Announcing -- A Summer Worship Event with the RESPOND Worship Band

Storms and Hawks and the Promises of God . . .

Today Pastor Danny gave us a message in a series he titled "Fear Not".  I am always amazed at how the Holy Spirit weaves a very personal word for me in every message that he opens up for us.  I am amazed, yet I have come to expect it.  After all, the same Spirit that is actively working in my life each week, is speaking a Word to our Pastor--a Word that is alive, relevant, active and powerful.  So I have learned to arrive at church with my ears alert and ready to hear what God wants to tell me.  As always, He did not disappoint me today.

This Sunday's message was about Paul sailing on a ship as a prisoner on his way to Rome (an account of which is found in Acts 27). We find the ship being tossed about by a storm, which the Bible says is "a wind of hurricane force", receiving a "violent battering" for many days. One can only imagine the sailors to be terrified for their lives and the account records that they had, "given up all hope of being saved."  Then Paul stands up and brings them the hope they so desperately need:  Acts 27:22-25 "I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me."

Paul gives them the only real hope that can come to them under the circumstances--hope in the the promise of God.  But they need to keep their hearts calm and still as they trust God to bring about His promise.  As the storm comes at them with continuing ferocity, Paul tells them in essence, "stand still, don't flinch, remain calm, simply trust the God whose promises always come true."  Paul tells them not to look at the storm, but to keep their eyes fixed on what God has promised.  I heard that message loud and clear this morning--because this was the second time God said exactly that to me this week.  The first time He spoke it through a hawk

Let me take a moment to tell you about that . . .
I was walking down the back alley behind my house this past Wednesday evening, right here in the middle of the city, and in the distance I see a large bird flying toward me at eye-level.  Now let me frame this story with the fact that I have been terrified of birds flying at my head for as long as I can remember.  In fact I would peg that as being on my list of three biggest (and likely irrational) fears ever in my life. Yet here I am with a large bird flying directly toward my face.  Then the strangest thing happened--I was flooded with what I can only describe as a supernatural calm.  As the bird drew closer I realized it was a hawk and all I could think was, "What's a hawk doing flying down my back lane?" and "Cool, a hawk is flyng down my back lane!"  No fear, not even for a moment.  It came surprisingly close to my face before it veered off to the left. I didn't so much as flinch or blink.  I swear I could feel the wind on my cheek as it passed by.  And then God filled my heart with His Voice, "This is what I want you to do: when opposition comes, stand still, don't flinch, remain calm and trust that I am working out My promise in your life."

How steady and powerful that word is on my heart today, after having heard it for the second time this week.  And so I say, "Let the storms come, let opposition come, let everything I once feared come, they will find me standing still and calm, waiting to feel the wind of the Spirit on my cheek as He covers me with His protective wings and brings me to the place of His promise. I am in good hands.  So are you.  Praise the One who can keep us calm in every circumstance!  Praise the God who fulfills every promise without exception and with perfect timing.

Victory in Jesus

 "If some have cause to celebrate, join in the celebration. And if others are weeping, join in that as well." (Romans 12:15)

As I go through life I have become more and more aware of the genuine need we all have to be part of a family. And I am increasingly moved by the privilege we have as Believers in Jesus to belong not only to the earthly family which we are born into, but also to the family of God which we are “reborn” into through Jesus. What a gift!

However, I am also increasingly aware that in either case what makes the concept of the family meaningful goes far beyond our birth or rebirth into it. In the end it is our shared experience that forms the bond and brings us that net of love and safety that our hearts all long for. It is the time spent walking alongside each other through thick and thin that makes the difference and truly turns us into a family. Joys and sorrows, ups and downs, times of grieving and times of celebration, good times and difficult times. It is the time spent traveling through life together, marking the way with milestones built from both the ordinary and the extraordinary pieces of rock that life places in our path that makes our bond unbreakable. This past Sunday we had a wonderful opportunity to mark and celebrate a significant and particularly victorious milestone in the life of one of our dear family members at the Interlake Full Gospel Church. 

This is Willa. On Sunday we celebrated her victory over cancer which began last August. She shared with us her trust in Jesus to bring her through this difficult battle in her life and how He was with her every step of the way bringing her triumphantly through it all. She is such an inspiration! To have this moment to celebrate this victory with her is a precious gift which we have all felt deeply in our hearts.

Way to go Willa! We are truly rejoicing with you and praising God for His goodness!

God invites us into worship

God always rewards the genuine pursuit of His Presence by passionately pouring out His heart on us in increasing measure and with growing intimacy.  This is what Sunday morning is meant for. The People of God gather on Sunday, at churches all over the world, expecting that God will meet us there and He never lets us down. Not that we don’t expect to meet Him apart from church as well, at any time during our week and in any circumstance that may be going on in our lives. He is always available to His people.  But there is something special about that Sunday meeting and the experience of encountering His Presence in unity.

Somehow it seems important to remember as we pursue Him in that weekly meeting, that He has arrived first, like in all His dealings with humankind.  God first extends His hand in love, we respond.  Jesus first shows us love on the cross, and our hearts respond by becoming open to give love back to Him in worship. The Eternal gesture of love and pursuit always comes first. It is God who invites us to join Him in that profound Sunday encounter of worship every week.  He longs to meet us there.  After experiencing His faithfulness in that beautiful moment week after week as we gather at church, the heart begins to long for Sunday in the sweetest way.  To long for that sure and powerful meeting with the Lover of our souls who beckons us to draw near to Him, as He draws near to us.

If you are longing for a place to respond to God’s pursuit of you in worship and don’t currently have a church, please join us at the Interlake Full Gospel Church.  You will be sure to be part of a genuine encounter with the Divine heart in a safe and non-judging community of believers.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Faith vs Fear

Pastor Danny has been taking us through a series of messages titled “Fear Not.”  A very timely word for both our own little congregation of faith warriors and the world-wide Church as a whole as we wade through a world that is simply saturated with messages of fear.  Every day we are bombarded with news of storms of deadly and overwhelming proportions raging in our world, from killer viruses, to terrorism, to an ocean being slowly poisoned by radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant.  And those are just the global threats that have risen against us, we also have to make our way through a mountain of personal dangers that range anywhere from threat of home invasion to the hazards of icy and snow-covered roadways that have real potential to end lives. Yet the dangers already mentioned are simply external threats, and don’t even begin to touch on the deeper fears of the heart...fear of failure, fear of abandonment, fear of rejection, and the like.

So much to be afraid of, yet over and over in the Word of God, we are told to “fear not”:  Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:6, Isaiah 41:10, Jeremiah 46:27, Joel 2:21, Luke 12:32, John 12:15. (These are just a small sampling of the scriptures that tell us not to fear, there are literally hundreds of Bible verses encouraging us not to be afraid!) Does God seriously expect us to be able to live out that command in today’s world and put away our fear altogether? I think He does. And I think it’s entirely possible.  A number of years ago, I would not have come to that conclusion, but something has happened in my own heart that proves the point—faith.  When we set ourselves squarely in the hands of God and genuinely allow Him to begin to reshape our hearts, something marvellous begins to happen.  Faith grows.  And as faith grows, fear begins to shrink.  

You see faith and fear cannot coexist, they are opposing forces.  And when faith rises up, fear is pushed out like darkness being overcome by the light.  Fear, in fact, is nothing but the enemy’s strategy to counteract the force of faith—because he knows how powerful faith will be once it takes over, and he knows that nothing can stand against it. Fear says, “God is weak, God can’t help you”—simple lies and nothing more. Faith expresses the truth of a powerful God who has already overcome even our greatest danger—death itself. Faith says, “nothing is impossible with God, the Lord is my shield and strength, God is faithful and trustworthy, nothing can pull me away from His love.”  Fear causes us to take our eyes off of Christ and see only the storm; like Peter walking on the water, focusing on the waves will cause us to sink.  Fear causes us to lose.  But faith, oh the power of faith!  When our eyes are fixed firmly on Jesus, believing fully in His power and victory, nothing can shake us. And faith will move the hand of God like nothing else.  I want to encourage you today to choose faith.  It’s as simple as that. Choose faith and watch the enemy flee as God rises up and scatters every opposition in your life.

Join us Sunday mornings at 11 am as Pastor Danny continues to stir up our faith and encourage us to step out in the confidence of the Lord.

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!