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Annual Conference thoughts from NWMinisters April 23-24 meetings |
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Contributed by Jerral Campfield
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Friday, 27 April 2018 |
Ginny and I are so thankful for the opportunity to attend the Northwest Ministers Conference in Vancouver, WA last Mon to Wed where we heard from our District Superintendent Don Ross who we have known since 1982 talk about the State of the Network. We are growing as a network when the Holy Spirit is manifested in the life of the Church. The theme was Power and Purpose for you can have all kinds of power, but what is lacking is purpose many times, they go together. God Spirit has never changed for He created us for goodwill and peace and that is He loves the world He created. Nature does not argue with God but accepts what they are. Trees do not want to be fish, or the sky want to be earth. God created all things good and placed in the garden a tree of knowledge of good and evil that was forbidden to touch and eat. Lord help us to know you made us in Your image and do not want us to be held in hostage by lack of understanding of the power and purpose for being here. Acts 1:8 New King James Version 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me[a] in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This power is given to us to keep going with a full tank of gas as we stay connected to the vine; Jesus who enable us to even live and have our being. Then Acts 2:4 New King James Version 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.As Christians we are empowered by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of telling the good news Jesus saves, keeps and satisfies every long of our hearts. Are you an example the God power being fulfilled in your life? Jesus is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit John the Baptist Baptized people in water but Jesus Baptizes in the Holy Spirit to enable us to be empowered to do His will. The Lamb of God 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” 32 And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” Who is in charge of your life? GO TELL! We need as a Church to be bring hope to our communities to bring order and restoration from evil to good works. We have a mission that needs to be missional and that is get outside the walls of the Church. Let’s not be selfish but understanding, people need fellowship with those doing what is decently and in order to bring joy and peace into the situations we find ourselves in this world of sins shame. God is no longer here but notice what He said in John 16: 7 to 15 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.[c]
Lord might we know the truth; Your Holy Spirit is here to convict the world of sin and righteousness. It is not you and I thank convicts people of sin, it is the Holy Spirit! What we have to do is let people know Jesus is able to touch and make us whole, so we are able to relax in whatever our situation is trusting Jesus to still the winds of adversity. Dr. Joseph Dimitrove President of Continial Thelogical Seminary from Bulgaria was the special speaker who grew up in a communistic country that was very difficult He referred to. the Churches beginning as the Disciple all rejected the Lord during his Crucifixion so were really unfit, then they rally around after Jesus appeared to them and they became servants and did what the Lord said terry in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to become a part of them. So now the unfit become usable, dealing with the impossible. God needs weaker vessels, that is people dependent upon the Lord. Moses saw a bush that was on fire and did not burn up out in the desert. Strange sight he gets closer and a voice came out of the fiery bush. Moses Moses He said here I am, take your shoes off your standing on holy ground, I am the God of my people Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses was scared as God said I am going to send you down to Pharaoh that you can bring my people out of bondage. Moses said Lord who am I! God said I will certainly be with you Moses, Moses but Who am I going to say sent me. God I am that I am. God needs weaker vessels to do His work look at us do we not need Gods help. We are all needed and only God can empower us for the task before us. Luke 24 Show how God open up to the Disciples who where dysfunctional The Scriptures Opened 44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. 46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise[h] from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem[i] until you are endued with power from on high.” Lord help us to see it is not my might or power of man it is by God spirit that lives are challenged to abide in the Lord so they can become empowered by God to be His servant not a servant of self or of man. Then we heard a message from Rob Ketterling who started a Church in River Valley in Minnesota in 1995 and has 9,000 attending today. He stressed the Fact we are A Spirit fill Church and God is the one that gives people the empowerment needed to be what God created them to be. He said we need to get out of our seats and move up; to the front row so we can become a part of what is happening. We are in a relay and need to keep passing the good news to others. Become engaged and invested in the Kingdom of God. It is easy to be a back row critic but takes work to become a part of the solutions. I am convinced it is not I, but the Spirit of the Lord that gives me the direction needed to minister to those that come into our Church. I just want to allow the Holy Spirit to direct me in all I do and say, so the word of God is proclaimed to all living in our area so we can be set free of all the addictions of sin that prevent us from enjoying the presence of the Lord. I am excited about what is in store for us here in Harrah knowing the Lord gives us the empowerment needed for the task at hand. Living on the Yakama Indian Reservation presents us the opportunity to give hope so the Indians can forgive other in the past of wrongs, so they can be set free of bitterness that seems to be dominate among most tribes in America. Lord help us to see the importance of who we are so we can all rejoice and be glad for the way God created us to become followers of the Lord. Who are you following determines your attitude and behavior now and where you’re going to spend eternity. Lord help us to abide in you so we can bear good fruit for all to enjoy. |
Copyright 2005 Jerral Campfield, All rights reserved.
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