As we look back, it is obvious to those of us at SHOP that 2009 was a very good year. It wasn't always the easiest of times, but the Lord was leading us in the way that only He can (perfectly) and we were gaining so much ground in our experiences. Our adversities produced deep conviction, and our times of blessing only served to strengthen us all the more.
Certainly a highlight for all was having God give us a significant "course correction" in our attitude towards gratitude. He revealed our sinful line of thinking and gave us a wonderful way forward: thankfulness! The more we focused our hearts on what He had done for us, the more freedom and joy we felt. Try it out for yourself: put aside your frustrations with what you don't have and focus on all that God has done for you. Prepare to be blessed and encouraged!!
As we enter into 2010, we again have some direction to begin the year. This time He is telling us that 2010 is a year to be BOLD. Although I am certain I don't know the half of what that means for us, I want to cooperate with it. Together we are agreeing that this will be a year that we do it stronger and say it clearer. As we step into His purposes for us as a house, and individually, He will empower our efforts and "breathe" His Spirit into all of it.
The Holy Spirit has come to our times together in such powerful and significant ways this past year. Bodies have been healed, demons have been driven out and hearts have been captured for Jesus. He has been as close as the invitation "Come, Holy Spirit"! It has been amazing. Now, as we start a new year, we ask for all this and more. God, visit us even more powerfully, speak to every heart and equip us for every good work of service.
Blessings,
Brian Creary
Ministry Director
Sent from my BlackBerry
January 04, 2010
December 18, 2009
Holiday schedule changes
As it is nearing the Christmas break, please make note that Sanctuary is changing the schedule in the following areas:
1. Sunday, December 27th- cancelled
2. Tuesday, December 29th- cancelled
We will be back at it once again on Sunday, January 3rd. Have a great holiday season. And check out the Onething conference from Kansas City (Dec 28-31). Go to www.ihop.org to get more information. Its worth checking it out.
Blessings!
Brian Creary
Ministry Director
1. Sunday, December 27th- cancelled
2. Tuesday, December 29th- cancelled
We will be back at it once again on Sunday, January 3rd. Have a great holiday season. And check out the Onething conference from Kansas City (Dec 28-31). Go to www.ihop.org to get more information. Its worth checking it out.
Blessings!
Brian Creary
Ministry Director
October 13, 2009
Thoughts on Revival
We have been talking a lot lately on the concept of revival. To be honest, it hasn't been a dominant theme for us at SHOP. We have focused more on issues related to His love for us and our corresponding devotion, His glorious Second Coming to the earth and the understanding of the priesthood. But, recently the Lord has been highlighting the idea of revival for me. And, it has been a great experience.
For some reason, my perspective on revival was such that I was more than open to have it happen in our city, but was just as inclined to let other churches and ministries take the lead on seeing it develop. I realize, of course, that revival is not something we create or develop...it is a sovereign work of God that completely surpasses any of our normal efforts. He descends with His presence in a way that brings the kingdom of God with power, and suddenly there are good things happening everywhere. I was never opposed to such a thing, but for some reason I saw it as a season that others would lead.
But, God has been showing me (and us) that He has plans for this city, and every city I suppose, that involve Him coming in a powerful visitation. And He wants our house of prayer to play an active role in seeing the fullness of this come to pass. Passages like Acts 2, poetic as they sound, are becoming increasingly important to us as we call out for Him to "pour out His spirit on all flesh".
I was recently studying this theme and considering the thoughts of a comrade in the prayer movement. He said a most intriguing thing and it just struck me. He was talking about the revival season in the Hebrides Islands in the early 1950s and how the presence of God had descended over the small island and "saturated" the entire place. People didn't have to go to the church or the evangelistic meetings to encounter God...He was everywhere and the people could feel Him. Of course, this produced sudden and rather shocking results. The people were turning their hearts to God, aware of their sinfulness and longing for connection with this one of great kindness. The researcher then made a fascinating statement:
"Imagine what it would be like to have the presence of God thick in the atmosphere and be absolutely everywhere? There would be no place you could go to avoid Him. You would feel the presence of God all the time".
As I heard this statement, I was aware of the strong pull to this and the strong fear of it at the same time. The holy and perfect God of all creation would come in an increased and tangible way and there was nowhere to go to escape His presence! For those who love Him, this is a wonderful reality. For those who don't even know Him, it is a moment of invitation unlike any other. But, for those who do not love Him and have chosen to live apart from Him, this would be a fearful and most uncomfortable season.
God will not come in a season of revival, a moment of increased dwelling, simply to surprise us and make our lives a little easier. He draws near to have us draw near to Him. It is a foretaste of the future, really. He will one day draw entirely near to us and we will be with Him on this planet forever. Jesus will reign over all that He has purchased with His own blood. Revival presses us to act accordingly. The "presence of the future" is a blessed kiss on our hearts and solemn warning to not resist. He is surely in love with His people and He is coming to our city.
Brian Creary
Ministry Director
For some reason, my perspective on revival was such that I was more than open to have it happen in our city, but was just as inclined to let other churches and ministries take the lead on seeing it develop. I realize, of course, that revival is not something we create or develop...it is a sovereign work of God that completely surpasses any of our normal efforts. He descends with His presence in a way that brings the kingdom of God with power, and suddenly there are good things happening everywhere. I was never opposed to such a thing, but for some reason I saw it as a season that others would lead.
But, God has been showing me (and us) that He has plans for this city, and every city I suppose, that involve Him coming in a powerful visitation. And He wants our house of prayer to play an active role in seeing the fullness of this come to pass. Passages like Acts 2, poetic as they sound, are becoming increasingly important to us as we call out for Him to "pour out His spirit on all flesh".
I was recently studying this theme and considering the thoughts of a comrade in the prayer movement. He said a most intriguing thing and it just struck me. He was talking about the revival season in the Hebrides Islands in the early 1950s and how the presence of God had descended over the small island and "saturated" the entire place. People didn't have to go to the church or the evangelistic meetings to encounter God...He was everywhere and the people could feel Him. Of course, this produced sudden and rather shocking results. The people were turning their hearts to God, aware of their sinfulness and longing for connection with this one of great kindness. The researcher then made a fascinating statement:
"Imagine what it would be like to have the presence of God thick in the atmosphere and be absolutely everywhere? There would be no place you could go to avoid Him. You would feel the presence of God all the time".
As I heard this statement, I was aware of the strong pull to this and the strong fear of it at the same time. The holy and perfect God of all creation would come in an increased and tangible way and there was nowhere to go to escape His presence! For those who love Him, this is a wonderful reality. For those who don't even know Him, it is a moment of invitation unlike any other. But, for those who do not love Him and have chosen to live apart from Him, this would be a fearful and most uncomfortable season.
God will not come in a season of revival, a moment of increased dwelling, simply to surprise us and make our lives a little easier. He draws near to have us draw near to Him. It is a foretaste of the future, really. He will one day draw entirely near to us and we will be with Him on this planet forever. Jesus will reign over all that He has purchased with His own blood. Revival presses us to act accordingly. The "presence of the future" is a blessed kiss on our hearts and solemn warning to not resist. He is surely in love with His people and He is coming to our city.
Brian Creary
Ministry Director
October 01, 2009
Awesome
We had a Worship Leaders Meeting last night. This is typically a time to review and adjust all that we are doing. After a number of hours of talking, discussing and thinking about the future, it occured to me: we have the best worship leaders in the world!
May every church and house of prayer be blessed with men and women of devotion, integrity and passion as those we have here.
Blessings,
Brian Creary
Ministry Director
Sent from my BlackBerry
Thankfulness
We just completed an 8-week focus on the theme of gratitude and, boy, was it a great experience. It all began in the middle of the summer, a low point in our attitudes about life and the future. You know how it is, I'm sure: things don't go as expected for a prolonged period of time and pretty soon you are feeling despair about it all. It wasn't anything specific for us, however. It was a collection of personal and corporate struggles that all seemed to weigh us down at the same time.
God was gracious, however, and gently revealed that we were SINNING! It was not ok to dwell on what we didn't have. In fact, letting those things weigh us down, agreeing with the "injustice" done to us because we didn't attain to what we felt we deserved, was wrong before Him. We were just grumbling to ourselves, we thought, but in reality we were saying that God was a bad leader. After all, look how He had led us up until now. On top of that, we were saying that He wasn't to be trusted with our future either. Once we saw it for what it was, we were eager to back up and change our thinking.
He provided a way forward in the form of gratitude. The more you are in touch with what God has done for you, the more your spirit comes alive with genuine love and thankfulness. We focused all our sets on this theme, gave each worship leader freedom to find themes they wanted to express before the Lord and went for it.
In no time at all, things began to shift. Our hearts were swelling with all that God had done well, and we were beginning to see that the future was going to be good if we trusted in Him. On top of all that, His presence increased among us and that encouraged us all.
Now, eight weeks later, I am eager to keep gratitude in the centre of the way we approach what we do here. Lord, keep us from our self-centered pursuits. Give us clear eyes to see what you are really doing in our midst.
Blessings,
Brian Creary
Ministry Director
Sent from my BlackBerry
God was gracious, however, and gently revealed that we were SINNING! It was not ok to dwell on what we didn't have. In fact, letting those things weigh us down, agreeing with the "injustice" done to us because we didn't attain to what we felt we deserved, was wrong before Him. We were just grumbling to ourselves, we thought, but in reality we were saying that God was a bad leader. After all, look how He had led us up until now. On top of that, we were saying that He wasn't to be trusted with our future either. Once we saw it for what it was, we were eager to back up and change our thinking.
He provided a way forward in the form of gratitude. The more you are in touch with what God has done for you, the more your spirit comes alive with genuine love and thankfulness. We focused all our sets on this theme, gave each worship leader freedom to find themes they wanted to express before the Lord and went for it.
In no time at all, things began to shift. Our hearts were swelling with all that God had done well, and we were beginning to see that the future was going to be good if we trusted in Him. On top of all that, His presence increased among us and that encouraged us all.
Now, eight weeks later, I am eager to keep gratitude in the centre of the way we approach what we do here. Lord, keep us from our self-centered pursuits. Give us clear eyes to see what you are really doing in our midst.
Blessings,
Brian Creary
Ministry Director
Sent from my BlackBerry
July 16, 2009
The only throne that matters
We have recently been studying the priesthood and discovering some fascinating, and I believe really relevant, issues for the church today.
One thought that has captivated me is the reality of heaven and our proximity to this realm. In Revelation 4, John wrote that he saw a door standing open in heaven (presumably from his position on the island he was living) and that he heard a voice invite him to "come up here". After that, he was "at once in the Spirit", and there before him was a throne in heaven. Now, there is no sense of travel or distance, but rather an instant transition from this earthly realm to the spiritual/supernatural realm of which heaven is the centre. I am struck by two things when I read this:
1. This realm of the presence of God is not a million miles out into space, as we tend to believe, but rather as close as an open door in the spirit realm. Should God be willing to open a door for me (for there is no other way to find such a door), it is an instant transition into a world as real as the one I live in now. That makes me want to go...
2. There is, at the centre of all creation, a throne with "someone sitting on it". God has an unmovable, unshakable and all-powerful throne anchored deep into all that is happening in all of our realm (and His realm as well). While we busy ourselves with electing new leaders, worrying about the future and generally taking control of our circumstances, there is a holy God who sits unmoved in his leadership and desires over all of it.
Its no wonder He calls us a kingdom and priests to serve our God in Revelation 5. When we finally see what is really happening in both realms, we will come to realize that the One on the throne is the centre of it all. We will forever find ourselves before Him in service and adoration.
Between now and then, we can live like its true and be assured there is nothing to worry about. The One of the throne will have His way.
Blessings!
Brian Creary
Ministry Director
Sent from my BlackBerry
One thought that has captivated me is the reality of heaven and our proximity to this realm. In Revelation 4, John wrote that he saw a door standing open in heaven (presumably from his position on the island he was living) and that he heard a voice invite him to "come up here". After that, he was "at once in the Spirit", and there before him was a throne in heaven. Now, there is no sense of travel or distance, but rather an instant transition from this earthly realm to the spiritual/supernatural realm of which heaven is the centre. I am struck by two things when I read this:
1. This realm of the presence of God is not a million miles out into space, as we tend to believe, but rather as close as an open door in the spirit realm. Should God be willing to open a door for me (for there is no other way to find such a door), it is an instant transition into a world as real as the one I live in now. That makes me want to go...
2. There is, at the centre of all creation, a throne with "someone sitting on it". God has an unmovable, unshakable and all-powerful throne anchored deep into all that is happening in all of our realm (and His realm as well). While we busy ourselves with electing new leaders, worrying about the future and generally taking control of our circumstances, there is a holy God who sits unmoved in his leadership and desires over all of it.
Its no wonder He calls us a kingdom and priests to serve our God in Revelation 5. When we finally see what is really happening in both realms, we will come to realize that the One on the throne is the centre of it all. We will forever find ourselves before Him in service and adoration.
Between now and then, we can live like its true and be assured there is nothing to worry about. The One of the throne will have His way.
Blessings!
Brian Creary
Ministry Director
Sent from my BlackBerry
July 08, 2009
Intercession and the priesthood
We had a great intercession set earlier tonight. It was a small crowd but it felt like the Lord was directing us around specific issues. Sometimes we just have those nights where it all comes together around a theme that seems birthed in Heaven itself. I love those moments!
Recently we have been studying the biblical picture of the priesthood, beginning in the Old Testament with Moses and Aaron and continuing right into Revelation 5 when all believers are refered to as "a kingdom and priests to serve our God". There is much to say on it but we are still in learning mode right now. But, God is giving us a fresh understanding as a house of prayer that is going to set us in our efforts and find us happily before Him as an "audience of One".
More to come...
Brian Creary
Ministry Director
Sent from my BlackBerry
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