The Russian Connection

 LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH IN RUSSIA.

 

On October the 24th we got an email labeled "URGENT" from the Head Bishop of the Russian Church of Christian Evangelicals, Edward Grabovenko.

It stated that a lawsuit had been filed against Pastor Vladimir Pak's Pentecostal church, accusing them of practicing prayers with the laying on of hands, healing prayers and speaking in tongues.

After hearing the case, the city of Khabarovsk regional court made a decision to shut down the church. That precedent could of possibly lead to shutting down the entire denomination, as other people against the .

As Edward wrote, "Even in Soviet times those kind of charges had not been brought against the church."

The underlying purpose of the suit was to initiate a banning of the Pentecostal Union's existance in Russia all together.

The court date was scheduled on October 25th, 2011. As word went out, people all of the world began to pray for God's hand to be upon the situation. 

Well I am so excited to tell you,

that we just got the report back from Pastor Edward, and the

SUPREME COURT RULED, IN FAVOR OF THE CHURCH!

Praise God!!!

We continue to see His faithfulness at work.

Thank you to all those who stood in agreement and prayer with us!!

Top 10 SCARIEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME!
( By popular vote)

                                    1. The Exorsist.

                                    2. The Shinning

                                    3. Paranormal Activity 1,2,3

                                    4. Nightmare on Elm Street

                                    5. Psycho

                                    6. Halloween

                                    7. Poltergeist

                                    8. The Hills Have Eyes

                                    9.  The Amityville Horror

                                   10. Saw (All films)

With Halloween right around the corner, it has brought a lot of different thoughts to mind. It's one of those subjects, which always seems to raise up numerous opinions & arguments in people because of its controversial heritage.

But I've been thinking...

Isn't it amazing, how even with gradual change.......you can all of a sudden end up in a place where you stop and wonder,..."how in the world, did I get to this point?"

Maybe that's never happened to you.....

But I have always wondered what it would be like for someone in the 1800's to come into our world and see it for what it is today.

What would their reaction be?

Would they marvel at all of the great inventions and our ever increasing technology, or would it all be overlooked in gasp and shock of the condition of the family and our society?

I think it's almost like we have become so accustomed to evil of the world along with all of its profanity, moral decay and injustice that we render ourselves helpless in trying to reroute such a huge challenging issue. Instead of taking a stand for what our God given intuition knows IS right, we've fallen into the convenient flow of "Politically Correct & Apologetic" waters. As a result, things which we thought seemed innocent "enough" have now somehow gone from a subtle stretch, to a problem escalating out of seeming control.

If you had the chance to step out of your life for a day
and view it as a stranger passing by, what would you see? 

Perhaps when we take that moment to step out of the mindset of our own world, and embark on viewing it from the perspective of another, we'll be surprised at the conclusions we come to.

Just a thought.

Is this day and its increasing popularity, a positive sign for the evolution of our culture or is it revealing & reaffirming the ongoing mask of self-deception?

I welcome your comments and thoughts about this season of Halloween.

This is one of my favorite sayings from Albert Einstein.

It is so simple, yet so profound.

If you compare yourself to someone else, and you can't do what they can, you can spend the rest of your life feeling insufficient and incompetent.

• It shatters the confidence that you have about yourself.

• God didn't create you to be in competition with the person next to you.

                        He created you with your own purpose.
                        Your own talent and giftings.
                        Your own destiny.

One of the dangers of comparing yourselves with others is that it can lead to jealousy and envy- 2 attitudes that are self destructive. 

(Romans 12:6 MSG)

“Let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.”

If we will concentrate on becoming who GOD created us to be--instead of who we think we ought to be, or who someone else wants us to be--we will experience a sense of peace and security that will enable us to resist focusing on what those around us are doing.

REMEMBER:

You are unique! And God is fitting you for a purpose like no one else's.

Has your wireless connection been feeling a little weird lately too?

What  a great picture. 

Although you may not be able to see God with your physical eyes, that doesn't mean that He is not there with you.

God makes His presence known in many ways, we just over look it a lot "missing the forest, because the trees were in the way".

When things start feeling weird or a little off,  don't freeze up & panic...

Often when that happens, we just need to be reminded that God is still there. That His Word still stands and He has not, and never will change.

This has been on my mind a lot lately, because it seems as though with the uproar around the world, people are questioning a lot of things.

If you've been one of those people, if your heart has felt lost lately and you find your self questioning.... don't take other peoples words or theologian explanations, but ask God for yourself.

Ask Him to make Himself known to you in His Word and in your life.

Because when you have a firm knowing & trust on the inside of God, nothing on this Earth can shake you.

 TODAY: 

There is a peace that is only found in the Word & presence of God
and knowing Him personally.

No Need To Flip Out!

 “He has raised us up together, and made us sit  together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” –EPHESIANS 2:6

What does it mean to be seated in Heavenly places?

It means that we are now able to enter into God’s rest.

To be seated means to rest. When we sit in a chair, we rest our physical body. To be seated in heavenly places with Christ is to enter an “inner rest”. Our spirit and soul can be at rest because of what Christ has done for us, and because of the good plan God has for us.

One definition of rest is “to be at peace or ease”; “free from anxiety or distress.” Rest is freedom from worry and frustration which develop because of our works in trying to do what only God can do. It is  freedom from  excessive reasoning, struggle, fear and inner turmoil.

 TODAY: 

If you are struggling, take a seat and rest.

Your place has been there waiting for you to occupy it all along.

             Some Good Advice To Start Off The Week!

People say that "inspiration & motivation never last".
But neither does brushing your teeth just once, or taking 1 shower in your lifetime!

That's why inspiration & motivation need to be continual. It's something we need to do every single day in order to help us stay focused and move forward.

Surround yourself with positivity. Only listen to that which will uplift you and let your heart meditate on words of life!

                                  "Before you speak, listen.
                                           Before you write, think.
                                           Before you spend, earn.
                                           Before you invest, investigate.
                                           Before you criticize, wait.
                                           Before you pray, forgive.
                                           Before you quit, try.
                                           Before you retire, save.
                                           Before you die, give."

                                   -William Arthur Ward

TODAY:

Before you act, as often as you can, make sure that it is not an action you'll regret later!

Maybe This Is For You Today....?

I love this comic picture.

I just came across it yesterday, and it couldn’t of come at a better time.

I just want to encourage you today to never forget how much Jesus truly loves you.
How much he LIKES you, and all that He has done for you.

I don’t even think I could count high enough in order to be able to accurately number all the things that Jesus has done for my family’s lives and me.

Even if you encounter pain or troubles, don’t ever lose heart and wonder where God is, because He is right there with you.

God knew that because we live on an Earth and in a world that isn’t perfect, there are things we are going to have to overcome (hence you have to overcome something in order to be an overcomer as we are called in His Word!), so He gave us a whole book full of instructions to help us!

Don’t lose sight of the big picture!

No matter what might of hurt you today, know that you are always in safe hands when you live in the presence of Jesus.

  REMEMBER  

His strength will never fade, and He will never fail you!

Have You Forgotten?

2 PETER 1:9

"For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins."

Did you know that God has given you special qualities?

There are certain things and desires put on the inside of your heart when you are born again that set you a part from the rest of the world. You have been cleansed from all unrighteousness & filth, set a part to exemplify the spirit of Christ in all you do!

There is a grace to live holy, just as God is holy. 1 PETER 1:16

Of coarse we aren’t perfect, (there has only ever been 1 perfect person, and that was Jesus, and they even crucified Him!) so by no means are we going to be able to live like it all the time.

Because it's not out of our own work or ability, but by the grace and Word of God given to help us live differently than the norm.

The Bible calls us to live on a higher lever.
and God wouldn't call us to do something, if He knew we weren't able to do it.

To treat people with love and respect no mater how they treat us or what they say against us.

To continually ABIDE in the new life that we have been born again in to.

TODAY:

Don’t forget who Jesus gave His life for you to be!

Do you remember those MAGIC 8 BALLS?

You'd shake them, and every time a different answer would come up.

Sometimes it was yes, but sometimes it would say 'no', or 'try again' or even 'maybe'.

They used to be really popular a few years ago.When I saw one the other day, it made me think of how we can feel like that's the way God is with us.

One day it's this way, and then the next it's another.

That for some reason we just can't figure Him out or things don't always go as we planned...but contrary to popular belief, God does not just 'randomly change His mind on things'.

If there is one thing in particular I love about Jesus, it's that He is forever constant.

         He is constant in His love to never give up on us.....
         He is constant in His                    

                             .........mercy  to forgive our sins
                             .……His everlasting grace to want us
                             .....…His faithfulness to us
                            .........His faithfulness to His Word
                             ........His ability to provide & take care of us
                             ........His will to do good to us 

HEBREWS 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

NUMBERS 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

TODAY:

Take confidence in God, because what He says, He does!

The Change In The Presence 

It was an extraordinary summer of the power of God being demonstrated across the United States and different areas of the world.

All the way from Cape Haitian, Haiti to Faith Assembly in Orlando, to the National Youth Conference in Perm, Russia to the extravagantly beautiful Maui, Hawaii with the opportunity of being with Carl Stephens again.

But now it is October and everything has moved in to hyper overdrive, “warp speed” as Captain Kirk from Star Track would put it!

I keep seeing intense hunger of people for ministry and the need to know that somebody cares.

The faces are unmistakable as they respond to the presence of God and the reality of a divine touch from His glory.

The church is growing because we live in a moment where the sickness of culture has become devastating to the moral survival of our souls.

  I pray, that your autumn will see the greatest response of people coming to Christ that you have ever known. 

I am looking forward to the testimonies of what God is doing in these days.

*The surrounding faces you see are only a few of the many recently impacted by God all the way from Seattle, to New York to Miami to Russia.

-Mikel