WFA.org

Our guests here at WFA this Sunday are missionaries to Russia, where they pastor an international church. However, it was not too many years ago, before the collapse of the USSR, that worshiping was an entirely different experience in that land.

Chuck Swindoll tells this story in his book, “Living Above the Level of Mediocrity” –

“On Sunday, believers arrived at a house church in the Soviet Union in small groups throughout the day so not to arouse the suspicion of KGB informers. They began by singing a hymn quietly.

Suddenly, in walked two soldiers with loaded weapons at the ready. One shouted, “If you wish to renounce your commitment to Jesus Christ, leave now!” Two or three quickly left. Then another. After a few more seconds, two more.

“This is your last chance. Either turn against your faith in Christ,” he ordered, “or stay and suffer the consequences.” Two more slipped out into the night. No one else moved. Parents with children trembling beside them looked down reassuringly, fully expecting to be gunned down or imprisoned.

The other soldier closed the door, looked back at those who stood against the wall and said, “Keep your hands up – but this time in praise to our Lord Jesus Christ. We, too, are Christians. We were sent to another house church several weeks ago to arrest a group of believers.” The other soldier interrupted, “But, instead, we were converted! We have learned by experience, however, that unless people are willing to die for their faith, they cannot be fully trusted.”

Can you imagine being faced with a decision to run or die for our faith?

We are living in a day where this could very well become reality! But how many of us would be willing to stand?

Let’s start deepening our relationship with the Lord today so that our minds may be focused on heavenly things and not consumed with the weight of all the worldly ones. Let us live for God in such a way that it would be easy for us to take a stand for Him should that day ever come.

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 9.16. Live for God, on purpose, fully committed to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

From Russia with Love

This Sunday at WFA, our very special guests are Kevin and Sandy Barner, fully appointed missionaries to Moscow, Russia. For the past six years, they have served as Lead Pastors of International Christian Assembly (ICA) in Moscow.

ICA is a multi-cultural English-speaking church, and those who attend represent more than fifty nations of the world, including: Angola, Armenia, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, China, England, Ethiopia, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, S. Korea, Nigeria, Russia, S. Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, UK, USA, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and more!

Kevin and Sandy’s ministry also involves coordinating a homogeneous cell structure within the church to train, equip, disciple, and mentor international leaders. These leaders will in turn disciple and equip their respective nationals, and reach into the city of Moscow and beyond the borders of Russia with the Gospel, as well as demonstrating God’s love through various compassion ministries (food, clothing, medical supplies, orphanages, etc.)

The Barners have two children. Their son Blake is 23, and their daughter Claire is 21. Currently, Blake and Claire are preparing for pastoral ministry, and attend Hillsong International Leadership College in Sydney, Australia, where Claire also met her husband, David, from Scotland.

Please pray for God’s anointing to rest upon the Barners as they build God’s Kingdom in Russia, and that they would reap a great harvest of souls in these last days.

Pentecostal – Persuaded by the Power of God

What does it mean to be a “Pentecostal” today? There was a time in the early twentieth century, at the beginning of this modern-day outpouring of the Holy Spirit, that being a Pentecostal Christian was such a dynamically unique experience that many – in fact most other believers – questioned the validity of the Pentecostal’s Christian experience. Many people thought that being a Pentecostal was a cult. Some even attributed the Pentecostal activity to the work of the devil.

How different it is today. Pentecostalism is now the fastest growing part of the church. Pentecostal churches are widely accepted as a part of the evangelical Christian churches. No longer are Pentecostals viewed as second-class, dirty, “other-side-of-the-railroad-tracks” people.

But, there has been another consequence of this widespread acceptance. The sad fact is, within most Pentecostal churches, the vast majority of those in attendance are no more Pentecostal than the individuals attending most traditional, non-Pentecostal churches. The worship style, the activity, and even the doctrinal beliefs of many individuals worshiping in Pentecostal churches is virtually no different than that of their non-Pentecostal, evangelical, brothers and sisters.

According to the Bible, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, as recorded in Acts 2:4, is the “Promise of the Father” as prophesied in the book of Joel. In Romans 4:20-21, referring to Abraham, we read that “...he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”

I believe that we are at a time when true Pentecostals likewise should not waver in unbelief regarding the “Promise of the Father.” Like Abraham, we must be strengthened in our faith and give glory to God. To be truly Pentecostal, we must be “Persuaded by the Power of God!”

Beginning April 26th, we will be sharing a brand new series of messages on Sunday mornings here at WFA built around this theme. We are believing that as God’s Word is boldly proclaimed about the Holy Spirit, that God’s people will be “Persuaded by the Power of God.”

Here is a look at the messages we will be sharing:

April 26th
Persuaded by the Person of the Spirit
Revelation 1:4

May 3rd
Persuaded by the Power of the Spirit
Acts 1:8

May 17th
Persuaded by the Promise of the Spirit
Joel 2:28-29

May 24th
Persuaded by the Purpose of the Spirit
Acts 2:1-4

May 31st – Pentecost Sunday
Persuaded by the Passion of the Spirit
Acts 10:44-46

June 7th
Persuaded by the People of the Spirit
Acts 2:41-47

Mark your calendars now, and plan to join us each week for this power-packed series of message from God’s Word!

Four Attributes of a Life God Blesses

by Os Hillman

“So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.’“ – Isaiah 28:16

Whenever God calls us into a consecrated life, it is made up of four distinct stages. Christ often compared this process to building a house. First, we must prepare to build by laying a foundation. That foundation is none other than Jesus Christ Himself. Any foundation other than Christ will not stand.

Second, as we enter a walk of faith with God, He allows each of us to experience trials, testings, miracles, and challenges in life that are designed to provide “faith experiences” that demonstrate tangible evidences of His work in our life: Moses’ burning-bush experience, Peter’s walk on the water, Joshua’s parting of the Jordan River. These experiences built the faith of these people. The depth and width of our calling is directly proportional to the faith experiences He allows in each of our lives. If God plans an international ministry with you, chances are you will experience a higher degree of faith experiences compared to another. The reason being, you will need to look on these to ensure your calling and provide testimony to His work in your life.

The third stage deals with motives. “All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord” (Prov. 16:2). What is the motive behind my actions? Is it only financial accumulation? Is it to gain control? Is it to create independence? The primary motive must be God’s leading you to take such an action – it must be obedience. These other factors must be by-products of the decision.

Finally, we are prepared to take action. Here we must ask, “Do we have the skill, quality, and ability to enter into this activity?” So often we have not trained ourselves adequately to be successful in our endeavor. You would never want someone working on your teeth who had not been trained and certified as a dentist.

Before you begin your next project, ask yourself these four questions. What is the foundation this project is based on? What experiences has God demonstrated in my life that indicate His involvement? What is my motive for entering this activity? Do I have the skill, quality, and ability to accomplish the task? Answering these questions will tell you whether God will bless your activity.

as seen in the April 15, 2009 issue of Os Hillman’s “TGIF – Today God Is First.”

Are You Starting to Forget?

by Alan Smith

There’s a beautiful story about a little boy who couldn’t wait for his new baby sister to come home from the hospital. He couldn’t wait to be near her, to talk to her. But his parents didn’t want him to be left alone with her. After all he was only four years old, so they wanted to supervise his visits. He kept begging to be alone with her, so one night his parents finally relented. The boy tiptoed into her room, stood next to his sister’s crib and said: “Tell me about God – I’m starting to forget.”

There are times when we as adults get so caught up in the “rat race” and all of our responsibilities. Perhaps we need to go to the children around us and say, “Tell me about God — I’m starting to forget.”

There are weeks when we’ve been dealing with irate customers and heavy traffic. We need to fellowship with the saints and worship God together because “I’m starting to forget.”

There are weeks when we’ve had to focus on crying babies, the paying of bills and doctors’ appointments. We need the reminder of the Lord’s Supper to see God’s love and grace because “I’m starting to forget.”

There are days when we’re so caught up in deadlines at work and getting the kids to soccer practice, days when we need to slow down a bit and spend time with God in prayer because “I’m starting to forget.”

“Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life.” (Deuteronomy 4:9)

Are you starting to forget? Ask someone to tell you about God once more.

This article by Alan Smith, Senior Pastor of the Helen Street Church of Christ in Fayetteville, North Carolina. You can visit his site at http://www.TFTD-online.com

Radiate Christ’s Light

by Rick Ezell

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14 NIV).

Jesus made it absolutely clear that he wants his followers to radiate his love to those around them. That’s why he talked about light. A tiny tungsten filament charged with electrical energy naturally radiates light and dispels darkness. It has no choice. We can’t turn a light on and then tell it not to dispel darkness. The very nature of light is such that it must shatter the darkness around it. In the same way, true Christians should, by their very nature, radiate something of the work of God in their lives to the people around them. We are the light of the world; we must, therefore, radiate that light and dispel darkness.

Jesus anticipated that some believers might choose to limit their candlepower, to refuse to shine their lights. He knew that they would feel safer securely hidden “under a bowl” (or in a stained glass sanctuary, perhaps?) where they could bask in their anonymity and escape the accountability associated with “going public” with their faith. He anticipated this and forbade it. “Let your light shine!” he commanded. He did not, and he does not now, leave believers the option of letting their worlds remain in undisturbed blackness.

Jesus made it obvious that he wants us to spread his influence to every corner of this dark, fallen world. It’s not enough that we simply take our lights out of hiding. He wants us to put them on a lampstand where everyone can see them! God wants the light of his love to be held high so it can permeate every bit of darkness.

How long will it take for us to realize that we are his agents of light? It is through the channels of our daily lives that God shines the light of his message of love into a dark world. You are light. Shine.

as seen in Rick Ezell’s “One Minute Uplift” weekly email devotional of January 22, 2009. Dr. Ezell is pastor of First Baptist Church in Greer, South Carolina.

The Bible in Fifty Words

God made,
Adam bit,
Noah arked,
Abraham split,
Joseph ruled,
Jacob fooled,
Bush talked,
Moses balked;
Pharaoh plagued,
people walked.
Sea divided,
tablets guided,
Promise landed.
Saul freaked,
David peeked,
prophets warned,
Jesus born,
God walked,
love talked,
anger crucified,
hope died.
Love rose,
Spirit flamed,
Word spread,
God remained.

The Last Impression

Seven-year-old Kathy usually went to children’s church on Sunday mornings, but one Sunday she went with her parents to the regular adult service. When Communion was served, she turned to her mother and whispered loudly, “The snack in children’s church is much better. And we get a lot more juice.”

What a wonderful Resurrection Sunday we experienced here at WFA! The “house was packed,” the ministry of the Worship Choir was phenomenal, and Jesus was magnified! But, most importantly, we had many folks make first-time commitments to Christ as their Savior.

Following Easter, with both interest and amusement, I read text messages from many pastors across our nation as they reported their attendance figures for the weekend. I’m certain that the only pastors posting these numbers were those who experienced a huge record attendance. It made me wonder why they were sharing these statistics. I’m sure that Jesus wasn’t impressed with the numbers. Nor was the devil, for that matter. But I am sure that many who don’t pastor “mega-churches” were given then to comparing their less-stellar attendance to the thousands reported elsewhere. No good ever comes when we compare ourselves to others (2 Corinthians 10:12).

If you follow me on Twitter, you read my “tweet” earlier this week – A little “post-Easter-number-counting” reality...”A church’s health is not determined by its seating capacity but by its sending capacity.”

This Sunday, we have the privilege of hearing from two of the many that WFA sends – Kevin and Sandy Barner, our missionaries to Russia. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear first-hand what the Lord is doing in the former USSR!