MAPLEVIEW BLOG

Is.30: 21 “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

At times your faith expedition will be challenging. Indeed, the path you will be required to take will be narrow.  And of course the lower wider path will always be tempting to you. In those moments of temptation resist the enemy and listen for the still small voice off the Lord saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Furthermore, in the moments of knees knocking and hands trembling stable your self with the power verses you have been given over the last eight weeks. They will be your anchor promises in moments of doubt and unbelief. Memorize them; mark them in your bible hold them close and abide in their truth and God will see you through to the end of your journey. The four anchor promises (power verses) helping you hold steady in the past month.

Feb 5th – Mt.18: 19
“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

Feb 12th -2Cor.10: 5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Feb 19th. – Eph.6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Feb 26th 2 Tim.1:7

For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Remember, there always a way of Holiness you can follow that will get you safely through the treacherous narrows of the mountain highway we call life.  There is no better guide then the Lord our God – He is might to save!

The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:1

“Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.”

Here is a brief overview of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit found I 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. These gifts will assist you in your Faith Expedition & ministry.

The three gifts of Revelation (illumination) given through the Spirit.

• The message of wisdom is a supernatural revelation (disclosure) communicated by the Holy Spirit of the mind and purpose of God.
• The message of knowledge is a supernatural revelation (disclosure) of the Holy Spirit revealing some past or present event, fact, or condition.
• The distinguishing between spirits is a supernatural revelation (disclosure) through the Holy Spirit of seeing beings of the normally unseen spirit world and distinguishing if they are good or bad real or not.

The three gifts of power given through the Spirit.

• The workings of faith is a supernatural manifestation of faith given by the Holy Spirit generating extraordinary certainty and belief in transforming a circumstance, condition or happening.
• The workings of healing is a supernatural manifestation of power given by Holy Spirit that alters, suspends or in some other way impacts health and natural disease.
• The workings of miraculous powers is a supernatural manifestation of power given by the Holy Spirit that alters suspends or in some other way controls the laws of nature.

The three gifts of inspiration given through the Spirit

• The workings of prophecy is a supernaturally inspired utterance communicated by the Holy Spirit to an individual for the purpose of edification, encouragement, and comfort.
• The workings of speaking in different kinds of tongues is a supernatural impartation of a spiritual language (earthly or heavenly) by the Holy Spirit in order to build up the spirit of the Believer and enabling you to speak your heart mysteries to God.
• The workings and gifts of the interpretation of tongues is a supernatural inspired utterance in an unknown language for the whole church body that is always interpreted and is equivalent to the working of prophecy.

When the gifts of the Holy Spirit are exercised in an orderly wise way they will release Holy Spirit power into the community of faith with signs and wonders following. May the Lord use you in the gifts of the Spirit to impact those in our congregation this year!

If you have been traveling with us on our 2012 Faith Expedition, in search of the Mustard seed of faith then you know we have conquered the mountain of January and are beginning our assent toward the peak of February. The four via points helping navigate our route in the past month came in the form of four power verses. I encourage you to Mark the verses in your Bible.

Jan.8th – 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come with superior eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony of God. 2 For I decided to be concerned about nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling. 4 My conversation and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on the power of God.

Jan15th – Is.40. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Jan 22nd – Mark 16:15-18 – 15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Jan 29th – Psalm 91: 1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty 3 He will save you from the fowler’s snare & from the deadly pestilence.5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.9 If you make the Most High your dwelling— 10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.15 He will call upon me, & I will answer him; I will deliver him & honor him.16 With long life will I satisfy him & show him my salvation.”

May I rant for a moment on a topic of concern regarding the devices and satanic snares of our adversary – Satan! The Bible has a verse of scripture that I committed to memory a number of years ago that is at the center of my
rant.

“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Psalm 119:165 (KJV)

So often I find Good Believer’s with good hearts falling into grievous offenses with their brothers and sisters in the Lord. For one reason or
another “the offense” seems always large enough to justify a “righteous indignation” – an excusable holy anger toward the offender. Yet, the Bible verse clearly states for a mature lover of God’s ways “…nothing shall
offend them.”

We must all guard ourselves from falling into receiving offenses from our brothers and sisters. For they are nothing more than a sly satanic snare attempting to kill, steal and destroy the grace of God in your life and the life of the faith community. Taking offense is a subtle but powerful tool of the enemy. Jesus tells a parable in Matthew 13:24 of a man who planted a field and while he was sleeping his enemy came and sowed weeds among the same field. His enemy did this to destroy the man’s hope of harvest and leave him broken and bitter in failure & disappointment. Yet it was not the man’s doing but the work of his enemy.

Seeds of offense are sown by the enemy into our lives by those around at times intentionally and often even without intention. Remember, Jesus words to Peter “Get behind me Satan!” Peter did not deliberately understand that his actions had originated with Satan – but they did. We must learn not to fall asleep as Believer’s in the truth that our struggle is not against flesh and blood even if flesh and blood is where the offense came from. We can’t afford to live with offense operating in any area of our life. Today let the offense go and discover again the great peace of the Lord Jesus Christ

Jay, a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints at Mapleview, greetings in His precious name.  I never cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.

This letter comes to you this Christmas Day as a sincere expression of my gratitude for all you have accomplish for Jesus our Lord this past year.

In the past it has been my Christmas tradition to convey my appreciation to each of those assisting in accomplishing the Lord’s vision here at Mapleview. My prayers have gone out with the hope that those faithful volunteers would receive a warm sense of God manifest presence for all their sacrifice of time, energy and money. Many often gave of themselves to the detriment of their own personal comfort and well-being.

I have often said, “We can not even begin to pay those who serve so diligently what they are worth, but we can do our best to let everyone know how much we truly value them.”  This year, I hope to do that – through a few short words that spring from my own heart.

“Dear saints and fellow travelers’ of the faith expedition!  To you I owe a debt of immense gratitude.  For each of you have contributed in your own unique and phenomenal way to God’s Kingdom advancing throughout this year.  You may not see it  with clarity, but your acts of kindness, your ongoing faithfulness, and your agape love have been used by the Lord to give hope to thousands of people who will never know or thank you personally.  You have done it quietly, without boasting and with no thought of reward.  You have now and then even had to endure criticism and ridicule, from those not recognizing your service – yet you have persevered for God and God alone!  Be encouraged dear friend.  Our Heavenly Father has recorded all you have done for Him and has “credited it to you as righteousness.” Gods Kingdom will be richer for your service.”

In farewell, I wish you and all of those who are most dear to you, a wonderful and joyful Christmas and New Year.  My prayer is that you would remain safe and secure in our Loving Savior this coming year. Be blessed dear and treasured friend of Jesus Christ.

Sincerely,

A most privileged shepherd,

Pastor Jay Davis

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” — which means, “God with us.”  Matt. 1:23

How much more obvious can God make it regarding His enduring love for you and I. The Christmas season is a genuine testimony of God’s willingness to wash our feet. (Do you see the picture of this? Can you grasp the love?) Jehovah God, entering in the flesh the filth and sin of the world in order to wash our feet.

Our God is so phenomenally beyond our limited understanding and wisdom we would be smart not to draw conclusions of Gods timing and purposes in other people’s lives. Only the Lord can weave together the potential found in others. Only He can determine the value of another’s contribution.

The Unknown Workman

He was a humble workman

With the tools with which he wrought

And he built a common stable,

Or so it was, he thought!

And he fashioned there a manger

Where the cattle could be fed,

Never thinking that the Saviour

Would pillow there His head.

He had only built a stable

With a manger in the stall,

Yet it cradled there the Christ-child,

Who is King and Lord of all!

So although our task be humble,

Let us work each day with care;

For we may not know God’s purpose,

Or why He placed us there.

For the manger that formed the cradle

Of our Lord and Saviour here,

Was built by a humble workman

In Bethlehem of Judea.

This Christmas, let us take Jesus’ example and be servants willing to wash the feet of anyone  who may have lost their way in the darkness of this corrupt world or any who may have got bogged down in the mire and  filth of daily life.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6

If you would permit me to challenge you this Christmas, my challenge would be for you to reflect on what the Christmas season ultimately means to you and your family. It would be to connect the oldest miracle moments of Christ’s birth to the very moments of your life today.

Moments from the ancient story that include:

• While scurrying about purchasing gifts for your loved ones – you would, remember our Heavenly Fathers’ gift of His Son to the world
• While judging others as insignificant and unworthy – You would  remember the very ordinary carpenter Joseph and his young pregnant wife’s journey to Bethlehem.
• While convincing yourself you can’t really be of help in the need  standing before you – You would remember the inn keeper and the poor choice that he made.
• While debating whether or not to give praise with singing  with the congregation – You remember the angelic choir bursting through the heavenlies proclaiming the birth of your savior
• While being angry at your low position in life and lack of wealth – You remember the glorious moments that God gave to the lowly shepherds.
• While holding a small baby in your arms this Christmas – You, remember the difference the baby born to a virgin has made in your life personally.
• While you may believe you are not obligated to a church body – You remember what King Herod missed out on because he stayed in Jerusalem.
• While considering the challenge of following a  new vision and directions for your life – You remember the star of Bethlehem and the importance of risking following mysterious promptings of your heart.
• While fearful of where your faith journey may lead and what it may cost you to follow – You, remember the victorious faith journey and rewarding joy of the wise men’s discovery at the end.

Out of the devotional book entitled “The Leadership Genius of Jesus” comes a thought that  grabbed my attention regarding the visionary and daring adventurous types God calls.

“All men dream, but not equally.  Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds awake to find it was vanity. But the dreamers of the Day are dangerous men, that they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible.”

I love this quote by T. E. Lawrence. I meet a lot of wonderfully successful people. I in fact believe everyone can become successful in some aspect when their life is surrendered to Jesus. I’ve noticed basically two levels of success over the years. People in the first level are successful in acquiring the worldly performance driven success; they have worked hard at accumulating stuff, and can enjoy the fruits of their financial efforts. Then there’s the second level of truly successful people: They’re on fire for something. Their mission is intense and personal. These are the steely eyed dreamers whose eyes are focused on Gods purposes being fulfilled in their lives and whose will won’t quiver when presented with a Kingdom of God task that

many average people would consider “dangerous.”

Jesus looked to recruit these “dangerous” kind of people. He knew that Kingdom of God tasks could only be accomplished with daring men and women. His best followers would need to be “dangerous” and full of faith in order to meet the challenges. Jesus developed that dangerous streak in His followers. The way He did so was a clinic in leadership development.

Jesus’ recruitment style always began with where people were at and then challenged them to move forward from there. It’s rare to find, a situation where He didn’t ‘start conversations with people about something happening in their life that was out of alignment at that moment, and attempt to push them little by little further into kingdom living and thinking. His first contact was almost always followed by an appeal to stretch to a higher level of faith.  His suggestion to join in faith the adventure of a lifetime. Dangerous leaders make bold suggestions for the lives of others. How about becoming

dangerous for Jesus by joining in the advancing of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus instructions in His Sermon on the Mount included these words “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Mt. 6:19-21
 
Jesus makes clear in this passage that there are two basic investments strategies for the believer to participate in. God tenderly desires to open the eyes of our understanding that there are two systems of doing business and Banking in this life. There is the earthly system of storing your wealth in temporal institutions where moth, rust and thieves can destroy and there is the heavenly strategy outlined by Jesus where your investment can be used where the returns are literally out of this world and without measure.

As always and in all things human our Heavenly Father in giving us free will leaves the decision what to do and how to live in our hands. The challenge is in the choice. Where will we ultimately decide to invest our treasure becomes a question of the heart.

Will our investment strategy be focused on the fine things of earth? Will it be on carnal works of art and jewels, will it be on multiple homes and fancy toys alone – will our greatest pursuits in life be on earthly treasures that given time will be junked, sold for scrap or torn down.

Or will you become one that sets their eyes on the higher unseen eternal investment strategy Jesus alludes to in His sermon? The one that even the thief “death” will not be able to rob you from. Nor the thief “crashing economy” is able to steal away from you.

The investments given to “King of Kings” will never be stowed away in inaccessible RRSP’s or stressful stock certificates. No what is given to God will be safely geometrically compounding in Heavens treasury.  Imagine an investment were there is no fear of corruption in addition to huge returns. Treasure placed into Gods Hands for Kingdom purpose is such an investment. The “unimaginable riches of Christ” will be yours for eternity if you choose wisely where you invest today.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”