When God Answers Prayer...

The year is 710 B.C.  The northern kingdom of Israel has been overwhelmed by the tyrannical rulership of the Assyrian kingdom.  At the same time, the southern kingdom of Judah lives in relative peace under the kingship of a godly king by the name of Hezekiah.  One day Isaiah, the prophet, walks into the palace of the court and requests an audience with the king.  It’s always great to see the prophet, Hezekiah thought.  Isaiah always has a word from the Lord.  But the word the prophet claims to have is not one most of us would like to hear at any point in our lives.  The Bible records: “In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’” (2 Kings 20:1)

What most of us would do if we heard that we have just a short time to live, is become angry with God and irritated at the rest of the world.  We would probably become cynical with life and have pity on our own circumstance.  Yet, that’s not what Hezekiah does in response.  Instead of becoming angry with God, irritated with the world or sending out an e-vite to his pity party; the king calls on God.  The historian records: “Then he [Hezekiah] turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying, ‘Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.’ And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” (2 Kings 2:2) 

Wouldn’t you know that, before the last words are released from the king’s mouth in prayer, God already has an answer for him?  Here’s what the Bible says: “And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ‘Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you.  On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD.  And I will add to your days fifteen years.’” (2 Kings 2:4-6)

Recounting his spiritual resume as he walked before God in his tenure as king, Hezekiah prays.  He turns his face away from the distractions of the palace and turns to God in prayer.  He doesn’t ask God for longevity, but God blesses him with 15 years!  He believes the word when it said: “You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.” (Deuteronomy 5:33) 

So now, as a child of God what will you do in a similar situation?  What will your response be when you face the problems and pains of life?  Will you turn from God out of disgust with him or will you turn to God out of your trust in what he’s more than able, willing and available to do for you?  I pray that it will be the latter.  Be encouraged and lean on the promise of God which is that “the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”(James 5:16)

God Bless!    

Pastor John

Chain Reaction

If I didn’t make it out alive or sane from Chemistry and Physics, at least I discovered that there’s something called a chain reaction!  What’s a chain reaction?  I’m glad you asked!  According to scientists it is “a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place.  In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events.” (www.answers.com)   

The prophet Joel spoke very eloquently, with a measure of urgency about a spiritual chain reaction that was yet to come.  He said to the people of his day: “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh…  And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth…  And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved…  For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said…” (Joel 2:28-32)  Read the entire passage to get the full context.

In this chain reaction there is a series of events that take place.  The first event is: The Spirit is Poured Out (vs. 28-29).  The second event is: The Signs and Wonders would appear (vs. 30-31).  And the final event is: The people respond to God (vs. 32).  Without getting into too much detail, Joel’s proclamation speaks to a time when God’s Spirit would be poured out upon God’s people of all ages, races and classes.  Once the Spirit is poured out, signs and wonders would appear to confirm the divine outpouring.  Once confirmation is complete, people who witness this supernatural event would then respond to God with their hearts.

The New Testament Church realized the partial fulfillments of that prophesy (Acts 2).  Yet, I firmly believe that God is setting things up so that he could pour out his Spirit in this generation to completely fulfill that prophesy!  And I firmly believe that his purpose for doing so is to reach lost souls for the kingdom of God.  This is the reason why Holy Spirit Month January 2012 was coined the way it was.  My hope is that through this experience, you and I would be ready for that outpouring.

The Outpour: Revive Us Again! series has been amazing!  This past weekend Pastor Gerry Pasikatan (pastor of FilCan Church) preached a powerful message entitled, “Our Greatest Need in 2012”, and in the afternoon Pastor Patrick Jacques (assistant pastor of Toronto East Church) presented a dynamic session on “Leadership That Matters.”  I look forward to this coming weekend (Jan. 21^st) when we’ll be blessed to hear a message in the morning worship service by Pastor Marvin Clarke (assistant pastor of Toronto West) and, in the afternoon, a presentation by Pastor Eustace Williams (Personal Ministries Director of Ontario Conference of SDA) on, “Developing an Evangelistic Mindset”.  Can’t wait!

My hope, continually, is that you would be blessed throughout the series.  Remember to pray for God’s outpouring on your church family so that it would corporately rise to the challenge of fulfilling his mission (Joel 2).  Also, pray for God’s outpouring in your life so that you would fulfill his will.  Remember to invite a friend to receive a blessing.  And pray for individuals to make life-changing decisions for Christ.

God Bless!    

Pastor John

Holy Spirit Month January 2012 Launched!

Our 4^th Annual Holy Spirit Month January 2012 was launched this past weekend!  God be praised!  The theme for this year is: “Outpour: Revive Us Again!” Just for information, Holy Spirit Month was originally designed in 2008 for the church to begin the year with a sense of unity and with the right frame of mind.  This happens only by the Spirit’s power. 

Over the last few years, the purposes for the month came to include, the fact that leadership invite God’s Spirit to give his supreme unction for the year; to direct the church to begin on the right note; to commit all plans and goals to God, and to make Kanisa Fellowship a powerfully praying church that transforms the world.  There’s no exception this year.  The purposes remain the same, but with greater urgency.

We launched the month with a message I preached in the morning worship service on the topic, “A Man In Whom Is The Spirit”, reflecting on the life of Joshua.  As leader of the Children of Israel and successor to Moses, Joshua led neither by human might nor by his own power. He led them by the calling on his life.  Part of that calling was directly related to the endowment of the Spirit of God in his life (Numbers 27:18). 

That endowment could not have been possible were it not for the conditions he cultivated throughout his life for said purpose.  First, he was obedient to the voice of God.  Second, he manifested implicit trust in God.  Finally, he manifested a burden to share.  Several in attendance came in response to the call, and it was a blessing to have Pastor Jose Luca, my friend from the Luzo-Brazillian Church, pray a prayer of consecration in his mother tongue.

In the afternoon, following lunch, we continued with our LifePower Sessions.  Ketziah Rhule, a member of KF Human Resource Team and a life-coach, was our featured presenter.  Her presentation was on “The Master’s Plan for Your Life”.  It was engaging and fun, but also thought-provoking.  I believe all attendees received even more of a blessing as they expressed what they hoped God was leading them to accomplish for him in the future.

Here’s what to look forward to for this week: Wednesday, January 11^th @ 7:15pm Holy Spirit Month continues at Furnace Prayer.  The second part of Acts 9 will be explored in-depth.  Saturday, January 14^th Pastor Gerry Pasikatan will be our featured speaker for morning worship, bringing with him his youth/young adult worship ensemble.  Finally, Pastor Patrick Jacques will be our featured presenter for LifePower Sessions.  It should be another exciting installment of this annual event.

My hope is that you would be blessed throughout.  If you’re reading this blogpost, remember to pray for God’s outpouring on your church family so that it would corporately rise to the challenge of fulfilling his vision (Joel 2).  Also, pray for God’s outpouring in your life so that you would fulfill his will.  Remember to invite a friend to receive a blessing.  And pray for individuals to make life-changing decisions for Christ.

God Bless!    

Pastor John

Welcome!

Welcome to the KF Pastor’s Blog!  Thank you for visiting here.  I am happy that you took this time to view the launch of this medium of communication from the Pastor’s Office.  For this, I am truly excited. 

I believe this blogspot will endeavour to engage you on some of my ministry ideas, goals and highlights with my church and the community we serve for the Lord.  I will invite some individuals to partner with me to accomplish this goal.  You will get a sense of some of our activities and some lively updates of the same.  From time to time we’ll focus on some crucial topics affecting our church.  At other times, topics of interest regarding the community will be explored.  Much more will be added as we go along for your viewing pleasure.  Let me know if you have any topics you wish for us to consider.

Feel free to pray for the success of this blog that it many reach many who cannot be reached otherwise.  Feel free to invite anyone you believe might benefit from it.  And feel free to share with me your thoughts, ideas and suggestions in the comments section.  I look forward to the success of this blog as God enriches us by our interaction with each other.

God bless!

John Scott

Pastor