Pastor's Blog

Good Morning, Dear Family,

May the abundant grace of God be received and multiplied unto us today as we start a new day of opportunity to rejoice in the matchless giving of Himself for us, a thankfulness which can best be outwardly expressed through giving of ourselves in service to others in love. From the miracle of the feeding of the multitude by Jesus we are able to see in a practical way in which blessing received translates into blessing extended due to its abundance.

KJV John 6:11-13 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

Let us look at this in this way. Whenever we experience the joy of fellowship within the body of Christ, there is always more left over of that which we received from the hand of God through being around the Word of God, whether it was through the hearing/reading of the Word, through fellowship with other members of the body of Christ around the Word of God, whether it is in prayer with Him individually or corporately, whether it is through the enjoyment of experiencing of the beauties of creation, whether it is communing together at His table......,or however the Bread of Life is received and experienced into our mind, heart and soul. Is it not true that upon being strengthened by the various means of grace that we are so encouraged and so strengthened in the joy of the Lord that it is difficult to keep it to ourselves? Is that your experience? Has it been in the past? I think it is a common experience for all of us, for that is simply how the body of Chirst works today. There is no difference between how He ministered when He walked on this earth and how the body of Christ ministers today.

Let us take at look at a couple verses in the scripture which would illustrate this. (Please read the surrounding passages so as to understand the context in which they were written, but they still are able to stand alone in order to illustrate this truth that grace received always gladdens us as well as empowers us to extend it to others).

KJV Isaiah 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

KJV John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly(heart, innermost being) shall flow rivers of living water. I might add a little comment here: For years I understood this only from the standpoint to mean that as long as we believed according to the Bible (we were scripturally correct in our doctrine) we would be a blessing to others. But it has opened up to have a richer meaning, for now it seems that it means more in this sense that the Scripture has said that when we believe on Him, out of our heart will flow the blessing of life to others. The first understanding is certainly necessary and correct, but to me the further revelation opened up to me more joy in my heart and soul at the understanding that we are more like a conduit pipe than a reservoir within ourselves. Which is what Isaiah wrote when he described the life concerning of how blessing received causes us to be a blessing to others.
How about one more example:

KJV Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Through Abraham we have received the promise of the Blessing into our lives through Jesus Christ. Because we have been blessed in and by Christ and are in Him today, may we be a blessing to those who are placed in our paths today, beginning with those who are the closest to us, our families.

In Christ,

Pastor Orval Wirkkala

Dear Family,

Yesterday's memory verse:

KJV Psalm 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

KJV Psalm 118:23 This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.

KJV Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

In the past I have never realized of the importance of linking the three verses together, but have come to realize that it is because of verses 22 and 23 three that we truly to rejoice and are glad in the day that the Lord has made, for the day that is being referred to has far more meaning that just the natural day!

Our prayers were answered by our God for blessing upon our weekend with Pastor Rodney Johnson and his wife, Dolly. In today's sharing with you, I would like to recap and highlight some of that which was shared by Pastor Rod in the various settings that were enjoyed by many this weekend. Let us continue to pray that the Lord would continue to reveal His truths to us through the Holy Word and that within our hearts and lives would come His blessing through our submission to His Word and will. May we think about, meditate upon and wait upon that which God by His Holy Spirit wants to impart unto us through the hearing of the Word this weekend. We thank Him for the privilege of having Pastor Rodney and his wife with us this weekend and we pray for the Lord's continued blessing upon their lives as they continue to serve our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here are a few of the highlights as I received them this weekend. I took notes for most of what will be written here and so most of it will be in summary form from that which Pastor Rod shared.

Friday Night: Text: Romans 12:1-21 The 12th chapter of Romans lists expected behaviors of Christians. Discipline sets boundaries and guidelines for behavior. When discipline is done in love, it will not offend, but it will guide one into better behavior. As members of the body of Christ, we are all part of one another. When the body of Christ functions well, the church is healthy. The body of Christ is for servanthood and service. Our pride causes us to think that we have a greater gift.

As the body of Christ is bonded together by the Holy Spirit it marches forward together in victory, illuminating to the world the greatness of God. For all people will know that we are the disciples of Jesus Christ because we have love one another.

Saturday morningPrayer Breakfast: During this time Pastor Rodney led a discussion during which he kept as a focal point: "Looking to the future." He emphasized that we are thankful for the heritage of the Laestadian movement in which most of us have been reared, but that we must keep in mind that many revival movements after 100 years or so have the tendency to turn inward. He stated that because of past blessing we have a responsibility to carry this blessing among our current generation as well as to the future generations. There was a discussion as to the factors that cause one to live exclusive of others denominations, or to "circle the wagons". It was brought out that it is mainly due to the lack of knowledge of the Bible, and thereby traditions become equal or more important than the truths of the Bible. In order to address this, the instruction given in the Bible is to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Pastor Rod explained this to mean: To grow in the knowledge of Christ is done through the knowledge of the Bible. To grow in the grace of Him means to be established in the freedom in Christ. As the knowledge of Who He is grows from the revelation into our hearts of teachings of the Bible, grace becomes more clear and we are able to live without fear of the world and thereby we are not initimidated by the world. When we are not clear in our understanding of the grace of God, we will always have a gnawing within us that we are not good enough. As we grow in grace, we become more free in Christ, and consequently we become more free to share with others of the grace of God in Jesus Christ. When we emphasize sin over grace, we are minimizing the God's gracious work of atonement which He accomplished for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Instead of living in a protective mode "circling the wagons" we are instructed in the book of Ephesians to go forth with the protection of the armor of God, wielding the offensive weapon, the Word of God which is the Sword of the Spirit. By this means we attack the world, the devil and our own flesh.

Saturday afternoon Pastor Rodney shared with us from the "Marriage Manual" of the Bible which is found in the 5th Chapter of Ephesians as he conducted a marriage relationship seminar. It was shared with me by several present that how wonderful of a session it was and of how these types of teaching forums are very beneficial and meaningful. Hmmmmm....

Saturday evening was centered around the topic of truth, using the Bible reference from John as a basis of meditation:

KJV John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
KJV John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Pastor Rod challenged us through the asking of numerous questions, one of the main being to ask of ourselves: Am I a truth seeker? He emphasized again of the importance of knowing the Bible, because therein alone is truth, but also gave warning as to how the enemy is trying to tear down not only the standard of truth, the Bible, but that he is working in our hearts to separate us from trusting in God. He told us all that we must evaluate every aspect of our lives in light of what the Word of God says! One particular things he cautioned us against is being misled by "sound bites." What he was referring to is the practice of taking a part of someone's speech and using it to misrepresent something that is said by someone. (My comments: Even in the notes that I took from this weekend, I must take care that I do not add to or take away from what was shared by Pastor Rod by the use if "print bites." We must answer to the Spirit of truth in all things.)

Sunday morning's service was somewhat of a recap of the other gatherings, as he used the 4th chapter of Ephesians as a basis of meditation, with his sermon being titled: Unity in the body of Christ begins at home. It was wonderful to be reminded that every day through grace God is telling us of how much he loves us. Pastor Rod explained to us that when we look within ourselves and criticize ourselves, we are in need of the love of God more than ever. When we are feeling our sinfulness, we are in need of the love of God more than ever. He remembered of how when he was 14 years old that he had stopped going to communion because he was looking within himself in criticism. As his mother approached him after time had gone by and asked him why he had stopped going, he told her why he was not going and she said to him, "That is why we go to communion....." He also related of a mother over 90 years old who had an alcholic son, who when was told by his mother that she had no more money, threatened to kill her, continued to love her son inspite of his anger and threats. When asked why she continued to do so, she replied, "Because he needs it (love)more." Lastly he reminded us that we are God's children and that we should always look at ourselves in this light and to never look at ourselves as if this were not the case. For living in the knowledge of being God's child, knowing that we are loved by Him so greatly, causes us to live in grace toward others, thereby illuminating the glory of God in this dark world. May the Lord bless each one of in this grace and knowledge, which is ours through Jesus.

What part of your heart did the Lord touch this weekend? Please share with us all so that we may also benefit from your revelation.

In Christ,

Pastor Orval Wirkkala