The Holidays Are Here!

This is just a short note to let everyone know of our hours over the holiday break. As both Christmas Eve and New Years Eve fall on Sundays, it was tempting to just do what we do. But, people away and all has made the following adjustments to our schedule:

December 24th: we are meeting from 2:30 to 5:30 for this one day only. It is all about Christmas on this day, with a Going Deeper set dedicated to singing and praying through passages related to "emmanuel--God with us" starting the day. We will have two Devotion sets where our leaders will sing from their heart and minister to God in preparation for the special day to follow. And, in the third hour, we are going to have what I like to call "The Gratitude Set", a time focused on bringing the gift of thankfulness to the King on his birthday. The mic will be open for all to come and express thanks to God about anything that moves them. We may even have a rapid fire session :)

December 31st: we are taking the day off! Many of our people are on their way to the big event in KC and we thought a rest now and then is a welcome thing at this point in our journey. We may be wishing for these kinds of natural moments someday if our path takes us to where I think we are going...

January 7th: we are back and beginning at 2:30pm as usual. There will be a new schedule of meetings in place for the new year. Check the schedule page in the weeks to come for themes and times. As well, come to hear teaching on our study of the Sermon on the Mount. We are going to take our time and go through it line by line, believing this is a basic framework for life in pursuit of God and living like the Son. Teaching begins each Sunday night at 6:30pm.

Have a great holiday!!

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Shane Says More...

Last night, Shane told us a bit about the Holy One and our call to be holy as He is holy. Here is a brief recap:

-people don't like the idea of living a holy life...it hurts too much or it's considered unnecessary.

-the Sermon on the Mount in Matt 5-7 is the picture of a holy life.

-it is mandated to us by Jesus Himself.

-are we going to do it perfectly? Never!

-do we need to do it perfectly? Of course not...but we need to try.

-its all about the heart. Joel 2 says to "tear your heart as you turn wholeheartedly to God"...sounds like he really means "tear it!"

-Jesus said it too..."gouge out your eye"...did he mean it literally? No, but the level of severity toward sin is the point. Take it seriously.

-Grace is not permission to live as close to the edge of darkness as possible without getting caught or kicked out of the kingdom.

-Grace is empowerment to live a life "worthy of the Lord" (Colossians 1:10) and gives us the ability to say NO to sin (Titus 2:11).

-Grace is receiving what you do not deserve!

-God loves you more than you realize.

-God is committed to you living well and being with Him for eternity more than you are.

-there is a difference between immaturity and rebellion (and in your own heart, you know the difference...and God knows it too).

-God will give grace upon grace to an immature believer who is sincere in the journey to love God and hate sin. Rebellion will be resisted by He who knows everything and has all power in the universe. This sounds like a bad place to live...

-saying YES to God continuously, fighting to live right before Him even in the secret place of our heart, will be blessed by God and make a difference in eternity.

-the reward at the end is an eternity with this very same Holy God who has allured you forward all your life. All will be revealed at that time; the measures He took to win your heart and draw you to love Him instead of the pleasures of this world and the sin that so easily entangles. It will be worth it all!


Brian Creary
Ministry Director

The Awakening

Last night we had the honour of being asked to serve an inter-church gathering by leading a time of intercession for our city. It was a pretty big prayer meeting by our standards. There were certainly 250 or more people in attendence and we got almost 50 people to the mic for our "rapid fire" section. We did go a little longer than expected but Trevor, the organizer and pastor of "The Link" church, was cheering us on the whole time.

It was fun to be part of something larger than what we are used to for a change. The music was loud, the band was tight and the people were into it. It had the basics for an exciting night.

Still, the whole time I felt the pull to our small prayer room and meetings with attendence often in the single digits. We focus upward to the throne of Heaven. The folks sitting in the room with us get to come along for the ride but our time before the Lord is literally seen as OUR TIME!

As well, big meetings are useful to gather, encourage and empower on a certain level. But, the reality that this whole thing is lived out in the day-to-day remains unchanged. What it looks for each of us, on our own in secret as well as in the public meetings, is what will really matter decades from now.

So, the night was a success. But, for Sanctuary it is an enjoyable moment on a journey forward that will be done more in secret or mostly alone than anything else. We are committed to praying with passion and determination for the city of Winnipeg and all that he planned for this place. May the efforts of Trevor and the many leaders who are pressing ahead in this be greatly blessed. I truly desire that this be the beginning of a significant move of God in our community. We will do our part to see it come to pass.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Beyond The Fast

So, it was a great 10 days of hunger and devotion to Jesus. Sure, many of us felt weaker, colder and hungrier than we ever want to feel again. But, the general concensus is "it was all worth it!". In fact, Shane's humurous announcement that we were beginning a 40 day fast today, ending on Dec 24th, didn't really phase most of us.

Beyond the fasting, however, we are excited about the future. The Lord has been speaking to us recently about the priesthood and ministering to Him with our lives. The story of Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 29 contained much for us to consider in our journey to minister to God. This new king, only 25 years old in fact, was wise enough to realize that God was no longer dwelling with His people in the way possible because the temple had been desecrated and left unattended. He knew that God would come and dwell in the actual building, and as a result in the midst of the people, if they would restore the structure and take up their role to minister before Him once again. In fact, Hezekiah is so confident of God's willingness to return and dwell with them again that he calls the priests to activity with determination. In v. 11 he says to the priests among them (in essence), "Now is not the time to negligent of your calling. Time to stand and do what you are called to do, because I am about to make a promise to God and ask Him to return. If I promise to Him, He will respond...so, get ready!".

After this he calls them to "stand, serve, minister and burn incense" before the Lord. Be bold. Be confident before Him. Do what He asks of you. Do what is the essence of the kingdom and do it before this audience of One. Please His heart as you do it. Find out what He loves and do that. Seek out His heart and mind on things. Agree with His plans and decisions. And offer up the prayers of others as incense for He loves to receive it from you.

Sanctuary exists to create a place for God to dwell with us more than He does in this age. It will not be the only place, but it will be a place intentionally created and maintained for the presence of God. He will be served, ministered to and adored constantly. Those who come will be called to stand before the Uncreated One, to not shrink back and become negligent. His eyes are never off of us for He loves us and will have us for Himself. We are going forward with this reality as our fuel for the journey.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Fast Day #8

We had a good day yesterday! We certainly are moving a little slower and feeling a whole lot weaker, but there is a tenderness I notice in most of us that is God at work. Fasting truly is an amazing experience when combined with prayer and devotion to Jesus in a determined way.

Hour after hour was rich with hearts engaged and the room filled with worship. I was really struck by the intensity with which everyone brought to the intercession set. It felt like we were never more honest before Him, never more desperate for His presence and never more convinced that He enjoyed us in our efforts than at that moment. Sure we were cold, tired and hungry...that is all part of the experience and there was no holding back last night.

Today, in our internship class, we were listening to some of the prophetic words given that have shaped some of where we are and what is emerging in the prayer movement world wide. A phrase caught my ears: "You don't really understand whats happening here, do you?". Funny, because the context was a prophetic-man saying this to an emerging leader in intercession. I remember listening to this same dialogue a few years back and being struck that I was in the very same place. I really had no idea what I was doing here. I was beginning to "experiment" with worship and intercession but I could never have concieved of that time producing all that we are now. I had no concept of what was happening in my city, in our nation and in the earth. What was God doing and why was this little group of people in Winnipeg important to Him in it all?

Its a few years later now and I smiled as I heard it again. Things are considerably clearer now. There is a reason for all this and it doesn't have much to do with whether anyone out there recognizes it or not. We are called to stand before the Lord God of Heaven! That is much is certain. He is doing things in the earth right now and He is inviting people to partner with Him through intercession and agreement with His plans. This is more than a place to bless our city in the hope that things will improve around here. He is striding forward and we are invited to move with Him in this simple way.

God is so faithful. I am sure there is even more to the story, but there are years ahead for us and He seems more than willing to keep us informed and shape us according to what He has for us.

Continue to pray with us. We conclude this fasting period as the day ends this Wednesday.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Fast Day #4

It has been a good week so far. Although I missed the meeting on Tuesday, I understand that it was a packed house and a good meeting. There is something powerful about gathering together during a fast to seek God together. The theme of interceding for the under-30 generation was put aside for the night to focus on asking for the Sanctuary community and for an increase in revelation. Good stuff!

No majour encounters have been reported yet. "Stay steady", I have heard over and over again from those who are feeling hungrier, weaker and more in touch with the things of the spirit these days. You have no idea what you are giving yourself to, folks! Turning to God with your whole heart really matters!!

There is some increasing excitement about this weekend's meetings, as well. Maybe its because people are more sensitive right now, but the feeling seems to be spreading that this weekend could be a significant one for us. More on that next Monday, I guess. I am eager to find ourselves together again, offering who we are in our weakened state to God. It is pleasing to Him and that makes me very happy. We will ask for more from that headspace. Ministering to Him is thrilling once you see it for what it is.

I was talking with a pastor of a church in the city recently and we talked about the awesome transcendence of who the Lord is and the seperation that exists in the minds of believers as they set out to serve in the community. But, if you can get it in your head that He really is as awesome and near to us as we dare to imagine, it makes perfect sense of standing before Him first on our way to ministering to people in His name. He stands King and Bridegroom over this city. He loves these people more than we ever could. He calls us to partner with Him in HIS WORK! But, never forget it; He is God...and we are not. So, with love, fear and excitement we stand before Him to minister to His heart, knowing He is pleased by this.

To say it another way, "go through the fire on your way to loving your neighbour".

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Fast Day #2

We had a rockin' discussion this morning at our internship class about the presence of angels in our daily activities. Some of it was biblical, some more theological and much of it experiential. What did we conclude? Well...

1. We are quick to recognize the presence of a demon and act on it, but don't recognize the presence of an angel with as much conviction. For some reason, most felt they needed to be a bit more convinced if someone said "I felt the presence of an angel, although I didn't actually see it". And, that is not good.

2. Most had desire to see angels but not much interest in seeing demons. I understand...

3. We were quick to state that there seems to be a biblical precedent for finding angels all-too-attractive and tending toward worshipping them when they were around. That, too, was a bad thing and one we wanted to keep in mind. God is our focus...exclusively...utterly...forever...

4. Although a few of us had brief encounters with angels in the natural realm (seeing them in some form), almost all of us could say they had the experience of feeling like there was an angel in the room with us at one time and being almost...able....to see....it..... Turns out they are more present in our experience than we were realizing, despite not actually seeing much.

5. We all want to see them!

6. We love Jesus even more as we consider these ones as servants of Him, acting on His behalf to minister to us in some form.

7. God is totally in control and neither angel nor demon has anything to say or do to you without His permission granted. Don't you love the safety you feel in that?


Tonight we are meeting at Shane and Kristi's place for our Tuesday pm intercession meeting. We are putting aside the under-30 focus for this week to call out as a community for more revelation and direction. Come if you are in the neighbourhood!

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

The Fast Begins

Today is the first day of our 10-day corporate fast. We are once again calling our community to join together in restricting their food intake and praying more around some central themes. We are feeling this time that God would have us press in and ask Him to release revelation to us about our House and what the future holds for us. It is an exciting time as very often corporate prayer and fasting releases a new season in God for the community. Most of us are desperate to know Him in a deeper way, to hear what He is saying to us personally and corporately and to be changed for the future.

Of course, fasting is a discipline that serves to show us just how weak we really are. There is something about going without food for a time that has a person weaker and stronger all at the same time. Stronger if they turn their weakness into prayer and seek God in the midst of it, that is.

We were considering the possibilities last night. What COULD the Lord do for those who are turning to Him with focus and devotion, asking for Him to speak to us? The question should really be "What if...?" for all manner of revelation can happen to any of us at any time. To assume that it won't amount to much or that He will speak only to the really committed ones is just bad thinking. He is not impressed by our efforts, but He loves us more that we know. He wants to speak to us and often stirs a community to press towards Him in fasting and prayer for just such a purpose. He stirs us, we respond thinking it was our idea, He gives the grace to endure and stay steady AND THEN He responds with the encounters He wanted to give us in the first place. You just have to love the way He does it! He is so engaging. And He draws us constantly with hunger...usually spiritual hunger, but for this week it is physical as well.

Join with us if you have heart for this city and long to see His kingdom established here. Join with us if you are beginning to believe that His return is sooner than you thought and great difficulty is coming to all on the earth. Join with us if you want to hear Him more clearly and want to feel His presence.

Updates to follow...

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Searching...

We are feeling stirred these days to look for a more permanent home for our house of prayer. We have been hosted by The King's Fellowship on Osbourne Street since late April of this year and it has been a HUGE blessing. But, in the last while we have been feeling the need to look with even more diligence for our new home. King's has been able to give us free reign but only for limited hours, as we share the facility. We are eager to take our growth to the next level and have meetings on a daily basis. We need our own place to make this happen.

Please pray with us in this next season. We are going to begin a 10-day corporate time of fasting and prayer beginning on October 30th. We will focus on asking God to speak clearly to us and give us further insight to what He has for us in the next season ahead. We believe that part of that will include understanding on a new location.

I'll keep you updated as we hear from God and as we search out a building to house us.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

God Is Not A Stoic Detached Being

Shane spoke again a couple of weeks ago and really gave it to us straight on the love of God for humanity. He was on to something when he said "God is not stoic...and he is not detached". The word stoic is defined as "of or pertaining to the school of philosophy founded by Zeno, who taught that people should be free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief, and submit without complaint to unavoidable necessity". Boy, Shane is right; God is not stoic!

For many of us, we see Him as one who directs things on this earth, moves the pieces around in our lives and on a macro level beyond human comprehension, but never really gets too emotionally involved. Some see Him as so intelligent, with infinite foreknowledge and wisdom, that He is never moved by any event...He knows it all already so He remains unimpressed by anything. At the same time, when we consider our own failings and weakness, we are keenly aware that God has feelings towards us...and they are all negative. We are sure that He is disappointed, angry and generally weary of working with us as sinful as we are.

But, the truth is that God feels deeply and it is not mostly negative. A most profound verse always comes to mind here: Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. (Ephesians 1:4 The Message). Amazing! Before He established the earth in its foundations, He had us in mind. He saw you. He knew about you in your entirety, your strengths and your weaknesses. He knew of your propensity to sin and be so easily distracted. He knew that you would struggle, fail frequently, live a life less than worthy of Him and yet...He determined that you were the focus of His love. It is more that the focus of His building plan. It's His love. And, how deep this love is! Another passage in Ephesians 3 says that the love of Christ is essentially boundless ("how deep, how wide, how long, how high is this love").

God is moved by our activity on this earth. But more often, I believe, He is moved with love and desire for us than He is overwhelmed in disappointment. He is working actively to have us "whole and holy". He loves it when we turn our face towards Him. He is not thrown off by our weakness. He already knew it, it's true, and yet He has great passion for us to press through and choose to live voluntary love for Him in the midst of it. Every time you choose not to give yourself to sin, even the hidden stuff, because you want it to be an expression of love for Him, it is a significant thing in the heart of God. Every time you choose to love someone else, especially the ones who are not so loveable, as an expression of love for Him, it is moving His heart.

There is great comfort in my heart that God knows it all already and still likes me! My life can really be about love, then. I don't have to earn it. I can't make Him love me any less. But, I can embrace it. And, that is the best news I can think of.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

A Sunday in the Fall

The colours of our clothing are changing with the seasons. New people are singing all the time. And we are so thankful that God would allow us to be part of something like this...

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

More On Staying Steady

We at Sanctuary have a keen interest in the Sermon on the Mount. Giving ourselves to a lifestyle of worship and intercession for our city can put us in a dangerous place, one that could cause us to lose sight of the big picture of the kingdom and its advancement. Someone said one time that it is easy to pray for "revival" in the city and forget that we are praying for actual people! "We don't pray for people, we pray for revival...". Now that is a scary way of looking at this.

The passages in Matthew 5-7 give us lots to consider about how we live our lives in and out of the prayer room. Meeetings are meetings, and should never be mistaken for a life well lived in and of themselves. Jesus was serious when he walked through this most amazing of sermons that living this way will make a difference before God.

My favourite part of the sermon is actually the final section, subtitled "the wise and foolish builders".

24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

A few things are clear from his closing counsel. He tells those who were there listening that they need to take it seriously...all of it. It is often missed in teaching I have heard that Jesus means for them to take the words He has just spoken and build on them in a lifestyle redirected. There is no suggestion that you can pick the parts you like and employ only them. He presented in one block of thought and then counsells them to take it ALL and build well.

As well, Jesus makes it clear that you will be tested in your life and building well on this will allow you to stand firm. It is not question of IF you are tested, but WHEN! Everyone is going to experience the storms that can shake the foundations of life and send us adrift. Sickness, tragedy, economic loss...you name it. It comes to all of us at some point. And, death is a guarantee for absoultely everyone regardless. You will stand before the "ultimate storm" that is a Holy God determined to review your life and reward for how you lived.

The return of Jesus to the earth is another "storm" that some generation will be chosen to live through. Increasingly we believe it is much closer than you think and are choosing to live like great trouble is coming for the earth. Living well is wisdom in any hour of history but is really wise in the face of a crisis unlike any the world has seen.

Living a life of hidenness and intergrity is critical. Killing someone is obviously wrong. But, Jesus said that the same spirit is at work in you when you have anger in your heart against someone. Jesus said: "when you fast...", not if you fast. These are hard teachings. They can be easily turned into law and be used to beat us further into bondage, the very thing Jesus was working against. But, they are HIS teaching on how best to live and they produce good things in those who will build on them.

Staying steady in Sanctuary is all about living this out in secret AND in the prayer room. Be generous with the needy. Don't worry about money. Don't judge but pray and keep praying for those who need the help. Watch your heart. Love God with passion. Go for meekness. Live well. For a long time. Do it for years. Decades. Don't give up. Ever. Stay steady.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Seven Years!!

Our good friends and "heroes" in the prayer movement, the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (www.ihop.org), have reached a remarkable milestone. This week they were able to celebrate that they had corporately worshipped and prayed for their city and the nations of the earth uninterrupted for 7 years! Yes, you read it correctly...they have not stopped singing, playing and praying 24 hrs a day, seven days a week, for 7 years. What started as a modest effort in an elementary school trailer with a handful of singers and musicians has blossomed into over 500 full-time intercessory missionaries and an extended community of over 2000 (at least that is how many came out to eat and party with them earlier this week). They have fasted for what amounts to a total of over 7 months in that time, gone without lots of sleep and lots of money, but stayed steady and were bold in their lifestyle and their dedication to the kingdom. And, they have paved the way for people like us!

My first encounter with IHOP dates back to year #3 for them. They were still in the trailer at that time and it was crowded. I was entirely unprepared for what I was to see and feel in the next two days. It was filled with passion and zeal, but was nothing wonderful to look at. It was, as they are fond of saying, "a little rough and ugly". But, it was real. I sat in a meeting as one lady shared of a spiritual encounter she had with God earlier that day. She said "...and the voice of the Lord thundered" and, as if on cue, one loud clap of thunder was heard over the top of the trailer. I looked at my friend and we were both stunned. "Did you just hear that?", I said, but there was no mistaking it. It thundered on cue! We were even more surprised when a minute later she said something about the reign of God and again, right on cue, a downpour opened up that pounded on the roof for maybe a minute and then was gone. Maybe things like that happen in KC, but where I come from this was pretty amazing.

Of course, IHOP is about more than unusual experiences and goosebumps. They are young people convinced that they can and should know God more than they do. And they are willing to do something about it. They hold the bible in the highest regard and strive to know it and find God in it. They pray because the know that the changes that will really impact a city or region come from the all-powerful King of Heaven and Earth. They believe in prayer! The power dimensions of the kingdom have followed consistently as they have pressed forward into Him. They have lots of healing, among their prayer community but more importantly in the neighbourhood as well. People have come to know Jesus. The poor have been fed, clothed and served with consistency. In fact, one of our good friends is working mostly with a group who is in the inner-city and amongst the broken for many days each week. And there is much more to come, she tells me.

We are encouraged as we think about their journey. They were just folks like us who felt a call to do something a little different. Most of the time it is in hiddenness. But staying steady before God in this has been their highest achievement. I feel challenged, energized and so thankful.

Great blessings on IHOP and what the Lord has for you next. We are celebrating with you!

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

How is it Going?

We are just wrapping up the summer season here in Winnipeg. Things really slow down in the summer here, probably because the winter is just so long and you can't pass up getting out in the heat when you feel it. It's just part of life here and we roll with it. Sanctuary has been less affected by this than most churches, though. We have had a steady stream of people participating and have only once had to reduce our hours. And, that was as much about needing a rest as it was about lack of people to make it all happen.

Two Sundays ago we had a big surprise waiting for us during our 6:30 Intercession set. We had been going since 2:30pm as usual, but we had also gone to the Village Vineyard in the city for their morning gathering. We had a good time leading worship, speaking and then conducting a short but intense prayer meeting for their church and neighbourhood(Lord, let your Spirit fall in the Village and let them lead the revolution they are seeking). By the time 6:30 came around, though, we were pretty tired. As usual it was also very warm in our building so it made staying energized all the more difficult.

But, just when I was thinking about maybe encouraging the folks to just "stay steady" despite how they felt, the Lord drew closer and He had other plans. He spoke through one of our people and invited us to experience Him in a specific way. His power was really present and lots of people were significantly impacted. Our intercession meeting was really on hold as we went with what the Spirit was doing with us. It went on for about 45 minutes. For those who remember the Toronto Blessing, think back and you know understand a little of what was happening.

The challenge for us is to remain focused on the larger purpose that he has given us in being a house of prayer, all the while embracing the wind of the Spirit and the "divine disruptions" that sometimes come. A wise man once told me of these kinds of moments: "You wait your whole life for God to draw this near. Do you really want to control and administrate it at this point?" Amen to that, brother! It is just exciting to have God come in new and fresh ways, strengthening and empowering us for devotion and service to Him. Wonderful.

In other news, the intership classes are going well and we are having a blast going deeper into who God is and how we can better know Him. Our study of mercy and justice, combined with our times helping out at WCV are taking us somewhere. He is a very good leader. It is quite thrilling to consider God in terms of His attributes of mercy and justice and then watch for ways to embrace these in our own lives. He is endlessly, infinitely and eternally merciful. He doesn't just act with mercy according to His moods or circumstances...His IS merciful! It never lessens, it never changes, it is never hidden and it is never earned. He is merciful. He is!

Of course the same holds true for justice (and a whole bunch of other attributes). Our God is complex and endless. Being with Him is going to be so much fun. We will dwell and gaze forever, love every second of it and never reach the end. I love it!

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Sanctuary Internship Begins!

We have begun our first ever internship with a 2 day/week adventure into searching out who He is and learning theology and the scripture as it is bathed in worship and intercession. So far, so good! We are very small (sometimes 6, sometimes only 3) but have put aside Monday and Tuesdays to focus on this journey into the "priesthood" as we discover more of Him.

We decided that we wanted to take lots of time to study God through His attributes and consider the scriptures that develop this in our hearts. And, we are working on learning a scripture meditation model (thanks to Kirk for this!) that helps us take the passages we are studying and turn them into conversational prayer and contemplation. I believe that if it doesn't really get into your prayer life it is not making much of an impact anyway.

As well, we are working with the Winnipeg Centre Vineyard church here in the city in helping to serve the poor of the north end of our city on Tuesday mornings. We believed it was the right time to press into the heart of God in the areas of mercy and justice. So, we are studying it, praying and meditating on it and then serving in the midst of those with needs. It is an adventure! We are confident that God will reveal more of Himself and His heart for this world as we give ourselves to this process.

There will be much to say on this in the weeks to come. We expect more will join us shortly as well. Please pray for us that we learn well and make the most of our efforts. And, pray that His kingdom comes in our city!

Blessings,

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Perseverance

This last month in Winnipeg has been incredibly hot at times. We are not getting much rain either. I have not mowed the lawn in front on my home all month! Winnipeg weather can be like that...its a place of real extremes.

For some reason, the really hot stuff seems to arrive on Sunday. The last three weeks in a row now we have watched as Friday was "nice and hot", Saturday was "uncomfortably hot" and Sunday became "obscenely hot". The photo above was taken this past Sunday. It is a thermometre held by one of our folks somewhere later in the day while sitting in our prayer room. Yes, you are reading it right: its +96F!!!! That is +36C!! And, this is the third week in a row that we have hit that level. This week we had the added feature of high humidity to drive the humidex level (sort of like wind chill in reverse) into the low 40s...can you feel it?? We were there for our usual 7 hr set, sweating and praying and sweating and worshipping and...well, sweating. Did I mention there is no air conditioning in our building?

Now I realize that our current sufferings are neither permanent nor on the level of believers in the suffering church across the globe. I can only imagine what it feels like to hold prayer meetings in China where they are considered illegal, or in Lebanon right now where you can hear the bombs falling endlessly. We are hot but we are not going to die from it. And, it will end shortly. The troubles in the Middle East never seem to end and the bible suggests it is going to get much worse before it gets better.

Still, our "sufferings" are real to us when compared to what we are used to. Sadly, its often not about what you are suffering from but how far you have fallen from your original position that creates the pain. Having no A/C makes me realize that in North America we are sitting high in our comfort and quite unprepared for any kind of fall. A significant lifestyle disruption would cause more pain and hardship, confusion and offence in our hearts, than in most places on the earth. We are not ready nor do we really believe that trouble of any kind could ever touch us. The western church is proving the point weekly by doing very little to cause the people to prepare for anything different than maintaining where they are right now.

Hebrews 12 talks about God coming to shake everything that can be shaken. It says that only that which cannot be shaken will remain. The writer goes on to say that "since we have been given a kingdom which cannot be shaken...". Clearly the writer knows that ONLY the kingdom, the full rule of God on earth and our submission to His ways, His activity and His heart, will survive the sifting. And this shaking is by God Himself. It will be thorough. It will be driven by love. It will produce wholehearted lovers and followers who rely on nothing but the King of Heaven at the end of it all.

Maybe we need to be thankful for the heat? After all, how does one prepare for trouble other than to use every opportunity to embrace trials with thankfulness and trust in our hearts, eyes on Him and a view to a greater reality. Growing in trust is the opposite of harbouring offence and accusation against Him. It is a wonderful result of going through any trial. I want us to be able to say of God in our small shakings, no matter what they look like: "we love and trust you God! There is nothing in us that rises up in arrogance to question the wisdom of your ways". This will be critical in the years ahead. Trouble is coming and God is directing it. Let's get it correct in us now.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

More On John...

Over the last few months we have been studying the 4 main reasons we exist as a house of worship and intercession here in Winnipeg. Each week we have considered the following areas and looked at what the Bible has to offer in fleshing out these ideas. They are simple and yet profound, as always.

We exist:

1. As a response to the call for a solemn assembly as detailed in Joel 2
2. To change the spiritual atmosphere in our city through joyful agreement with Him and His ways
3. To raise up and release prophetic intercessors, singers and messengers
4. To aid all in cultivating our own life of devotion to Jesus

Last night we were continuing on in our study of the forerunner calling (Point #3 on the prophetic messengers) and looking at the life of John the Baptist as a picture for us.

The interesting thing about John is he really knew who he was. That in itself should raise a challenge to most of us. If we were completely honest I am not sure most of us could say with confidence before God and man that we REALLY know who we are and why we are here. John knew. He lived a life that was intense, focused on a mission that was entirely unlike any in his day and destined to end tragically (from the viewpoint of this world anyway...I suspect it looked different in heaven).

As well, John was the first to declare "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near" (Matt 3:1). Usually we attribute this phrase entirely to Jesus and pass over the fact that it was John the Baptist who was declaring it before the baptism of Jesus. Why is that significant? Well, because the role he played in "preparing the way for the Lord" was directly connected to the message of the coming rule of God on earth. He wasn't just a weird guy who said "Look...Jesus is coming". He was an intense guy driven by his calling who said in fact "Look...God in the flesh is coming with all the force of His rulership....change your ways quickly before He arrives". It was a stunning call to a people who were not prepared to accept He who was about to walk among them. The people were steeped in sin. They needed to turn and get right with God before He looked them in the eyes.

And how much more so today? The King is coming once again to the earth, this time to the whole earth. It will not be a regional visit. The same call that was on John is visiting the church right now and the message is a familiar one: turn your hearts to Him and change your ways...He is coming and you will stand before Him. And this time, His kingdom will be fully realized and He will govern the earth as He sees fit. He will take it over. That is what we are praying for, if you think it through, when we ask "let your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven".

John said profoundly in John 3 that "the bride belongs to the bridegroom". He knew his call was to prepare the way and then, at the right moment, to get out of the way. It was his pure joy to do so.

Father, let this same understanding burn within the hearts of all who will prepare the way, in what is said and in how it is lived out in this hour!


Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Shane Says...

...that we are in a time like no other and we need to embrace the changes

...that God is raising up people, "forerunners" he calls them, that know the times and seasons we live in and are bold in declaring it to everyone.

...that, like many others in Scripture, they are called to prepare the way for a significant event in God's timeline...the King is returning to the Earth!

...they call the people to turn from their ways and make the paths straight for the coming of the Lord

...like John the Baptist and others, they are called to declare BEFORE the arrival of the One.

...they will move in power but live in humility and meekness

...they are nobody special

...they are you and me if we will hear what He is saying in this hour

...they get nothing of honour or reward in this life, other than misunderstanding and rejection by those who do not want to hear it.

...their reward is Jesus and Him alone

...they live out Psalm 27:4 for real

...their eyes are on eternity

...from houses of prayer like this one, forerunners will emerge that will see it, declare it and live it out, for the glory of God and the benefit of others.


Shane is a smart man! I'm glad I had him speak last night.


Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Divine Entertainment

Its funny to me how the trend in the last decade or so has been toward preaching delivered through entertainment. Speakers have moved their style far, far away away from the old image of the "fire and brimstone" preacher, severe in look and delivery. There was nothing funny about that era at all. In contrast, today's sermons are overwhelmingly entertaining, designed to relate to the lives of the listeners, and adapting humour as a means of holding the attention of the audience.

The trouble with it, of course, is if it is all (or even mostly) about the humour and pleasing delivery then it is worthless for growth in God. I am not against entertaining speakers if it can be tempered and used to hit the mark and thrust us forward in God. I am pretty sure God is ok with humour...He created us to enjoy it. Now if the preacher is using humour because he thinks he is funny and enjoys the laughs it brings, then I would suggest that he is sharing the spotlight with the King of Heaven at that point. That sounds like a bad idea to me.

Sermons that entertain also run the risk of being satisfying in and of themselves. There is a feeling of comfort that I have experienced at times, having sat through a fun and humour-filled message about...something...I can't quite recall the specific point I was going to take from it, though. There is a danger in all of these kinds of things that causes us to settle for less than we are called to in our journey with God.

Having said that, I believe that the ultimate entertainment to be experienced is actually found in God Himself and growing in the knowledge of who He is and what He is like. Consider Revelation 4, the Throne Room. The four living creatures encircled He who sat on the Throne and found themselves saying day and night "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come". It would be silly to think for even a second that they were required to do this as some sort of service to their master and were risking punishment if they failed to carry out their duty. These creatures were allowed to be this near to the creator and sustainer of all of creation. As they themselves declared, He is holy!

Some misunderstand the fullness of the term "holy", limiting it to mean "pure and sinless". That is entirely accurate, but only part of the meaning. To understand God is to understand that "holy" really means "set apart from". Well, set apart from what, you ask? From everything! He is beyond us. He is beyond understanding. He is beyond our grasp...unless He chooses not to be (and thankfully He does choose to be found by us!). He is transcendent.

Back to the living creatures, then. They encircled the One on the throne at close range. They survived being this close to the One who is perfect and just. They are not insignificant beings. And yet, they were free to experience this nearness. What is obvious in light of this is that their response must be pure. They are not grumbling under their breath about being forced to say this same phrase over and over in frustration. It is spontaneous and filled with honesty. They are seeing and they are proclaiming. He is Holy! There is no one like Him. It must be said over and over. How can we not declare it?!?!

Now that is divine entertainment. Who can watch TV after that?

The call to the pulpit in this age is to proclaim Him as He is. None of us do it very well because none of us can see very clearly. But, there is more...so much more. We pray Ephesians 1:17 almost every intercession meeting as it is the best biblical prayer I can find to answer the longing to see and know more. May He show us, all of us, more of Himself and may we be changed in heart and mind and behaviour because of it.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

He Is Faithful

We had quite a day yesterday. As you may know, we are meeting in King's Fellowship for now (thanks again to Al and Sue Gordon for being so generous with their building and supportive of our efforts). We have loads of meetings each Sunday and are having such a good time learning and growing in the nuances that make a house of worship and intercession work. Each hour brings a new format and approach to worshipping through the scriptures (more on this is found on the "Mechanics" page). It has been challenging at times, but mostly it has been life-giving and lots of fun.

This Sunday we had one hour in which Yvonne led us by singing through Psalm 130 and 136. Steph partnered with her as she read and prayed through the passages. It was rich in meaning and so enjoyable to be a part of. We are singing through the scriptures! We are meditating on the truth that is in the heart of God and beginning to think more and more like Him.

Following their hour, Joel led us in an hour of exploring the theme found in Psalm 27:4 (...one thing have I desired). Steph and I partnered in praying and reading relevant passages and allowing the Spirit of God to guide us in our ever-deepening understanding of His truth on this topic. Here is a tip for you: Psalm 27:4 and Revelation 4 go really well together!! Trust me...or come next time to sing through it with us.

Orv and Gina led the following hour of Devotion, songs that express the heart of worship to the Lord. In this set there is always room to express ourselves in free and creative ways. I love these sets. Whenever I ask someone to lead one of these for the first time, I always tell them, "imagine you are sitting in your living room with your guitar or piano...now how would you sing out your love and affection to God with nobody there? That's what we want in this set..." And, they do it! Don't worry about getting all the songs right. Don't worry about how many songs are sung. Sing from your heart and let the rest of us sit and enjoy God as you minister to His heart.

I always speak at 6:30 and we had 30 minutes focused on the role of prophetic singing in a house of prayer. Shane interviewed his lovely wife Kristi on her journey in prophetic singing. There was some powerful insight for all of us in her story. Then Shane prayed for her! I love it when Shane prays. He can pray for me any time. The man believes it!

Then, for no reason I could explain at the time, the evening went sideways. We began our prophetic intercession meeting at 7pm with Johan and the team leading us. We always do 90 minutes each week on the theme of intercession for the city of Winnipeg. I was surprised to notice almost right away that what had been a free and easy day suddenly become difficult and heavy. Nothing seemed to be clicking. The people that came to pray were heard saying "wow, that was terrible" after their prayer was proclaimed.

Now, I am fully aware from considerable experience that feelings usually mean nothing in this activity. If it is wonderful, its great to feel but it doesn't make it any more powerful a prayer time. And, in this case as with others, NOT feeling good things didn't lessen the impact of our prayers together. Feelings here on earth don't really matter to God when He hears our prayers.

But, it makes staying focused really challenging. After almost an hour of pressing ahead, many were saying to me "we need to stop and ask the Lord concerning this". SO, we did...and He spoke a challenging word to us. "TURN...really TURN...I know you want to....I know your heart is focused to do so....but I ask you to make it real action....TURN". It was wonderfully challenging, painfully sweet. The Lord is so interested in His people being like Him that He calls us again and again. He got our attention with our own frailties, showed us that good meetings do not equal kingdom living and then challenged us in love to live it out.

Joel took over again on the keyboard at 8:30 and we went another hour responding to this challenge, singing through the issue of our need of Him, declaring our tendency to wickedness and weakness and generally asking for His will and not ours in our lives and in the life of Sanctuary.

His challenge is our invitation to more. We can say YES! and figure it out as we march forth in love. Suddenly, songs and prayers from the earlier sets of the day come flooding back. It all fits together. It all makes sense. You are the holy one on the throne of Revelation 4. It is our one desire to gaze upon your beauty and see you in this. My soul does wait for you more than the watchmen wait for the morning. Your love does endure forever. And we are in love with You alone.

He is not far off. Turn to Him. And pray for us as we do the same.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Wisdom For Living

I heard a great piece of wisdom recently. This wise lady said of her journey "Believe and stand on the promises BUT live for the presence". I love it! She is so right. There is much we are asked to consider, to believe and to act upon in the scriptures. It will take our entire lives of focus and dedication to feel we are attaining to any amount of it.

Consider the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. At first reading, it sounds thrilling to go after, a target so big and wonderful that we all want what Jesus is saying is for us. Yet, most usually also agree that it must be metaphorical and surely not something we can attain to in this world. It can't be for us? Right? For many, the journey into the Sermon stops right there.

For others, they believe it is for this time but quickly realize that NOBODY can truly live like this. That sense of failure and weakness comes with force and causes them to give up before they are forced to out of failure and embarassment.

I believe the Sermon is to be taken seriously and is attainable here and now. But, it is quite obviously so far above where we live that we are NOT going to do it well any time soon. It is a strange tension to set out on a course you know you cannot follow correctly in your condition. There are many others paths that can be chosen. But, deep inside you know there is no other course to follow. Forward we go...

However, the issue is less about succeeding and more about living. As my friend said, choosing to live for His presence in our lives needs to be first. Attaining to a higher accomplishment can never be first, no matter how noble it appears. We need to run headlong into the Sermon knowing that we cannot make it in our state, but determined above anything else that we want Him near us and filling our minds and hearts as we step forward. Succeeding is about saying "YES" and choosing to try. It is never just about making it.

So, will we be able to win the battle in our minds or wrestle successfully against anger (the spirit of murder....think about how serious this battle needs to be)? Maybe not anytime soon! But, winning is waking up and saying "YES" to your King as you lean into Him and find His presence.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Global Day Of Prayer

This Sunday we are going to be participating in a global event to pray for our little piece of the world and ask for God to change our city. In a way it is not anything different from other weeks, but I feel the importance of joining in with so many others (they say it is certainly millions) in a collective solemn assembly (see Joel 2 for more on that). Certainly the Lord Himself is stirring the heart of His people to cause them to rise and seek Him in this hour. It is the peculiar mechanism of intercession again: that we would be stirred by Him to pray to Him and say that the things that He said to say so that He would release power upon our asking! It's all about Him, in case you missed the point there.
I had heard that a respected intercessor spoke of the importance of asking for Acts 2 to become a reality in our city and it got me thinking about this. The kingdom of God moves forward in our city person by person, selfless action by selfless action, and will eventually culminate in Revelation 21...the dwelling of God with humanity once again. It is our glorious hope. What else are we holding out for if not eternity in His presence and this world fully restored to the way it was meant to be? He will rule it in fullness once again.

And yet, we can do all the things that we see Jesus do and still see little actual "kingdom change" for our efforts. Some would say, "well, it's really only about doing the right thing anyway" and there is truth to it. Although, to be honest about participating in the advancement of the kingdom is to realize that is is ALL ABOUT CHANGE. He is bringing His rule to the earth in fullness again and we are bringing it in part each day that we cooperate.

I think that Acts 2 shows us that there is more...so much more...on the schedule for humanity as we near the culmination of history. We are to stay steady in our partnership with Him in this and press into Him with wholeheartedness (think about what that really means!!) AND we are to ask Him to release the visitation of His Holy Spirit into our community like never before. It is on the agenda. It is fully in His heart to do so. He loves His church, His bride, and wants them empowered. Don't be fooled by seeing today's church only in its weakness and compromise; He sees it in its potential and loves it as His bride! And, He loves humanity in general and longs for people to turn to Him in repentance and love. He wants to come by His spirit and will do so in your city before His return.

On this Sunday, we want to focus on our city with diligence and ask for the Lord to send this visitation to us. It may come in waves over time, it may happen suddenly and change everything. It makes no difference to me. Send your spirit to our city, God, for in that place there is kingdom rule more fully established, hearts are turned and we see you more clearly.

And, His return to the Earth, to be with us forever, is closer still...

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Who Do You Say That I Am?

I recently listened to a man speak on Jesus. He really stirred me to fascination again, not for the religion that bears His name or for our own efforts at Sanctuary or any church expression. But, it is for Him! This man said the most interesting thing concerning Him: "don't even bother saying that Jesus was just a good teacher. You cannot take that mushy middle ground with Him. He is either the Son of God and truly divine, or he is a nut case". I love it!
As I thought more about, I realized he's right. There is too much about Jesus and all that He said that demands we decide who He really is. The same Jesus who taught us to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute us, which is brilliant teaching, was also the one said he would be killed and rise from death in triumph 3 days following. He said that anyone who would come after Him should take up their cross, eat His flesh and drink His blood and plan to lose their life for His sake and let their dead bury their own dead. And, He said that He would return to the earth with a host of angels in full view, the sky ripped open and His rule coming fully to the earth.
This is outrageous and, dare we say it...insane stuff....unless He is right.

And, I know He is. He is amazing. There is no one like Him in all of creation and He knows me. It's all true and will come to pass. He will return to the earth and stand once again in Jerusalem to rule from it as the King that He has always been. Those who have lost their lives for His sake will find them again. Taking up our crosses is the pathway to life. Nothing should distract us.

All His brilliant teaching should come into focus in light of this one thing: God has been on this earth! He was here, in human form and walked among us. Let the skeptic reduce Him to a "mushy-middle ground" teacher of truth and wisdom, if they must. But, remember this...He is so much more and wisdom will be justified.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

What Is On Your Mind?

I think one of the most important questions you can ask of God is "What is on your mind?" Sounds simple, almost silly, but is incredibly relevant when you consider that He really is all that we read He is. It is hard for us most of the time to really understand that He is as wise, as powerful and as full of knowledge and mercy and love and kindness as He really is! We reduce Him to a level we can grasp and then relate to Him from there. But, it never helps us to do this. While we feel we can better relate, we take from Him the power and capability in every setting that He is in full ownership of. He is all that He says that He is, depite our inability to grasp it.

Most of the time we believe that we understand the measure of his power, love and grace. And to some degree it is true. We have His spirit living within us now and He brings us to understand things hidden from those who are without their spirits made alive in this way. But, this is the starting point on a journey to understand the great mystery of the universe: the knowledge of who He is. Our journey both on earth and on into eternity, is to discover endlessly more of what He is like and to be amazed by it.

Consider the Throne Room description in Revelation 4 and the response of those four living creatures. They declared unceasingly "Holy, holy holy" not because they were required to do so or be kicked out of the Throne Room but because they were captivated by what they saw as the drew near. These ones are a picture of what we will all do to some degree as we draw near and see more. Who can help but exclaim endlessly "you are beautiful in your transcendence"...that is what "holy" in this context means, really.

Or, consider David in Psalm 27:4 saying that he has one request: to dwell in God's presence and gaze upon His beauty. David knew that there was more. Somehow he understood a little piece of what the living creatures were experiencing. God was deeper and more expansive in His attributes than could be grapsed at first glance. He is not there to be analyzed or to be negotiated with. He is GOD! He is beautiful and who can help but gaze upon Him as you see more.

Last night we added another hour of devotion to our schedule, going from 8:30-9:30pm. It was a sweet hour! It was all about sitting in His presence, singing out our love song to Him and singing what we know of Him as we agree with His heart and mind. More and more I found myself saying "what is on your mind?" and not because I was afraid to miss something, but because He was so fascinating. He had all of my life in His hands, I had nothing to worry about and I wanted to know more.

And that was the whole point...

We at Sanctuary was pressing forward to "gaze on His beauty" as often as we can. There is much to do in His kingdom and we will find it in Him.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Fast Final

We ended our first corporate fast on Sunday and the stories of God's nearness were everywere. As we gathered yesterday, there was a tenderness in our hearts to His goodness towards us and His desire to become even more real to us in the weeks and months ahead. And, this promise is for all in this city who will say "YES" to Him and His ways.

We have a "Devotion" set running from 3:30-4:30 on Sundays now. Joel has been leading this one and it has been excellent. I have so enjoyed sitting in the prayer room as he just worships for himself with no strings attached. We have been focusing on "changing the spiritual atmosphere" through joyful agreement with God. Well, this Devotion set is exactly that. It is a fragrant offering of worship that aligns my heart every time. Power comes through people who will agree with Him. It is one of my favourite hours of our week together. At 4:30 we switch the focus slightly into something we are calling "Devotion Intercession". This is a time to ask the Lord for deeping in these areas, for us and for all in the city. It is not agressive intercession for kingdom advancement, but rather a time to ask for intimacy, strengthening, deepening and refreshing for the church. It is a sweet time. I have been using portions of scripture that capture these themes as launching points for prayer and it has been great to have the singers launch out over these verses. Prophetic singing takes prayer to a whole other place. I am loving it.

We have more Devotion from 5:30-6:30 and this is a time for some of our new leaders to take their turn. They have done so well. Everything has been genuine and filled with integrity. I love the heart I am seeing.

And, last night's Gathering at 6:30pm was so much fun! We gazed upon the beauty of the Lord and He drew near to us. There was lightning flashes seen through the upper windows throughout the day only serving to remind me that He is real and powerful and fully capable of coming to Winnipeg to establish His full kingdom rule. Our hearts are filled with love for Him and we are grateful for this place He is giving us.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Fast Day #3 & #4

It has been a good week. As I have been asking around the community I have heard lots of people say that they have felt the nearness of God. I would have to agree! Fasting is a funny exercise. I grew up with a concept of fasting as something that only the really serious and devoted Christians did and not something for everyone. My family always engaged in it and I grew to recognize it as part of what we did. But, as I got older and went to various churches during my university years, I began to see that most people were not really interested in going hungry as a way of praying. In fact, there was a decade or more when I barely heard the word "fasting". Once I taught a class on it at a church I worked in and was surprised to hear what people thought fasting was all about. More recently, I have been equally entertained at how often people have chosen to fast TV or internet. While it is a wise idea to restrict your usage of both of these, it is not biblical fasting. To fast in the bible, you have to stop eating. And, you have to pray.

The other twist on fasting that I hear a lot is "I am going to really fast a long time so that God will give me what I am asking for", as though the person has engaged in some kind of hunger strike, and demands will be met or else. Of course, God is never pushed around by us...ever. He is not even impressed by our efforts. There is nothing we are going to do in fasting that is going to force Him to respond. It is a weak and illogical exercise by any human standard.

But, fasting gets us in touch with our weakness and lets our spirit become sensitive to God. It is part of what is meant in Joel 2 when the direction is given to "turn with your whole heart". God does not respond to fasting...He responds to wholeheartedness. And fasting is a tool that takes us there like few others. This week I felt the weakness and realized my spirit was softer to the nearness of God. He was speaking and I was hearing. I know that He is not inpressed. Rather, He is thrilled!

The more you do it, the more you want it to never end. God is near and I can feel Him. I know that for many they don't feel anything during the fast but reap the rewards of their time of devotion weeks and months later. It has not been my experience but it, too, is a real one. May you be blessed to experience all this and more as you turn to Him.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Fast Day #2

Last night I attended our intercession meeting for the emerging generation in the city of Winnipeg. We have felt almost since we began to pray for our city that one of the areas we needed to focus on was the large group of people who are under the age of 30. Although there are many reasons why we could focus on them, moral decline and a weakened church in the West among them, we felt from God that it was because of their potential and what He had for them in the decades ahead. There is something stirring in this group. It is most evident in those 15-30 right now, but it goes to the little ones as well. Often when I share the vision of what Sanctuary is all about, those who are in this age bracket just seem to get it instinctively. It's as though they have already been stirred in their spirits and they KNOW there is something right about this.

With that in mind, our Tues pm intercession meeting has been gathering weekly for over a year now to intercede for these ones. At times the meeting has been smaller than they would have liked, but there is a determination inside those involved to stay steady and just ask of the Lord, knowing that no matter how it looks or feels...it all counts!

Last night was no different. There was a willingness on the part of the leaders to seek God for what He would have them pray about and then go with it for long periods of time. There was energy and life in their efforts because of this. An, more and more they are getting a sense of the destiny that lies ahead in the years to come in our city. They are becoming people that gaze on God and long to align themselves with whatever He is saying, doing and willing for our city. They are "agreeing with Him" and it is wonderful thing to see.

Our fast is producing sensitivity to His heart. That is certainly a large part of the goal for us. More than demanding things of Him, stuff that we think would be good for Winnipeg, we long to know what is on His heart and agree with it.

Thanks again to all who are joining in with us from afar. Thanks for the emails. May He reveal even more of Himself to you in the days and weeks to come.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Fast Day #1

It's Monday and we are just beginning our first extended corporate fast together as Sanctuary. I am so encouraged to hear from people outside of Winnipeg who have chosen to fast along with us. I love doing this together. We have good friends!

As this fast is going to be one of consecration, I thought that we could focus ourselves around going deeper in our understanding of Him and what is on His heart in this season. Don't ask for Him to change the city or do amazing things. We are going to do lots of that in the years ahead. Instead, consider Ephesians 1:17 and think about what you really need the most. It is what we all need more than anything. To know Him, revealed by the moving of the Spirit, allowing us to see and know (experience/encounter) Him in ways beyond what we can attain in our own efforts. It is really true that only God can reveal God to the human spirit. In our efforts we would never find Him if He did not open our eyes to see Him.

And, consider the most amazing thing. Realize that God put that verse in the bible, through the writing of Paul, because it was HIS IDEA! He wants us to ask because He wants to give. It is our role to seek Him for more than we have, and it is HIS good pleasure to give us more than we can imagine. Ask for God to release to you this week "the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you know Him better" and allow Him to take you deeper in all that He wants to show of Himself.

May there be great grace on all of you as you press into Him!

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

The More We Know...

Recently we have been stirred to find God in new and richer ways as we walk out this journey together. Even in the corporate gathering, we are re-aligning ourselves to find Him and gaze on Him in all that He is. We want our prayers to be filled with devotion and come from a heart that knows He enjoys us (even in our weakness). It is so easy to slip into a prayer mode where you are essentially standing at the walls of heaven, pounding relentlessly and demanding what we believe is best for our city. It sounds bad when I say it that way, but it is a fine line that seperates this from prayer that captures what He wants for our city first.

One of the most important questions for us, and for all really, is this: "Lord, what is on your heart...what are you thinking right now about our city?" It is from this place that prayer changes. Once we come to realize deep within us that the awesome and holy One, the uncreated God of all that exists, is thinking certain things, good things, then our way of asking is affected. God, do you really want to pour out your spirit of wisdom and revelation to reveal yourself in deeper ways to all that want to know you (Eph 1:17)? Do you want to pour out the Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2/Joel 2)? Are you serious about seeing the love that the Father has for the Son being in our hearts and the hearts of all your church in Winnipeg (John 17:26)?

And on and on it goes. These are not just good ideas. When He speaks them to us and reveals that this is HIS intention, our prayers change from desperate to exciting. He is going to move. We get to partner with Him by asking. Our agreement with Him in how He leads and directs His church (and touches humanity through it) releases power in our city. And, our own hearts are changed as we connect with Him.

God is bigger than we think! As we press into Him, our view of Him changes and so does our heart. Intercession changes us as it changes situations. Power comes on the church. Transformation is possible. He has His way. And, seeing that in action just makes you love Him all the more.

Of course, God will use us to be the answer to our own prayers as well. His power flowing through simple and broken people (there are no other kind) bringing His kingdom announcement to those in darkness. From Him, through Him, to Him. I love it!

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

Fast With Us May 1-7

As we launch forward into becoming the Sanctuary House of Prayer, there is a stirring in me to know that we are standing before the Lord with the right heart. A while ago, one of our leaders had an encounter with God where he felt that a corporate fast was the correct way to begin our journey and that God would meet us as we turn our faces to Him. After thinking and praying through the specifics, we have decided to invite all that feel themselves part of Sanctuary and the journey into worship and intercession to consecrate themselves and fast for the week of May 1st to 7th. We will not add any new meetings but simply make the focus around devotion to Him as we begin together.

Why fasting? Well, there is real power in connecting with our own weakness. Nothing seems to help us get in touch with this weakness like not eating for a time and seeking Him in prayer. As I get closer to ending my position at the church here and prepare to launch forward into Sanctuary, I am in touch with a level of weakness that is both painful and exciting. We cannot do this alone! It is His strength and His direction that will allow us to stay steady in prayer for our community and in ministering to God. Fasting, combined with prayers of devotion and consecration, will allow us to humble ourselves, feel our weakness and long for His nearness to be our strength. He is our reward, not a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day for what we did for Him and our city.

This is not a corporate fast to contend for change and breakthrough in our community. We'll have lots of those in the months to come. It's not even a fast to receive specific direction. I think we know what we need to be doing. This time around it is all about His presence, His nearness and getting ourselves right before Him as we take another step.

So, we invite you to join us as we lay ourselves before Him. Ask for revelation of your place in the kingdom and the clarity to press into it with boldness and determination. Ask for Him to make all that He is calling you to even more real in this next season. Again, not asking for something new, but longing that He would take what you know and make it burn within you. May He go deeper in all of us and may we see Him and what is on His heart with even more clarity as we go forward together.

Brian
Ministry Director

...With Your Whole Heart

We have been looking at Joel 2 recently and considering God's solution to impending crisis in the bible. It's interesting that it tends to be the same answer everywhere you look: turn to me with your whole heart. God is longing for HIS people, on behalf of the land and the people in the city or nation, to come before Him in humility and honesty and turn from their ways. He is looking for wholeheartedness. Consider the famous 2 Chronicles 7:14 as another passage. In both of these passages, it is God himself who is bringing crisis and judgement on the land and people as a way to draw this wholeheartedness out of them. It's not surprising, then, that Jesus summed up all the law and the prophets as hanging on the necessity to "love God with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength".

You see, God doesn't really want to bring trouble and judgement on us. He is not sitting in heaven evaluating us against an eternal standard virtually impossible to reach. He has made a way for us. Jesus has already done more for us than we will ever do for him in His incartnation, life, death and resurrection. God wants relationship with the ones He loves. He wants your whole heart. Always has. Always will.

Think of the beginning of it all. Man and woman, betrothed to each other and in communion and intimate relationship with the uncreated God of Heaven. Think of how it ends. All who embraced Jesus find themselves joined once to Him as His bride and eternal relationship. God will dwell with man one more time. He wants us for Himself.

Because of His zeal for us, however, and because of our willingness to give ourselves to other loves time and again, He is willing to use judgement and crisis to get us to turn. It is biblical. And, it is relevant for today. He is calling us to turn, from our sin and to His embrace. Do not believe that Canada is immune to this. We have lived in relative safety but have grown dull in our intensity for relationship all too often. It is our sacred trust as His people to turn and embrace Him. Sanctuary exists to do this very thing and call others to it as well.

Brian
Ministry Director

We Are Rolling!

We had our first Gathering last night in our new home. King's Fellowship at 190 Osbourne will be the spot to come and worship with us for the next while. It was a blast to be functioning as Sanctuary House of Prayer and doing what we do.

King's Fellowship is a great blessing to us! Al and Sue Gordon have pastored this church for a decade or more and the fruit in their midst is telling. They are gifted and God is empowering them in their efforts. We are excited to be able to sit in their location for a season and ask for God to bless the city and visit us by His Spirit. Many of you may remember that it was these very same people that were so instrumental in allowing the Toronto Blessing to flow in Winnipeg in '95. If you were at Prairie Fire at all, you have seen Al. He loved the moving of the Spirit then and he loves it now. It is this fact that gets me excited as I sit in his building. I am asking for a visitation of God knowing that he has asked and waited for the very same thing. Feels like a good fit for us right now.

We are going to add more meetings in the weeks to come but, for now anyway, they will be held in homes due to space issues. We are excited about beginning Going Deeper as it is focused on meditating through the scriptures with music. This activity will allow anyone to get the truth of the scriptures deep inside where it becomes part of what causes you to respond in a godly way in every situation. I want that! I am eager to see what God will do as we sit in His presence and sing through the scriptures, having the prophetic singers dwell on the specifics and allow the Spirit to change our hearts and minds. Details to follow on where we will meet...

Brian
Ministry Director

How Do I Fit In This Place?

Sanctuary is about something larger than having prayer meetings. We are after His heart and want to know what He is thinking and feeling in this hour. God is stirring prayer across the earth. I hear it everywhere. Friends all over Winnipeg, across Canada, in the USA, in Japan, in Ireland and lots of other places say the same thing: God is stirring us to turn back to Him in prayer. There is a place for all of us as we press in together.

Sanctuary functions around the activities of worship unto the Lord and intercession for the city of Winnipeg. It is designed that all can be part of this in one form or another. I see three categories of involvement and believe that all of them are critical to what the Lord is building and setting in place in Winnipeg in this hour of history.

1. Some of you will join Sanctuary and see it as your primary church expression as you become part of this community and give yourself to serve in the building and functioning of this house of prayer. You are called by God to be here and we want to welcome you enthusiastically to bring your heart and passion to the prayer room and all that we do here.

2. Some of you will serve and function in Sanctuary while you remain in your home church. You feel a desire to give yourself to be an active part of this ministry to God and for the city. You can see yourself singing, playing guitar, leading worship sets, becoming a prayer leader for a 2-hr set and generally helping out in lots of ways. There will be many like you from all over the city that will come to serve and to give of their time and energy. You are critical to what happens here. It is your city!

3. Some of you will want to come and sit in the prayer and worship dynamic, enjoying God and praying for our city quietly and even on the mic at times. You are fully committed to staying in your home church but want to take in what God is establishing in this house of prayer. We may never even know your name. You will come at all kinds of different hours and slip out quietly, knowing your efforts were an offering to God first and foremost. You are very important to the prayer efforts in our city.

There really is room for all of us. The question is not "Am I called?", but rather "How can I fit?". Join us in gazing on the Glorious Son and standing for His kingdom in our city.

Brian
Ministry Director

A Welcome Letter

Welcome to Sanctuary. We are a house of worship and intercession dedicated to praying for the city of Winnipeg and ministering to God as we seek to know what is on His heart and mind in this hour of history. It is our firm conviction that we are in a time unlike any other and a call is going out to every man, woman and child to seek the Lord for the place in which they live. We stand for our city and extend the call to all others in this hour to find themselves before Him with honesty and wholeheartedness.

In Joel 2 we find instruction that is relevant for us today: stop everything and seek Him for He is gracious and compassionate and slow to anger. He does leave blessing and it is right to seek Him in this. Looking back to the previous chapter we also see events that speak to us in this time. The Lord is at the head of the army and great trouble is coming to the land. We are asleep in the West to our own hour of shaking, unconvinced that anything could ever touch us in our comfort. Yet, even now there is a stirring, a shift in our thinking, and it is calling us to seek Him like never before.

Winnipeg has a destiny in God and He will bring it to fullness before the return of His Son. But, He will have a people for Himself, looking only to Him and never unfaithful in their affections as they partner with Him. He will not let us remain easily distracted. He has made us for Himself and He will have us. And we want Him because of it. Psalm 27:4 says "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple". This is a central vision of all that we are about at Sanctuary. It is our firm conviction that as we gaze upon the beauty of the Son of God we are changed and the prayers are empowered to see His kingdom come in our city.

We choose to dedicate ourselves to this end and extend the call across our city to all others that would join us in this solemn assembly. We pray the prayer of Revelation 22:17 with conviction and earnest hearts: "Come Lord".

Brian Creary
Ministry Director