A New Day

There is a great sense in the body of Christ that we are entering a New Day, of fresh visitation from God, and a fresh outpouring of Holy Spirit on the Church, and "on all flesh" as the Bible says, to prepare them to receive the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since the beginning of 2008, voices from many streams of ministry have declared this year to be a year of "New Beginnings" in the body of Christ. In the midst of all this positive expectation, there is some controversy, which we should be aware of, but not be distracted from God's purposes by it. Every fresh wave of the Holy Spirit, and every outbreak of true revival, has had some elements of controversy, and in some cases, been met with violent opposition. It's important that we "catch the wave", so we can ride it to it's fullest extent, and not just take a short hop, fall off and get caught in the trough or hammered in the breakers.

Here's a few keys:

1. Get your foundation right. If you don't have the basics working in your life, you're going to have a hard time building anything that will last. Storms will come, and houses built on sand, always end up with way more wreckage than God ever had in mind. Storms ultimately prove the value of the building, so take the time and effort to get serious with God and get the foundation principles working. If you've never got started right, study your way through "The Purple Book", sign up for an Alpha course, join a new believers class or group, and do whatever it takes to build your life on solid rock.

2. Don't assume because you "know the Word", that you're necessarily in the flow of God's purposes. Jesus warned the Pharisees that they "searched the scriptures", but they would not come to Him. It's possible to be a "word-person", but still miss it by not being a "doer of the word". So, it's not just the word we know, but the Word we walk in, practice, and experience, that sets us free, and keeps us walking in the light of His Love.

3. Keep your God-appetite strong. The teaching on the sower and the seed tells us that there are many things that can cause the word to become unfruitful, that is to have no effect in our lives. One of these is just the multiplicity of "legitimate" distractions that we enounter daily. To the "hungry soul", every bitter thing is sweet, but the "full soul" loaths even the honeycomb. While the blessings of God, fill our lives with good things, we have to maintain that "hungry and desperate" for God attitude, that keeps us in a position of being filled over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. "He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with good things."

4. Position yourself in a posture of faith. Take the limits off of God, and take the limits off of what God can do through your life. Many Christians have subscribed to a negative view of this generation, of what the future holds, and of the place of the Church at the end of the age. Whatever may shake the heavens and the earth, God has purposed that "the glory of the Lord will be seen on His believing company", and that His Spirit will be poured out on all flesh during a time of great signs and wonders, and shaking. I don't know about you, but that is exciting. As we pray and press into God's presence for the latter rain, we have to be reminded that the latter rain is all about the Great Harvest, of people coming to faith in the Lamb of God. Whatever may be going on in the world around me, Jesus came to give us "life and that more abundantly". So, if that is realized in personal growth and prosperity (having a cup that runs over, having more than enough to meet my needs and also minister to the needs of others), or if it is realized in supernatural survival/provisions like the "barrel of meal and cruise of oil" that lasted all the years of famine, or like the feeding of 5000 with a few loaves and fishes, we must continue in a posture of faith for all kinds of seasons.

5. Waste time with God. I know that's an odd way to put it, but the world around us is microwave oriented, everything has to be quick and instant. When the woman with the alabaster box poured out her expensive ointment on Jesus, those critical onlookers were offended by the "waste". And spending your valuable time worshipping, and praiseing and meditating on His Word and in His presence can seem like a "waste" to our productivity oriented world. The key to staying current with what God is doing, is in having that depth of relationship with Him, that people like Abraham had, or like Enoch, who walked with God. Abraham was called the friend of God, and God determined he would not leave Abraham in the dark about what He was doing. So, if you will invest time and energy in developing that relationship, you will not be left out of what He is doing in the earth in this generation and in this time.

6. Don't hesitate forever when God is doing something. It's possible to completely miss something God has in mind for you, by living your life in an uncommitted way. Lots of people hesitate when God calls, procrastinate at His challenges, and spectate forever at the arena of His purposes. At some point, we have to "present ourselves as a living sacrifice, abandoning our self-conscious hesitation, and plunging into the river of His purposes. It still comes down to commitment. We live in a generation that has caught the fatal disease of "commitment fear", always waiting for a better day or a more perfect opportunity. While we need not jump off a cliff blindly, great moves of God are always carried by imperfect people, and that imperfection should not be our excuse for not moving forward in this hour. The treasure of the kingdom is carried about in earthen vessels, and we should be careful that we do not allow our personal preferences to become convictions about nothing, that cause us to reject what God is doing, because we think the package He sends His blessing in should be a little more to our liking. Paul said, "follow me as I follow Christ, so keep your eyes on Jesus," and that will help you sort out the "meat from the bones", so to speak.

Be Blessed,
Ray Baillie

New Covenant/New Heart

The message and the life that Christ brought to us, is called the New Covenant. Jesus referred to it when He initiated the Celebration of the Communion, or the Lord's Table as we often call it. "This cup is the New Covenant in My blood". The whole New Testatment is all about the New Covenant in Christ. One of the most important things to remember about the New Covenant, is that it is all about replacing worshipping God through religious systems without heart, to having a "new heart" relationship with God. The "new heart" we receive through being "born again" is a heart that wants to follow God, obey His directives, and live in daily intimate relationship with Him through worship and fellowship with the household of faith, that is, with other believers in Christ. We all have a tendency to fall back into religious systems instead of true heart relationship, and God wants to bring us continually into a fresh daily relationship, that requires a tremendous sensitivity of heart. We must ask God in this season to freshly circumcise our hearts, and restore the intimacy of what the "New Covenant" relationship life is all about. Paul said that we expresse that intimacy through His Spirit in our hearts by which we cry "Abba, Father." The expression Abba, is a word for Daddy. We love God, not at a distance through religious systems, but intimately through personal heart to heart relationship. And that is more than exciting -it's transforming!

Whatever Happened to Repentance

One of the words you don't hear a lot of nowadays is the word "Repentance". Of course, in order to get serious about repentance, a person has to get serious about personal responsibility for personal sins, which isn't exactly "trendy" in the modern era. We have become adept at finding out reasons for our transgressions, which hark back to childhood mishandling and personal victimization of a never ending variety. And that's not to say that such issues need to be disregarded, but the simple command to Repent, is often left unsaid, or if said, deemed politically and spiritually incorrect. Yet, if we read the New Testament at all, we see that Repentance is a signficant foundational expression leading us to genuine Christian faith. And if something is foundational, then it's always going to be part of the expression of true Christian conversion and living. Real repentance is not the negative expression we often think of it as -in fact it bears great and positive spiritual fruit, and tremendous growth and satisfaction in life. In reality, many frustrations and unfulfillments suffered by individuals could probably be traced to an insufficient and inadequate experience and practise of Repentance. So take a good look at "Repentance' and it's work in your own life. It may be time to revisit this foundation stone, or for some, to take a look at it for the very first time. It's never too late to get started. As an old Chinese proverb goes (I don't actually know if it's a Chinese proverb, somebody told it to me that way and now I'm telling it to you) -there's two great times to plant a tree, one was 20 years ago, and the other is today. Be blessed!

Accelerate

Accelerate is definitely the Word for the season we are in right now. There is a real sense that God is accelerating His work, in our lives, in the Church, and in the world we live in. The definition of acceleration is easy, it's all about more speed and more momentum. But when it comes to walking with the Lord in faith, it's not so much about more of your will power and effort, but rather, a greater cooperation with His work in your life, and a greater flow of "Life in the Spirit" which produces acceleration in itself. What you really need to do, is just try to keep up with God. As the scripture says - the yoke is easy and the burden is light, when it's the yoke and burden that He has prepared for us. When it gets difficult, is when we are laboring under the strain of our own yokes, or those imposed by others, that are not fitting for us. We need to sharply discern in these days, what the Lord is requiring of us, and to avoid those "good things", which may seem legitimate, but are not God's intention for us to bear.
The other thing I'd like to repeat about "Acceleration" is based on the scripture from Isaiah 40:30-31. You know, the one about having your strength renewed so you can "mount up with wings as eagles, run and not be weary, walk and not faint." God starts with the end in view, than He moves to where we're actually at in the present. So....He wants you to mount up with wings as eagles and soar in the currents of faith, and the Holy Spirit....but He also wants you to learn to walk and not faint...if that's where you've been at lately. Don't lose sight of His ultimate vision for you...but don't fail to draw upon His daily strength in the midst of present circumstances that may not look as appealing as your ultimate dream.
For more information about "ACCELERATE", check out the message online from January 28th, when it comes available.
Be Blessed.
Pastor Ray B.

Monday, December 4th, 2006

You're stronger than you think -is all about walking and living the "strong life" which has it's source in our New Creation relationship with God. Sunday I mentioned the scripture from Daniel 10:19 just in passing, but this morning I read it in my personal worship/prayer session, and it came across to me more powerfully as I read the whole context of Daniels conversation with the angelic messenger.

For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me.”
Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me. And he said, “O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!”
So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” Daniel 10:17-19 (NKJV)

When God speaks to us to "Be Strong", He also enables us to be what He has commanded us to be, through the Power of the Holy Spirit. So let me say to you on His behalf, whatever you might be faceing right now, -Be Strong and Be Blessed.

I have to recommend The Nativity Story, the movie on at the theatres this Christmas season. Elaine and I went to see it on opeening night, (Friday, December 1st) and absolutely enjoyed it. I thought it was well done, and accurate to the Gospels and the historical context. While there may be some nuances of dramatic expression that could be subject to discussion, for the most part, an excellent presentation. Take a friend!

This weekend Albertans elected a new Premier designate, Mr. Ed Stelmach. Ed happens to be the MLA from my riding -Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville. He is an integrous and capable man. We owe it to Ed and to our Province to support him with our prayers and intercessions. Also, the national Liberal party chose a new leader, Mr. Stepane Dion. We should also keep this party in prayer, and the minority Conservative govt. of Stephen Harper, particualarly as they once again seek to address the definition of Marriage legislation.

November 22, 2006

This past Sunday's ministry was entitled "Changing the Spiritual Climate." While there are people who believe this can't be done, my own experience dictates otherwise. And.....the pages of scripture are filled with the exciting accounts of those who by prayer and faith accomplished just that....they changed the spiritual climate of the world (both macro and micro)in which they lived. Just take a good look at the life of Daniel, who, along with his friends Shaddy, Meeshy, and Abedny (modern paraphrase of a multi-syllablic name) dramatically influenced a variety of complete reversals in the spiritual climate and official attitude of the pagan nation they were held captive in. So, since the writings of scripture are given as examples and models to us, let's take it to heart and believe that we can and will make a difference in influencing this world (small or large, yours, mine and ours) for Christ.

The Current -02.05.06

This is the first edition of Pastors blog at "The Current". It's named the current for a couple of reasons. 1-we want it to be up to date, with relevant commentary on todays' world. 2-It's about the current, or the flow. As in a river has current, and the work of the Holy Spirit is likened to that of a river, so we need to be in "the current" and have a "current" of life flowing in us. So, I'm hoping we're going to have some fun, as well as share some very relevant, timely and important truth in our discoursing here. These are some of my pictures from hiking the West Coast Trail this past summer (2005). I went alone so the pictures of myself are few and far between, and as you can tell, one was the fabulous take your own photo type. However, it is an accurate likeness of myself on the day it was taken.