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Miracles in Our Midst

December 20, 2012 Merlin Gonzales Backyard Missions, FHL Indiana, Testimony

Last week, I had lunch with one of our ministry partners at a restaurant in Castleton in Indianapolis, IN. At our table, we were greeted by a high-energy waiter; he smiled and asked for our orders. After a few minutes, he came back with our delicious food. Just before he left our table, I asked him if we can pray for him. The question caught him off guard and suddenly, he got quiet. It took him almost a minute before he look at me and with a couple of deep breath, he asked to pray for his marriage. He left immediately so my friend & I prayed for his marriage and blessed our food.

During the course of our stay in the restaurant, our waiter visited our table a few times thanking us for praying for him. Just as we were about ready to leave, he gave me a card with a note, “Thank you soo much for the prayer, you have no idea what it means to me!”

This morning, one of our ministry leaders, Bill & I visited one of our volunteers who was hospitalized 4 weeks ago. The operation restricted her to move around. At the end of our visit. We prayed for her. Nehemiah 8:10 came to mind, “for the joy in the Lord is your strength.” and I shared it with her.

Suddenly, she stood up quickly as if she was fully recovered. She walked rapidly towards her piano, cleared the bench and looked for a hymnal. I did not know what was happening. To my surprise, she played, “Joy to the World.” I was floored to hear how she played it with passion. A simple words of encouragement lifted her faith and changed the spiritual atmosphere in her residence.

These 2 stories of simple acts of kindness and encouraging words can be the miracle that people are waiting for this Christmas season. As we are getting close to Christmas Day, keep in mind that God can use you mightily in someone’s life…the best gift that you can give. The reality of the Kingdom begins within you.

After a few thousand years…

December 17, 2012 Merlin Gonzales Backyard Missions

In the Old Testament, Moses had the same issue. In Numbers 13 and 14, Moses was instructed by God to send one leader from each of the 12 ancestral tribes. They were to explore the land of Canaan with very specific orders: find out if the people living there are weak or strong, few or many, and find out if the land is fertile. After 40 days of exploration, the men reported that the land was a bountiful country—land flowing with milk and honey. But they also found out that the people living there were powerful and their towns were fortified. Ten out of the twelve men came back with negative reports, trying to convince the entire community not to take the land. They said it would be impossible to conquer it. They would prefer to go back to being slaves again in Egypt or to die in the desert.

After a few thousand years, our society is still the same. There are more negative people than the Calebs and the Joshuas. More people complain and even convince others why it cannot be done even though God has already told them to take the land. More people are willing to go back to the slavery in Egypt than to work hard and take the promise. All twelve spies reported the same information but only two believed God and were willing to take the land—that’s just 16% who came back with courage to do God’s work. Remember in my previous Blog, the pastors said that, generally, only 10%-20% of the congregation tithes and does the works of the church.

God had promised the people a land flowing with milk and honey. All they had to do was take it. Instead of believing God, they came up with all kinds of excuses and rebelled against God by not taking action. The end of the story was that God granted their wish to rebel; no one in their generation, including Moses, reached the Promised Land except Caleb and Joshua.

Our generation has the responsibility to take action to take the land. Similar to the generation of Moses, the future of the next generation depends on our generation. We are all a part of the history of Christianity in the U.S. and in the world. Our generation can reverse the trend of increasing apathy of the church by taking God for His Word.

Next, I will share with you some practical and simple things that Christians can do to reverse the trend. Missions is not an event but a lifestyle.

For a full story regarding the 10/40 window in our own backyard, you can order my book, The Kingdom in Our Midst by visiting www.merlingonzales.com

The 10/40 Window in our own backyards

December 4, 2012 Merlin Gonzales Backyard Missions, FHL Indiana

I had mentioned in my previous Blog that I will be writing more about the origin of the 10/40 window in our midst. Here’s an excerpt from my book, The Kingdom in our Midst:

In 1990, Luis Bush coined the phrase “10/40 window,” which refers to the section of the world that is least reached by the Gospel. These regions have roughly two-thirds of the world’s population. Many governments in these countries formally or informally prohibit Christian teachings. Thus, the term “window” was used because of the window of opportunity to evangelize these countries.

According to Wikipedia, approximately 77% of the U.S. population was Christians in 2009, down from 86% in 1990. This should not surprise us since the U.S. has become too secularized in its approach to life. The country that has the motto “In God We Trust” on its currency is now divided in its approach to Christianity. If the trend continues at its current rate, Christians could be the minority in the decades to come. We may be looking at the next 10/40 window right in our own backyard.

My recent conversations with a few local Christian denominational leaders revealed that about 10%-20% of the congregations tithe and are active in the works of the church. This means that about 85% of Christians are church-goers (I heard someone referred to them as half-baked Christians or part-time Christians), but are not actively involved in sharing the Gospel and are not being discipled. In general, who are the Christians in this country? Do they reflect Christ in their lives? Can we easily distinguish a Christian in a crowd? Or is it getting harder and harder to identify them?

In my next Blog, I will share more excerpts from my book relating to the same topic with a view from the Old Testament.

PS/ You order my book at www.amazon.com www.createspace.com on the 12th OR you can pre order it now at www.merlingonzales.com

The Next 10/40 Window

November 30, 2012 Merlin Gonzales FHL Indiana

The next 10/40 Window is just around the corner…look around

A few days ago, my wife and I had a lunch with a long-time friend. He is fired up for the Lord, which brought him to the Army and was deployed in Afghanistan in the past. During our conversation, he mentioned about the mortality of the soldiers in the battlefield, which keeps them prepared at all times. He also mentioned that the first three months and the last three months of deployment have the most casualties in the troops. They learn that complacency kills; apathy is not tolerated in the war zone.

We have heard a saying that when you become a Christian, you are automatically drafted in the army of God. In a sense, we are in a war zone all the time. Jesus said in John 17:18, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” Jesus was actively engaged in the Kingdom expansion. He knows the urgency of preaching, teaching, discipleship and to bring the tangible love of God. He models how a Christian should live their lives. He was in tune spiritually with God and He also knows how to reach out to the world. He operated in the spiritual and in the physical realm simultaneously.

My passion for the Kingdom of God to be tangible in our own lives propelled me to write the book, The Kingdom in Our Midst. Here’s an excerpt from the book: “The next 10/40 window is not hard to reach—it’s the absence of passion in the Christian world that prevents the Gospel from reaching our own backyards. This 10/40 window could empower governments to formally or informally prohibit Christian teachings. The next 10/40 will be marked by the apathy of Christians. Physically, it is right here in our own backyard. Our cities are waiting for the concerted action of Christians to take the land.”

I wrote a few pages on the topic – “The 10/40 Window in our own backyard”, how we got there, where we are heading if our conformity and apathy continue and what can we do now to reverse the trend. We will start a discussion on this topic soon at my website. You can order my book by calling 317-578-3370, email [email protected] or online www.merlingonzales.com Free S/H if you order before Dec. 15.

God bless you,

PS/ Remind others that complacency can have a sudden and long-term effect for individuals and for a city. Don’t get caught with your guard down. 1 Peter 5:8, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

A perspective from a military

November 27, 2012 Merlin Gonzales FHL Indiana

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