Glory on Your House / Gloria en Su Casa

Click on the pictures for quick links to Amazon.com for the book I mentioned yesterday while preaching. Other great options to check out to see if you can get better pricing are Christian Book Distributors and our very own Axis Youth Ministries Bookstore.

Dealing with the Demonic - Key #7

On my way home from service this morning, I thought of another “R” for the list of keys I gave for overcoming demonic influence in our homes and our families:

1. Recognize historical patterns of demonic influence in our families.

2. Repent of any personal involvement in these things.

3. Renounce any attachment to family patterns of sinful behavior.

4. Remove any objects from our homes that are connected with such sinful behaviors.

5. Remain diligent in our study of God’s Word and pursuit of God’s presence through prayer and worship.

6. Rejoice in the precious promises of God to redeem our families!

and...

7. RESIST the demonic when it tries to re-enter your life!

Jesus clearly stated that when evil spirits are cast out of someone, they will try to return.

"²⁴ “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ ²⁵ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”" (Luke 11:24-26, NIV)

That is simply reality, but the Bible also contains this precious promise:

"⁶ … Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” ⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:6-7, NIV)

God’s Word says the devil will flee from us if we resist him from a posture of submission to God’s kingdom authority! There is not any “if,” “and,” or “but” about it: Satan and his demons will try to regain any territory they lose, but they will respond to the authority of the Jesus who lives in us, if we have given our hearts to Him and we stand against them in faith and obedience to His Word.

The Apostle Paul, veteran of many a spiritual conflict, told Christian believers in the city of Ephesus, occult capital of the ancient world,

" 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. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:10-18, NIV)

Stand your ground against the enemy and you will never stand alone. God, who is able to make you to stand, will stand by your side and you will prevail!

Be strong and take your stand…!

Beth Moore helping Hillcrest women

Katherine Smith and our Hillcrest Women's Ministry Council hit the ball right out of the park today with the Beth Moore satellite simulcast in our Seminar Room. When I stopped by earlier today, over 200 women were gathered from our congregation and beyond for powerful, relevant teaching entitled, "Get Out of the Pit!" Next Sunday, February 27th, our ladies begin a new Beth Moore Bible study video series on Tuesday mornings from 9:30-10:30 on our church campus called, "Daniel: Words of Prophecy, Lives of Integrity."

God is doing great things among the women here at Hillcrest Church!

He was there when it happened...!

Following the message I brought yesterday, entitled, "Dealing with the Demonic, Part II," I had lunch with Bob and Gay Thurman. Reflecting on the morning service, she shared a wonderful insight that grew out of a comment I had made while preaching: The demons Jesus dealt with already knew who He was because they had known Him in His glory before they were led astray by Satan prior to the Lord's incarnation.

The Lord referenced that reality in response to His disciple's joyful report that they now had power to minister deliverance to needy people:

"17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” 18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”" (Luke 10:17-20, NIV)

While I would never counsel anyone to seek out confrontations with evil spirits, it is a wonderful, wonderful thing to realize that demons already know that the Jesus who lives in our hearts when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior is infinitely more powerful than them!

Here is another great verse to hide in your heart:

"...the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world." (1 Jn 4:4, The Message)

Growing in my understanding of growth

I am having a great time during the first part of this week here in Van Nuys, California where I am taking a class entitled, "Church Growth: Growing the Local Church," at the King's Seminary founded by Jack Hayford. The course is taught by Jim Tolle, Senior Pastor at the Church on the Way.

God has so many wonderful things in store for our church! As I shared on Vision Sunday, YOU have an important part to play in making that happen in three simple, yet powerful and important ways:

1. SUPPORT this church with our prayers, attendance, finances, and words.
2. SERVE this church with our gifts, talents, and experiences.
3. GROW this church by inviting others to our services.

Together, WE can make it happen!

To make your heart a little merrier...!

While surfing the web this morning, I stumbled across a very funny, tongue-in-cheek, post entittled, Zondervan Introduces New "Serious Scholar's" Bible. While my mother was certainly right when she taught me, "A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone whose life isn't...," if you are in the mood for a good laugh, then click on the link above...

"22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." (Proverbs 17:22, NIV)

It's good to be home! Thanks for praying for all our team during our trip.

See you Sunday!

Given to the Gospel

Carlos and Celia Estrado are the spiritual "parents" of the movement I ministered for in Peru. The forty plus years they invested there at great personal sacrifice have resulted in over 400 churches, a Bible school, a Christian day school with several hundred students, and many other forms of ministry. Seeing the abundant fruit of their labors was a powerful reminder that when we sow our lives into God's will, it always bears a harvest!

"5 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. 6 He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves withhim." (Psalm 126:5-6, NIV)

Birthday and other blessings

When our host pastor's wife, Soledad Ramos, found out that Wednesday was my 47th birthday, she surprised me with a very rich chocolate birthday cake. Thankfully, I only had to blow out three candles!




On a more serious note, every member of our Hillcrest Church team enjoyed ministering to these wonderful people.


Pastor Alvin Miranda taught material from his Lifestyle of Worship training manual and laid a foundation of understanding upon which these pastors will be able to build for many years to come.



Their hearts are very hungry for more of God and they love to linger in His presence.





Mary Dunham-Faulkner spoke to both women's and combined sessions.




She was very warmly received.



Missionary Steve Hopkins was slated to translate 28 times in eight days!



He and his wife Shelly serve as liasons between the work in Peru and churches like ours that partner with them in the U.S.A. Their many years of relationship with leaders there is bearing much fruit.

Memories

It was in January of 1973, a few weeks before my thirteenth birthday, that my family arrived in Peru to begin my parent's missionary ministry. Those were very, very difficult and painful years for me in many respects, as I traversed adolescence and culture shock all at the same time. It has been such a wonderful experience for me to be back here again, ministering the Word of God to His servants and seeing the way His work has grown.

Today, one of the brethren drove me across this sprawling city of over eight million people to this church where my father pastored, named Templo Jerusalem.



We also drove to my old neighborhood, San Borja. To my utter astonishment, although we left in the mid seventies, and what was then a brand new, sparsely developed neighborhood now has a densely urban feel, I was able to find my way to the house where I used to live on a short little stree named after an Italian painter Tintoretto...!



Visiting these places today caused me to understand again how great God is and how providential His workings are in our lives! Had it not been for those years in Peru, difficult for me though they were, in spite of some very postive experiences mingled in, I would have never gone to Europe. Had I never gone to Europe, I would have never come to Dallas. Had I never come to Dallas, I would never have had the privilege of serving such wonderful people as you!

The only way I can put into words all that I feel this afternoon as I prepare to go to the church for the last service of our time here is to quote the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Christians at Rome:

"28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:28, NLT)

Great day - great services!

We had a wonderful day of services here in Lima! All of our team (Missionaries Steve and Shelly Hopkins, Pastor Charles Green, myself, Pastor Alvin Miranda, and Mary Dunham-Faulkner) thank you for your prayers!

It has been a special joy to become better acquainted with our host pastor, Arturo Ramos, and his precious wife, Soledad. What great people of God they are!

Hello from Lima!

Pastor Alvin and I arrived here in Lima at sunrise this morning, having flown through the night from Miami across the Equator to the South American continent. Missionaries Steve and Shelly Hopkins, along with Mary Dunham-Faulkner, all from Hillcrest Church, were already here.

We have had wonderful services today in this very strong work numbering nearly four hundred churches throughout the country. The choir that sang tonight was very vibrant and effectively led the congregation through worship into the manifest presence of God. If I can figure out how YouTube works, I'll upload a short video clip for you.

One quick prayer request...


My sinuses were bothering me before I ever left the States and now they are much worse. Please pray that God will heal me so that I can minister without hinderance and not have any problems on the flight back home on Thursday.

Miami

Pastor Alvin and I are eating a wonderful Cuban dinner in Miami while waiting on our flight connection to Lima.

I'm having garlic chicken (since Teresa is not around to kiss me goodnight...smile!) and he's having ropa vieja, literally, "old clothes!" It's a sort of shredded beef with bell peppers, etc.

mbrand@hillcrestchurch.org
Sent via PDA

En-route

Pastor Alvin and I are on the plane between Dallas and Miami. I am working with my pda phone to see if I can learn how to post photos from it directly onto my blog. He is working hard on some Spanish songs. Isn't it great to have a bi-lingual Pastor of Worship and Senior Associate Pastor?!

I am sitting here thanking God for the special sense of His presence that we felt in our service today. Your prayers and heart for God help create that kind of atmosphere.

When you get a chance, I encourage you to watch the video I mentioned in my last post of Pastor Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle preaching at Pastor Jack Hayford's pastor's conference. As they say in the Czech Republic, it is "strong coffee," but also a stirring testimony to the power of prayer. They have built a great, 8,000 member church in Brooklyn with a Grammy award winning choir by continually calling upon the Lord. For their Tuesday night prayer meeting, they open the doors two hours early so the people who are already arriving can get inside and begin to pray.

Teresa and I love you and thank God for the privilege of serving you!

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

mbrand@hillcrestchurch.org
Sent via PDA

Calling Upon the Lord - Jim Cymbala

One of the books that has most influenced my life is Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala, Pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle. I want to strongly encourage you to take the time to watch a free, online video of him preaching at the Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California pastored by Jack Hayford. Pastor Cymbala's message is entitled, Calling Upon the Name of the Lord. I believe that if you will take the time to watch this clip, it will change your life! Those two churches, by the way, are the ones I admire the most, out of all that I have ever been privileged to visit.

Pastor Cymbala is hosting a Pastor's and Leader's Prayer Conference at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, April 15-17th. Teresa and I were able to attend this event last year and it blessed us tremendously. I have been dreaming of taking our pastoral staff and their spouses to this year's conference, but we do not have the funds necessary for this trip in our church budget. If this video touches your heart, would you please take a moment to pray and ask God to make a way for our pastors and as many of our church leaders and members as possible to attend? I believe it could revolutionize our church.

Thanks and blessings to you!

Protect your kids from online predators

The Christianity Today website is carrying a great article on how to protect your kids from online predators at internet social sites. Taken from CT's sister publication Today's Christian Woman, the article is entitled, A Mom's Guide to MySpace.

It suggests such tips as,

1. Custome your child's profile so certain aspects of their page are private.
2. Register yourself as a member of your child's network so you can log onto sites related to his or her site.
3. Ask your child or your youth pastor for a guided tour of such sites so you will understand their dynamics and potential pitfalls.
4. Become a part of the solution by agressively reporting anything wrong you see on such websites to the website host provider.

Since our children are so young, Teresa and I do not yet face this issue in our home, but we know it is coming. We urge all of you who are parents of children old enough to have access to the internet to check out resources like this article!