Merry Christmas from IFGA!

Galatians 4:4-6

When the right time arrived, God sent His Son into this world (born of a woman, subject to the law) to free those who, just like Him, were subject to the law. Ultimately, He wanted us all to be adopted as sons and daughters. Because you are now part of God’s family, He sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts; and the Spirit calls out, “Abba, Father.” You no longer have to live as a slave because you are a child of God. And since you are His child, God guarantees an inheritance is waiting for you.

When the time was exactly right, God began His work of revival on the earth.  He sent His Son, Jesus into the world to set us free from the oppression of sin and brokenness. This is what Christmas is about. Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us; arriving at the perfect moment in time to open the way for us to come into the Kingdom of God. Arriving at just the right moment to fling open the door wide so that we can enter into the house of our Father, God. No longer do we have to stand outside in the cold looking in. We can come in, as a fully adopted children of the King, and warm ourselves by the fire of His heart; saying confidently, “Abba, Daddy, Here we are, we’ve come home.”  Christmas is a celebration of that divine moment in time when that tiny babe, fully God and fully human, arrived to open the door of revival on earth, inviting us to enter into the family through Him.

As we go into another year, let us never cease to extend that invitation to all who have not yet received it.  The door stands open. The time is exactly right for revival.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
from Pastor Danny & Gayle Shmelinski
and all of us at the Interlake Full Gospel Church

Welcome to the Family!

This afternoon we had the privilege of witnessing four members of the Interlake Full Gospel Church experience the prophetic act of Baptism!  The air, while cold even for November, was filled with warmth radiating from hearts overflowing with joy and celebration!

Prior to the baptism, Pastor Danny talked to us about the symbolic picture the act of baptism presents as we go under the water identifying ourselves with Christ’s death and declaring our old nature gone; and then rise up out of the water to express the spiritual reality of renewal through Jesus’ resurrection power at work in our lives.  He taught us that baptism wasn’t necessary for salvation--salvation comes through faith in Christ--rather it was a powerful symbol to the world that we have entered into the Kingdom through belief in Jesus, His death and resurrection.

Every time I watch someone express their connection to the Lord through this beautiful prophetic picture I am deeply moved.  But today, I was struck with another dimension of the symbolism presented through baptism.  The family.  In baptism, we not only identify ourselves as a person in covenant with Christ, but we identify ourselves as members of the family of God--brothers and sisters of all those that have gone before us, entering into the family through Christ, and expressing their own entrance into the family through the same beautiful symbol of adoption.

And so, as we watched our Kingdom brothers and sisters symbolically declare that we are part of the same family, intimately connected through our Lord and Savior, it is no wonder our hearts experienced so much warmth and joy. What a gift!

Toban, Nicole, Helen, Raymond:  As you have symbolically expressed your covenant and entrance into our family on this awesome day, we just want to say WELCOME!  We are so glad to have had the opportunity to celebrate your baptisms with you!

What is Jesus really calling us to?

Then Jesus said . . . "whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul? What can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" (Matthew 16:25-26)

I often think we do people a great injustice by sugar-coating the path of Christianity. We call people into a faith in Jesus Christ as if it were a haven of comfort, safety and happiness where all their problems will suddenly be dissolved in a wonderland of goodness. They have no real idea of what they are getting into, or what they have really signed up for. Don’t get me wrong, there will be wonder and goodness beyond our wildest dreams as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and see Him for who He is. And there will be indescribable joy as we come into the Kingdom of Light and walk so closely and intimately with the Creator of the universe that we lose sight of where He begins and where we end, becoming like Him in heart and character more and more every day. But comfort and safety?

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you will have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer! For I have overcome the world. (John 16:33, AMP)

Jesus isn't calling us to a safe, comfortable life. He never promised that. He is calling us to risk everything to follow Him through a dark world that will mistreat and abuse us for our faith in Him. This is not a call to join a pleasant and upstanding social club, it's a call to rise up and shine a light into the darkness with no regard for our own safety. A call to stand firm through danger and difficulty, trusting only in the victory of His blood shed for us. It is a call to take our eyes completely off of ourselves, our plans, our dreams and put them squarely on Him and everything that He wants to accomplish in the world. It is a call to throw away our rights, abandon our reputations, to lay down our lives and allow ourselves to become carefully placed stepping stones on the path that will allow others to respond to the call.

I think it’s time we begin to present the facts openly and honestly as we witness to our communities and open the door of faith for others. Just maybe we underestimate them. Just maybe the reason we aren’t seeing more young people coming into the church isn’t because we haven’t offered them more exciting music or wowed them with our comfortable buildings. Maybe it’s because we haven’t given them a cause worth dying for. Maybe it’s because we haven’t told them that Jesus is worthy of laying down their lives for.

(These are the thoughts of Lorena Ferguson, founder of RESPOND Worship Ministry and grateful part of the Interlake Full Gospel Church where she finds strength and inspiration continually.)

His Presence on the journey.

Lately, God has been teaching me a very valuable lesson about this journey on earth that we are on, and about the purpose of the space in between where we were and where He is taking us. That space in between our starting place and our destination has great purpose. The blessing is not just found at the end of the road, we will find it waiting for us along every mile of the road, if we are willing to look for it.

It is true that in many ways there is great value in keeping our eyes on the destination, staying focussed on the finish line and the prize, so to speak.  However, at the same time, we simply can’t let the journey pass us by without looking for the blessing along the way.  If we do we will miss it, we will miss the prize altogether.

And what is that prize?  The Presence of God.  We were meant to dwell with Him.  Mankind started out in His Presence in the garden. It was where God intended us to live for eternity.  In His Presence.  But we lost that in the fall.  And ever since, the Eternal God has been moving heaven and earth to bring us back to where we belong.  In His Presence.  And all along the journey from the garden to the finish line at the end of time where we will once again dwell with Him, He has been breaking in, continually manifesting His Presence all along the way.  Blessing us with His appearing in ways that are far too precious to miss--not the least of which was the appearing of His Son to bring us redemption and make it possible to dwell once again with our God.  

The beautiful truth of the matter is that on every step of journey we can find the blessing, we can touch the finish line, because we have access to His Presence. We see this truth playing out in the lives of the children of Israel as they journey from their starting place, at their captivity in Egypt, to their finish line when they reach the promised land.  All along the way the Presence of God breaks into their reality to bless them. The cloud by day, the fire by night, manna from heaven, the ark of the covenant, the shining face of Moses, God appears. He guides them with His Presence. He journeys with them.  Marching along in their midst through every mile.  It’s what He has created us for.  To walk with Him in the cool of the day, just like in the garden at the beginning.

God hasn’t changed. His desire to bless us with His Presence will never fade.  Whether we are at the beginning, the end, or somewhere along the way on the journey, our Father wants to show us His Glory.  He wants to break into our world and leave us in awe at the wake of His love left behind in the passing of His Presence.  All we need to do is to look for Him. To look for His appearing on the journey.  To stay focussed on the finish line of His Presence, which is always with us, dwelling by our side.

“ . . . for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Laying it all out before the Lord

Pastor Danny gave us his second message in a new series he is giving on prayer this Sunday.  What an encouragement it was for our hearts, weary from the trials and burdens of life, to hear his spirit-reviving words of expectation in the Lord as he reminded us:

not to worry (Matthew 6:25-26);

instead to give thanks "in" everything that happens (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18);

to simply lay out our burdens and troubles before the Lord (2 Kings 19:14);

expecting Him to hear and to answer (Psalm 34:17);

and simply to sit back, trusting in the strength of God, as He reminds us, "Don't worry about it, I've got this."

Such a beautiful reminder of the faithfulness of the God who eternally sits by waiting to hear from and respond to His people.  May we never neglect to turn to Him through the joys and trials of our lives. God is good.

Experiencing Worship

At IFGA, we are passionate about worship.  Our passion springs from authentic encounter with the Presence of God.  There is simply something beautiful that happens when we gather on Sunday mornings and begin to worship. As we worship, the Spirit moves among us, and we respond. The relationship between the Divine Presence and His people on earth is played out in real time as we lift up our voices in song and our spirits in praise.  Our voices join as one as we sing songs of gratitude and hope in the Lord, our hearts join as one as we embrace our unity in Christ and our place in the family of God; and we begin to raise up the sound of Heaven on earth as one people.

Worship is the sound of the Kingdom of Light breaking into the world as we sing out glory and honour to the King of kings. It is the sound of confidence in the battle already won and faith in the power of our Lord and Saviour to reconcile a fallen people to their God and to redeem all of creation. It is the sound of freedom as those once held captive proclaim what it means to be free and what it means to be bound in love to their Liberator.  It is the sound of peace in the midst of the chaos of the world, joy in the midst of the sadness of earth, new life growing in the midst of a barren land.  It is the sound of the Bride singing a song of love to the One she will never have to live without, the One who has shown her a perfect, unconditional love so big she will never glimpse the end of it.  It is the shout of victory as we charge ahead following the Commander of the Armies of Light who leads us to take back all that belongs to Him--using only the most powerful of weapons: love, faith, grace, forgiveness, honour, peace, prayer, praise, worship.

Most of all it is the sound of a people who's joy rests in the reality that His greatest promise to them is the promise of His Presence.

"Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, LORD." (Psalm 89:15)

Prophetic word through Pastor Danny Shmelinski

To the Congregation of IFGA on Sunday, July 7, 2013:

Go forth.  March through the breadth of this land to take it for I have prepared you, saith the Lord.  Do not slack back, pull forth the sword which is My Word and do battle, against the works of the enemy.  I have chosen you for an end time army; I have chosen you to go forth without fear and without doubting.  I have given you the ability to trample the enemy under foot.  I have given you the Word in your mouth to speak against the enemy.  I have given you the words to speak and encourage people. My people, therefore go forth, do not slack back, go forth saith God for the war drums are now beating.  The trumpet is now sounding, so march forward without slacking off.  Go forth and be victorious.

You are greatly loved!

Sunday is by far the best day of the week for those of us who have the good fortune of regularly attending Sunday morning worship gatherings at IFGA.  Let's face it, life for all of us is draining, and sometimes downright difficult.  However, Sunday at IFGA has an amazing effect on the human spirit.  This week we began with 50 minutes of incredible and inspiring worship, led by a young man named Toban, who's passion and love for the Lord is simply contagious. Our spirits began to lift almost immediately as we encountered the Presence of God and began to let go of the weight the world had placed on our shoulders during the week.  We were all only to eager to leave it at the feet of our Lord and allow Him to touch our hearts with His healing and transforming love.

This was followed by Pastor Danny's weekly inspiration and encouragement, something I really look forward to every week.  Pastor Danny has a way of picking us up after a hard week, dusting us off and setting us back on our feet again, heading in the direction God wants us to go.  This week he taught us that we are "beloved" -- or "greatly loved" by God and how important that is to each of us.  He encouraged us not to allow life to get us "strung out" by stress.  He likened it to a guitar string, which any guitar player will tell you will eventually snap if it is tightened too much.  This is not how God wants us to live our lives as believers.  He offers us peace and comfort in the midst of trouble, if we rest in Him.  And what's more, He gives us peace and comfort so that we can pass that on to others we meet that are experiencing stress and trouble in their lives.  I left encouraged and with a great sense of purpose to help get me through another week. 

God is good and is moving with love and power at the Interlake Full Gospel Church.  I can't wait until next Sunday!

2 Corinthians 3-4:
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

Shining as lights in the world

Over the last few weeks, Pastor Danny has been taking us through a message series on revival. I can think of no more fitting subject for our church to focus on at this time, or any time really.  Revival is our burning passion and the heart of the Interlake Full Gospel Church. The atmosphere of IFGA is thick with expectancy, longing, faith and a desire to see the Spirit blow through our land like a hurricane capturing the hearts of our people with the love of Christ.


This past Sunday, Pastor Danny encouraged us to live and act on earth, like citizens of heaven, blameless and harmless among the people around us, so that we can shine the light of Christ into the hearts of our people. In that way, we will partner with God as good ministers of revival in the world. As Pastor Danny reminded us, the world is watching and we need to be examples of Christ on earth in order to hold out the hope and light of revival to those who need it.

Such a wonderful word and powerful encouragement. As always, we look forward to this coming Sunday with expectation and excitement as we wait to hear what God has to say to us!

Philippians 2:15-16
"That you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the middle of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life . . ."