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Substance Of Authority |
The Value Of Partnership |
Evangelist Down |
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What Happened to PR 2010?
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Many of you have been asking about Project Restoration 2010. Even though our goal is to make this an annual event, we realized after last year, it couldn't just be through our ministries, Healing Wings and UnbridledActs. Project Restoration is too large a vision to accomplish by ourselves. We simply do not have the resources to pull off such an endeavor!
Throughout this year we met together as a planning committee to spend time before the Lord. It became clear we needed to step back and build Project Restoration through relationships in a way that produces lasting fruit.
In order to bring people together in unity, as well as help facilitate restoration in their lives and each community that participates, we must build deeper relationships with churches and their respective communities in order for people to "catch" this vision and take ownership in some way.
We also made the decision to find other ways to raise funds for our ministry and keep Project Restoration as an outreach to the community. Our plan is to look at something next year so that we can build it correctly.
WAYS YOU CAN PRAY:
· The first thing we MUST establish is prayer!
· Pray also that God would connect us with key churches, contacts and people.
· Pray for God's favor on our lives to be visible.
· Pray for the necessary seed money and resources to build Project Restoration properly.
· Pray for wisdom and God's strategy as we network, organize and orchestrate.
WAYS YOU CAN HELP:
· We need people who will commit to praying.
· We also need seed money to get started.
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Divinely Clean, Inc. is a Christian cleaning service seeking hard-working,
detail-oriented individuals to work part-time with:
* Flexible Hours
* Great Working Conditions
* Good Income
* Training Provided
* Full Time opportunities
Please Call 303-92 CLEAN
(303-922-5326)
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We have two ministry opportunities on the horizon:
· Return trip to Lame Deer Indian Reservation
· Motorcycle event and outdoor concert at Sterling Correctional Facility
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| The Substance of Authority |
Much to my dismay, my cat Picasso, captured and brought in a little sparrow the other day. Since my orphan robins incident in May, I have a newly discovered fondness for birds. I proceeded to get this sparrow from Picasso's mouth and carry him to safety. The little thing was scared, bleeding and breathing heavy. I had already lost 4 babies, I was NOT about to lose this one. I perched him up on my fence post far out of reach and began to say a prayer of healing for this frightened creature. Then, right there in my PJs I began to sing and worship the Lord. The little bird just starred at me. Now, not all of you know this about me, but this is not the first time I sang to a bird...once I went hiking and decided to take a break and just worship. So there I was singing to the Lord and I look over to my right and there is this bird that had landed and was listening to me.
Anyway, back to my story! I went inside the house and sensed the Lord prompting me to go back and breathe life into him! No, not mouth to mouth resuscitation...ask for God's breath to come and breathe life into the sparrow.
As I followed through with this, I remembered God's original mandate was for us to have complete authority over the fish, birds, beasts and over all the earth. (Gen. 1:26) I flexed my muscles of authority and declared that this bird will live! When I went back the next time, he had flown away.
You may think, "Well Deb, that's a nice little story..." but the reason I write this is because God has been teaching me that our authority as Believers in Jesus Christ isn't just about words only. It isn't only about using the name of Jesus. If this were the case then, my dogs wouldn't have been hurt when they were attacked last year while I was walking them in the neighborhood. The whole neighborhood block heard me screaming "Stop, in the name of Jesus!" You see, mingled with that sentence were elements of fear, panic and a little bit of terror. Power in the Greek is the word dunamis which means power and ability. The word used for authority is exousia. This word means the legal right to command or act with dunamis. So having said all that, if we've been given power and the legal right to use that power in the name of Jesus, why doesn't that mountain move when we command it to get out of the way?
Our authority is substance within us; A building up of our faith when we operate in the authority Christ has given to us. It is no different than an exercise program. You don't look down at those biceps and say, pop! No, the pop comes from building up the muscle because you have been working out.
After the sparrow flew away, the Lord said, "I made a deposit in your authority today..." My friends, every time we move in our authority, even if it doesn't appear to be victorious, there is a deposit made in our life. |
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| The Value Of Partnership- A Biblical Concept |
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A Partner according to the dictionary is a person who shares or is associated with another in some action or endeavor. The origin of this word is from the French word parcener meaning "joint heir."
Partnership then is the state of being joint heirs.
The Bible has another word for partnership; it's koinonia. Koinonia is a pretty familiar term in the church, however, it means far more than having cell groups or small group meetings. The richness of this word includes fellowship, sharing, partnership, unity, close association, community, communion and joint participation. What a powerful word! It is a word used to describe the first century church. Acts 2:44 says, "Now all who believed were together and had all things in *common." (*root word of koinonia) The next verse tells us how they did this: "...they sold their possessions and divided them among all, as everyone had a need." Again in Acts 4:32 it says the believers were of one heart and soul...no one said the things they possessed were their own, but had all things in common.
Since this word also means contributory help or gifts contributed, Paul uses it in describing the money that Macedonia gave for the congregations in Jerusalem. And even though Macedonia was going through financial hardship, they pleaded with Paul to receive their gift so they could minister in partnership (koinonia) to the saints. (See 2 Cor. 8:1-4) Too often we give out of our own means rather than God's abundance. I too have been guilty of looking at how much money I have in my checking account when my heart is stirred to give.
Times are hard! We've all been catapulted into a season of survival. We find ourselves squeezed out because of the economy; challenged and fearful by the shift in our government and unable to be self sufficient any longer. Churches pull inward to batten down the hatch and weather this storm by scaling back to a skeleton staff. Salaries of those left to man the ship are cut to help make ends meet. Ministries are closing their doors. But the problem is ministry demands and the condition of the world doesn't diminish with it. People are hurting more than ever. People are lost and disillusioned like never before. Churches and ministries need to be operating at full-on capacity, not cutting back just to get through.
God continues to bring me back to the fundamental value of partnerships- the value of koinonia. Partnering together for the sake of the Gospel; networking to increase and expand the Kingdom of God. No longer hesitant to join hands for fear of losing members of our congregation to another church, or afraid we'll lose financial support to another ministry, but partnering to strengthen the Bride of Christ. No matter how you package it, it's still being one in purpose and spirit. It's unity!
I will be writing more about our plans soon, but for now I am asking each of you to seek the Lord about partnering with Healing Wings Ministries. And even though this request is a little awkward for me, please know that it's more important to me that you are partnering with those God directs than for you to support us just because we ask. God calls us to certain partnerships, so seek God.
Healing Wings is in a strategic place to be the heart of Christ to a wounded world. I believe time is of the greatest essence! It's important for this ministry to set up once again in a facility to be able to implement ongoing ministry for people in crisis. It's crucial for us to continue to go into the prison systems with the healing grace and freedom found in Jesus Christ. We need prayer and financial partnerships, as well as people resources to launch out and take possession of the territory that is ours-not for our sake, but for HIS and for the sake of His bride.
If the Lord leads you to give a one-time donation, you can use PayPal by clicking on the link below. You don't have to have a PayPal account to give by credit card. All gifts are tax deductible and greatly appreciated! You can also mail your gift in.
Healing Wings Ministries
P.O Box 11182 ·Englewood, CO
80151-1182
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| Evangelist Down - Can You Help? |
| Cross & Clef Ministries has ministered to people on the fringe since 1987. Maybe you have seen John Swanger on the streets of Denver passing out sack lunches to the homeless. For the first time in 18 years of ministry he doesn't have a vehicle. After returning from Washington state to take care of an aging mother, all they had for transporting food back and forth was their personal car. Due to the recent buy out of the Wachovia Bank, Wells Fargo lost their payment history and repossessed their car. This unjustified repossession occurred even after they showed their payment history of never being late or missing a payment by faxing the bank proof of payment 4 separate times.
John has spent his life pouring himself out on behalf of the hungry and the homeless. Now is time for us to give ourselves away for him. Let's join together and invest in God's Kingdom work by sowing seed into the ministry John has so diligently headed up for the past 23 years. Do you know of anyone who would donate a van or give a financial contribution towards the purchase of a vehicle, so they can continue to pick up food and deliver it to the streets of Denver? Cross & Clef Ministries is a non profit corporation that can receipt you for you generous donation. www.tollgate.org
Please contact John directly at: 303-594-7729
I have committed to praying this through and believe that not only the ministry will receive a van, but also the bank will give them back their car! |
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