Prosperity and Poverty

By Jeremiah Smith

“…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” ~~ Philippians 4:11-13

There usually seems to be two conflicting views in Christianity today.  The first is the pressure to give away everything.  It’s a view that states, “if you have prosperity then your not giving all for the Kingdom”.  The other view seems to be that of prosperity and wealth.  It’s a view that states, “God loves to bless his children and if you’re not prosperous then you’re not walking in that blessing”.

Do you know why I love the gospel?  It’s because it never allows us to just nail it down.  When we make universal rules we don’t have to obey God anymore.  If we say, “take a vow of poverty”, it quickly becomes something done under legalism.  If we say, “you should be wealthy because you’re the King’s kid”, we have the same result.  There’s something much greater that God wants to accomplish in us through His grace.

I think Paul put’s it so beautifully.  In any circumstance I will be content.  Why? Because, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength”.  It’s not about poverty, nor prosperity.  It’s all about grace!

 

 

Patience: A Kingdom Virtue

By Jeremiah Smith

Everyday I’m confronted by a culture where “waiting” or “patience” are taboo words.  We want fulfillment of our wants and desires as fast as we can cook Kraft Dinner in the microwave.  It’s sort of ironic don’t you think?  We live in a world where I can have breakfast in Ottawa and dinner in London, England; yet we are no more patient (or happier).

God has been reminding me a lot about patience.  I find many young people, myself included, have been conditioned by a culture of the “instant”.  We want to do great things for God, we want to change the world for Him.  We want to see His Kingdom come, His will be done and we want it NOW!

We have the passion, but do we have the patience?  If we have passion, but not patience we are in very dangerous waters for when we are tired of waiting we often take matters into our own hand.  When we try to do Gods work without God it only ends badly.  However when we are patient, waiting upon God we are effective.

If my generation could focus on what Christ has done for us.  If we could listen and hear before we do.  If we could wait on the Lord, trusting in His timing.  If we could learn patience.

Cause Jesus only did what He saw You do
And He would only say what He heard You speak
And He would only move when He felt You lead
Following Your heart following Your spirit

So How could I expect to walk without You
When every move that Jesus made was in surrender
I will not begin to live without You
For You alone are worthy and You are always good

My Glorious Enough

My Glorious Enough – Ruth Harms Calkin

Oh, how I love You, my Lord

But not enough.

How I hunger and thirst for You

But not enough.

How I rejoice in Your inimitable goodness

But not enough.

Pour Yourself lavishly, dear God

Into every vacant hollow

Into every cluttered chamber

Of my longing heart.

Free me from every shallow substitute

From every hidden pretense

Until I shall know

With deep, consuming conviction

That You are Glorious Enough.

 

Parliamentary Committees

by Richard Long,

One of the major advances the Lord has led us into this Fall is the whole area of Parliamentary Committees.  We have been praying about this for over a year, but only in the last few weeks have we sensed the favour to move full speed ahead. 

Previously we have prayed for the various Committees and their issues as we watched them online or on CPAC. ( There are 26 Committees and every M.P. sits on at least one unless they are a cabinet minister, in which case they lead that department.)

  But in the last few weeks we have begun to devote some of our prayer watches and more significantly, deployed our new Nazarites to study and develop research around specific Committees.  They have all now had the opportunity to sit in on a Committee and some have had multiple opportunities.  Interestingly, it was M.P.’s who opened the door for us and encouraged us to make ourselves present. 

Even the prayer team that is with us this week from Vernon, B.C. had the opportunity today to split up and attend various Committees during the second half of the afternoon.  Why is this good?  Well, as opposed to Question Period, Parliamentary Committees are the place where the real work of Government takes place as members from all parties have to hammer out legislation, and learn to compromise and work together.  It’s refreshing!

Perhaps you are interested in seeing more of this in action.  You can actually tune into specific Committee meetings on both CPAC and also ParlVu and see when they are being televised or broadcast on the internet.

Bookstore Musings

By Jeremiah Smith

It has become habit (addiction?) to stop at Starbucks/Chapters on my way home from Parliament.  I stop for two reasons usually.  The first is my well-known addiction to coffee; the stronger and blacker the better.  The second is my addiction to books.  In fact, now that I think of it, my greatest monthly expenditure is spent on those two addictions.  As far as addictions it could be worse (and more costly). Yesterday I stopped yet again and as I browsed through the books I thought… Pondered really.  These are some of those musings.

The Christianity section is across from the Wicca/Witchcraft section.  As I read about the Holy  Spirit, a woman read about conjuring spirits.  As I read about blessings and life, she read about curses, incantations and death.

I read a brief chapter in the Art of Happiness, written by the Dalai Lama.  The chapter was about the purpose of life.  His claim is that, “the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness“.  My mind started asking questions: What is happiness?  Is what makes me Happy different from what makes you Happy?  Can purpose be found in NOT being Happy… such as grief, pain, or sorrow?

Two books caught my visual attention: Joel Osteen’s Becoming a Better You and Victoria Osteen’s  Love Your Life: Living Happy, Healthy, and Whole.  On the covers of these two books appeared a married couple who appear happy, beautiful, wealthy (and have a great dental plan).  My mind started asking questions:  Is purpose found in being happy or wealthy?  If we just got the “Christianity” thing right would we be blessed with wealth or success?  Where does picking up our cross or, “considering it all joy when you face persecution” come in? (Note: I did not read the book, so these are just personal thoughts and not an actual judgment of the Osteen’s)

Canada Ablaze

by Richard Long,

The team from More Than Gold has been hard at work getting ready to mobilize the Church to show “radical hospitality” during the 2010 Winter Oympics in Vancouver.  They also have launched this weekend a great resource website to help Christians all over Canada to do some praying and outreach as the Olympic Torch moves across the nation.  It’s called “Canada Ablaze”.  Being we are such huge piece of geography, it will last 106 days and start on Oct 30th at the end of this week.

Check out the More Than Gold website for all the resources.

The Real Thing – Miranda Suddards

by Miranda Suddards (from the Nazarite Call Blogsite)

There have been a few things washing around in my spirit lately. Five weeks as a Nazarite, and I am wondering what “intercession” really is. We’ve had a level of teaching, which is a privilege to receive. I’ve learned more about government than I have ever known. We have had so much fun – more than I could imagine.  Shrieked with laughter and been moved to tears by friendships.  We have become family – built up a spiritual house of living stones, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 

And yet what are those ‘acceptable sacrifices?’  How do we ‘do’ intercession?  I’ve never liked the word – it always seemed slightly pompous to me. My construction upon it probably, but I think Jason Upton gives us a stream of truth through his songs.  For me, he catches it.  I don’t think its about  us talking to God about what we want to pray about.  Its not even God talking to us about what He wants to pray about, although, this is better than the first. I think its about being willing to come to Him empty and weak.  With nothing.  Unable.  Knowing, as Marc Dupont says, that God is the great I Am, and we are the great are nots.

Read the rest of this blog …

The Christian Institute – UK

by Richard Long,

If you are interested in trends and prayer issues for the United Kingdom, we find that “The Christian Institute” is very informative.  A free email subscription to their newsletter brings in a weekly update of the hot issues “across the pond.”

One reason we subscribe is to see what is coming down the pipe here in Canada.  A lot of the issues that are being faced by the Church in the UK are similar to ours or maybe even a few steps further down the road.  Often what happens there, will eventually happen in our Parliament.

Check out The Christian Institute website here.

The Manifest Presence of God – Alan Gilman

 

 

 

One of our friends in ministry here in Ottawa has a weekly online writing ministry which is a fresh challenge and inspiration each time.  Here’s an excerpt from Alan Gilman’s “Torahbytes”.  We encourage you to subscribe so that you can receive it on a regular basis.

The Manifest Presence of God – Alan Gilman 

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. (Shemot / Exodus 40:34,35; ESV)

An important teaching of the Scriptures is the omnipresence of God, which is another way to say that the God of Israel is everywhere. As King David wrote, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!” (Psalm 139:7,8; ESV)

Even though God is everywhere, that doesn’t mean that he makes himself known everywhere in the exact same way. This is what we see at the completion of the Mishkan (English: Tabernacle). The cloud was a visible and powerful expression or manifestation of God. The overwhelming nature of God’s presence in the cloud was such that Moses could not enter the Mishkan while the cloud was there. This didn’t mean that the Creator of the Universe was exclusively contained within this cloud. It is that this was a special and tangible way in which God revealed himself. This type of expression of God’s presence is often called “the manifest presence of God.”

Read the rest of this Torahbyte here.

Subscribe to Torahbytes here.

The Speaker of the House

by Richard Long,

The Honourable Peter Milliken today was honoured by all party leaders in the House of Commons.  He is now officially the longest serving Speaker of the House in the history of our nation.  I believe the number is 8 years, 8 months, and 13 days.

If you have ever been to Question Period or seen it on television you know how critical it is to have a fair-minded and wise person in this role.  On several occasions we have had a chance to meet and talk with Mr. Milliken.  He is a very approachable leader and very warm in his interactions.  We know he personally works to build bridges among politicians from the various parties, by hosting weekly dinners that cross party lines in his official dining room on Parliament Hill.  He also gets to live on the Mackenzie King Estate in Gatineau Park.

Let us thank God for raising up this man to this role in this hour of our nation’s history.  It was very good to have a few moments in this session of Parliament were everybody was in an honouring mode and celebrating the achievements of one of their own.