. In 1976, he married his college sweetheart, Debbie Pearce. That same year, he was discovered by the executives of Word Records and his first album, self-titled, “David” was released on the Myrrh label. He went on to record a dozen more of his own collections of original songs and contributed to many other projects. Over 30 of his compositions have reached the top of the charts, some titles sharing the #1 place simultaneously in more than one genre. Favourites such as his signature song, “We Are the Reason” have been recorded by well over 200 other artists and sung in several languages. His songs caught on internationally and so did his travels as he became a favourite in Australia, Canada, throughout Asia, Europe and South Africa.
Although life was full of rewards growing it up, it also had it’s challenges. David grew up in a house dominated by an abusive, alcoholic father. In 1986, at the height of his career, his father passed away, bringing deep unresolved hurts to the surface. He was in the middle of a 70 City Tour entitled, “Seventy Times Seven,” when he received a phone call from his brother telling him of his father’s death. After the funeral, he resumed his tour. While standing up in front of thousands each night, singing about forgiveness, he found himself in desperate need of forgiving his own dad. David was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame and received the 2009 Visionary Award for the Inspirational Male Soloist category.
We Are the Reason
1. As little children we would dream of Christmas morn
And all the gifts and toys we knew we’d find
But we never realized a baby born one blessed night
Gave us the greatest gift of our lives.
Chorus: And we were (are) the reason that He gave His life.
We were (are) the reason that He suffered and died
To a world that was lost He gave all He could give
To show us the reason to live.
2. As the years went by we learned more about gifts
And giving of ourselves and what that means
On a dark and cloudy day a man hung crying
in the rain
Because of love, because of love.
3. I finally found the reason for living
It’s in giving every part of my heart to Him
In all that I do every word that I say
I’ll be giving my all just for Him
For Him.

Merry Christmas by Gary Carter: Last Sunday Gary began looking at the letters in “ichthus”, the Christian fish symbol. The first letter, iota, stands for Jesus. The second letter X (ch) stands for Christ which means the Messiah in Hebrew – the Anointed One or King. Christ is a title describing a role not a name and refers to a perfect leader or president that the Jews were looking for to come and fix everything. Societies down through the ages have done the same thing. But problems are not political; people need a Messiah. At the time of Christ’s birth an intersection of multi-cultural ethnic worlds was happening. Of all the names used in the New Testament Jesus is dominant (2190 times in the Bible) - Christ (703 times); Messiah (546 times); Jesus Christ (215 times); Lord Jesus Christ (127 times); Christ Jesus (121 times); and Christ’s (104 times).
A king refers to a position that is permanent and long-lasting. It is clearly taught in Scripture that Jesus is a King; although only mentioned a couple of times (His kingdom is mentioned 150 times). In John 18:28-39 Jesus finally agrees with Pilate that He is a King. In Luke 1:30-33 the angel told Mary that “…the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
So how is He King Jesus right now? First of all, He holds the master plan (I Corinthians 15:24-28). Never forget that He lives beyond time. Secondly, He is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:19-23), a most powerful entity on earth, even though that might not seem to be the case in our world. William baptized four new believers in the bathtub of his apartment last week. Thirdly, King Jesus is the Master of those who accept His rule (John 1:9-13) and last of all, He will be the Master of all who don’t accept His rule (Philippians 1:9-11).

A “C” of Punny Titles by Steve Macdonald:
All-You-Can-Eat Buffets by Ima Piggee
Cheap Transmissions by Stan Dard
Classic Groceries  by Chopin Liszt
Credit Cards  by Bill Melater
Carnival Rides  by Ivana Herl
Chest Pain by I. Coffalot
Crackdown by Lauren Order
Car Capital Of The World by Mitch Egan
Cooking Spaghetti by Al Dente

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December 4, 2011 by Wendy Carter.

Merry Christmas Greetings!

“… the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

This past weekend our Carter clan celebrated a very early Christmas as Rob and his family wanted to get out of Moosonee for a while to take in some extra special events in the GTA area. Rebekah and her family in Kelowna BC were on Skype. Our ten grandchildren, ages 13 down to one (8 girls + 2 boys) are all changing – growing, developing and maturing – which is interesting to see. Small appetites are enlarging rapidly which keeps parents on their toes trying to keep up. All have their own likes and dislikes; all are individuals. Children are precious in everyone’s eyes. I guess that is why God sent His Son to catch our attention. Jesus’ birth was predicted centuries before in the book of Isaiah. God had it all nicely planned out for us even down to the name meaning “God with us.”

Please pray for Debbie Macdonald’s mother who had knee surgery with complication this past Friday.

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.

Enjoy!

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 Pastor Jake Stewart: Jake came by our church at 9:00 a.m. before his own service in Streetsville to show some of his 500 Myanmar photos and convey greetings from William and Richard and his family. This was a life-changing experience for him in a third world country with conditions not always the best but people living with a level of contentment and flexibility under their circumstances. Jake spent about 3 days speaking at a conference with William in Yangon. Then they travelled by bus 400 miles north to Richard’s orphanage where they spent 4-5 days. Jake spoke at their Bible School graduation and got to play soccer with the children. They were all very appreciative for the numerous supplies we sent over. The brick-making process is under way with the purchase of 5 brick forms, limestone and gravel. Just add water and sweat and allow for a few days drying time. The first two bricks have been made. Richard has a debt on his property that is mounting all the time because interest rate is 6%/month. He will be able to make monthly payments on this debt because of money made in their new business. Please continue to pray for these dear people who seem to have a new lease on life.

Revelation (part 9 – Revelations 5:8-10) by Steve Macdonald: We seem to have a brass and string section in Revelation. Previously trumpets were mentioned and now in this passage there are harps. Trumpets herald the arrival of a king, rally armies for battle, and warn of pending judgment. Harps are new. The earliest recorded harps were by the Egyptians around 2500BC. Moses writes about them in Genesis 4:21. Harps are used to accompany songs of cheerfulness and praise (Genesis 31:27; 2 Chronicles 20:28; Psalms 33:2; 137:2). David plays the harp to ease King Saul’s troubled soul (1 Samuel 16:23). The 144,000, standing with the Lamb on Mt. Zion, are praising their Redeemer with a sound “like harpists playing on their harps” (Rev. 14:2). The harp is associated with peace, joy, and praise so it follows that the elders and living creatures would use them in worshiping God.
Are all our prayers going up in smoke? No! The bowls full of incense are symbols to let us know that each and every prayer we have ever made has been presented to God and they are all pleasing to Him (Psalm 141:2).
A new song is being sung. Why? Because a greater deliverance requires a new and greater song. This new song depicts a new expression of God’s love. If in doubt let’s remember John is writing for people that are familiar with the Old Testament. The new song is always mentioned in reference to God’s redemptive and creative acts in history. This new song is recorded seven times in the Old Testament (Psalms 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Isaiah 42:10). The elders and creatures are singing together or are they? Verse 10 reads, “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,  and they will reign on the earth.” It jumps to 3rd person, which is different from the rest of the song (members of every tribe and language and people and nation). It was questioned earlier on in our study whether the elders were angels or redeemed humans. If the creatures are singing this part in response to the elders’ song, does this indicate that the 24 are redeemed humans?
Jesus not only saved us from sin, he “saved us to” (1 Peter 2:9; Galatians 4:7). Jesus has saved us to be kings and priests to God. God’s original plan for Adam has been lost but Jesus, has redeemed us and restored to us our royal priesthood (Romans 5:12-14). While it may be very easy to read these verses and imagine that they are explained by John, there is so much more to get from what is being described. Our prayers are pleasing to God and are heard by God. We are heirs to this new order. Jesus paid our debt with His blood. There will be peace and joy and celebration and worship.

Conversations with Jesus – at the Home of Martha & Mary – Luke 10:38-42 by Chris Burton: With Lazarus, Mary and Martha Jesus has a very familiar family like connection. There are three accounts of the meetings that Jesus has with them where they are mentioned by name and others where there is speculation - (Luke 7:36-50) A Sinful Woman Forgiven; Jesus Anointed at Bethany (John 12:1-8); Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead, (an event that takes place prior to this conversation.) (John 11:1-16). In the book of John the events take place in back to back chapters but we have no way of knowing how much time has passed between events. In John 11 we know Jesus left town because Caiaphas “put a hit” on Jesus (who left for Ephraim). In John 12 He returns 6 days before the Passover so it is likely that all this has taken place within the month There is a lot happening to this one family in a very short time which may add to the significance of what Jesus says in response to Martha, ““Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
From Martha’s perspective she is the more responsible/practical sister but we can’t know for sure if that puts her as the oldest. She is the first in each case to go out to greet Jesus. She is the vocal one; it is her words that are recorded the most often. She is the hospitable one shown serving, preparing and cleaning in the two passages. What’s on her mind? We don’t know the exact order of events. Her brother has died recently and has been brought back to life. Local officials are hunting Jesus whom she knows to be the Messiah and Jesus is now in her home (with the 12 disciples plus the 72). The passover feast must be prepared for the Messiah. Her sister Mary had possibly been a bit of a family embarrassment prior to meeting Jesus. “So excuse me if I’m a little stressed - can I get some help here!”
From Mary’s perspective she has all the same experiences as Martha but not the same reactions. If she is the women mentioned in Luke 7 she has had a shady past. In John 12 when her brother has died she is inside weeping and doesn’t run to Jesus until Martha tells her Jesus is here. When Mary gets to Jesus she falls at His feet weeping. She sits at his feet as He teaches. She weeps while anointing Him with expensive perfume and washing His feet. She is the emotional sister. She allows her thoughts/feelings to be seen by others; she’s not closed off. It’s not that she is lazy and doesn’t care about the work; she just has different priorities
Jesus’ response to Martha (verse 41-42) is that He is not rebuking Martha as He has others in the past for not “getting it” or saying the wrong things at the wrong time. He knows she means well and that her heart is in the right place. If Martha had said nothing there wouldn’t have been an issue. Jesus was not commenting that Martha should get out of the kitchen and listen to Him. She was doing her part as a servant and Mary was praising and honouring in her way. Did her possible past connect her in a different way to Jesus. Could she see His pain? The “better thing” that Mary has chosen is not loving the world (1 John 2:16-17). Hebrews 2:1-4 warns us to pay attention. Mary chose the good part, the holy words, truth and faith of Jesus Christ that which will never be taken from her.

Merry Christmas by Gary Carter: There are hundreds of names in the Bible for Jesus that all have deep meaning. Who else in history has had so many even counting nicknames? It is hard to get your head around how really big Jesus is. The New Testament people became familiar with the fish symbol, Ichthus. Jesus is a Latin word; Jeshua/Joshua is Hebrew. The total meaning is “Jehovah is salvation.” The name was not very common in Old Testament times but was somewhat common when Jesus was born
So who is Jehovah? David, about 1000 BC says in Psalm 23 that Jehovah is his Shepherd whom he needs as a lowly stupid sheep. But Jesus said He, Himself was the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18). Isaiah said he saw the Jehovah as “King, the Lord Almighty” (Isaiah 6:5). This was about 750BC. John the Gospel writer said that Isaiah saw Jesus glory and spoke about him. (John 12:41) In Isaiah 40:1-3 God promises “a voice” who would come in preparation for Jehovah. John the Baptist said he was that voice and called people to look to Jesus (John 1:19-23). In Luke 1:27-33 Mary was told to call her baby Jesus and that he would rule on David’s throne in a kingdom that will never end. (Luke 1:27-33) Jesus equals Jehovah who wants a relationship with us and provided a solution by laying down His life and then picking it up again. Jesus is not just a name. It has historical and prophetic meaning. He will save His people from their sins. Jesus is salvation.

Some Winter Tips for your Vehicles by Penny Spears:
1. Wipe ordinary car wax on your headlights to prevent that messy mixture from accumulating – last 6 weeks.
2. Squeak&streak-proof your wipers with rubbing alcohol.
3. Ice-proof your windows with vinegar. Fill a spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water and spritz it on all your windows at night. Vinegar contains acetic acid which raises the melting point of water.
4. Prevent car doors from freezing shut with cooking spray. Spritz cooking oil on the rubber seals around car doors and rub it in with a paper towel. The cooking spray prevents water from melting into the rubber.
5. Fog-proof your windshield by spraying shaving cream on the inside of your windshield and wipe off with paper towels.
6. De-ice your lock in seconds with hand sanitizer.

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