carmel: A MAGAZINE PUBLISHED BY CARMEL MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL
Article by Pastor Gerri Di Somma
REVIVE US WITH PASSION, PURPOSE AND POWER Teaching by Pastor Michelle Di Somma
carmel: MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL
ISSUE 40
REVIVE US AGAIN
CARMEL: PARTNERSHIP
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A partner is a sharer An associate, one who engages with another in business, one who plays on the same side as another. Partnership is important It releases power to get the job done. We can accomplish the Great Commission together in unity. Partnership in prayer We believe it is vital for every partner to develop a strong personal prayer life, and to pray for the leadership for godly wisdom and direction from the Lord. Partnership in caring We are instructed to watch over and take care of the partners in our charge (Acts 20:28). Partnership in sharing The whole ministry of sharing is to give oneself in the areas of love, time, talents and finances.
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EXECUTIVE EditorS GERRI AND Michelle Di Somma PRODUCED BY WWW.CRE8ION.CO.UK Printers yeomans Bible quotations are from the New King James Version unless stated otherwise. All teachings in this edition are abridged. Full versions are available to order on CD or DVD.
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carmel: A MAGAZINE PUBLISHED BY CARMEL MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL
ISSUE 40
He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Luke 9:2
WELCOME
CONTENTS
This year has been an exciting journey for us as we have continued to implement God’s strategy to fulfil His vision for Carmel City Church. In March, we launched our second campus in the city of Bristol. Both our campuses have grown numerically and we are now looking forward to the launch of our third campus this September. The campuses are linked to our existing site via live streaming and they enable us to fulfil the first stage of our God-given vision to ‘cover our city’.
6:00pm will continue as usual at Carmel Centre, Brislington.
For our local readers, please note that Carmel’s service times are changing: from Sunday 22nd September, all campuses will meet at 10:00am. The evening service at
We’ve also included an overview of our annual ‘Prayer, Praise and Prophecy Conference’ and ‘Valiant Men’s Conference’. In addition, there are other teachings and testimonies that will bless and empower you in your Christian life.
Recently, God has been challenging us concerning our responsibility to be personally revived in order for revival to come to our city and nation. We have incorporated a couple of these messages into this edition of Carmel: Life because we believe they will help you to create an atmosphere for revival in your own city and nation (see ‘Revive Us Again’ on page 8 and ‘Revive Us With Passion, Purpose And Power’ on page 12).
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C:VIEW Prayer, Praise and Prophecy Conference Valiant Men’s Conference
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ARTICLE Revive Us Again By Pastor Gerri Di Somma
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TEACHING Revive Us With Passion, Purpose And Power By Pastor Michelle Di Somma
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TEACHING Evidence Of Resurrection By Pastor Gerri Di Somma
16
TEACHING The Power Of Covenant By Pastor Gerri Di Somma
18
PETRA Testimonies
Thank you for taking the time to read these articles. Enjoy the Journey.
CONTACT CARMEL CENTRE 817a Bath Road, Brislington Bristol BS4 5NL T: (0117) 977 5533 F: (0117) 977 5678 W: www.carmelcitychurch.org
Gerri and Michelle Di Somma
EVENTS
SERVICES Sun 09:00am – SuN 11:00am – sun 6:00pm
SEPTEMBER Fri 27th – Sun 29th
OCTOBER Wed 30th – Sun 2nd Nov
Valiant Men’s Advance
aGODthing! Conference 2013, ‘Discover’
Sun 29th – 6:00pm Guest Artist: Charles Graham
DECEMBER Sun 22nd – 6:00pm Christmas Carol Service
Wed 25th – 9:00am Christmas Day Service
Tues 31st – 9:00pm
PLEASE NOTE: Carmel’s service times are changing to 10:00am from the 22nd of September. The 6:00pm evening service will continue as normal.
New Year’s Eve ‘Prayer, Praise and Prophecy’
Please note some of the dates and times of up-and-coming events may be subject to change. See Carmel’s website for all the latest information.
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Prayer, Praise & Prophecy This May, Pastors Gerri and Michelle Di Somma welcomed back Pastors Paul and Karen Brady for Carmel’s third annual Prayer, Praise and Prophecy Conference. These conferences have become affectionately known as ‘Three Nights of Glory’. This is an apt title for the three evening services in which God’s glory was manifest among those who gathered for the conference at Carmel Centre. Pastors Paul and Karen are the founders and senior pastors of Living Rivers, which has churches in Europe and the US. They are regular visitors to Carmel City Church and are friends of the ministry. Throughout the conference, Carmel’s Worship Team led the congregation members into praise and worship. Frequently, Pastor Paul ministered during these times of worship, bringing prophetic utterances and exhortations to the congregation. Not one night was the same. Every evening was different and nothing was predictable. The following is a summary of the three nights of glory: Church With A Difference On the opening night, Pastor Paul taught from two passages of scripture in the book of Acts. Starting with Acts 2:1-4, he expressed the vital difference 4
between intellectual knowledge of God and personal knowledge of God. “Stop being intellectually stimulated and just become a seeker of God. He wants to reach further than your intellect, He wants to know you intimately,” he said. Pastor Paul further highlighted that Christians don’t need to settle for simply knowing that God is present ‘by faith’. He exhorted that Christians can physically know that God is present by experiencing His manifest presence through a relationship with Him: “You don’t have to fake anything in God; you’ve got the real deal.” Pastor Paul shared that praying in tongues is a key to prevent Christians from becoming dependent upon their intellect, enabling them to connect with the spiritual realm. “You can go deeper in your relationship with God, you can go deeper in prayer, but you’ve got to push, you’ve got to make the effort,” he said. Next, using Acts 10:34-48, Pastor Paul addressed the congregation regarding church services, declaring that, “Church is changing.” He explained that God knows the needs of the people who attend church meetings and He wants to meet those needs. Pastor Paul warned that restricting services to predetermined systems can hinder what God wants to say and do: “He knows what to say and
when to say it, but we’ve boxed Him out with our format and sermons.” Pastor Paul explained that when Peter spoke to Cornelius’ household concerning the Gospel of Jesus, the Holy Spirit interrupted his sermon to baptise the listeners with His presence. “The Holy Spirit didn’t wait respectfully until Peter had finished,” he confirmed. Pastor Paul continued to describe that this event exemplifies how church should be: “What God did was visible; the people saw and heard God at work. And He’s ready to do something in our churches today, but He needs us to work with Him and allow Him the freedom to do what He wants.” Opportunities In Impossibilities Saturday evening was characterised by prophecy, praise and marching. At the beginning of the service, God spoke prophetically: “Change, change change, things are changing.” Additional prophetic words came throughout the service, emphasising that change starts with a heartfelt decision to be willing for change. “Often we want God to change our circumstances, but God wants to change us. In changing us, He gives us the power and the authority to change the circumstances,” summarised Pastor Gerri. As the meeting continued, more prophecies confirmed God’s desire to facilitate change in people’s lives:
“One small adjustment in the spiritual brings one great adjustment in the natural,” prophesied Pastor Gerri. “An adjustment in the Spirit will bring readjustment to natural situations and circumstances.” Pastor Paul explained that people go to chiropractors for adjustments in their joints, but those who need spiritual adjustment must allow God to put things back into place. Pastor Paul also addressed the congregation about situations that seem impossible to overcome. He told them to no longer view circumstances as obstacles, but as facilitators of defining moments, where God proves Himself to be God. “If a moment of impossibility has presented itself to you, you must see that this is one of these times of greatest opportunity,” he said. Exuberant rejoicing followed. People danced, clapped, jumped, sang and shouted in God’s presence. Pastor Paul spontaneously started singing, “With the high praises of God in our mouth and a two-edged sword in our hand, we’ll march right on to the victory side, right into Canaan’s land.” This began a time of marching. Pastor Paul instructed the congregation to leave their seats and to march around the auditorium. Although it seemed unusual at first, as they marched, God’s presence became more evident and tangible. “This is prophetic,” exclaimed
Pastor Paul. “God is mobilising us. We’re taking back the land. Some things have been holding us back, but the walls of opposition are coming down tonight.” Holy Ghost Interruption On the final evening of the conference, Pastor Paul returned to the account of Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10. However, he only spoke for a short time because the Holy Spirit brought demonstration to the very message Pastor Paul was preaching. Pastor Paul read: While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. Acts 10:44. And before Pastor Paul got very far into his message, the Holy Spirit took control of the service. While Pastor Paul was still speaking, Pastor Michelle received a prophetic word for him and Karen. As she spoke what God had given her, God’s power came upon Pastor Paul and Karen and they fell to the floor. Pastor Gerri stood up to resume the preaching. Picking up from where Pastor Paul had left off, he taught that the Holy Spirit pours Himself upon anybody who is hungry for God. He showed how Cornelius’ hunger and desperation for God caused Him to move upon Peter, who was in another city, to bring the word of truth to him.
However, the Holy Spirit was not finished with what He wanted to do in the service. After only a few minutes, Pastor Michelle received a prophetic word for herself and Pastor Gerri. As she spoke, God’s power was manifest and they both fell to the floor. The Holy Spirit had indeed interrupted the service just as He had interrupted Peter while he was preaching to Cornelius and his family. Pastor Michelle then stood and brought more prophetic words. She also prayed for specific people as God led her. Following this, she prayed for everyone who wanted to receive God’s fire. “I believe God wants us to pray for those of you that say, ‘God, light a fire in me,’” she said. Many people responded and received a touch from God. Three Nights To Remember Every year, the Prayer, Praise and Prophecy Conference has been a significant event in Carmel’s calendar, and this year was no different. Pastors Gerri and Michelle believe that this year’s conference was a crucial foundation for the next stage of God’s vision for the church at Carmel.
The DVDs and CDs of the Conference are available from the Carmel Bookshop. www.carmelbookshop.org 5
Valiant Men’s Conference
2013
This June, men at Carmel City Church encountered the ultimate Wild West experience at this year’s Valiant Men’s Conference themed, 1:Life. During the two-day conference, men were taught the importance of making life count.
David taught the men how to make their lives count by fulfilling their potential and leaving a legacy.
“Elijah received a bad report and then he ran from God’s plan, calling and destiny.”
The following is an overview of the conference.
The stage was aptly decorated to look like a scene from the Wild West with bales of hay, large wagon wheels and wooden fencing. Some men even entered into the spirit of the conference theme, dressed in checkered shirts and cowboy hats, but all of the men entered into the realm of God’s Spirit through praise, worship, teaching and prophecy.
Pastor David opened the conference on the Friday evening addressing the men concerning living their lives with purpose. “You have a destiny to fulfil,” he said. “You were created in God’s image and He has placed His seed of destiny inside of you.” The men were exhorted to realise that they were not designed to live a mediocre life but to be pioneers in God’s kingdom. “You are full of God’s purposes, ideas and dreams. It’s in you,” affirmed Pastor David.
“Who is steering the course of your destiny?” challenged Pastor David. He exhorted the men to stop running from fear or opposition and to start believing God’s purposes for their lives and living them. “You overcome by speaking out the promises that God has for you,” he concluded.
Conference host, Pastor Gerri Di Somma, welcomed Pastor David McDonald as the special guest speaker. It was a God-ordained reunion for the two men since they originally knew each other more than twenty years ago when Pastor David was then one of Pastor Gerri’s students at Rhema Bible College. Pastor David is now an international minister of the Gospel, possessing a God-given prophetic anointing. Together, Pastor Gerri and Pastor 6
Living WITH Purpose
The men were warned that the devil wants to keep them in no-mans-land, in a position of stalemate so that they don’t achieve their potential or leave a legacy. “The devil will whisper lies to keep you bound. These lies often come through the negative words of others,” taught Pastor David. The example of Elijah’s life was given to demonstrate the powerful effect of negative words:
Living Free From Secret Sin Saturday morning began with a teaching from Pastor Gerri regarding the destructive nature of secret sins and the necessity of overcoming them. “Callings and destinies are aborted because people are not willing to deal with secret sins,” he said. “They will destroy your ability to operate in God’s power and to live out His promises.” Pastor Gerri explained that secret sins are works of the flesh and include anything that cause a person to depend upon themselves rather than depend upon God and His ability. The men were told that to overcome sin they must be ruthless with their flesh nature: “If you’re not ruthless with
your flesh, your flesh will be ruthless with you!” The account of when Joshua and the Israelites fought against the city of Ai was used as an example to show how covetous desire leads to disobedience, detection and destruction. “God always gives you an opportunity to repent privately, but if you reject His grace, your sin will be exposed and then the consequences are greater,” warned Pastor Gerri. “God will forgive and restore you, but people don’t forget and they will question your integrity.” The men were exhorted to take drastic action against sin and to develop their characters to sustain them for the journey: “Remain faithful to finish your race. Keep your eyes on Jesus and you will never fall. Depend upon Him in every situation.” Living In Productivity Following this, Pastor David spoke to the men about creating a culture of supernatural productivity. “Did you know that men can be barren?” he asked. “If you’re not producing, then you’re barren. But God did not create you to be barren, He created you to prosper.”
Teaching from Genesis 1:28-30, Pastor David showed how God created man to produce by giving him seed. “You have been pre-packaged and foreordained to prosper,” he said. “It came from the beginning of the world. It’s not an external function but an inside ability.” The men were told that they have something to sow, whether it be money, service, time, love, mercy, hope, knowledge or grace, since it is part of who God created them to be. “The more you sow, the more you’ll receive,” said Pastor David. “Barrenness comes when you stop sowing.” Pastor David encouraged the men to sow according to God’s realm in order to receive His kingdom rewards. “You represent Him and His kingdom, which is a kingdom of productivity,” he said. “You were born to produce, both naturally and supernaturally.” Living In Power After the powerful morning sessions, Saturday afternoon was a time of relaxation and fellowship for the men: they enjoyed a delicious BBQ, some free time and watched a film.
The final session of the conference took place on Saturday evening and was open for the ladies to attend. Pastor Gerri taught on the power of covenant. “The calling, destiny and purpose of your life is connected to your marriage covenant,” he said.
You can read an abridged version of Pastor Gerri’s message on pages 16-17 of this magazine. Living For Destiny For the men at Carmel, this conference was a life-changing encounter with God where they were set on course to fulfil their destiny. Pastor David flowed in his prophetic gifting, prophesying over many men, confirming and re-affirming their God-given potential.
CDs and DVDs of all conference sessions are available for purchase from the Carmel Bookshop: www.carmelbookshop.org 7
ARTICLE BY PASTOR GERRI DI SOMMA Psalm 85 is a prayer for revival and verse six asks a key question of God: will you not revive us again? The question is rhetorical because we understand that God will indeed revive His people. However, since the writer was asking for the nation of Israel to be revived again, the question reveals that they had stopped living in a perpetual state of revival.
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Continually Revived The word ‘revive’ in the original Hebrew language means to be alive, to live and to keep alive. This definition shows us that revival is not just a one-off occurrence, but a continual state and condition of being revived. Often, Christians mistakenly believe that revival happens when God randomly chooses to pour out His Spirit for no reason. Although God is sovereign and could operate in this way, we must realise that, as Christians, we each have a responsibility to be personally revived. When a church is full of believers who are all individually revived, revival is the inevitable outcome. The reason revival tarries is because Christians themselves are not revived. Relationship Not Religion We must learn an important lesson from history: great revivals of the past became denominations that hindered the Spirit’s outpouring because they fell into the trap of religion. Instead of nurturing a relationship with God and allowing Him to lead them to the next thing He had in store for them, these Christians stopped moving with God’s Spirit and attempted to contain Him to their experience. Although the revivals initially produced movements that demonstrated God’s glory, they eventually became monuments of religion. Denominations were created to represent the revival, the ‘move of God’, but God was no longer in their midst because the Christians had not continued to be personally revived in their relationship with Him. The result was a religious façade.
Intimacy Not Imitation We mustn’t judge, for many Christians in churches today have equally turned Christianity into a religious duty and neglected intimacy with God. They have ceased to seek God because they love Him, but instead merely seek His blessings. For example, tithing because we want God to rebuke the devourer is motivated by religion, whereas tithing because we love God is motivated by
relationship. The former reveals that we have slipped into religion and stopped living in a continual state of revival. Religion causes people to attend church for the wrong reasons. Some attend to pacify their religious consciences; they believe going to church is the right thing to do and so they attend in order to satisfy their consciences. Others attend church because they view it as a social club, a place to socialise with their friends. We must be careful with this attitude towards church. The church is indeed God’s family where we will make friends, but friendships must not be the motivating factor for attending church. Our motive must always be Jesus. Rather than pursuing God and His presence, Christians who attend church for the wrong reasons have settled for less than God’s best, an imitation of true Christianity. Outwardly, it may appear that they have an authentic relationship with God, but internally they are far from Him. These Christians have settled for an imitation. They need to be revived into a living relationship with God. Presence Not Principles God never intended that we live our lives according to religion; Jesus died so that we could be united in an intimate relationship with the Father and be filled with His presence through the Holy Spirit. However, the global church has failed to teach new believers to know God in an intimate way. Instead, the church has taught people religious principles about God. Therefore, churches are full of people who don’t know God and are not filled with His Holy Spirit.
A recent ministry trip highlighted this to me. I was ministering to approximately twenty Pentecostal congregations at a conference. At the end of one of my messages, God prompted me to pray for people to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Since the core belief of Pentecostalism concerns baptism in the Holy Spirit, I didn’t expect many people to respond to this altar call. But to my surprise, three quarters of the people indicated that they had not yet been filled with God’s Spirit!
This experience deepened my conviction regarding the necessity of God’s presence in the lives of Christians. It’s futile to teach God’s Word concerning holiness or righteous living if people don’t have God’s holy and righteous presence in them. It’s impossible to obey God and His Word without His empowering presence in us. That’s why we need to be revived. The Purpose Of Revival: To Be One With God The purpose of revival runs deeper than being revived in our relationship with God. Knowing that His destined end on earth was approaching, Jesus prayed for His disciples and all who would later believe in Him. His words during this prayer reveal the purpose of revival. He prayed: “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. John 17:21. The purpose of revival is not so that we can simply enjoy God’s manifest presence, but that we may become one with God and thereby demonstrate Him to those who don’t know Him. Revival is not for the world per se, but it is for us to be one with God, to be personally revived and to take God’s presence into the world. Our lives are the only proof that Jesus rose from the dead since there is no historical evidence. As Christians, we are bearers of God’s presence. Unless we demonstrate Him, the world will never know that Jesus is alive. But we cannot demonstrate Him if His presence is not evident in our own lives. And if His presence is not evident, it is a sure sign that we
need to be revived once again in our relationship with God; it’s an indicator that we are not yet one with Him. Jesus Himself lived in a continual state of revival since He was one with the Father. He demonstrated this by doing only what He saw the Father do, and speaking only the words He heard God speak (John 5:19; 12:49-50). Every aspect of Jesus’ life demonstrated the Father. He said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” John 14:9. 9
Jesus was able to demonstrate the Father because He was one with the Father and had been empowered with the Holy Spirit: God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with Him. Acts 10:38. The same Holy Spirit who empowered Jesus to demonstrate God to the world through healings and miracles dwells within us. Therefore, our lives should also testify of God’s presence and demonstrate His ability. Take this simple test to see if you are truly revived and demonstrating God to the world: insert your name into Acts 10:38. For example, ‘God anointed Gerri Di Somma with the Holy Spirit and with power who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with him’. If it remains a true statement with your name in it, then you are truly revived in your relationship with God. If not, you need to be revived!
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Who Else Needs To Be Revived? We’ve already discovered some indicators that reveal our need to be revived. Here are more that we can measure ourselves against and 10
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Prayer is no longer important. Instead of praying daily, we only pray occasionally and attending prayer meetings is not high on our agendas.
Sins can be indulged without an uproar in the conscience. Rationalising sin to the point that the conscience is no longer pricked.
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There is no longer hunger for God’s Word. Rather than desiring our lives to be transformed by biblical truths, we only search the Bible for information.
Mouthing hymns and scriptures but not touched in the heart. Ritual takes the place of intimacy and our thoughts are far from the words we’re singing or speaking.
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Too tired to attend church but have energy for secular entertainment. Leisure activities are more appealing than God’s presence.
Hearing God’s name and standards mocked does not cause indignation. Finding pleasure and amusement in media that mocks our Saviour.
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Listening to, reading and watching morally degrading material in the name of entertainment. Justifying that’s it’s merely entertainment and doesn’t have any significance.
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Not bothered about divisions and quarrels within the church fellowship. Rather than promoting unity within the church, we indulge in gossip.
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No concern about injustice and human misery. Not attempting to alleviate the misery of others by praying for them or financially supporting organisations that help such people.
discover if we have allowed religion to creep in and take the place of a relationship with God:
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Acquisition of possessions is more important than the acquisition of truth. Expending more energy and resources on temporal belongings rather than investing in eternity. Not caring about people dying and going to hell. Indifference to the spiritual condition of others. Spiritual discussions are embarrassing. Feeling uncomfortable when people talk about Jesus outside of the church environment.
with God by not allowing religious duty to replace intimacy.
If we can locate ourselves in one or more of these then we too need to be revived! A Revived People And Church When the people of God are revived, revival will emanate from church congregations. The salvation of sinners and the reformation of society will quickly follow. But it starts with us. We each have a responsibility to remain revived in our relationship
If you recognise that you are not revived, don’t wait another moment to put that right. Repent of neglecting your intimacy with God and you will be instantly restored into fellowship with Him. Then, keep that relationship alive through daily communion with Him. Revive us again oh Lord that revival may come to our nation!
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As Christians, we are bearers of God’s presence. Unless we demonstrate Him, the world will never know that Jesus is alive.
Since Psalm 85 is a prayer for revival, it reveals certain truths concerning the provision, position, process and promise of revival. Studying this Psalm in more depth will help you to revive your relationship with God and to live in a perpetual state of revival. The full series ‘Revive Us Again’ is available to purchase from the Carmel Bookshop: www.carmelbookshop.org
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revive us with passion purpose and power TEACHING BY PASTOR MICHELLE DI SOMMA At this moment in history, ‘revival’ seems to be the buzzword on every Christian’s lips. Many talk about it. Some churches are even experiencing it: God’s Spirit is being poured out and people are receiving Christ’s salvation, healing and deliverance. If asked, most Christians would say that they want revival in their churches, but few realise that revival actually starts in their own lives. Revival Needs Us Often, when we pray for revival, we do not truly appreciate the full implications of our prayers. We imagine that revival will happen without our involvement, co-operation and commitment. However, true revival requires something of us: it starts within us and is dependent upon our participation. We must experience personal revival in our own lives before revival can happen in our churches and communities. And it doesn’t end there, either. We must also continue to live in a state of revival if we desire God to accomplish His eternal purposes in and through us. Jesus exemplified what it means to experience and live in revival. There are three specific areas of His life that we can learn from and implement in our own lives: passion, purpose and power. 1. Jesus Lived With Passion Passion has many facets and connotations, but the passions in Jesus’ life were God and mankind. Jesus demonstrated His passion for God through submission to His will, and He demonstrated His passion for mankind by laying down His life. He was willing to suffer the agony of crucifixion so that we could be identified with His death, burial and resurrection. 12
For us to become personally revived, we too must first and foremost have a passion for God. Since His passion is for people, a passion for mankind will be the automatic overflow. Our passion for God is demonstrated in the same way that Jesus demonstrated His passion: a submitted life that is laid down for God’s purposes. As His disciples, Jesus expects us to follow His example. He said: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24. To deny self means to disown and renounce self, to subjugate all interests and enjoyments. This sounds harsh, but remember that the cross is a symbol of death. The Apostle Paul understood this principle. He wrote: I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. Galatians 2:20. If we truly desire revival in our churches and communities, like Paul, we must die to self and live for God. We must die to every ungodly desire and influence; we must choose conviction over preference; we must yield to God and His desires instead of yielding to the desires of our flesh. For God’s life to flow in and through us, our passion must be directed toward Him alone.
Ask yourself: Am I willing to die to my to selfish passions and allow God to resurrect a passion for His purpose in my life? 2. Jesus Lived With Purpose Usually, Christians equate ‘purpose’ with ‘calling’ or ‘destiny’. Although they are linked, we frequently miss the greatest purpose of our lives and our churches: prayer. Leonard Ravenhill wrote: The ministry of preaching is open to few; the ministry of prayer – the highest ministry of all human offices – is open to all. * Prayer is so vital to our Christian lives; it has even been compared to the necessity of air for breathing. Equally, prayer is essential to revival. Revival will only come through prayer since nothing spiritual is birthed outside of prayer. Again, Jesus is our example. He frequently set time aside to simply pray (Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16, 6:12). Through prayer, Jesus received direction from God. Likewise, we receive God’s direction for our lives and churches through prayer. Prayer opens our hearts and ears to God. If we don’t hear God’s direction, we will
not be able to follow Him and establish His kingdom in and through our lives. There are many scriptures that teach us about prayer. For example, the Apostle Paul pointed to the need for constant spiritual prayer: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Ephesians 6:18, and Jude exhorted that faith in God is developed through prayer: building yourself up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Jude 1:20. Prayer is a very powerful weapon. We must not treat it with contempt for it is the very thing that God has ordained to change the current condition of our lives, cities and nations. God wants to pour out His presence to bring salvation, healing and deliverance to His creation, but He needs an appropriate environment in which He can manifest Himself. We facilitate that environment through prayer.
Ask yourself: Am I willing to pray like never before, both privately and publicly, to create an environment for God to manifest His presence? 3. Jesus Lived With Power Everywhere Jesus went, He demonstrated God’s power. He healed
diseases, raised the dead, multiplied food and calmed storms, to name but a few of His miraculous demonstrations. Likewise, the book of Acts records the power of God operating through believers in the early church. However, the sad fact is that most Christians and most churches today don’t experience or operate in God’s power. When I questioned God about it, He said: “The church is powerless because of disobedience.” Disobedience is the thief of the church; it paralyses people, preventing them from doing God’s will. The Bible is full of stories of people who were robbed of their destiny through disobedience. Our obedience to God and His Word is crucial because it determines the success of our Christian lives and it determines whether or not God’s power is released in and through us. For example, Jesus received the Holy Spirit because He was obedient to His Father’s instructions to be baptised by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17; Luke 3:21-22). From that moment, He received God’s power to perform miracles. Equally, Jesus’ disciples were obedient to His instruction to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the promised Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49). Following
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For God’s life to flow in and through us, our passion must be directed toward Him alone.
their obedience, they received the fire and power of the Holy Spirit, and that same day 3,000 people were added to the church (Acts 2:41). That’s a move of God! That’s revival! And it was the result of their obedience. As Christians, we received God’s power when we were filled with the Holy Spirit, but that’s just the starting point. Every day we must yield to Him and allow His power to work through us. For revival to truly manifest, we must yield to God and obey His instructions, whatever they may be. For example, if God says, “Hold meetings every night of the week,” we must be willing to obey despite the cost.
Ask yourself: Am I willing to yield and obey God every day of my life? Be Revived for Revival! Revival will only come when we are personally revived, so don’t just desire revival - actually live it. Start today: choose passion over apathy, indifference and lukewarm living, choose purpose over aimless praying and choose power over disobedience. Be revived for revival! * Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill 13
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the only proof of His re surr tion is His indwelling presenec ce in us.
Exhibit A.
Evidence Of Resurrection TEACHING BY PASTOR GERRI DI SOMMA
Central to our Christian faith are the fundamental truths concerning the life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Yet, to those who don’t know Jesus, these historical events are questionable. How then can they know with certainty that Jesus is still alive today?
Show Us The Evidence Just as a judge uses evidence to determine the truth about a situation, we must present clear evidence to prove without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is alive and real. 14
The evidence of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is not the empty tomb or the testimony of witnesses. Even His missing body does not prove His resurrection since some claimed that His disciples stole it. Equally, the
religious debates of theologians, the historical evidence of archeologists and the speculation of philosophers do not prove that Jesus is alive. The proof of Jesus’ resurrection is not found in any of these things;
the only proof of His resurrection is His indwelling presence in us. Examining The Evidence Jesus’ death and resurrection has accomplished everything we need to live successful Christian lives. He defeated the power of sin and the devil, and through Him we have a new life of love, joy and peace. Our new lives should testify that Jesus is alive since the presence of God Himself lives within us. The world should know that Jesus is alive simply by observing the evidence in our lives. It is often said that the only Jesus the world can see is the Jesus in us. This is a true statement. Therefore, it’s pertinent to ask ourselves whether our lives demonstrate Jesus in a way that causes unbelieving friends and family members to take notice and make enquires about our faith. This happened in my life. When I was an unbeliever, a fellow musician friend of mine became a Christian and I noticed that her life changed dramatically. This caused to me start enquiring about God. Likewise, when I became a Christian, the changes that took place in my life proved the reality of God to my son. As individual Christians and as the Body of Christ, we are God’s witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus and the salvation that is found in Him. The fourth chapter of Ephesians shows us three undeniable proofs of God’s indwelling presence within believers. These proofs should be evident in our lives and point others to Jesus. 1. A Life Imprisoned In Love Love is the first evidence of the resurrected life of Jesus within us. A life imprisoned in love means to be held captive by God’s love. Someone who is held captive is a prisoner who has no personal rights or choices, but is subject to do only what he is told to do. In Ephesians 4:1, the Apostle Paul described himself as a ‘prisoner of the Lord’. By identifying himself as God’s prisoner, Paul acknowledged that his life was subject to God’s will and that he was submitted to do whatever God required of him.
When writing to the church at Corinth, Paul expressed that he was a prisoner of God’s love: for the love of Christ compels us. 2 Corinthians 5:14. The word ‘compel’ in the original Greek language means to constrain, press and compress, which, by implication, means to be held captive. The Good News Translation puts it this way: we are ruled by the love of Christ. God’s love should compel, constrain and direct us as His prisoners to love others. This includes loving fellow Christians, neighbours and enemies (John 13:34-35; Matthew 22:3740; Luke 6:35). Sometimes it seems easier to love our neighbours and enemies than to love fellow believers. While we excuse the offences of neighbours and enemies because they don’t know God’s law, we claim that Christians should know better. This attitude makes it difficult for us to extend love towards our brethren. That’s why Paul implored that we walk in humility, gentleness and patience towards one another. This is the evidence of love and it results in unity (Ephesians 4:2-3). 2. A Walk Empowered By Faith Faith is the second evidence of the resurrected life of Jesus within us. God has given every Christian a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). That measure is Jesus Himself; He lives in us, but those who don’t develop their relationship with Him will not increase in faith. It is essential to develop our faith because faith leads to a testimony of an overcoming life: this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. 1 John 5:4. This overcoming life demonstrates and points to Jesus. The most significant thing that needs to be overcome is not the devil because Jesus has defeated him, neither is it our enemies because we are commanded to love them; rather, it is our own selves that must be overcome. We overcome such things as prejudice, hurt, jealousy, pride, complaints, criticism and dislikes in our lives by walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Paul addressed this by exhorting us to put off our old nature and to put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:24.
The world takes notice when we live victoriously free from the things that easily captivate them. Additionally, living free from such snares enables us to demonstrate our faith in a supernatural capacity, revealing the reality of God and His power to unbelievers. 3. A Mission Driven By Eternity Reaching others with the Gospel is the third evidence of the resurrected life of Jesus within us. Paul wrote: walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. Ephesians 4:1. The calling is not about our own personal plans or destiny, but it is a calling into the ministry of reconciliation. This means reconciling man back to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). Jesus’ own mission was to reconcile mankind to the Father, and our calling is to do the same, as shown in Jesus’ final words to His disciples: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15. People are important to God; every person is precious in His sight and He desires for everyone to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Therefore, people must be important to us too. Instead of being inwardly focused and captivated by temporal situations, we must be driven by the eternal welfare of others with a desire for them to know God too. We won’t be able to take earthly possessions to heaven with us, but the people we introduce to Jesus will testify of our good works throughout eternity. A True Testimony Your life should be a witness of the resurrection of Jesus and His glorious salvation. If you don’t display the evidence of the resurrected Jesus, how will your unsaved friends and family members know that He is alive? Be a vessel that carries God’s presence and message to those who don’t Him: submit your life to God’s authority and become imprisoned in His love; develop your relationship with God so that your faith increases and demonstrates a victorious life; let the eternity of others be the mission that guides your life. Let the world see Jesus in you! 15
The Power of Covenant TEACHING BY PASTOR GERRI DI SOMMA
The Bible is a covenant book. From cover to cover it reveals God’s unfolding plan to establish an eternal covenant with mankind. This was fulfilled through the atoning death of His Son, Jesus Christ. A covenant is a binding agreement that cannot be revoked. The Bible teaches us about the power and sacredness of covenants.
In recent years, several re-definitions of marriage have reached the forefront of society, including same-sex marriages. However, God’s definition has not changed: one man and one woman in covenant for the duration of their earthly lives. Any other definition is the devil’s attempt to rob us of God’s blessings that are found only in His definition of marriage.
The First Covenant: Marriage
The Eternal Covenant: God Is Married To Us
The first covenant that God established upon the earth was marriage between man and woman (Genesis 2:21-25). It is essential to understand marriage according to God’s definition because destiny, calling and purpose are discovered and brought to fruition within this covenant.
The marriage covenant also reflects God’s covenant with mankind. This is most clearly communicated in the writings of the Apostle Paul. He likened the relationship of a husband and wife to that of Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:30-32). Therefore, it’s
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important to understand the natural God-ordained principles of marriage because they are paralleled with God’s spiritual principles for us His bride, His church. We’ll now examine the natural principles pertaining to marriage. Following that, we’ll discover the spiritual principles. The Marriage Covenant: Natural Principles 1. Marriage Is God’s Design Plan To Govern His Creation Genesis, the book of beginnings, describes how everything began. After creating the heavens, the earth, the animals and vegetation, God created mankind, male and female.
God’s intention was for them to govern the earth: “…let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26. This was God’s plan and it hasn’t changed; there is no other plan. 2. Marriage Is God’s Plan To Replenish The Earth
Let us now consider the spiritual principles that relate to our responsibilities as God’s bride, the church. The Marriage Covenant: Spiritual Principles 1. Marriage Is God’s Design Plan For Eternity
At creation, God placed only two people on the earth: Adam and Eve. God blessed them and His words reveal that they were His plan to replenish the earth: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.” Genesis 1:28. The Bible also tells us that God seeks godly offspring (Malachi 2:15). It’s clear that the re-definition of same-sex marriages is not God’s plan or design, since two men cannot reproduce. Neither can two women.
Remember, Paul likened the marriage covenant between a husband and wife to Christ and His church. When we gave our lives to Jesus, we entered into a covenant relationship with God Himself. In this sense, we ‘married’ God. It is only through that covenant relationship with Jesus Christ, through accepting Him as our Saviour and Lord, that we will be united with Him in eternity at the marriage supper of the Lamb. This is God’s plan and it hasn’t changed; there is no other plan for eternity.
3. Marriage Has Different Roles Of Responsibility
2. Marriage Is The New Testament Pattern For The Church
Husbands and wives have different roles within their covenant. Solomon referred to these differences: My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Proverbs 1:8. The original Hebrew word for ‘instruction’ means to discipline, correct and chasten; the Hebrew word for ‘law’ means to teach, inform and instruct. From this we understand that men direct and discipline their children, whereas women inform and influence. A biblical example of this is Isaac and Rebekah: Isaac blessed their sons while Rebekah influenced them (Genesis 27).
Jesus has one wife: the church. Jesus has given His church one mission: godly offspring. Just as married couples produce children, as ‘wives’ of Jesus, we must produce spiritual children by introducing others to Jesus. This has nothing to do with our natural gender for we are all sons of God and, equally, we are all brides of Christ with the ability to birth spiritual children into God’s kingdom.
4. Marriage Is A Proven Partnership To Success Solomon’s words of wisdom further show us that marriage is a partnership that reaps rewards: Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour… Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. Biblical scholars agree that a ‘threefold cord’ is symbolic of a Christian marriage, with the three cords being God, the husband and the wife. Since God created mankind and instituted marriage, involving Him in our married lives is fundamental to our success.
The church has been equipped for its mission through God’s ministry gifts (Ephesians 4:11-13). God gives these gifts to any Christian who is a willing and available vessel to receive them, whether they are male or female. Conversely, governmental responsibilities in the church are solely male, since government is for directing. 3. Marriage Is God’s Design For Church Life God has ordained that the church functions through the design of the family. The church is not supposed to be an organisation; it is a family. Just as members of natural families have different roles and responsibilities, so do the members of church families. For example, the senior pastors of a church are the spiritual father and mother of the congregation and, likewise, the congregation members
are their spiritual children. I have noticed that Africans, in particular, recognise and acknowledge this, often calling their senior ministers ‘Dad’ and ‘Mum’. 4. Marriage Is Successful Through Unity There is no power in disunity. Jesus said: “…every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” Matthew 12:25. But when the God’s church is united, He commands a blessing upon it (Psalm 133). We must be united together with God and with each other. As Christians, we are each individually and corporately God’s bride, therefore there should be no division between us. It’s a discredit to His name that His one wife, the church, has split herself into more than thirty-five thousand different denominations. Rather, we should strive for unity knowing that we are heirs together of the grace of life. 1 Peter 3:7. Accept God’s Covenants On His Terms Rejecting God’s design will always lead to misuse and abuse, whether naturally between spouses or spiritually in the church. Sadly, this leads to individual callings not being realised and ministries failing. Therefore, we must not neglect God’s design and pattern for our lives. Join me and take up your responsibility to operate within God’s design for your natural and spiritual life and thereby exhibit Christ to the world. Start by renewing your commitment to your covenant with God. Everything flows out of the order He brings into your life. Then, renew your commitment to your marriage covenant. If necessary, repent to your spouse and restore order in your home. God bless you.
The full teaching, including ‘symptoms of design failure’ and ‘rules of engagement’ can be purchased from the Carmel Bookshop: www.carmelbookshop.org 17
A QUESTION OF ETERNITY
TREASURE HUNTING el’s Mission Department. PETRA (Personal Evangelism To Reach All) is part of Carm l of Jesus with people they It is a team of Christians dedicated to sharing the Gospe meet on the streets of Bristol.
ure hunt’. Knowing that God’s treasures are Every Saturday the team embarks on what they call a ‘treas seek and find specific individuals with whom to people, not money, the purpose of the treasure hunt is to upon revelations they first receive from God. share God’s love. Their search is not based on chance, but for information about the people He wants them Before heading out, the team members pray and ask God from God, such as the name of a person or to find on that day. Every week, they receive clear directions that match the details that God had shown them place. As they obey God’s leading, they meet the people are led by God’s Spirit and have been privileged to during prayer. There are no co-incidences here; the team introduce people to Jesus and to pray for them. adopted this approach to evangelism, they have Asif Francis, the team leader, reports that since they have Spirit and to go where He leads,” he said. “And seen incredible results. “It has taught us to rely on the Holy what we find. This gives us confidence to tell that it builds our faith because what God tells us is exactly with their lives to Jesus, including Muslims.” person about Jesus and we have seen many people give experiences of treasure hunting. The PETRA team has many amazing stories about their Here are just a couple:
Roge r Jenn ings
While we were praying, God gave som eone in the group a picture of a man fishing at Eastville Park. This person told the rest of the team and we hea ded to the park. When we arrived, we spoke to a few people about Jesus while making our way to the lake. At the lake, we saw a man fishing, just like God had revealed. One of the team members told him that he was God’s treasure and that we had com e to tell Him about Jesus. The man confessed that he used to go to chu rch but had stopped attending. As a res ult of the conversation, the man said that he knew God was calling him back into a relationship with Him. While that conversation was happen ing, two other men approached us and I began to talk with them. One of the men was seeking for God and said that meeting us was a divin e appointment. Right there and then, he gave his life to Jesus.
Grego ry Fiedo ro wic z
were ready had directed us to and we d Go le op pe the all to en that God d been out and had spok to walk. I strongly sensed g glin ug str ck sti g On one occasion, we ha lkin wa chatting, I felt a pain in my elderly gentleman with a on with him. As we were ati to go home. But I saw an ers nv co a d rte sta d d pain in his knee. , so I went an knee. I asked him if he ha n’s ma s wanted me to talk to him thi for y pra to aled and he was; t God wanted me yed that he would be he pra I . yer own knee and realised tha pra of er off my be able to walk did and accepted in God, he was excited to e liev be n’t He acknowledged that he did he y iall ut pain! Although init he was able to walk witho spel of John to read. pain free and took a Go
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t u h S 7TH – 8TH MARCH 2014
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EXCEPTIONAL WOMEN’S CONFERENCE 2014
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So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; a nd they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading. Nehemiah 8:8
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