GRACE WATERS

2009-09-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the River of Life International Fellowship blog....Stay tuned.

Prophetic Weekend

2008-05-15T06:27:00.000-07:00

It overwhelms me to attempt to summarize last Saturday and Sunday with Pastor Patricia Bootsma and her interns from Jubilee Christian Fellowship, Stratford, Ontario. In four amazing teaching and ministration workshops we were as a church (and visitors), brought into prophetic transformation.

Perhaps this is Prophecy 101..., more like 201: Enter in, prophecy demystified. And so we plunged into scriptures and teachings and probably a century or at least fifty years of prophetic revelation with reference to North America. We also practiced prophesying. "Is Saul too among the prophets?" I hear you ask. The answer: "Indeed!"

We met the prophets of the old and new testaments, highlighting their words particularly and learning the ways and purposes of the Father through the awesome Holy Spirit gift of prophecy. In short Jesus said it was better for him to leave earth so the Father would send the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, the call answerer who reveals the intent and will of God through the RHEMA Word. Hold your breath, it is really simple, the Rhema Word is simply the now word of God, the word stirred up by the power of the Spirit. Oooh I love this word: Dunamis.

Our operative scripture, I believe, is found in 1Corinthians 14:1 "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts especially the gift of prophecy."
How do we activate and practise the desiring of this gift? This lies first in practising the love of God. Desire to spend time with God, rested and listening in quietness. It is closet time, quiet time, worship and the inclining of that spiritual ear He made for listening to His voice. "My sheep know my voice."

Prophecy must follow the way of love. The way of love is the way of redemption. Prophecy must align itself with scripture. Prophecy must be discerned and corroborated by the counsel of God.
Prophecy is foretelling and forthtelling, employing the gifts of the word of knowledge, word of wisdom, visions and promptings. It serves the body of Christ and individuals by alerting them to the will, purpose and intent of God. The response of the recipient should not be passivity or que sera, sera but meditation, discernment, prayer, faith and appropriate action.

In my words, don't be a dodo and don't be a scoffer! Prophecy comes to teach, encourage, warn, prepare and deliver. It should not intimidate or manipulate. Again, "Follow the way of love!"

The bible says "Eye has not seen nor ear heard nor mind understood what God has in store for His children." But He reveals by His Spirit. "The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth." Be equipped to hear from your Heavenly father. Be equipped to encourage others and build them up on His most Holy word.

If I took nothing away from the weekend, I know I must spend time in the Spirit's presence. I must learn to love Him more.

PRAISE from the Barren Place

2008-05-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

SING O BARREN WOMAN! An exhortation to praise God while you wait for the manifestation of a dream, breakthrough or promise.

All the promises of God are Yes and Amen, we read in the scriptures. Such a bold and uncompromising statement which believers must grasp by faith. God stands by His word and it is the believer's choice to receive it by faith and fulfill the conditions of asking and receiving.

In River of Life International Fellowship, we have been talking about praising our God as Jehoshaphat's army did in the Valley of Beracah when they were overwhelmed by the deliverance and blessing of God. This week we considered Isaiah's exhortation in Isaiah 54:

Sing, O barren woman! What would cause the barren unfruitful unfulfilled person to sing and shout for joy? The sure promise of God is the reason, once given and once received. But what about the wait, the many months and years which sometimes pass between a promise received and its manifestation?

One of the things to do is: Sing and Praise God the giver. Rejoice in Him and worship Him with thanksgiving and praise. If you've tried to do this before you know it get's very hard sometimes. It needs a strong resolve and much meditation on the promises, which are the will and intent of God. The process of walking our faith requires meditation on God's goodness, grace and faithfulness. This is the fight of faith: believing, walking, confessing, and thanksgiving! Prayer and meditation supply us with spiritual might during the process.

The Barren woman's reason to praise and give thanks is that her Maker is her Husband and He never fails. Notice she is exhorted to praise (while still barren), on the basis of the promise and on the basis of her relationship with her God. The order of things is praise, exuberant joy and thanks giving, then actions based on the promise, "Enlarge your tent." Her assurance is a promise that "She would not be ashamed!"

The road of faith is exceptional, as you'll find when you walk it. It is not the natural way of doing things. As believers in Jesus Christ, we grow in the knowledge and ways of God and we step out and do His will. His promises are sure and if there is a barren area in your life, trust Him with it. Do things His way. The promise is you will not be ashamed!
Praise toward the manifestation. We can rely on Him!

THE DREAM

2008-05-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

Evangelist Mark Davy visited ROLIF on April 20th 2008. During the evening service, he inspired believers about "The Dream" in their hearts, placed there by God. He spoke of how he had at last chosen to give up the convenient lifestyle, to follow his God given dream of evangelizing the world. In essence if you have the dream then stir yourself up and follow it and if you don't, then find the dream by finding God in that special way. The hope of glory is Christ in you. Start with what is in your hand and He will show you what next to do.

Here's a poem by the well respected Pastor John Osteen, late father of televangelist Joel Osteen. In the second stanza, Mark Davy completes it in his own words.

Great it is to dream the dream,
When you stand in your youth
At the starry stream
But a greater thing it is to fight life through
And to say at the end
The dream is true!

The dream is true
The dream is true
And so I said I'll follow you
I will not sleep and dream on the dream
But I'll arise and follow the Spirit's stream
To fulfill each task that you call me to
While You whisper in my ear
The dream is true!

Envisioning Antioch

2008-04-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Pastor Fule drew on a prophetic word spoken over our church last year, comparing the soul of our asembly to the church at Antioch, which was formed by some of the early disciples of Christ, as they fled the persecution in Jerusalem, Judea.

What was the church at Antioch like?
We know that it was filled with committed believers, so committed that they would flee their homes rather than renounce the new covenant to find acceptability in Jerusalem. We know they carried the message of salvation with them and spread it. We read that the hand of God was with them, which means that there was manifest proof of the acts of God as they ministered, just as had followed the ministry of Jesus and the Apostles. Only this time the acts followed ordinary believers or disciples. Jesus had said earlier, "These signs shall follow those who believe....." What signs? Find them in Mark Chapter 16.

We read of some members of the church at Antioch. We see Manaen who was in some way connected or raised with Herod the tetrarch. We can imaginethat there was aristicracy or even royalty among the believers. We also read of Simeon Niger, who was to our imagination black, an immigrant from Africa or India? We are told of the great evangelsists, Barnabas and Paul who were ministers of the gospel and members of the community of believers. We can imagine a vibrant and diverse community of believers.

We know they spent time teaching, minstering and in prayer and fasting. We know they were able to receive the mind and will of God. We also know that they must have had an abundance of the giftings of the Holy Spirit, for in response to a word from God they prayed and released Paul and Barnabas to missions, overland and over seas. They were open to the apostolic minisry, they grew into maturity and into leadership such that sending Paul and Barnabas away was possible without diminishing the church. They must have been givers for they must have supported the mission of Paul and Barnabas financially.

It is interesting that it was in Antioch that the beleievers were first called Christians. What does Christian mean today? Would you say: Christ followers, or Christlike, or little Christ or Christ- people. This is Christ!

As we think of Antioch we will and wish our church to be such a cutting edge church, growing Christians, (from every nationality, community and position) on the word and in prayer and the Spirit of Christ; sending out, doing and suporting missions and good works, as the hand of our God is with us.

Are we challenged to press in toward this vision? Will we particpate by meeting together as the household of Christ, studying, praying and doing the will of God in the good works he leads us to? Will we engage in ministry toward Christ and for our community, including the elderly, the sick, children, friends and neighbours? Antioch is in our vision!

One River, Two Rivers, Four Rivers

2008-04-12T15:01:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday April 6th was Vision Sunday. As a body of believers at River of Life International Fellowship, we gathered to be reminded of the vision of our assembly: as the word says, "Without a vision, My people perish."

The story of River of Life Int. Fellowship, (ROLIF) is an interesting one, born out of the coming together of two works: River of Life Church and Oasis International Fellowship. Two streams coming together to form one.

Instead of one however, the vision we have is of the four rivers, coming out of the one river that flowed out of Eden,(Gen 2:10 ): Pishon, Gihon, Hiddekel and Euphrates. Pishon means change, Gihon means the valley of grace, Hiddekel means a sharp sound and Euphrates means fruitful.

Pishon: As an assembly we aim toward serving God and our fellow man. We envision our church to be a place of change, change for the better; change toward the mind, intent and attitude of God. We remember the charge in the book of Romans, paraphrased, 'Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind to test and prove the will of God.' In His presence we want to be changed to be like Him.

Gihon: We also want our church to be a place which proclaims the grace of God and a place where the grace of God can be received. At ROLIF we pray for grace to dwell in our midst and to bring healing to all who come. May we be a gracious people, carriers of His grace and full of His grace.

Hiddekel: We envision our church to be the sharp sound that draws attention to the will of God. We want to perceive His word and the spirit of His word with clarity. We want to exalt His word so it is able to be effective in our lives and lead always to the grace of God.
The bible says a number of things about God's word:
*The word of God is living and active and sharper than a double edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit......
*He has exalted His word above all his name.
*The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God...
* The letter kills but the spirit is life....
*Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Euphrates means fruitful. We envision our church to be a place of great fruitfulness. We wish to be found abounding in every good work, walking in the good works prepared for us in advance. The bible says:
*I am the vine and you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing.
*By this My father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples.
*The least of them shall be a thousand and the smallest a mighty nation!

The source of our river is the throne of God in heaven and the picture of the river in Ezekiel 47 and Revelation 22 is awe inspiring for the power of its flow and the life it brings. May His river course through us bringing life and healing to individuals, families and nations!

School of Healing: Paying Attention

2008-04-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

On Sunday 30th March, River of Life International Fellowship held it's second School of Healing at 6pm in the evening. The word that was shared was Proverb 4: 22-24, that word made famous by Derek Prince in his old radio recordings of God's Medicine bottle.
The emphasis on the word was the directive: Pay Attention!
Pay Attention to God's Word. Stop what you're doing, focus on and give your full and respectful attention to the word.

We spent a while considering the directive, 'Pay Attention!'. We considered whether in our daily lives, we paid particular attention to the word. Do we set time aside for the word'? Do we find a quiet place, diminish distractions , turn off the TV and the music and focus intently for the treasure of the word of God?

It is only if we hold the word in this kind of esteem that we are likely to incline our ear to hear it. In other words by inclining our ear, we submit our mind to the hearing of the word. Are we inclined to accept the word of God as the revealed will and intent of God? The Apostle Paul said, "Let God be true and every man a liar." Only then are we in position to hear within our hearts and to keep the word in our hearts by meditating on it!

In the book of Joshua, the prescription for finding the word is meditating on it day and night. How close are we to finding those choice, powerful and useful words of God? When this first part is done succesfully, only then can we FIND the word in that necessary and useful way where it becomes LIFE within, energizing, invigorating, revitalizing, activating, and pulsing.

And then there is of course that great statement we have been staring at for so long, wondering how the word becomes..."Health to All thy flesh".... from head to toe and every internal organ as well as skin bones and connective tissue. The Word we are told has this power to deliver health, once it is found in such a way that it activates faith. Faith, that substance of hope and the evidence of the unseen.

In our first School of Healing, we learned that when we believe, we speak. As it is written, I believe therefore I speak. We also learned that God calls the things that are not as though they were. We learned that once faith is formed, it declares!

So for this second class, we applied ourselves to finding faith, by finding the word, in our approach to the word and our respect of the word. We learned that the word was powerful on its own to create life and health. Adding last month's lesson to this month's, we declared a number of healing scriptures for our lives in faith.

The word tells of many streams of healing. We know that declaring the word of healing in faith is one powerful stream. This stream is dependent on the word and our own faith to access what Christ purchased on the cross. Therefore Pay Attention to His words and build yourself up on your most holy faith!

Seven Sayings of the Cross

2008-03-25T13:36:00.001-07:00

On Good Friday, we began the day with great expectation, thankful that Our Lord Jesus would never again have to submit himself to the cross, for what he did, he did once for all mankind. So we rejoiced at a fellowhip breakfast of church family and friends, and engaged in robust worship in song and prayer. Then we listened to the events of the crucifixion, from the point of view of the Lord, in the seven recorded things Jesus said on that day of his tribulation.

What does a person say on the day and in the process of his dying? What did the Son of God and the Son of Man have to say on the day of his greatest deed for mankind, his greatest offering?
I don't remember all seven but I remember these and if we celebrate Good Friday and His resurrection then we would do well to practice the way of our Lord.

Father forgive them for they know not what they do:
It was so important to Jesus to release his enemies from any condemnation. It was so important for him to forgive them. Do we consider forgiving as one of the most important things we practise? Is it one of our last words in a situation?

This day you will be with me in paradise: Again Jesus forgave the sinner who asked for forgiveness and allowed him the grace of eternal salvation. Because this gift is a grace, it cannot be earned. It is unmerited favour and there for sincere asking. This is so because there is none righteous to the standard of God, therefore it took Himself to make a way of grace. Thank God it is available to all.

Mother behold thy son, son behold thy mother: Jesus was concerned about relationships of caregiving. He was concerned for those who were grieving or suffering a form of loss. Do we care for others? Do we look for ways to make caring connections which bless and fulfill the human need of others?

I thirst: This was his most natural statement, the proof of his humanity as he hung on the cross, dehydrated. He suffered as man, yet he bore it like God. We are told he was tempted in everyway as a man yet without sin!

My God, why hast thou forsaken me? This statement is profound and Jesus connects with sinful humanity, separated from God, lonely and alone. It is here, the darkest hour of all that he feels the full weight of sin and carries the wounds, sicknesses, poverty and dying of mankind in an exchange which blesses us with the opposite. This separation must have been the cup from which he would rather not have drank, yet he gave up his human will for the will of God. He withstood separation from God. It is hard to comprehend this moment, how Love lost temporarily yet profoundly, it'sconnection to Love. No wonder it went dark. Was the earth itself at peril?

It is finished: Having arrived at the end of the process, the end of the pain, Jesus is at last able to surrender himself to God and enter into the completion, and the blessed rest of God. He enetrs it with all who will believe on him, repent of sin and receive salvation by faith, through grace. This work is finished and waits for us, the inheritors of Grace!

Into thy hands I commit my spirit: To think we have open for us the same exit (or the same entrance) as Christ when the end comes, if we have believed in him as our Lord. And God is able to receive our souls and preserve us in relationship with him. So we are ale to say in the face of death, "Where is thy sting?" This is our consolation by which we pass on, when our time is come, into His light. We enter into His presence!

Let us hold fast therefore to our confession, for it will be richly rewarded!

FAITH SPEAKS

2008-03-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our blog Grace Waters. We intend to blog ideas and events of note which come up with reference to faith and our church, River of Life International Fellowship in Guelph, Ontario.

At River of Life we are in the middle of a faith series. Today's word of note has to do with our confession, with particular reference to our declaration: those charged words that come out of our mouth to influence our lives. We understand that the spirit of faith is two pronged: We Believe and We Speak. Today we focussed on what we speak, when we speak and to what we speak.

Ezekiel spoke to a mountain and to dead bones. Jesus spoke to the wind and the waves and also to a fig tree. Jesus also spoke to dead people, raising them to life. In our humanity we tend to speak what our circumstance dictates, yet we are called to a life of faith: "The just shall live by faith."

If we believe God and His promises then we must speak his promise in our lives, we must declare them and not the adverse circumstances we face from time to time. We are encouraged to be like God, who made us in His image, who calls those things that are not, as if they were. By faith we believe that the worlds were framed by the word of God and what exists came out of what did not exist, by His word.

May our confessions be full of the faith we profess. We speak because we believe!