Shaping Culture #1

Shaping Culture #1

At Encounters Church we use our gifts that God has given us to affect and change culture in whatever sphere of influence that we are in. We want to release the Kingdom of God throughout all of our culture. In doing this we will be doing our part in making it on earth as it is in Heaven.

Jesus came into the world for many reasons. Some of these were to reveal the Father, to save us from our sins, to destroy the works of the evil one, to heal and comfort the sick and brokenhearted, and other reasons. But a very significant aspect of Christ’s life was to bring in the Kingdom of God. The Bible places its primary emphasis on this. However, the Church overall, has neglected this.

So what is the Kingdom of God?. It is the dominion of the King. When Jesus was crucified the Romans put a sign over the cross which said “King of the Jews.” We know that He came first to the Jewish people but He has since been proclaimed as King of all. This means that Jesus has supreme rulership over His creation. But it is not a rulership that we might think of, such as that of earthly kings and presidents. His rulership or dominion is established and governed by love. We can know and rely on the love of God.

As important as it is to be involved in a church, we are not called to just be inward focused, ministering only within our local congregations. God has called His children to be part of the Kingdom reality. That means that we are all part of this dominion of the KIng. The Kingdom of God is to be advancing. It is the government of God. As such it needs to be affecting the culture and transforming it into a representation of the King. In saying the culture we can break it down into segments, aspects, or mountains of the culture that need to be changed. This includes government, the media, arts, entertainment, business, family,and religion. This is often called the seven mountains or pillars of society. When these pillars are affected and transformed for God the result is what we call a Reformation.

Just as there was a great reformation in the 16th century led by Martin Luther as the essence of Biblical teaching became alive again, we are expecting another reformation of much greater proportion that will shake the earth by changing the culture through the Kingdom of God being realized and effective on the earth. This reformation is that of bringing the Kingdom of God in greater measure.

Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a woman kneading a lump of dough with leaven and it keeps expanding, He also compared it to the smallest seed that becomes the greatest tree, and even the birds find shade in its midst. This is a picture of the Kingdom of God growing affecting the world, and giving comfort to its people. So let us pray and find our part in this glorious work that was always in God’s heart. And He has sent His Son, the man from Heaven, Jesus Christ to be with us and work with us to accomplish His will on the earth as it is in Heaven.

Shaping Culture #2

Shaping Culture #2

In our last blog we looked at another of the core values of Encounters Church which is that of shaping culture. I will continue with a few more points.

So how do we go about being culture changers? This may seem to be an overwhelming task but if God calls us to do this, it is possible. Let us realize this and first of all be a people of prayer. It says in the book of Acts then when the disciples went about preaching the Kingdom of God in Christ it was said that these men are turning the whole world upside down. Oh, that this might be said about the Church today. Some might say that that was then and now we are facing more obstacles and evil in the world. Sure, there are many more people in the world; as of today- I think it is 7.7 million. But if you research you will see that the world 2000 years ago had many problems. The life span was probably about half of what it is now. There was a much greater percentage of poverty, untreatable diseases, and pagan beliefs, The tyrannical Roman empire controlled the whole known world. In the generation after Jesus there are historical recordings of many wars, rumors of wars, pestilences, false Christs, and persecutions. I am not saying that those things don’t exist today but we have so many technological advances that have greatly improved life for us. Most human rights and the value of life has been greatly elevated, especially due to Christian efforts in societies, Consider transportation and communication. We can travel and communicate the good news of Jesus Christ to the whole world with much less time and expense than ever before. And in writing about shaping the culture , I am not only speaking about the preaching. teaching, and witnessing of the gospel. We are speaking of shaping the culture of all the mountains of society mentioned above.

Why should the secularists, atheists, and others who promote sinful lifestyles be the ones shaping the culture and dictating what is good and acceptable? According to the Bible, the Kingdom of God is an everlasting and ever increasing Kingdom. God has declared it and He is in control. But that does not give us the permission to say, “oh well, if God wants it, He will do it.” You see, He works through His body, the Church worldwide. Unfortunately in the past 100 years or more many believers have been content to sit back and figure that they will be raptured out and escape all the turmoil and evil. But fortunately there is a growing number of believers realizing that our mandate is to shape the culture and expand God’s Kingdom. It is time for us to affect and shape the culture, one step at a time. Of course, we don’t do it in arrogance, pride, or forcing our way. But in love, and led by the Holy Spirit we can accomplish this, and bring about reformation. In the last four years we can see that there have been many advancements. Sometimes there may be setbacks. But we need to remember that the Church is to be a part of God’s Kingdom on the earth, and continue to advance this Kingdom.

Healing #1

Healing #1

One of the prominent things that you see when you read the Gospels is the many healings performed by Jesus. It was often these healings that were the signs that caused people to believe that Jesus was sent from God to be Messiah and Savior. We see many recorded healings- the blind receiving sight, the deaf hearing, and the mute speaking. We also read about the healing of the lame, including paralytics, and other infirmities of the body. We read about the healing of the woman with hemorrhaging, the woman bent over for many years, and Peter’s mother-in-law healed of a fever. There are accounts of leprosy being healing. Leprosy was probably one of the most dreaded diseases. It caused people’s extremities such as fingers and toes to fall off. But it was no problem for Jesus to heal this affliction. Also, we read about Jesus setting people free from demonic possession. And we see another miracle, which also happened during the time of Elijah and Elisha- the raising of the dead.

Jesus did not always heal people in the same way. Sometimes He would heal by just saying a word. Other times He would involve the person in an action of faith, such as go to the pool and wash. At other times He did some rather strange things such as putting his finger in ‘someone’s ear or spitting and making mud to anoint them. Jesus said that He only did what He saw the Father doing and would only say what He heard the Father saying. In the same way, we do not make healing a ritual or tradition and always pray the same way. Rather we must rely on the leadership of the Holy Spirit to see how to pray in different situations.

Some might say yes, but that was Jesus, who was also God in the flesh. But Jesus told his disciples that these types of occurrences would continue as they preached the gospel after His departure and sending of the Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts there are many similar healing performed by the disciples including healings of, lameness, various diseases, casting out demons, and raising of the dead.

The Church today has various beliefs concerning whether healing for today. While most denominations believe in healing, some are passive in their view. In other words, they agree to pray for the sick, but do so without much faith that they will be healed. Rather many believe that, it is all up to God and He will do what He wants. Many also do not believe that there is a gift of healing in operation today and that the gifts ceased after the writing of the Bible was completed.

While we agree that God is in control of all things (sovereignty), we at Encounters Church, believe in a more aggressive view of praying for the sick, as exemplified in the Bible. We also believe in the gift of healing. The Bible never said that the gifts such as healing as having ceased after Jesus . It says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. In fact, Jesus said signs would follow the preaching of His word. It is true that Jesus healed many Jews as a sign of His being the Messiah. In doing this He was fulfilling Old Testament prophecies that God would not inflict the diseases of the Egyptians on Israel and that He would take care and provide for them. However Jesus' healing extended to the non Jews (Gentiles), and there are many examples of this in Jesus’ ministry.

Jesus said that “the things you see me do you will do and even greater things.” On the surface this is a difficult saying. But remember that Jesus could only be in one place at a time but the Holy Spirit can be in you and in people in China, Australia, and Africa. And because we believe in an everlasting and ever increasing Kingdom of God, and know that with God all things are possible, it helps us to understand what Jesus said. The only exception to these things is Jesus' sacrificial work of the cross, which He accomplished for us and we can add nothing to. So now, because of what Jesus has done we are called to walk in the works that He has prepared for us.

Healing # 2

Healing # 2

In the previous blog we discussed healing. I recommend you to read it if you have not. We will now continue with more thought regarding divine healing,

We also believe in healing because many of us have witnessed it in ourselves, relatives, and friends. At Encounters Church we have heard of many healing testimonies, including from cancer, back problems, depression, and substance abuse. We believe in supernatural healing but often the Lord will work through medicine and medical procedures. The writer of this blog himself has experienced many healings of various diseases, infirmities, and injuries. Although many had doctors involvemens I also experienced accelerated healing beyond the diagnosis. For sure God’s hand was in this.

The Greek word for salvation is soteria and it includes deliverance, salvation welfare, prosperity, preservatton, healing, and safety. So, although we know that every person has died, or will die at some time, we are called to pray for the sick and believe in healing. The results are in God’s hands but we continue to stand in faith and believe. Even when we don’t see it happen, we know that God is good and does not cause sickness and disease. To follow Jesus' example we should pray as the Holy Spirit shows us and listen to what the Father and Jesus is saying. Consider that Jesus did not pray for the lame man at the Temple. But then we see that Peter and John prayed for him in the book of Acts and how he was healed. Even if we don’t see any results we believe to continue to pray because God says so. Eventually you will see results, and t will all be worthwhile.

Healing is not only of the body but of the mind and emotions as well. God wants us to walk in divine health in all areas of our being. We believe in healing because the Bible says that by His stripes we are healed and that He forgives us of all our sins and heals all our diseases. When you are sick it is easy to get depressed and worried, but we know that it is better to focus on the goodness of God and His good plan for our lives.

The overriding truth that we need to realize is that Jesus came to bring the Kingdom of God. This is the Kingdom of the presence of the King on the earth as it is in Heaven. It is not just for some future date but is for now. And healing is part of the Kingdom reality This does not mean that there are no more problems in society or no more sickness, but God’s Kingdom is here, but yet is increasing and expanding in its revelation.

As citizens of the Kingdom of God we want to demonstrate His Kingdom by doing the things that He did. We believe that healing is part of the ongoing Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven, and is a part of the reality of God’s goodness.. It is not us that heals but it is God. We are the vessels used by the governor and administrator of the Kingdom- the Holy Spirit. You see it is the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of Jesus and is working on the earth today to bring people to faith

We believe that the devil was defeated by Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection; he has no authority to put sickness on God’s people. But we live in a fallen world with po and pollution in the air, in food, and in our water. So God will protect you but our part is also to be wise and not put Him to the test, We do need to make a good effort to live healthy and well. We believe that the state of the body and mind is important in protecting us from sickness, and God will watch over us. And if we exercise our faith in His divine power it will help us in our journey in life. Nevertheless, we don’t deny sickness or tell anyone that they got sick because of a lack of faith. This is a Biblical misunderstanding by some groups.

And remember that the greatest healing is that of the spirit made alive and being a new creation. If you have believed in your heart and confessed Christ you are a child of the resurrection and can never die spiritually. This means an eternity with no suffering, pain, or sickness, and a new glorious body.

Serving/Outward Focus

Serving/Outward Focus

In the last two blogs we shared about shaping the culture. This subject may sound similar. In serving and having an outward focus we are speaking of the destiny that God has given each of us. And as a church we serve our community with the gifts and talents that God has given us. We are speaking about having an attitude that is not only inwardly focused. We don’t want to be only concerned with our churches and our fellow church members. Surely that is important; however we want to serve in our churches and outside of them. Jesus said that the greatest is the one who is a servant of all So we want to live this way. We do not want to have a view of us and them. Rather, we want to be available to help those in need.

In speaking about outward focus, I am not advocating for the only social type church. It is vital to be a lover of the presence of God, and to be people of the Scriptures. But if we are only inward focused we are not helping to extend the Kingdom of God, which is what Jesus came preaching. This includes healing the sick, providing for the poor, and comforting and encouraging the afflicted and downcast. Statistics show increases of depression, suicide, drug addiction, alcoholism, and other issues in our culture. We cannot rely only on the government. It is the Church that is to be the agent for change in society.

Serving can be done in many ways. And it is God who gives us the grace to accomplish this. For example we can encourage others, give food if needed, help with a chore, Perhaps he will lead you into an area that is on your heart but you have not yet done anything with it. Maybe you will disciple another Christian to walk closer to God. Some of you may visit prisoners, feed the homeless, set up food banks, or start Bible studies for people that are unchurched. There are many other possibilities. I used to go to Celebrate Recovery meetings, although I was not actively drinking or taking drugs. I did it as an opportunity to speak about the love of God, which is what everyone needs to know. As St. Augustine said: “Preach the gospel at all times, use words if necessary.”

At the time of the writing of this blog, there is much turmoil in our nation, with political division, riots, and a health pandemic. Things have changed so much in the last year. But the good news is that God never changes. Therefore what he taught about the Kingdom of God has not changed. Although there are restrictions, difficulties, and obstacles in times like this, the Church is still called to be the light of the world and to share the love that God has shown us with others. Preaching the gospel and teaching the Bible is vital. However God has called His people to demonstrate His love by putting it into action. If I only tell a hungry person about Jesus but don’t help him to fill His stomach, he will probably not have an understanding of the love of God. I am not saying that each of us will meet every need we encounter, but working together we can make a big difference. As a wonderful missionary in Africa said- our job is only to love the one. In other words it is one at a time, as the Lord enables us.

So I encourage everyone who names the name of Jesus Christ, if you are not involved in serving and reaching outside the church walls, then pray about what God would have you to do. Then speak to other believers and perhaps your pastor, and make a plan. As you refresh others, the Lord will refresh you.

Authentic Relationships

Authentic Relationships

As a community of believers in Jesus Christ, we recognize the importance of authentic relationships within the church. The Church is not about a building but it is about a people. The two great commandments are to love God and to love one another. So we cannot fulfill this without others.

At Encounters Church authentic relationships is one of our core values. We love sharing life together and growing in a safe environment, engaging in worship, activities, groups, and outreaches

Authenticity is defined (Google) as a presence, living in the moment with conviction and confidence and staying true to yourself. Authentic is defined as:genuine,“not false or copied; genuine.”

Authentic relationships do not mean perfect relationships. We all know that even within families there is sometimes strife and offense. But with God in the equation we have empowerment by His grace. We are growing into a family with Christ as the head. Often we can be emotionally affected by the negative behavior of others. But if we examine ourselves and others we know that everyone has some imperfections. But with God’s help we can overlook small offenses and come into a place of understanding

God is a God of restoration. He takes broken and wounded lives and mends them. We are all like one who was beaten and left wounded in the street. Then the good Samaritan came and bound up our wounds and poured oil (medicine) on them, and paid the bill for us and left us in the care of the innkeeper. The good Samaritan is Jesus and we are the wounded ones. But we are also the innkeepers, who take care of those in the restoration process. So as innkeepers we follow Jesus’ instructions and help care for those in need. Therefore authentic relationships validate us as both the wounded ones and the ones providing care. This is the give and take nature of authentic relationships.

We are able to love God even though we can’t see Him. The Bible says that how can we love God who we can’t see, if we don’t love our neighbors who we do see? God puts into our hearts a desire to connect and have true friendships with others. We need not to fear because of past hurts, and trust God to lead us into the right relationships.

Jesus perfectly modeled having authentic relationships . He spent three and a half years with twelve men, teaching them in the ways of the Father, and helping them. He poured out His time and effort into them. He did not belittle, discourage, or barrage them. .He loved them and encouraged them. He saw each one's potential and worked towards them reaching their destinies.

One of the important principles of the Bible is to be our brother’s keeper (not meaning only biological brothers). This is what God confronted Cain with because he was envious of Abel. God said that sin is crouching at your door but don’t let it overcome you. However he chose not to listen but to murder his brother. We may not be murderers but if we hate or are often angry and bitter, it is a similar attitude like a murderer. But now we can fulfill the great two commandments mentioned above which are all about love for God and for people. Jesus has enabled us now to do this through the “new commandment” - love one another as I have loved you.

If you are a parent you know how good you feel it is when your children get along well together or with their friends. It is one of a parent’s great delights! Or if you are a school teacher you will also understand this.. So you can picture how God feels when His children are not getting along.

So we can learn that authentic relationships involve honesty and speaking the truth, but in love. We can respect one another and no longer have quarrels, contentions, gossip, and division. As we follow Jesus and are led by His Spirit we will find ourselves desiring and developing authentic relationships.

So far I have emphasized about authentic relationships in the church. The church is a good place to learn and practice these. But we are called as disciples of Jesus Christ and members of the Kingdom of God to .expand these kinds of relationships outside, wherever we go. This is one of the main ways that people will begin to understand the love of God. So let us have a mindset to put these principles into practice, and thereby will help to have fulfilling lives, effect our culture, and make our world a better place!

The Supernatural

The Supernatural

Mirium Webster defines supernatural as: 1) of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe, especially : of or relating to God or a god, demigod, spirit, or devil 2a departing from what is usual or normal especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature 2b attributed to an invisible agent (such as a ghost or spirit)

As far as the definitions above we confine our beliefs to only two supernatural entities, God and Satan. However we will confine our discussion to the realm of God. We do not deny Satan’s existence but consider him a defeated foe, who Christ triumphed over by His cross and resurrection. Satan has no authority over blood bought believers, unless we allow it. But that is a discussion for another time.

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible, we know that we have a supernatural God, who has and is working in the universe in the supernatural realm. As His children, we are heirs of God and partakers of His glory. Therefore He is not withholding anything from us.

So being that we are His children, we are also in a sense supernatural beings. What sets us apart from the animal kingdom is that we can have a relationship with our creator. This is because we are three part beings, spirit, soul, and body. We are able to communicate with our creator by our senses, nature, impressions, other people, dreams, visions, and other means, Jesus came as the light of the world and to reveal the light of the Father If you have received Jesus as your Lord and savior, you re now a supernatural being because you have experienced new birth through the Holy Spirit. At Encounters Church we desire to have supernatural encounters with God on an ongoing basis.

Even if you have not yet believed in Jesus you are a supernatural being by way of your birth. First of all, consider how complex the human body and mind are, No matter how much science has advanced in its study, there is still much more that has not been untapped. And consider that you have a spirit within you that is made in God’s image. The Father wants to draw you to Himself. He does this by the Holy Spirit making your spirit alive to the love of Jesus Christ.

When you believe you are moved out of spiritual darkness into God’s light. Your spirit is completely saved. But the soul, the mind, emotions, and will needs to be renewed. This is the lifetime process of transformation. As we are focusing on the Lord and asking for more revelation, the supernatural will become more a regular occurrence in our lives.

Some of the more dramatic supernatural occurrences that we can see are according to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. That is words of wisdom, words of knowledge, discerning of spirits, miracles, healings, faith, prophecy, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. . A more full explanation of these gifts would take too much time for this blog but can perhaps be shared in the future. We have frequently seen some of these gifts manifest in our meetings.

But there are other supernatural occurrences and manifestations that are just as, or more important. Some of these are people going from hate to love, bitterness to joy, anxiety to peace, cursing to blessing, selfishness to kindness, unfaithfulness to faithfulness, and more.. These are supernatural works of the Holy Spirit that is beyond what any therapy apart from Christ could accomplish. This is what we call the fruit of the Spirit.

Another supernatural work of God is repentance. This is not just turning away from sin. It is a change of mind The Bible tells us that it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance. When we get a revelation in our hearts of the love of God, the finished work of the cross, and our identity as new creations, sons and daughters of God, this is the type of change of mind that will cause us to walk in the supernatural.

So, now when we pray we can release the supernatural from Heaven, and believe, and expect such things to happen. The Father has made us partakers of the divine nature and now because of His goodness we can belief for the supernatural by faith in Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God is Good

God is Good

For the LORD is good, His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:5 NASB

As it says in the Bible verse above God is good all the time and forever. Lovingkindness is a combination of the two words loving and kindness. God loves us in this way by expressing His love in His kindness towards people and the world overall.The Hebrew word is “chesed” and is best understood in that His love is always expressed in kindness.

But you might say, “why is there so much suffering in the world” and “why is there so much evil in the world, Or it is said “there is so much unkindness in the world-what’s the deal?”

God is so loving that He has given us free will in order to choose good or evil. He did not want a world full of robots to just automatically do what Heaven desires. We can freely choose God or not. The evil we see is not any lack on God’s part but is the consequences of wrong choices by people now and throughout history.

God made the world as His perfect creation and made people in His image. By virtue of your birth you have the breath of God in you. As His creation, we need to seek Him as the expression based on the three men that looked for baby Jesus- “wise men still seek Him.”

As we look around us, regardless of any problems or trying circumstances we may be facing, we can see the goodness of God all around us. We can see it in the beauty of nature, animals, and people we know or new ones we meet. God is the master craftsman who has put all the beauty we see together.

If you are not seeing and realizing the goodness of God to you, then look deeper, and call out to Him. God will not disappoint you. He shows His love and kindness is many ways that we often take for granted.

King David said that his desire was to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Ps. 27:13). That desire is faith and God has given a portion of faith to everyone. The more we seek Him, the more we find Him, and become aware of His goodness.

God is a loving Father and knows what is best for us. He never sends sickness or disease, although we see it around us. Would we give sickness, disease, or injury to our children? Of course not; so why would we blame God for these things.

The ultimate proof of the goodness of God is that He sent Jesus to live as a man. Thereby He is able to identify with us and all our hardships and sorrow. Now, through Jesus’ death on the cross and rising from the dead we can participate in His life , just as He has participated in our lives and continues to.

God’s business is that of reconciliation and reformation. We all have “missed the mark” in many ways. But His plan is to bring us to a revelation of how good He really is and how great is His love for us . He has loved us with an everlasting love and drawn us with lovingkindness (Jeremiah 31:3) . This is always God’s will for you. So God wants to reconcile us which means bring us to Him. He also wants to bring about reformation in our lives and others. The word means just what it says- re-form-ation. It is that act of changing and reforming that will ultimately change our culture and the world. But we must always start with ourselves first.

The great news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that God is so good that He already did everything necessary for this reconciliation and reformation. Our part is only to believe and to trust Him.

Our desire at Encounters Church is too always remember that God is good and that His desire is to heal the hearts of people. In our knowledge and experience of this we always want to honor, love, and respect all people and give them the dignity of their identity as children of God.

His Presence

You will make known to me the path of life; In the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy; at His right hand there are pleasures forever more. (Ps. 16:11).

We live. in a world where we often have much stress, anxiety, and troubles. Many people have lost jobs, had health problems, financial problems, loss of family members and friends. With the onset of Covid19 and other national and world issues, we live in turmultuos times.

We are all part of God’s created human family and He greatly loves us all. With the pressures and demands of life, as well as our own inadequacies and doubts, we can feel alone, even in the midst of being with others. But the truth is that you are not alone. Our creator God did not just make this world and then abandon it . He is concerned with everything, especially with people. Therefore we need to look to God for the solution to all our problems and fears.

Since God’s heart is inclined towards you, you can call to Him and He will hear and act. And even if you don’t think so or you have tried this without any visible result, it is just a matter of time. You need patience while you wait. But be encouraged that God is for you.

We need to have the proper mindset and the answers to our prayers will frequently happen through the encouragement of others. There is so much beyond us in the spiritual realm and we need to start grasping it.. But frequently our old habits and thinking patterns hold us back.

We have found that there is power in the unity of group dynamics. You can see this in political, social, and cultural unity. There is also a spiritual unity, At Encounters Church we have found that the power of this spiritual unity is enhanced by the value of the presence of God. This is one of our core values.

We embrace the presence of God in everything we do, not only in church, but in our everyday lives. We love to create an atmosphere where anyone can sense the presence of God. We recognize that God is with us and we desire to make room for Him in every area of our lives. So as believers in Jesus Christ we have a great inheritance in God and Christ. We live by faith, not feelings, but He wants us to feel how near He is. We desire to create an atmosphere that when we pray, praise, worship,or hear preaching, we can feel His nearness and have intimacy with Father God and Jesus. The presence of God is not reserved for the pastors or leaders. No, it is for everyone who believes. Even those who don’t believe can also feel His presence and say “Wow, I sensed something different among you. I think you people have been with Jesus.”

In the presence of the Lord we are being gradually changed;. We call this transformation. We are being transformed into His image. We spend time with Jesus because He loved us so much that He died in our place to save us from our sins. How can we know Him better but by spending time in His presence?

It is important to be in a congregation that values the presence of the Lord. We have found at Encounters Church that as we gather corporately in desiring this, we come to know the presence of God in our lives more. We are now experiencing as our name says “encounters” with our loving Father God and His Son Jesus Christ..

We would be overwhelmingly blessed if you can visit us sometime at Encounters Church and join us in this experience. And we are confident that you too will be blessed!

As it says in Psalm 84:1-2, How lovely are Your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts! My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.