Winterfire 2015 - Friday Morning

The Ziters are having a wonderful time at Winterfire!  Good fellowship, good worship, and fantastic preaching!  I will confess however, that this morning, I have been challenged.  Challenged by the messages, challenged by God.  

     The first speaker was Bro. David Hudson.  He was preaching on the CAUSE of the church of the living God.  He is a great lover of Israel, and travels there often.  Just recently went a couple weeks ago with a group of 30 pastors.  They were with the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) in a valley where they were fighting the Hezbollah.  The Hezbollah fighters were up in the hills, watching every move of the IDF.  These IDF soldiers were all around 19 or 20 years old.  They were putting their very lives on the line for the CAUSE of protecting Israel.  
     People of faith face the same kind of paralyzing fear today (ISIS, etc).  But there is no God like our God!  We cannot remain silent about the truth!  The truth is what sets people free!  EVERYBODY needs to know!  But the fact is, everybody does NOT know!  There is a CAUSE!  God's people need to take a stand for truth in the face of adversity....in the face of ridicule and mockery..... in the face of persecution....

     And then we had a powerful altar call at 11:00 am!  People committing themselves all over again to the cause of bringing the gospel of hope to a hurting, messed up world.

    Then speaker #2 took the pulpit.  Brother Carlton Coon built on the previous messages (God building the church for the cause of reaching the lost) and told us that God is not just going to make the church appear for you while you sit idly by.  You are going to have to have to work along with God in the building process and put on your war boots!  Prayer is the ONLY way that God will build the church you shepherd.  You have to fight against strongholds and forces of evil that do not want you doing this!  Prayer brings the hand of God into the picture!  Good music doesn't do it!  A fancy, well put together sermon doesn't do it!  If people leave your service saying "what a great song service" or "what a powerful message"... then you have totally missed it!  If people come in to your church sick, and leave sick, or if they come in oppressed and leave oppressed, then you have totally missed it!  We need a move of God!

     And then speaker #3 took the pulpit, and continued to build where Bro. Coon left off.  Bro. Elias Limones from the Bay area of California  finished off the morning session with the message "Let the Fire Fall".  We depend so much on our technology, our talent, our fancy buildings.... but when was the last time the power and fire of God fell from heaven upon your congregation?  Only prayer will bring this fresh fall of fire from God.  Microwave prayer (I want God to do it and do it now... 60 seconds of prayer)  will not cut it!  We need to STAY in prayer and cry out, pour ourselves out and beg God for the fire to fall on our city!

   Phew, I'm exhausted just typing this, as I am reliving the power of the messages in my mind as I type.  Tonight we hear from Bro. Sam Emory....I can't wait to see what the Lord speaks through him!

Winterfire 2015 - Thursday evening

It is SO GOOD to be here in this apostolic atmosphere of praise and worship to Jesus!!!  Everyone is just genuinely thrilled to have this opportunity to bind together and draw strength from one another and receive refreshing and direction from the Lord.    It has been interesting to watch God unfold HIS plan for this conference.  People who were supposed to be here to speak couldn't make it, people who were only to promote things ended up preaching, and the order of things got all mixed up, yet we are seeing that it is really not mixed up at all.  God knew which messages needed to be preached and in what order.  His divine rearrangement has meant that one message has built upon another in an incredibly powerful way!  

     First, a couple of pictures....

There are a LOT of apostolic pentecostals here!!!!

     The first speaker was Thursday night. Brother Michael Ensey was not supposed to preach.  But preach he did!  He brought a message about GOD building the church, not us.  Matt. 16:18, Jesus said I WILL build my church, and the gates of hell WILL NOT prevail against it.  In Ps. 127:1, it says "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it."  It is HIS church.  He built it, and he bought it.  In fact, He is STILL building it! He is the designer and architect, and supplier of the right materials. This takes a lot of pressure off us.  WE aren't building it.  It doesn't matter who says you can't have a church in Essex, the Lord is building the house, and He will finish what He has started.  

     God does not build like we do.  He uses very unconventional methods.  He wants it to be real clear and evident who the builder/designer is.  He builds with just the right materials that will last over time.  The foundation is the most important part.  If we don't get the foundation right, nothing else matters.  the rest of the building will crack and crumble.  The foundation of the church is TRUTH!  Faithfulness to the Word of God!

• 2 Tim. 3:16 - All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
• Deuteronomy 6;4 - Hear o Israel the Lord our God, the Lord is ONE.
• John 3:5 - Unless a man is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.
• Acts 2:1-4 - And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven like a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like fire, and it sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them the ability.
• Leviticus 20:7 - Be holy for I the Lord your God am holy.
• 2 Corinthians 6:17 - Come out from among them and be ye separate.
• Ps. 150 - Praise ye the Lord!  Praise God in His sanctuary, praise Him in the firmament of His power!  Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!......Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  Praise ye the Lord!
• John 4:35 - Lift your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest.

One God, the new birth experience, holiness, and evangelism.  This is our foundation.  We are a house built upon the Rock!

     After the foundation, you have the structure itself.  Eph. 2:21-22 shows us God's building method.  All the people He brings into the church are like stones "fitly framed together".  One broken life fitly framed together with another broken life paints a powerful picture of God's mercy and grace.  God builds in a way we would not.  When David was running from Saul and hiding in caves, a group of men went with him. No, not mighty men of war, but 1 Samuel 22:2 says they were people in distress, in debt, and discontented.  What a motley crew!    But if you keep reading, the story shows how these same people became transformed into mighty men of God!  We may have a very different idea about what the "perfect church" looks like.  But God disqualifies no one!  If ANY MAN thirst, let him come and receive this living water that Jesus offers!  Depressed, addicted, abused, neglected, rejected, lonely, broken.....let God fitly frame you into His glorious church!