All posts tagged: Faith Hope and Love

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?

“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

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?

________________________________________________________________

God wants our faithfulness, not our success

March 11, 2012 Merlin Gonzales FHL Indiana, Message

“My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”

Jeremiah 2:13

I believe this is a reminder to us that we need to put our faith in the Spring of Living Water. It is easy to try to “help God” to make things happen just because we are ministering to others. We have heard that there’s the part of man and the part of God in a given situation. I am not saying that we just sit and watch what God is doing. We have to put our trust and faith in God and His purpose before we look somewhere else.

When we are in a battle, we don’t see everything, but we can always bank on looking to Jesus first. That’s why the prophet Jeremiah said, let’s not leave the fountain of living water and go to the broken cisterns for fresh water. The cisterns could be our position or title, our “big” contact, our bank account or even our own abilities. These things are cracked jars that cannot hold no water at all!

Look to Jesus first then act accordingly.

Jeremiah prophesied and preached to the same people for about 40 years. Very few people listened to him but he continued to do what God had told him to do and say what God had told him to say. In our modern time, we can easily say that during Jeremiah’s ministry, he was failure. However, success in world’s view may not be the same success as defined by the Scripture. God wants our faithfulness, not our success.

Jeremiah may not have fully realized that the transformation of the people was already happening during his time. He had countless oppositions and he was banished from the people who had authority over the land…so they thought.

God is the fountain of fresh flowing water. Once we come to the point that we abandon everything for Him, He will empower us to do His will through us. Like the the prophet Jeremiah, God works in us and through us and He will make sure that He will continue to finish what He started in you.

Be encouraged, my friends!

Three Town Hall meetings in 2 days

March 9, 2012 Merlin Gonzales FHL Indiana, FHL Week

Last Wednesday, I joined the planning meeting in Pendelton, IN for the FHL Week in Pendelton/Anderson area. There was 2 pastors, 2 church leaders and a Chaplain for the Pendleton Police department. They are planning to something neat for the public servants (Can’t reveal what they are yet until they finalize the details of the project. They will share the same idea with the Anderson churches to see if they would like to do the same. The next step for them is to talk with several other town leaders for a few more projects they have in mind. They are looking to partner with churches, government and businesses. To find out more about the Pendleton/Anderson area, you can contact Wellspring Church at 317-491-2319 and ask for Facundo Cortez.

Later that night, I was at the West Indy Town Hall. It was attended by about 15 people mostly from the Cloverleaf area. Many thanks to our host, Pastor Larry Evans of Cloverleaf Baptist church. We had pizza and drinks and we shared the purpose of the meeting – Neighborhood Makeover). We had a brief brainstorming to identify the needs in the neighborhood. It was amazing to hear what the residents shared with everyone. Needless to say, everyone wants to get involved We were surprised by a Reporter from Indianapolis Star who stayed for the entire 1.5 hours to gather data for an article. The next planning meeting will be on Tuesday, March 20th at 7p. They will be identifying possible projects for FHL Week. For more info about the West Indy area, please contact Pastor Larry Evans at 317-750-1659.

Last night, I was at Martinsville Town Hall meeting held at JK’s Cheesecake Cafe. I did not know what to expect since this was a brand new area for FHL. As soon as I arrived there, we were greeted by our Host Jason & Shannon Suttles and 2 FHL volunteers. We set up the projector and sound system while people started to come. There were lots of finger food and drinks. Just before we got started, the room was full with more 20 people. I share the history of FHL and the purpose of the meeting – to answer the question “What would Martinsville look like we you could say, “God’s blessings is present and active here.” All the attendees answered the question; here are some answers (see the picture on top of this Blog): address the impoverish areas, neighborhood clean up, educating the youth to be more active and healthy, unity of churches, food pantry, prayer teams, etc. Later, I found out that there were Pastors, business people and community leaders present at the meeting. Everyone wants to get involved. The next planning meeting (purpose is to narrow down the possible projects) is tentatively scheduled on Friday, April 13th at JK’s Cheesecake Cafe located at 110. E. Morgan St 46151. For more information, please contact Shannon Suttles at 812-272-5451

For other FHL areas, please contact me at 317-578-3370. Looking forward to working with you in changing the world…in our community. Our next Town Hall meeting will be at Southport City Hall at 7pm on Monday, March 12th.

Giving and Serving from the hands of God

July 21, 2011 Merlin Gonzales FHL Week

If you were given a chance of a lifetime, what would you do for your neighbors and for your city? This question has been in my heart even before the Lord had birthed FHL in 2005. It is now happening right in front of our eyes.

This coming FHL Week (July 24-30), our city will see the unconditional love of God through the unselfish acts of kindness from the all sectors of our society. A national-chain restaurant providing thousands of dollars worth of food for the volunteers, ministries who invest their own money even though they are not in their “line item” or in their budget, our local government providing resources to the neighborhoods and individuals taking the entire week as their vacation to serve those people that they don’t even know. All these testimonials are blessings to hear but they are extra blessings for those who are serving. Literally, God gives through hands and He takes care of His people through the “Local Missionaries”.

In Hebrews 11:2, “This is what the ancients were commended for.” I would like to mention that the people who serve unconditional will be commended by God for their ‘faith in action’. As one Bible commentary says, “True Bible faith is confident obedience to God’s Word despite circumstances and consequences.” “The circumstances may be impossible and the consequences frightening and unknown, but we obey God’s Word just the same and believe Him to do what is right and what is best.”

I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to all of you for serving others unconditionally. You are a part of the history of the transformation of our city. I am privileged to work alongside you in the declaration and the demonstration of God’s love.

Please contact us at 317-578-3370 or [email protected] Sign up Online to volunteer and participate.

Ephesians 3:20, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,”

May the Lord bless you abundantly and be a blessing to others,

Merlin

The next stage

July 17, 2011 Merlin Gonzales FHL Indiana

2 Chronicles 30:12, “Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the LORD.” – NIV

Only by God’s blessings can we experience the true meaning of UNITY and we can carry out what FHL was called to. If we are to teach and preach unity, it needs to start from within us and from our leadership. We model who and what we are for.

Since early part of this year, my spirit has been anticipating new things coming in May (ministry-being more focused, resources/financial blessings):

in May and June we received 5 donated cars and in June alone, our income/donations was 3 times more than normal.
I sense that after our 7th FHL Week, we have to be ready for unexpected blessings and increased harvests from the years of sowing. We have been proven and tried. Our new season is coming. However, there is price to pay and we need to position ourselves for the growth and for new assignments.
2011 is the preparation for 2012 – (I’ll expound later in this)

Be ready. We will be harvesting where we did now sow and the reaper will overtake the harvesters. From the mountain of the Lord will flow Rivers of Living Water. Streams of Living Water will flow through us and we will continue to be conduits of God’s blessings to His people.

I’m looking forward to this upcoming FHL Week. Although the Official FHL Week is July 24-30th, our Noblesville area area starting early on Thursday, July 21st and a couple of other areas are extending till July 31st.

Thank you for coming alongside FHL, the ministry that God had birth out of His love for Indianapolis and beyond.