In Matthew 12:34, Christ made this timeless statement, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” What He is explaining here is that eventually, what we really are will be revealed by what we say. Christ also pointed out that it is not what goes into the ears that defiles us, but the words that come out of the mouth.

How can we make sure, then, that our heart is in harmony and conformity with God? Philippians 2:5 states, “Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus.” What mind was that? It was the mind of God. When Christ’s mind is ours, then our thoughts will be His thoughts, and our words will be His words. Then, we need not be ashamed to speak our minds on any given topic.

On the other hand, if we refuse to develop within us the mind of Christ, we deny Him. Christ told us, though, that when we deny Him, He will deny us. We are going into the winter season. A fair amount of time will pass till we reach the spring Holy Days. It is really important for us to draw close — and remain close — to God, especially at this dark time. The darkness of the winter months is also a reflection of the darkness of this entire world, which is right now in total chaos. Anyone who just picks up a paper or listens to the news should be able to see this. It seems like Satan is on a rampage, which would indicate that time is getting short.

We must not allow that the darkness of this world influence or overtake us. Instead, we must build a strong relationship with God, which is developed by talking to Him, and letting Him know what is on our minds, and what our hopes and our dreams are. James 5:16 tells us that, “The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” All of us must be vigilant in our prayers, especially during this coming winter season. At the same time, we are not to neglect our Bible study, since that is how we get to know our God better. In prayer, we speak to God our Father. During Bible study, our Father speaks to us, through His Word, Jesus Christ.

Finally, let’s not forget meditating about what we read in God’s word, praying to God to make the meaning clearer to us. Sometimes, it requires fasting to show God how desperately we want to know Him and His way of life.

Let us all fight the winter doldrums by developing a close and personal relationship with God and Christ. Then, the mind of Christ will be in us, and we need not be ashamed about what we speak.

Penticton is a medium size city, by Canadian standards, of less than 30,000 nestled between two mountains and two lakes — Okanagan Lake to the north and Skaha Lake to the south. It is a semi arid fruit-growing region. There are orchards of apples, peaches, pears, apricots, and cherries. Scattered throughout the region within half an hour from town, there are nine wineries, some offering tours. The weather in late September should be in the seventies.

The town has three shopping malls plus the downtown center. There are plenty of good restaurants from fast food to four course meals at a few selective restaurants either in town or within thirty minutes drive. There is an airport at the south end of town for those flying. There are places to walk, bike and drive if one wishes. There are three golf courses within 30 minutes, one right in town. Horseback riding within 30 minutes and an amusement park, I hope, will still be open.

The current exchange rate is 1.56, which means for every $100.00 US you get $156.00 Canadian. You are better off waiting to get here and exchange your money at a local bank. There are several pubs that offer good menus, two bowling alleys and a theatre. God’s people have used Penticton as a Feast site for some 34 years and we are confident you will really enjoy Penticton.

We are planning a bike trip from Summerland to Penticton on the Kettle Valley right of way, coming back along Hwy 97. This should take about two and a half hours. For those not so inclined there is a tour on a steam locomotive in Summerland that should take about two hours. After this, there will be a barbecue and talent night at my house in Summerland. All of these activities will occur on Monday, Sept.23rd. The train ride costs $17.00; bikes can be rented for $20.00.

On Wednesday, Sept 25th, from 4-6 PM, we are planning a dinner boat cruise on Okanagan Lake. Included in the price of $27.00 per person will be a chicken dinner meal with bar service. Since the boat has capacity of only 48, we must operate on a first come first serve basis. Tickets will be sold at the information booth starting on Sunday, Sept. 22nd. On Thursday, Sept. 26th, we will have a dinner dance. Music will be supplied from our personal selection. The meal will be served with a choice of meat (beef) or fish (salmon) with all the trimmings, and will include tea, coffee and desert. Wine is available but is extra. The cost is $22.00, which includes taxes and tip. We will need those attending the dinner dance to sign up on Sunday for this also. Senior luncheon will be on Friday the 27th at 1:30, people, age 60 or over, are free. Those wishing to attend the senior luncheon, who are under the age of 60, are welcome for a price just under $11.00. Please sign up for the senior luncheon on Sunday also, as we need to get the numbers to the caterers for the meal preparation. There will be a farewell luncheon provided at 2:00 PM on the Last Great Day, Sept. 28th. There will be no cost to the brethren for this meal, but we do need to know how many will be attending, so please sign up for this also.

We will have sign up lists at the information booth and tickets available for all activities, beginning September 22nd.

Please plan to attend as many activities as possible, and as fits your budget. We would like to ask you to sign up as early as possible at the information booth for the activities, which you plan to participate in, so we can properly prepare for each activity. Thanks for your co-operation and we are looking forward to seeing you in Penticton.
 

When you go through a trial, test or a death of a friend or a family member like we just have, people send you cards of condolences and sympathy. Others phone to express their condolences and you take comfort and strength knowing that your friends and family care about the trial, test or loss of a family member that you are going through. We in the Church must never forget that God has also provided for us a Comforter and that is the Holy Spirit, which comes from God. In John 14: 26, Christ states that the Comforter will teach us all things and help us to remember the things, which were taught to us by Christ.

God’s Spirit in us not only comforts us but gives us hope by giving us an understanding that the world does not have — especially as it relates to the loss of a loved one. We know that there is a better world coming, one of peace and harmony. Rev. 21:3-4 tells us that God will dwell with us, that He will wipe away ALL tears, and that the former things will pass away. What former things? Death, suffering, funerals, famine, pestilence and every evil brought upon man by rebellion against God — all that will be vanished. The only tears will be tears of joy. We can take comfort in knowing that Christ, as our High Priest and Elder Brother, learned obedience through the things He suffered (Heb.5: 8). No matter what the trial or suffering we go through, we can rest assured that we have the love and empathy from our Savior Jesus Christ. Having lived in the flesh, He understands our infirmities and weaknesses. He is an advocate for us before God the Father.

Understanding this helps us to better understand why James says, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials.” (James 1:2). Let us not be discouraged by trials, test or loss of a loved one, but let us take comfort in the fact that Christ, through the Spirit, is there to comfort us, and that God will NEVER leave or forsake us. This is especially true when we face trials — with this knowledge, we can BE COMFORTED.

The department of the company I work for is called “Measurement Technologies.” Part of what we do is involved in the measurement aspect of both electrical and natural gas usage. Thus, being involved relative to measurement in the electrical and gas business in Canada, we must follow specific standards, which are laid down by Measurement Canada, a department of the Federal Government. Measurement Canada also checks scales in stores and pumps at gas stations, all to ensure that the customers are getting what they pay for. The test results are compared to the standards set by the government.

Our God has established standards, which His people must be measured against. In Rev. 11:1, John is told not only to measure the temple, but also those who worship there. Since we have been called of God to worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23), that measurement is on us, today. We need to ask ourselves, how are we measuring up?

In Eph. 4: 11-13, we find the reasons why God gave different offices or positions in the Church. Notice the reasons in verse 13, “…till we come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the MEASURE of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

What we are to measure up to is Christ. He is the standard against which we are measured. Now it’s obvious that without God’s help and power through the Holy Spirit we would fail in this endeavor, but we have Christ in our corner to help us achieve that goal. God also gave us His laws as a guide or rulebook to follow in our task of measuring up to the stature of Christ.

We can be grateful to God for not only setting the goal for us, but also for giving us the tools to achieve that goal.

Let’s ensure we stay close to God and keep our eyes on the goal. If we do so, we shall succeed. The promise in Heb. 13:5 is that we will not be left or forsaken, so let us in all things pertaining to our Christian lives make sure that we are “Measuring Up.”

Historically, Pentecost was when the Church of God had its beginning, complete with signs and wonders and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. For us in the Church, the receiving of the Holy Spirit occurred at our baptism. We had hands laid upon us and if we fulfilled the requirements, we received the Holy Spirit. We read about the beginning of the Church in Acts 2.

Just what does the Holy Spirit do for a person who receives it?

We are told in John 16:13 that the Spirit will guide us into ALL truth and tell us things to come. What God is revealing to us through John is that His Spirit helps us to understand the Bible since the truth is God’s word. We also see things in the Bible we never understood before. God’s word becomes alive — a guide for our Christian living.
God also promises us through John that the Spirit will tell us “things to come,” in other words, our minds will comprehend biblical prophesies which we may not have understood before. God’s Spirit also gives us a sound mind. In John 16: 7, the Spirit is referred to as a “helper.” A helper assists us in completing a task or a job. A helper does not push, cajole or force us, but rather encourages, advises and assists us in the accomplishment of our goals. This is how the Spirit works in our lives, acting as an encouraging and helping force to do the will of God, and not our own.

With the gift of the Spirit to us, we become begotten children of God and thus if we remain faithful to the end, we will be partakers of the resurrection to eternal life (1 Cor 15:51-52), and we will rule with Christ in the Millennium (Rev 5:10; Rev. 20:4) and for all eternity (Rev. 22:5).

Let us be grateful to our God for giving us Pentecost as a reminder of our heritage and our future as kings and priests in the world tomorrow.

When Christ admonished us to “pray that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things” it should be understood in the larger context of our responsibilities as Christians to “preach and publish the Gospel as a witness ” and “grow in grace and knowledge”. To the shepherds you can also add, “feed my sheep”.

We all have a responsibility in the areas God has assigned to us. We in the ministry are to feed the flock. Members are to pray for and support the work of getting the Gospel out. One should never underestimate the power of prayer in this regard. One thing to consider in the larger context is making sure everything we do and pray for is according to God’s will and not our own. It is nice to pray that we escape future trials and go to the place of safety for what I believe is final training and also to get the spots and wrinkles out but this should not be a means unto itself, that is, it must always be according to God’s will. I am sure Stephen was not looking forward to being stoned to death so early in his walk as a deacon in the church but history shows us it was God’s will and God gave him the strength to say what was needed at the time prior to his death.

Therefore our focus should not be to pray that our hides be spared but rather pray that God’s will be done in our lives. If our lives are spared in the future that is good — if not, that is good also. Whether we live or die at the end we all want to stand before our Lord and Savior at His return to rule the earth.
 

With the trials that we have been facing lately in our little group it sometimes gets a bit discouraging. Well the truth is Christ said with “much tribulation ” we enter into the kingdom. This should sharpen our senses as to what lies in the future but we can be encouraged by the fact that individually or collectively we are never tried beyond our capacity to endure those trials. If we learn nothing else other than to endure through the tough times patiently, we have done well. At the end of His life Christ took all the punishment patiently, without complaining, looking beyond the pain to the Glory after His resurrection. We have not struggled to blood, at least not at this time. Lets hope in the future if we do we can follow Christ’s example of looking beyond the present trial. Just like a woman in labor quickly forgets the pain when she sees the child she has brought into the world and is filled with joy. I leave you with the same message God gave to Joshua prior to entering the Promised Land. Let’s be strong and of good courage, the one who is for us is far greater in every capacity than the one who is against us.