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I have more to tell you…

June 14, 2013 Merlin Gonzales ,

Why do kids ask too many questions? Not only do they have endless questions, but they also have weird observation. Children are in their developing age and they may imitate their elders. The younger children do know a lot yet, and they have not discovered the world properly.

Many years ago, my nephew drives me crazy every time we’re together. He would ask one question and when you answer him, he would ask endless “Why!”

Kids are observant and they want to know what you know and why you do the things that you do and the things that you talk about.

Remember when you were in elementary school? You ask your teacher what they know about your class project because you were really interested to learn what your teacher knows.

Just like you and me, everyone is interested in something but the kids are most interested in many things because they don’t know much about what it is, how it is and why it is.

For those of you who are parents, what do you do when it’s not the right time to answer questions that are beyond your children? – “I will answer you those questions later. This is not the right time because you will not understand it yet.”

John 16:12-15, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

Jesus had taught His disciples many things in many different ways for 3 years

  • He introduced them to the Kingdom of God – the main message of Jesus
  • to the works of the Father – working from the different worldview
  • the presence of the Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit was foreign to the early disciples of Christ

The Disciples witnessed Jesus proclaimed and demonstrated the Kingdom of God

  • He taught people in the synagogues and the streets
  • He healed the sick and raised the dead
  • He turned the water into wine and multiplied the bread and the fish

The Disciples saw Him operated His ministry through the Holy Spirit

  • Before He started His ministry here on earth, He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness to be tempted
  • The Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove after He was baptized
  • When He went to a synagogue in Nazareth, He read the scroll of Isaiah the prophet containing these verse, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…”

All these things were new to the disciples and so they ask so many questions

  • The disciples have not heard of the Kingdom of God
  • They have not seen the miracles that Jesus did
  • They have not heard of the Holy Spirit

So, like little kids, they ask many questions; they want to know more!

In verse 12, Jesus said, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.”

Christ is the Great Teacher

  • Jesus knew the present weakness of the disciples
    • There are things in life that we cannot comprehend in our present time. Some of you may have circumstances that may seem unbearable. When certain calamities such as the deadly and humungous tornado in the suburbs of Oklahoma city.
    • Some of us may blame God for a tragic event that happened in our life, loss of job, broken relationship
    • And all of us have many unanswered questions.
    • No one is like Jesus for His abundance of
      • knowledge
      • wisdom
      • revelation
      • None like Him for compassion
        • He could have told His disciple more about the coming Kingdom but the disciples would not bear it or understand it
        • He loves them so much that He does not want them be confounded
        • His compassion is so great that He does not want them to stumble on the revelation that they may not ready to understand yet

We will continue this article in my next issue. God bless you!

Merlin GonzalesI have more to tell you…
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The Kingdom living

June 13, 2013 Merlin Gonzales , ,

Pioneer MBC and Mt. Sinai Life Church are sponsoring yet another class on the Kingdom based on my book, “The Kingdom in Our Midst” hosted at Pioneer MBC located at 2001 Yandees, Indianapolis 46202 and at every Wednesday night 7p EDT until July 17th. Since the cost of the teaching had been taken cared of, this is now open to public. If you decide to join us, just show up at Pioneer MBC on the 19th, purchase your book ($15/ea), invite others and be ready to join a group fired up for the Lord.

Many are the Christian casualties in the spiritual realm

        because they take Christianity casually here in our world.”

                                                                                   – Merlin Gonzales

 

A Study on Living in God’s Dominion Here on Earth

The purpose of this 6-week class is to help ignite your passion to live a life characterized by your relationship and faith with God. It is designed to be interactive, relational and conversational with Biblical teachings to encourage an atmosphere of camaraderie and support.

Spiritual discontent is sweeping the nation. People of different faith are looking for more. Although they cannot define “more”, they know that they are not yet operating their lives according to their calling. Some of them know their purpose but they do not know what’s the next step.

Luke 17:20-21, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” – Jesus

Don’t look for miracle; be the miracle! This study will:

·      Help you discover and affirm your higher calling

·      Encourage you to step out in faith in your daily walk with God

·      Increase your spiritual growth

·      Assist you in broadening your vision with Biblical principles

·      Challenge you to apply the Biblical teachings when you implement your “Practical Learning-in-Action” (PLA)

·      Make you more aware of living in God’s Dominion here on earth

·      Give you confidence in the promises of God

 

So if you have taken this class before and would like a refresher course, you have not completed the entire course or would like to re-take and invite others, you are welcome to join us. Don’t forget that you can join us virtually through 

What is possible if you are living in the reality of the Kingdom here on earth?

 

Hope you can join us. God bless

Merlin GonzalesThe Kingdom living
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The only one of its kind

June 10, 2013 Merlin Gonzales ,
As I was looking today at the FHL web responses that we recently had from around the country, and after researching, I found out that FHL is the only one of its kind that intentionally incubates self sustained food pantries in the US.
Here’s how FHL does it:
  • Identification of food pantry sites
  • Classroom and onsite classes (8 sessions)
    • Based on:
      • Acts 6 – Organized food distribution
      • Mark 16 – Sharing the Gospel
      • Matthew 28 – Discipling the nation
  • Provides training and grocery items to the pantries for up to 6 months to help them become self-sustained
  • In most instances, the food pantries experience more salvations during the food distributions than when the church (a food pantry site) hold their weekend services. For example, one of FHL food pantries, Luz de Vida, (a church with less than 20 members) had 3 salvations in February, 6 in March, 1 in April and 1 in May of this year!
I have written in detail how the “Grassroots Movement in the Kingdom” in my book, The Kingdom in our Midst. I will share with you the details next week.
With the gas prices that continues to increase, more food assistance are needed in our cities. Unfortunately, the poor gets hit the hardest. The income/wages remains almost the same in the past few years, so when you divide the household pie (income) there’s less for food and for other necessities due to increasing fuel prices that jacks up the prices of mostly all commodities.
This year’s FHL Week (July 21-28) theme is “Help feed the hungry in your own backyard”. Below is a list of simple things you can get involved with:
  • Food Drives/Collections – Your church or your places of work and/or business can do food drives/collections during FHL Week. Another way to be a part of food collection is to help us get your neighborhoods involved. By hanging food collection bags on the door knobs, you can address hunger in our city.
  • Urban Garden starts or maintenance – FHL partners with organizations who are directly involved in gardening. During FHL Week, you can come alongside us to do some gardening.
  • Volunteer at a food pantry – You can support some of our pantries through volunteerism or through your financial support.
  • Volunteer at other food organizations – FHL connects volunteers, resources and needs; you can get involved in serving the FHL food partners and sponsors.
John Mott, a Nobel Peace Prize Winner once said, “The person who does the work is not as productive as the one who multiplies the workers.” Faith Hope and Love is an organization that multiplies not only the workers but also the resources. I am appealing to you to help us answer the hunger problem by partnering with FHL in incubating self-sustained food pantries. By the end of July 2013, FHL should have planted 13 food pantries altogether. Currently, FHL is directly supporting 5 food pantries.
Please consider contributing or sponsoring a food pantry that provides physical and spiritual food to the least, the lost and the last. You can respond to this Blog or email [email protected] to find out how you can be a part of this innovative approach to feed the hungry.
Merlin GonzalesThe only one of its kind
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Living by the Spirit; not by flesh Part II

June 5, 2013 Merlin Gonzales ,

In Part I, we discussed about Living by the Spirit; here’s Part II

Let’s read, Galatians 5:19-25, “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

In these verses, the Apostle Paul clearly stated the contrasting acts of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit. But let’s look at this more closely.

Acts of flesh

  • Based on works
    • For example, a machine in a manufacturing plant works and turns out products but could never manufacture fruits. Fruits grow out of life and not out of machines that churns out products. The works of flesh is based on performance rather than of grace.
    • The acts of flesh is sinful. As mentioned in Part I, our bodies are not sinful but it does sinful acts if it is controlled by our flesh instead of the Spirit. If we are controlled by our flesh, we act on sinful things based on our minds and emoitions controlled by our flesh.

Fruits of the Spirit

  • When you think of fruit, you think of
    • Beauty, peace and the unfolding life. Fruit grows out of life, it is spontaneous and alive.
    • Living by the Spirit means growing in our spiritual life through reading the Bible, prayer, worship and praise

We do not have time to define and explain each of the acts of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit. I would like to encourage you to spend a few minutes each day of this week and study these verses more closely.

Ephesians 1:13-14, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

We have a sea much more than seal of approval but the seal of the Holy Spirit. Our inheritance is guaranteed for His glory. If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus and would like to receive Him in your life, please contact me by replying to this article or by emailing me at [email protected]

God bless you,

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Merlin GonzalesLiving by the Spirit; not by flesh Part II
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