Global Week of Prayer - Day 1

BOARD OF GENERAL SUPERINTENDENTS

Throughout the last two years, the church has been greatly impacted by the global pandemic. While the church has been affected, we have also seen the ways in which the church has been able to shift and lean into new patterns of ministry as we seek to make Christlike disciples in the nations. Often on the frontlines, our pastors are in need of our prayer and support. They are growing weary and need the encouragement of our Lord, but also of God’s people.
    
Let us also remember our district superintendents, our field strategy coordinators, and our regional directors in our prayers. They are all adjusting their work to continue to be effective ministers of the gospel. Our world is in desperate need of hope, and it is the good news of the gospel that can impact their lives for the better.
    
We continue to launch the Journey of Grace around the world. This emphasis on discipleship: from prevenient grace, to saving grace, to sanctifying grace is formational in the lives of our people. Across the age spectrum, we minister to those who need to know Jesus Christ. Whether small children in a refugee camp in Africa or the one who is set free from bondage in the United States, God is at work. We need to pray for expanded avenues for discipleship around the globe.

We pray that the Lord will help us to continue to share the good news of Jesus Christ around the world. There are many obstacles these days, including government restrictions and the difficulties in obtaining legal documents. At the same time, we are called to participate in the Great Commission by engaging with people all over the world who need to know Christ.

For some it is in your local community, whereas others are called to cross international borders to tell others about Jesus Christ. Mario and Irma Martinez answered the call and left their home in South America, traveling to the continent of Africa to serve as missionaries. God has used them in a powerful way to impact the communities that they serve for Jesus Christ.

https://t.e2ma.net/message/0uyxlg/8of9jau

Pray for Ukraine

 

 

Please join us in praying for Ukraine. We pray for an end to violence, for the preservation of all life and a lasting peace. Pray for the international community to respond with wisdom. Pray for the people of Ukraine, especially those who are most vulnerable. Pray for our Ukrainian churches and child development centers and for their safety. Our churches are currently assessing the need and will be responding with love and care. As partners in the global mission of Christ, we bear witness to the unity of the church that transcends borders and cultures. Even when conflict erupts between nations in which the church is present, we follow Christ first and foremost. The current crisis developing on the Eurasia North Field, as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, is impacting many of our sisters and brothers in Christ and their communities. In response to this growing crisis, we will be working to mobilize Nazarene churches in the region to meet the needs of those for whom violence and displacement have become a sudden reality. You can help in this effort by giving to the NCM Eurasia North Field Crisis Fund: https://give.nazarene.org/donate/f/137043 or through your local church: "NCM Eurasia North Field Crisis Fund - 137043"

 

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Peter's Picks

The Perfect 7-day Diet – Peter’s Picks 

‘The World Gone Crazy… But’ 

Day 1: John 8:12 - WALK – “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”

Day 2: 2 Peter 1:4 - PURPOSE – “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Day 3: Romans 12:2 - FOCUS – “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” 

Day 4: Colossians 3:2 - DIRECTION – “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Day 5: Matthew 6:9, 10 - ANSWER – “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’”

Day 6: 1 John 4:4 - ASSURANCE – “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Day 7: 1 John 5:3, 4 - VICTORY – “... this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” 

** Verses taken from the New Living Translation

Living In Tight Spots

Have you considered the early life of King David? Think of it, he was thought to be the youngest of Jesse’s children and when the battle was on with the Philistines, he was watching over the family flock and ran food and gifts to his brothers who served King Saul. David’s brothers were warriors and were prepared to fight, sort of, and the lines had been drawn. Goliath demanded a champion but all the Israelites could see was a huge warrior who was battle-hardened and hungry for blood. David’s brothers told him to go home, Goliath mocked him and, I dare say, many in the Jewish camp did not have much faith in David, especially when he refused the armour offered. He faced the giant with a sling and some smooth stones.

The lines were drawn all around him and David was in a tight spot. Behind him were those who placed their faith in the physical strength of men, in front of him was a giant who looked at David as an ant waiting to be stomped, not even worth his effort but he would make short work of the youngster on his way to victory. And then in 1 Samuel 17:45-46, “David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ Today the Lord will conquer you…” No fear because the Lord was with him, and he fully trusted in his God.

Today, we watch the news of nations setting boundaries while others challenge them, there are people setting the battle plan for the fulfillment of personal preferences to the detriment of others around them. There is no peace in the arms of chaos and division, only heartache. We live in a tight spot where so many are afraid to speak for fear of cancel culture, yet David loudly proclaimed to the Israelites “Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” The tight spots we find ourselves in are, in many cases, due to our reliance on self but David has shown us the way when he declares “I come in the name of the Lord”. When the world seems to be closing in and the pressure gets too much, do not be afraid to yell out “LORD, GIVE ME STRENGTH!!” We have a Champion in the Lord, and we can declare a dynamic life in His light.

This week, we continue to look at Dynamic Living in Christ and will continue to pray for the Peace of God to rain down upon our world. For those who wish to know more about Dynamic Living, we invite you to join us either in person or watch online at 10:30 AM.

Facebook Live - Main Ave Fellowship Facebook

YouTube Live – You Tube

We look forward to seeing you this Sunday.

Blessings,

Pastor Todd

www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.com

Peter's Picks

The Perfect 7-day Diet – Peter’s Picks 

‘God’s Spirit inYou’ 

Day 1: Ephesians 1:13, 14 – “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession - to the praise of his glory.”

Day 2: John 14:26 – “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

Day 3: Romans 8:26 – “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” 

Day 4: 2 Corinthians 3:17, 18 – “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Day 5: Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Day 6: Romans 8:14-16 – “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

Day 7: 2 Timothy 1:7 – “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 

** Verses taken from the New Living Translation

 

 

Dynamic Living in a Dangerous World

I don’t have to tell you that things are a bit rough out there lately. Egos the size of planets deciding to butt heads without fear because they are not the ones who are going to put their own lives on the line. Change the rules and have them step into the octagon. There is only one rule: last one standing wins. If that were the case, I am sure there would be a lot more thought give to starting a fight. This world is in a bit of turmoil as of late. The sides have been drawn, there are at least two camps, maybe more. Each side is upset with the other for reasons unknown. Family members squaring off against each other all trying to convince the other to change sides before it is too late. Science say this while the other side digs in because the science they found says this. In the end, no one wins and life continues on. People are trampling on the rights of others all the while claiming the truth and in their path, destroyed relationships and giant rifts. This is a dangerous world we live in and one can always be assured there are those on the fringes of the fight who crave the chaos and seek ways to feed the flames of dissention.

So, what is dynamic living in this dangerous world? I would suggest there is a whole group of people out there who are on their knees begging God to bring peace, asking Him to open hearts and minds to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and change their ways from division to unity through the love of Jesus Christ. Let me ask you this; when is the last time you saw a person drop on their knees in the middle of a tense situation and ask God for wisdom and strength? Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane was facing a situation so stressful that He went off on His own to pray to the Father. He prayed with such fervour and intensity that His sweat dropped to the ground like great droplets of blood. In times of great danger, Christ knelt in prayer to gather His strength from the Father. Some may see this as a sign of weakness and would gather others to come witness the fear. Yet this is what I would call dynamic living. He knew what was to come and, at any point in time, He could have walked away but instead He stayed. He could have called down legions of angels to destroy the world but instead He chose the cross. The first thief on the cross taunted Him, trying to get the Master to bend to His will but Jesus did not. The second thief asked only to join Him in Heaven where the love and peace of Glory reigned and he was rewarded.

Dynamic Living is not about might and dissention. Chaos is the language of the world but grace is the language of Glory. Take time today to live a dynamic lifestyle. Pray for those who lead the nations, ask God to grant them wisdom. Pray that the truth will be spoken and the lies will be like dust in the wind. Give praise to the Lord because when all is done and Jesus comes again, what will remain is Truth, Peace and Love.

This week, we welcome Rev Glenn Reeder. We will be starting a shared series over the next four weeks and will pray for the Peace of God to reign down upon our world. For those who wish to know more about Dynamic Living, we invite you to join us either in person or watch online at 10:30 AM

Facebook Live - Main Ave Fellowship Facebook

YouTube Live – You Tube

We look forward to seeing you this Sunday.

Blessings,

Pastor Todd

www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.com

His Promise

Over the years, I have done some wild things, made some huge mistakes and, in almost all circumstances, I have learned a thing or two from it. If you want the nitty gritty of these escapades, I am more than willing to share but I will tell you this; with every story I tell, I will also tell of the lesson. There were times when I would indulge way too much but did not see the effects until I quit drinking to get drunk. There was so much I missed during these times and there is no way to get it back. I used to work far too much (still do on occasion) and, again, I missed out on so much and, while there is no way to get it back, I do try to make amends for the errors of the past. Like I said, there are numerous things in my past that still haunt me, events missed, occasions forgotten, and while I cannot change the past, I do try to learn from them for the future.

So much missed, so many things we wish we could do over. For some, the biggest fear is missing something, forgetting to show up completely or overlooking the big picture. We ought to fear this because, as a society, many are missing out and, at some point in time, this miss will lead to a fairly important consequence. The one mistake I fear the most for those around me is dreading they may miss the opportunity to fully appreciate the promise the Father made to us all through His Son. Life is full of distractions and indulgences, and many have forgotten the perfection that is covering us all in His loving embrace. His promise is for eternity and is easily achieved by simply proclaiming Christ as Saviour.

God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. Hebrews 4:1 NLT

Clear the scales from your eyes and see what the Lord has set before you. Help others to see that it is never too late. For those who are skeptical, my question is why? Some will say they do not believe in a god so I ask, what do you believe? Some will say they have been burnt by the church to which I say the church is full of people who, at times, do or say the wrong thing but our God knows what He is doing. Some say “we’ll see” and I respond “at least think about it”. Do not wait too long to invite Him into your heart, don’t wait too long to experience His perfect Grace.

This Sunday, we will seek comfort in His message for all His children. For those who wish to know more about the fellowship of Christ, we invite you to join us either in person or watch online at 10:30 AM

Facebook Live - Main Ave Fellowship Facebook

YouTube Live – You Tube

We look forward to seeing you this Sunday.

Blessings,

Pastor Todd

www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.com

Just Look Up

Psalm 121:1-3 NCV says this. I look up to the hills, but where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord. Who made heaven and earth. He will not let you be defeated. He who guards you never sleeps. I have shared, used, relied on, and practiced this scripture many times. I’ve shared with people who expressed despair in their situation. I’ve used it to encourage someone who felt they were at the end of a rope that had no knot to hold onto. I’ve relied on it when my own fears and shortfalls took up real estate in my head. Most importantly, I’ve practiced it, knowing full well that God had me and my situation under control. When we get to that point, we need the reassurance of this scripture to re-tie that knot in the lifeline He has thrown us.

I’ve looked up many times in my sixty-five years. The first time was probably into the eyes of my parents as they held me for the first time. Many more times as I was growing up, I would be looking up, to my father who taught me thousands of life-lessons and skills. To my mother a thousand times for lessons of the heart. To the many people that invested time and energy into teaching me so many other things during my working career. I am still looking up to those who helped guide me to Christ, and regularly to my own Pastor as she always encourages others in Christ. One of my most memorable looking up moments was when I awoke from having knee surgery to see my wife’s face. That is one of those moments that does not need to be shared with anyone but her.

We all have times when we need someone to come along side us and remind us to look to the mountains, both figuratively and literally. No one can get through this life without someone to reach down and pull us up from where we lay. No one is strong enough to figure this thing called life, out by themselves. So, let’s rely on this scripture and so many more to pull our boots up and get the laces tied. Our country and our world, is in such a turmoil right now that we can hardly breathe after watching the news. One protest after another, with thousands of voices trying to drown each other out. Countries trying to overtake another for resources or power. The rich are holding power over the poor, while we all try and not die from the next virus. It’s enough to make one want to run to the hills we’re looking up to.

Yet, there is hope. If we just think about our own situations, we can at least start to climb out of what ever hole we think we’re in. The world’s blaring horns are meant to drown out common sense and courtesy and to pound us into submission. Let’s not allow that to happen. We can still love our neighbors even if we disagree. We can still wake up tomorrow if we didn’t watch the news or zombie ourselves on our phones and computers. I can only imagine what the world would look like, if even for a day, we just sat and looked to the mountains. Can you imagine what God’s voice sounds like to each of us when we listen? Can you imagine feeling your blood pressure drop, as a sense of peace and calm washes over you? This is not sticking our heads in the sand, but rather placing our hearts in His hands. They are the hands that can cradle our faces so we may look for His and cover our ears so we listen for only His voice. Wouldn’t anyone like or deserve this right now? I believe we do.

My friends, as we gain two to three minutes of additional daylight with each sunrise, let’s draw a breath, give a little thanks for what we have, and use some of that extra time to simply look to the mountains. You will be amazed at what you may see.

Mike Shindruk

Master’s Hand Ministry

Peter's Picks

The Perfect 7-day Diet – Peter’s Picks 

‘Building Your Faith Through His Words’ 

Day 1: Romans 10:17 - Hear the Word – “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

Day 2: Psalm 119:103-105 - Meditate on the Word – “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

Day 3: 2 Peter 1:5-7 - Work on the Word – “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.” 

Day 4: James 1:2-4 - Grow in the Word – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Day 5: 1 John 5:14, 15 - Confidence in the Word – “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Day 6: James 1:22-24 - Use the Word – “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”

Day 7: 1 Peter 3:15 - Share the Word – “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…” 

** Verses taken from the New Living Translation

Someone Call For Help

I gotta tell you, as we get further and further along in this pandemic, the greater the division grows. As people look to various sources for information, for current theories or even for some sense of hope, it seems as though there is more confusion and less clarity. I am not going to get into who is right or wrong because regardless of what view I present, there will be someone who wants to convince me I am wrong. Social media is one of the biggest sources of dissention and strife. Try saying one thing that may be slightly controversial and I can almost guarantee you that that someone will grab hold of the opportunity to argue the point and begin to rally others to come against you. As things escalate, you look at ways to stand your ground and then, for many, they give up and either leave the conversation or delete it all together. There are times when some will come alongside and help defend but the hurt and confusion still linger. So, when this happens, what do you do? Do you call out for help or do you curl up in a corner and look for ways to escape and just disappear? What if I told you that help is as close as a prayer?

I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!

He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.
Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.

The Lord himself watches over you!

The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.

The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.

The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. Ps 121 NLT

We may think we are alone, facing attacks without any help at all but that is far from the truth. God is not one who leaves us to paddle the boat without an oar, He is with us always and speaks of joy, grace and love within the eternal relationship. He understands the pain we face and stands ready to walk with us or even carry us when things get overwhelming, we need only to ask Him to give us strength, to give us wisdom. There is none greater than the Creator and none who can successfully come against our Lord.

This Sunday, we will seek His strength in these times of trial and dissention. For those who wish to know more about the fellowship of Christ, we invite you to join us either in person or watch online at 10:30 AM

Facebook Live - Main Ave Fellowship Facebook

YouTube Live – You Tube

We look forward to seeing you this Sunday.

Blessings,

Pastor Todd

www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.com