All posts tagged: Christ

a Study on God’s Dominion: Session 2

January 28, 2013 Merlin Gonzales KIOM

Week Two: Signs of the Kingdom

Read The Kingdom in Our Midst (KIOM) Part 2 and answer all the questions.

Study Is. 35:5-6

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
and unplug the ears of the deaf.
⁶The lame will leap like a deer,
and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
and streams will water the wasteland.

~ Isaiah 35:5-6 (NLT)

Based on the verses above, what are the signs of the Kingdom that Jesus will bring to the earth?

‎”Our future is affected by our response and action today.”

Someone once said, “I don’t regret the things I’ve done so much as I regret the things I didn’t do when I had the chance.” Have you found yourself saying, “I wish I would have, should have and could have”? What can you do now to live the life you meant to live?

Jesus taught the Kingdom of God through His ___________and ___________. Pg. 66

Jesus came not only to give us freedom from the ________________ but also to be “Christ-Like” in the world. Pg. 70

What is the main focus of FHL Week? Pg. 74

Jesus had more conflicts with the ______________ than the _____________ and the ___________. Pg. 76 Why?

Based on Matthew 23:23, what are the things that the teachers of the law and the Pharisees neglected?

Why were the sinners attracted to Jesus? Pg. 79

Awareness

January 23, 2013 Merlin Gonzales Backyard Missions, KIOM, Ministry, Self-Sustained Food Pantriy

Awareness of hunger compel people to action

Deep inside all of us is the longing to experience the Bible in our lives. We want to see more of God collaborating in our daily activities. We’d like to talk to Him and hear more from Him. We need to challenge ourselves to be in situations where our only option is to rely on God. This is where faith meets your experience.

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.”

Many of us have been praying for revival but if we recognize and honor the God in us, then we carry the revival within us! Wherever the Kingdom of God is, there is revival. It may not look like what we think it should be. Don’t look for a miracle; we are the miracle sent by God through the power of the Holy Spirit. The greatest miracle is seeing someone accept Jesus as their Lord and change their physical and spiritual destiny for eternity. In a blink of an eye, a person’s life was changed forever.

‎”Our awareness directs our action and our collective action changes our culture.”~ Merlin

Awareness directs our action but we need to act on it, then it will have impact on our life. You act on things that are important and according to your priority.

Expanding your awareness of the Kingdom will change all the aspects of your life, your family, your work, your money, your business, and your future. How would your priorities change, and where will your focus be?

We know that there are many benefits in exercising, eating healthy foods, having enough sleep and living a less stressful life. This is good information to be aware of, it could change how you feel, how you look and how you live. But this is only knowledge; unless you act on them, they will remain in your head and they may not have a direct effect in your life. We need the awareness of the Kingdom high in our consciousness if we want to see more of heaven here on earth.

“Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men and women. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doings of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle.” ~ John F. Kennedy

What are your tasks that seem monumental? Pray for powers equal to your tasks. The ultimate power that we need is heavenly power, power from above, power from the Lord. That’s why we need to put our priority in knowing, believing and acting on God’s will.

a Study on God’s Dominion: Session 1

January 18, 2013 Merlin Gonzales Backyard Missions, KIOM, Message, Ministry

Here’s a free bee for your my friends. The pilot class starts 1/21 6:30p-8p onsite at the FHL offices located at 8383 Craig St Ste 335 Indianapolis IN 46250 USA. I am also offering the life-transforming class online through AnyMeeting. RSVP by tomorrow, 1/19 for more info about this 4-session class. The Kingdom in Our Midst book is a required reading.

“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

Wk. 1: What does the Kingdom of God look like?

Read KIOM Pg. 1-55 and answer the questions on Pg. 56-59

What is the “Kingdom”

It is more of the ______________ of the King rather than a _______________:

King’s _________, God’s realm, a world ruled by ______, not by _________

(Psalm 9:8-9; Zechariah 9:9-11; Matt 2:6; Eph 1:20-23)

God’s way of doing things that reflect His __________ and ______________

(Matthew Chapters 5-7)

In harmony with God’s _______________
- Goodness (Psalm 100:5; Matt 7:11; Heb 12:10)
- Love (1 John 4:8; John 3:16; Rom 5:8; Matt 22:37-38)
- Holiness (Psalm 99:9; Lev. 19:2; Heb 12:10)
- Righteousness or Justice (Deut 32:4; Is 45:19)

Pick 2 questions on pgs. 8-9 KIOM and state your answers.

________________________________________________________________

Read Gen. 28:10-22. How does our consciousness and awareness of the promises of

God affect our lives and our approach towards others?

________________________________________________________________

The Creative Power within us: The Holy Spirit

Define bestow and endow

________________________________________________________________

Kingdom living: Does your life reflect your faith? Your Testimony

Miracles: ________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Signs: ________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Wonders: ________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

God Encounters: ________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Practical steps that believers can take to increase their awareness of the Kingdom:

________________________________________________________________

Based on our discussion, what’s one thing that you would do this week to help ignite your passion to live a life characterized by your relationship with and by your faith in God?

________________________________________________________________

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.

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