Merlin Gonzales

merlin

Merlin founded Faith Hope and Love Intl., which collaborates with churches crossing denominational lines. He has developed the concept of “Mission Trips in Your Own Backyard” to unify the Body of Christ by bringing the love of God into the community. Merlin’s messages and teachings are about raising up a generation passionate for God to build a legacy of transformation. He is an Advisory Council Member for the State of Indiana Office of the Faith-based and a co-host for Religion in the News. Merlin speaks at churches, businesses, government, educational institutions and faith based organizations to encourage people to live out their faith. He is a church consultant helping pastors reach out in their communities to raise and train leaders. Merlin and his wife Annie live in Noblesville, Ind.

Session 3: Kingdom Worldview

Kingdom Worldview

Kingdom Worldview

At the start of Session 3, Don and Donna Cherry and Jeff Teel blessed the group with their awesome worship! This week, my friend Pastor Brian will bring one of his worship groups to lead the worship. It is going to be another awesome night!

Don & Donna Cherry and Jeff

Don & Donna and Jeff

Session 3 table discussions

Session 3 table discussions

Heaven invades earth when we partner with the Holy Spirit. Jesus launched His ministry after He was baptized by the Holy Spirit and Jesus was endowed by the Holy spirit to fulfill His Messianic mission. Jesus was bestowing on His disciples the same Spirit that had descended on Him at His baptism, including us, now. We learned in Session 3 that we literally become God’s hands and feet when we see His way of doing things (Kingdom worldview) and then act accordingly.

Worship and prayers

Worship and prayers

Is. 35:5-6 “And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind…

Assignment for Session 4

Signs of the Kingdom are here with us

Signs of the Kingdom are here with us

Read pages 63-98 of “The Kingdom In Our Midst” and answer questions 1 thru 9 on pages 99-102

Contemplation: Are you living short of the wonder of God’s power within you?

Experiential: Do something out of your extraordinary routine to put your faith in action.

Listen to Session 3 Parts 1 and 2

Part 1:

Part 1

Part 2:

Part 2

God bless you!

Merlin GonzalesSession 3: Kingdom Worldview
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Session 2: The Possibility of Kingdom Living

Session Two

Session Two

It was a blessing to worship the Lord with Lirios de los Valle (Lillies of the Valley). Bilingual worship was powerful! As a part of experiential study, there will be different worship teams coming throughout the entire class. In heaven, there’s no division between Americans and Latinos or Evangelicals and Pentecostals.

Bilingual worship

Bilingual worship

Group discussion is an important part of learning

Group discussion is an important part of learning

Our consciousness and our awareness of the promises of God affect our lives and our approach towards others, the next generations and beyond. At the group discussion, we shared our thoughts about our understanding of Genesis 28:10-22. We also learned about the definition of a kingdom and some of the characters of God as we study how we live out the Kingdom in our everyday lives.

In Session 3, we will discuss about the Kingdom worldview. We will look at how Jesus operated His life while He was here on earth and how we can be supernaturally natural through working with the Holy spirit within us.

At the end of each class, we pray for each other and speak blessings over our group.

At the end of each class, we pray for each other and speak blessings over our group.

Genesis 28:16, “Surely the Lord is in this place and I was not aware of it.

Assignment for Session 3

Kingdom Worldview

Kingdom Worldview

Read pages 22-55 of “The Kingdom In Our Midst” and answer the Group Discussion questions in Session 3. Read Act Chapters 1 and 2.

Contemplation: Meditate on the topics about the Kingdom of God in the Bible

Experiential: Make a conscious effort to increase your awareness of the Lord’s presence in your life. What is He doing in your family, neighborhood and work places?

Listen to Parts 1 and 2

Part 1:

Part 1

Part 2:

Part 2

God bless you!

Merlin

Merlin

Merlin GonzalesSession 2: The Possibility of Kingdom Living
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Session 1: Introduction to a study on Living in God’s Dominion here on Earth

Session1601

Two nights before the first session, we were blessed by IHOPE ministry through leading a prophetic and intercessory worship.

Prophetic and Intercessory worship

Prophetic and Intercessory worship

Wonderful worship led by Tree of Life Ministries

Wonderful worship led by Tree of Life Ministries

Then, Tree of Life Ministries blessed us with their worship at the start of our first session!

For our Second session, Lirios de los Valles (Lilies of the Valleys church) will lead the worship. Worship is a part of this class.

Psalm 22:3, “Yet you are holy,
    enthroned on the praises of Israel.” 

All the class participants had the opportunity to introduce themselves and to get to know each other. The class is designed to be relational, interactive and conversational. It will also include group discussions, contemplation, assignments and practical/experiential application of the Biblical principles and values.

What would our neighborhoods look like if we could say, "The Kingdom of God is here"

What would our neighborhoods look like if we could say, “The Kingdom of God is here”

“We will challenge ourselves to be in situations where our only option is to rely on God.”

Our main Scripture for Session 1 was Luke 17:20-21, “Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’because the kingdom of God is in your midst.

Assignment for Session 2

Session Two

Session Two

  • Read pages 1-22 of “The Kingdom In Our Midst”
  • If you were given a chance of a lifetime, what would you do for your community? __________________________
  • What would our communities look like if we could say, “The Kingdom of God is here”

Contemplation: How does your awareness limit your experience of the Kingdom? ____________________________

Experiential: Begin a journal titled “My Spiritual Journey”

Listen to Session 1

Part 1: 

Part 1

Part 2:

Part 2

God bless you!

Merlin

Merlin GonzalesSession 1: Introduction to a study on Living in God’s Dominion here on Earth
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Spiritual Journey

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A Confusing Spiritual Journey

Back in the late 1990’s, my lifestyle was a confusing spiritual journey.

I was unsure about my purpose in life. I studied different religions (and practiced some of them). I had a lot of baggage and I was broken spiritually. Maybe you can relate with me. I wanted to change the course of my life but could not find the right path. I prayed, I ask people to pray for me, I read self-help books and listened to books on tape (yes, there was no iPod then), I went to conferences and seminars but they did not have a long-term impact on me.

Getting Involved In Serving Others

Then God gave me grace to hear His voice clearly in 2000. Strange things happened when I started to get my hands dirty and got involved in serving others. I volunteered at my home church and attended Bible studies. I participated in different outreaches to the poor, the prisoners, the sick, the elderly and the orphans. After more than 2 years into this spiritual journey, God showed me some cool stuff and my experiences changed my perspective. Before, I only knew of Jesus but did not have a relationship with Him. Jesus became my confidant, my best friend and Lord of my life. I got to know Him deeper.

1 Thessalonians 1:5, “…because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.”

I found out that inviting the Holy Spirit to walk with me and to work with me made all the difference. Whenever I am in tune with His presence, things seem to just happen! And, they just don’t happen, they happen with power and miracles become more frequent!

Consequently, my Bible studies become more meaningful through my life experiences. I learned that the teachings of the Bible have everything to do with my life. I hear more from God through my life experiences and through the people who suddenly pop up into my life. My thirst for God increases. The more I feast on His Word, the more I get hungry with the Word of God. I also experience more of His involvement in my life. I came to know more about Jesus.

Your Challenge – A 7-Week Experiential Study

If you long to hear more from God, to co-labor with Him and to see more miracles, signs and wonders, He is ready for you! He is ready to bring you to a place where the supernatural happens. It’s a matter of the condition of your heart and your resolve to take the big steps to experience God’s involvement in your life. I believe that God wants to reveal more of His nature to us. As much as we want to know Him, is nothing compared to His longing to reveal more of Himself to us!

On April 28th, we will start the Spring classes on “Living in God’s Dominion Here on Earth”, a 7-week EXPERIENTIAL study based on my book, “The Kingdom In Our Midst.”Experiential640

We will take this spiritual journey together as we learn with and from each other. We will get our hands dirty and go out in the streets to see more of what God is doing in our midst. You will be challenged by thought provoking questions. You will discover the supernatural world within you. Together, we will tap into the unlimited heavenly resources available to us as we experience living out our faith.

REGISTER NOW

Merlin GonzalesSpiritual Journey
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It’s really working!

KIOMClassRegistration640Getting Involved

When I experienced the blessing in serving, I can’t stop getting involved!

I volunteered at my church. I volunteered at a hospital, I volunteered at an orphanage. I volunteered at nursing homes. I volunteered in prisons. I went outside the US to do short-term mission trips! I cleaned toilets, picked up trash, served in soup kitchens, washed feet of homeless, and shoveled snow for an elderly who was stuck in her house. I did street evangelism, I preached at elderly homes, I organized Easter egg hunt, Christmas gifts deliveries, Christian concerts at a Coliseum, closed the main streets in downtown Indy for prayer rally, mobilized thousands of volunteers and spoke at different churches.

As I look back, I have learned in the streets, in classrooms, in board rooms, in seminars and in conferences. I lost money from scams, gave resources to con artists and helped many people in need.

Teaching Others

Throughout the years, I learned and I applied what I learned. I started teaching others what I learned as well. I spoke at any place where people let me and I give my testimonial whenever I can. I teach, consult and coach pastors, community leaders and employees. I speak and preach in front of congregation, government officials, school systems and the general public.

I started companies, organizations and publications! I created manuals, procedures and teaching materials. I migrated from Asia to North America. I lived in Indiana, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Mississippi and back to Indianapolis. I visited several countries in Europe, Central and South America.

Preaching

Teaching

Serving

Through my exploration, I learned early in my career that experience is a great teacher. Conceptualizing a notion is good but you do not know for sure if it would work until you try it! You have to prove it by actually experiencing it. I have experienced a lot of ups and downs, successes and failures.

My journey to learn and to teach others started in early 2000’s. My ignorance and my enthusiasm got me quickly to places where many experienced people were not able to. I didn’t know any better so I was not afraid to try something new! Some worked, some not, but in the process I was accelerating my learning curve.

Now, I am passionate to reach out to others who are willing to invest their time, talent and treasure to make a difference and to leave a legacy for future generations. I love seeing people progressed because they start to believe in themselves. I like encouraging others because I normally see their potential even though they doubt themselves.

Your Challenge

I like to challenge my clients to reach out to others because in the process of helping others, they actually help themselves. They experience the teachings of the Bible that it is better to give than to receive. They come to see that in the process of healing is serving, that simple things can make a big impact in others. These things really work!

To benefit from my years of educations and experience, please contact me at [email protected] and receive a complimentary assessment. Or sign up for KIOM class registration here.  Begins April 28! 

KIOM-Study-Registration-WEBimage

 

Merlin GonzalesIt’s really working!
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