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If you're new here, welcome! We are a colourful community of believers with large vision and big dreams, who love Jesus and love our world. What Jesus did and established at the Cross is very good news. In fact it’s scandalous it is so good! He has forgiven our sins, declared man innocent and cancelled any concept of distance between God and man. It is this message of glad tidings we feel compelled to preach because His unfathomable love has captivated us. Read more >>
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God's permanent commitment |
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Kristian Holmes
| 20 May 2013
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The main effect that the declaration of our union with God has on me is assurance. Hearing about the Man, Christ Jesus being fully God baptizes me in assurance. Religion does not produce assurance but rather fear and uncertainty. People in religion are trying to do things that are going to remove the fear and uncertainty but deep down they know that it remains.
Having the view of a distant God makes us live like orphans, thinking there is something we can do to get Him close. Religion thrives on our efforts, our change, and our ability to persuade God to do something for us. Often the language that comes out of our mouths when we are in religion implies that we are kinder than God, that we care more about the world than Him, that we want “revival” more than Him. It’s all about what we can do for Him, about our responsibilities and efforts to make the relationship right and to get Him to care and come down. Religion is exhausting!
Jesus said that we should take His yoke upon us and learn from Him for He is gentle and humble in heart. His yoke is EASY and his burden is LIGHT! ‘Yoke’ and ‘burden’ are such funny words to pair with ‘easy’ and ‘light’.
The revelation of our union produces Psalm 23 in our lives. The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not lack. He makes me lie down in green pastures… This revelation makes me lie down in green pastures. Rest is not doing nothing but rather it is realizing that there is nothing I can do to change what He has done. This union didn’t require my efforts to pull Him down. He so loved the world that He came. For where your treasure is there your heart will be. Well in Him becoming a man, I found out where His treasure is.
All the weight that religion puts on you is swapped out for his easy yoke and light burden when you discover that you already are where you wished you could be one day! Religion says, “I am not, therefore I must become” but this union awakens His voice in us declaring, “I AM”.
The new Justin Timberlake song has really blessed me. Here’s a snippet of the lyrics:
And I'll tell you baby, it was easy
Comin' back into you once I figured it out
You were right here all along
It's like you're my mirror
My mirror staring back at me
I couldn't get any bigger
With anyone else beside of me
And now it's clear as this promise
That we're making two reflections into one
Cause it's like you're my mirror
My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me |
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a treasure hunt testimony |
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Monique Dobe
| 15 May 2013
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An inspiring Treasure Hunt testimony:
About two weeks ago, inspired by Anneline's testimony about the treasure hunt the kids did, I asked Dad to give me a treasure as I was getting ready to go to campus. As I got on the bus, (and I happened to be the only student on the bus, which never happens) I felt Holy Spirit say that the bus driver is my treasure and that I should pray for his marriage. So as I got off I asked him if I could pray for him. When he said yes I asked if there was anything specific he wanted prayer for. His immediate response was his marriage. I was then able to tell him how Dad had told me to pray for his marriage too and how much he loved and cared for him and that he was bringing restoration to his marriage.
The following week, I was running a bit late for a lecture but out of the corner of my eye I saw a guy standing with crutches and he had a cast on his leg. I asked him if I could pray for him and he said yes. After I prayed the pain began to decrease progressively, and on the third time he started laughing as he felt his pain continue to go. After my lecture on the same day, I saw another 2 guys with crutches and casts on their legs. They also allowed me to pray for them. The one said his pain had decreased to 3/10 (with 10 being very painful and 0 being no pain) and the other said he couldn't feel any pain anymore. Yay Jesus! There truly are treasures everywhere! |
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bethel - a life changing visit |
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Sheryl Mulder
| 13 May 2013
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I started fellowshipping at Central Parks a couple of years ago. It was here I learned about Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry (BSSM) and started reading some of the recommended books. This is where my journey really started as I just couldn’t get enough of the REAL Gospel that I was reading. Quite a while later I received a ‘dread’ disease benefit which enabled me to plan a visit to Bethel and see whether what I was reading was actually true!
The 4 week visit started on 31 March 2013 and I’d love to share some highlights with you all, of my amazing visit to Bethel Church.
Certain family members were advising me to go the Broadway, see a show, visit Disneyworld etc but I just kept the peace with my ‘yes’ answers. I knew I would be spending the entire time (other than flying there and back) in Redding, California, drinking in whatever my Father had in store for me. I had made it a matter of prayer, relying on God to plan all that I needed, for healing and transformation that had become so necessary.
Although I have been reasonably well grounded in the Word of God, ‘something’ wasn’t connecting and I was not experiencing victories in many areas of my life. No sooner would I be blessed by a sermon, a Word someone brought when I would lose the ‘high.’ Often I was unable to fully believe God’s love for me and life was a see-saw of emotions, not always the desired ones.
Well, I arrived at Redding, hired a car and stayed with an amazing lady: Jonnie. What a blessing she and Cooper (fabulous dog) were to me during my stay!
I almost moved into Bethel Church where there is so much in which to be involved. While in Bethel I attended two conferences:
1. Believability, with Steve Backlund and Paul Manwarring where I learned to recognise the lies of the devil and LAUGH out loud at them. Paul mentioned God telling him his healing from cancer following surgery WAS NOT A SECOND RATE healing. Very encouraging.
2. Honour and Empowerment, with Danny Silk and several others. I saw and heard firsthand how Bethel restores people and does not merely ‘discard’ them (even when someone has committed adultery). Danny is an excellent, practical, down to earth teacher.
Then one of the other highlights was my SOZO I booked. This took place in my final week and was so wonderful. I was asked to prepare by fasting and praying prior to the ‘booking.’ This proved to be of great value. I was so prepared to receive what God had in store for me. The lady conducting my Sozo was so perceptive and I found myself remembering things from more than 57 years ago. Stuff I had never shared with anyone and that had resulted in me ‘housing’ a spirit of shame. This caused me to withdraw and simply not believe God’s love and Word applied to me as well! I am delighted to say that was dealt with and I look forward to a new and different life, believing everything that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit think of me.
I have also learned when I am possibly feeling hopeless – God isn’t. Everything at Bethel seemed to happen from a place of being in His presence, which was sparked by the anointed times (many) of worship.
Thanks to all at Central Parks people who have prayed for me and had a hand in introducing me to a church that truly lives this Culture of Honour that they preach. Thank you Grant, Lisa and the CPCC leadership for embracing those aspects of Bethel that are edifying and for the anointed manner in which you lead us and just allow us to be who we are meant to be. |
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moving from observing to occupying |
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Elize-Marie Muller
| 07 May 2013
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Excerpts from Elize-Marie Muller preach:
Many of us stop short of a divine encounter (not just salvation, healing, but also encouraging others, drawing glory, propelling destinies) because we are satisfied with a theology (grace, healing, honor, reaping/sowing).
We get revelation of a truth, but never require of ourselves to explore and experience it.
Matt 7:24
24“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
We are seated in Heavenly places (Eph 2:6) – its not a concept – it’s a reality. How do we live practically out of such a place? Take what we know here (heaven), as concept, and learning to implement the victory, which Jesus gained on our behalf, in our daily life. Learning to walk consistently with what He has accomplished.
We are not called to live a good moral life. He is calling us up into the Jesus lifestyle.
Allow our hearts to explore the heavenly realm through time and intimacy.
Do you see unity, unconditional love, sacrificial love, health, supernatural provision, creative solutions in heaven? The more convinced we become of the Heavenly realm, the less we will be distracted by this natural world, to pull you off course.
Ephesians teaches us to:
Walk in Unity
Walk in Love
Walk in the Light
Walk in Wisdom
We are not walking in order to become, but walking because we are.
The Father is inviting us to move from:
Observing to Occupying
Discussing to Discovering
Truth to Testimony
Meditating to Ministering
Exploring to Experiencing |
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a kids church testimony.. |
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Anneline Schoon
| 24 April 2013
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Well, I had the privilege of helping with the kids on Sunday, Denise popped in last minute to help, and and came up with this brilliant game, called 'Treasure hunting' - all in line with letting the kids hear God's voice and that God can use anybody to pray for healing or give special messages to His children!
So the game goes something like this: You and a prayer partner pray together and ask God to start showing you something that could be for somebody else. Like a yellow shirt, a sore back,boy or girl.....and then you write what you feel God has shown or whispered to you down on a piece of paper. Sunday's challenge was, to then find these treasures (people) and either pray, or give the word God has given to them.
I walked around with several of the kids in the awesome wild chaos in church on Sunday trying to find their treasures.
The one that stood out most (also the one I told Grant about) was walking around with Nika Claassen. She got "a lady with an orange scarf and has a sore leg/foot". So we tried and cornered every lady with an orange scarf, and was almost ready to give up when we saw Taryn wearing an orangy scarf, she was busy chatting to Siya, we ran to her in desperation and described the clues. She said that her legs were fine, but at that moment Siya said very earnestly, 'but my leg /foot is sore, it has been like this since my pregnancy' Looking down at Nika's confusion, I explained that nothing is EVER a coincidence with God, and He had brought these two ladies together at this exact time because He really wants to heal Siya's leg/foot. And that she can confidently pray for her, because it IS the treasure.
So down the two of us went on our knees, Nika's little precious hands under mine, and started praying for Siya, after awhile we asked how she was feeling, she said, whilst moving her foot around "she can feel that something is definitely happening". So we went for round two. After awhile, we looked up at her and she was saying she could feel no pain. I am not sure who was more surprised at this wonderful miracle, Siya, Nika or myself.
It was the most wonderful experience to share with such an amazing little girl. God really used those little hands to heal "a lady talking to a lady with an orange scarf who has leg/foot pain" :)
I contacted Siya this am to ask how her foot was, she says on a scale from 1-10, 1 being - no pain, and 10 - terrible pain. On Sunday her foot was at a 7! This morning it was at a 2!!!!!
Hallelujah!!!! |
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