- Wednesday, December 23rd - going to our sister Calvary Chapel in Ciorani, a village over an hour away by car, to celebrate the birth of our Lord with them.
- Thursday, December 24th - will be doing Christmas programs for the kids in our School Ministry from 1:00 to 2:30 and for the neighborhood kids from 3:30 to 5:00 and in the evening we will do some caroling in the neighborhood around our church.
- Friday, December 25th - we will have a Christmas service at 11:00 then after we will have a love meal and later watch the movie "The Nativity Story".
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Christmas Happenings
Here's what is happening at CC Bucuresti this Christmas holiday:
Christmas Caroling at the Metro (Subway)
Here's some video of the caroling our church did last night, at the Unirii metro stop here in Bucureşti.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Visit to States & Finances
Lord willing I will be in the States this coming February and March. I am still in the planning stages so I will let you know more as I get things figured out. I really wanted to come back this last spring but I did not have peace about it. Even now, the only reason I can come back is because a good friend of mine is taking care of my ticket to fly to the States. For the rest of my needs and expenses for traveling around America I trust that God will provide. If any of you would like me to come and visit you please let me know but realize that time and money will limit what I can do. But as far as is possible I hope to see my family and as many friends as possible while I am back.
While in the States the door has open for me to do my gospel workshop in a few places. I am really looking forward to doing it and I hope that even more opportunities open for me.
Finances
As far as finances are concerned things have been pretty tight this year, especially the second half of the year. I know the economic crisis has affected not only me but also most of the missionaries around the world and I'm sure a lot of you reading this email have been impacted as well. I used most of my savings this past half year to make up for the lack of support. So now that I've used most of my savings up I have to look to increase my support for the coming year.
In addition to raising more support I am also trying to raise money so I can replace my tech tools as they are over 5 years old now. I want to buy a new desktop computer, a new laptop and a new HD video camera if the Lord provides for them.
Another thing I want to raise money for is to promote the http://despreisus.ro/ website here in Romania. Some possibilities include putting ads in magazines, placing posters in a variety of places, banners for use with special events, brochures to hand out, and t-shirts to use with outreach activities.
In the email I sent yesterday I mentioned the possibility of me starting a business here in Romania in the coming year. If this would be of interest to you please email me so we can discuss it.
As I look to this next year and what ministry and life holds for me I would really appreciate your prayers in regards to all the things I have mentioned. If you have a desire to support me financially in the coming year or want to help me in some way during my trip to the States please email me and I will let you know how you can do that.
In closing, I want to thank all of you who have prayed for me, encouraged me, supported me financially, and helped me in a variety of other ways as well. Know that anything that was, is or will be accomplished for the kingdom of God through my ministry that you will receive a share of the rewards that Jesus will give on that great and glorious day in His eternal kingdom.
To Him be the glory forever and ever,
William
Links
Email: godswillromania@gmail.com
Blog: http://godswillromania.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dulcewill/
Personal website: http://godswill.ro/
While in the States the door has open for me to do my gospel workshop in a few places. I am really looking forward to doing it and I hope that even more opportunities open for me.
Finances
As far as finances are concerned things have been pretty tight this year, especially the second half of the year. I know the economic crisis has affected not only me but also most of the missionaries around the world and I'm sure a lot of you reading this email have been impacted as well. I used most of my savings this past half year to make up for the lack of support. So now that I've used most of my savings up I have to look to increase my support for the coming year.
In addition to raising more support I am also trying to raise money so I can replace my tech tools as they are over 5 years old now. I want to buy a new desktop computer, a new laptop and a new HD video camera if the Lord provides for them.
Another thing I want to raise money for is to promote the http://despreisus.ro/ website here in Romania. Some possibilities include putting ads in magazines, placing posters in a variety of places, banners for use with special events, brochures to hand out, and t-shirts to use with outreach activities.
In the email I sent yesterday I mentioned the possibility of me starting a business here in Romania in the coming year. If this would be of interest to you please email me so we can discuss it.
As I look to this next year and what ministry and life holds for me I would really appreciate your prayers in regards to all the things I have mentioned. If you have a desire to support me financially in the coming year or want to help me in some way during my trip to the States please email me and I will let you know how you can do that.
In closing, I want to thank all of you who have prayed for me, encouraged me, supported me financially, and helped me in a variety of other ways as well. Know that anything that was, is or will be accomplished for the kingdom of God through my ministry that you will receive a share of the rewards that Jesus will give on that great and glorious day in His eternal kingdom.
To Him be the glory forever and ever,
William
Links
Email: godswillromania@gmail.com
Blog: http://godswillromania.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dulcewill/
Personal website: http://godswill.ro/
Monday, December 21, 2009
The Coming Year
This past year our church here in Bucharest focused on the gospel and I can see that God has worked a lot in many of the lives of those that are a part of our church. We are a very small church of around 20, with a real solid core group of 10. Our church has gone through a lot the past few years but I think we are finally going forwards on a solid foundation of the gospel. I have hopeful expectation that God will use our little church to reach many people in the coming year. We know if He does not move not much of real substance will happen but from the work He has been doing in us I think He is getting us ready for something. So with that in mind, if we do start seeing more people come to repentance and faith in Jesus I think I will become involved in helping to develop a one-on-one discipleship ministry for our church.
When the young man from our church finishes Bible School and comes back home this coming September I will hand back to him the youth group and the evangelism ministry which will allow me to focus more time on other things.
As I look to the future there are two main things that I think will take more of my time in the coming year, the despreisus.ro
The other thing I need to deal with in the coming year is my visa situation here in Romania. Because of changes in the laws a few years ago I can not get a visa through our religious association so my choices are rather limited. One of the best options for me is to start a business as they make it pretty easy for Americans to starts businesses here. I can get a 5 year visa if I do this but I will have to pay about $700 minimum a year in taxes if they don't change their minimum tax laws which they are suppose to get rid of as they are very unpopular here. I have always dreamed about starting a business here to get really good books on the gospel translated and published here in Romania as well as other media related things. So maybe God is working in this so that I can develop more gospel oriented resources and maybe provide some finances through the profits to do other things and to supplement my support. We shall see, time will tell.
I will be adding videos to Vimeo of the things we do as a church over the Christmas holiday so be sure and check it occasionally if you are interested in seeing what we have been doing. Today I added three Christmas carols we sung yesterday at church. I will embed them on the blog so you can see them.
Calvary Chapel Bucuresti, December 20, 2009
When the young man from our church finishes Bible School and comes back home this coming September I will hand back to him the youth group and the evangelism ministry which will allow me to focus more time on other things.
As I look to the future there are two main things that I think will take more of my time in the coming year, the despreisus.ro
website and doing the gospel workshops. I think these two things will work hand-in-hand with each other. As the site develops I think it will open doors for me to do my gospel workshop in churches throughout Romania. My vision is to do the workshop in a few cities where I know some people and develop relationships with some Christian leaders outside of Calvary Chapel. Then once I establish a good reputation I will pursue doing the workshop in as many cities as possible. The ideal thing would be to have the workshop in the largest churches in the cities and have them open up the workshop to all the other churches in their cities.
I am not under any illusion that this will be easy. In fact, it will take a miracle of God for this to happen. But since what I am doing in the workshop is calling believers to take a hold of the gospel and live their lives according to it I think God will move. So I am determined to go forward in faith that I will see this vision become a reality. Not because I am anyone special but because it is about the gospel and the one whom the gospel points to. If I fail, I fail, but it is a great vision and worthy of stepping out in faith and seeing what God will do. The other thing I need to deal with in the coming year is my visa situation here in Romania. Because of changes in the laws a few years ago I can not get a visa through our religious association so my choices are rather limited. One of the best options for me is to start a business as they make it pretty easy for Americans to starts businesses here. I can get a 5 year visa if I do this but I will have to pay about $700 minimum a year in taxes if they don't change their minimum tax laws which they are suppose to get rid of as they are very unpopular here. I have always dreamed about starting a business here to get really good books on the gospel translated and published here in Romania as well as other media related things. So maybe God is working in this so that I can develop more gospel oriented resources and maybe provide some finances through the profits to do other things and to supplement my support. We shall see, time will tell.
I will be adding videos to Vimeo of the things we do as a church over the Christmas holiday so be sure and check it occasionally if you are interested in seeing what we have been doing. Today I added three Christmas carols we sung yesterday at church. I will embed them on the blog so you can see them.
Calvary Chapel Bucuresti, December 20, 2009In the third of three post I will share with you about my plans to visit the States this coming year and also about my financial situation and needs in the coming year. Until then. May His peace be with you, William
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Another Year in Romania
In October I celebrated 12 years of serving the Lord here in Romania. It has been quite an adventure and nothing like what I expected! I came over to work with young orphans but ended up eventually planting a church and later helping to start a Bible school. Through it all God has been faithful and in my weakness He has used me as He has willed. On the mission field your weaknesses are made more obvious and it is very humbling. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. My life has been made far more richer for having come to Romania.
This Past Year
Now in regards to what has been going on this year my responsibilities at the church have increased as I took over the youth group and our street evangelism ministry in September. One of the young guys from our church is going to Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe in Hungary and during the summer he was back and started these ministries so when he went back to school in the fall I took them over. There are only three boys that come but I am really enjoying my time with them. We spent the first three months looking at the gospel and now we are studying what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.
So my main responsibilities for the church are as follows: on Sundays I open our service with a Bible reading and prayer and at the end of the service I do the announcements. In between I video the sermons and later that day I edit the video and put it online. Since my Romanian is not so good during the service while I am videoing I spend a lot of the time praying for everyone in our church and for our church. Tuesdays we meet as a staff to pray and fast and focus on ministries of our church. On Wednesdays I host and lead our home fellowship so I spend time cleaning my apartment and going and buying drinks and snacks beforehand. On Thursdays I host the youth group at my place. And Fridays I lead those who show up on sharing the gospel in parks and places where ! people h ang out. In addition, on the third Sunday of the month I invite everyone over to my place to watch a movie.
In addition to these things I help coordinate our monthly meetings of all the Calvary Chapel pastors here in Romania, as well as organize workshops we do in order to better equip the people coming to our churches. In November I did two evangelism workshops, one in the south and the other in the north. We do this to make it so people don't have to travel so far. I also video the workshops we do and put them online for those who can't make it. I don't do all the workshops myself as I try to get all the pastors involved in what we do.
Developing Romanian Gospel Website
I am also continuing to develop my Romanian gospel website called despreisus.ro (about Jesus). Also related to this is the making of a variety of videos for use with the site, for our church here and for outreach in general. The development of the site is going way slower than I expected but it is coming step by step. One of the challenges is getting enough people willing to translate and do other stuff for the site. But God is using the site already even though I have not tried to promote it yet. Once I am happy with the home page and that the blog is up and running then I will do a lot more to promote the site. In the last 5 months there have been 623 unique visitors and 830 visits from people from 49 cities here in Romania. In addition to these stats I have 111 videos on Vimeo that are being watched around 300 to 400 times a week though this figure can vary quite a bit. On YouTube I have 19 videos that have been watch 42,482 times since I added them. I also have added a few of my gospel oriented videos on three Romanian social networks and video sites and they had been viewed 9,978 times. I have videos also on despreisus but do not have a way yet to know how many times they are being watch.
Another thing I have been working on is updating the teaching materials and powerpoints for the gospel workshop I do. I still have a few Calvary Chapels here in Romania to do this workshop at but after that my vision is to do it in as many other churches as possible outside of Calvary Chapel.
So this gives you a good idea of the main things that have been happening here in Romania with me. Thanks to all those who have prayed for me and supported me financially to be able to serve the Lord here in Romania.
I am on Facebook so if you are as well please add me as a friend: http://www.facebook.com/dulcewill
In the second of three posts I will share what I think the future holds for me and my ministry. Until then God bless.
This Past Year
Now in regards to what has been going on this year my responsibilities at the church have increased as I took over the youth group and our street evangelism ministry in September. One of the young guys from our church is going to Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe in Hungary and during the summer he was back and started these ministries so when he went back to school in the fall I took them over. There are only three boys that come but I am really enjoying my time with them. We spent the first three months looking at the gospel and now we are studying what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.
(to enlarge click on photo)
So my main responsibilities for the church are as follows: on Sundays I open our service with a Bible reading and prayer and at the end of the service I do the announcements. In between I video the sermons and later that day I edit the video and put it online. Since my Romanian is not so good during the service while I am videoing I spend a lot of the time praying for everyone in our church and for our church. Tuesdays we meet as a staff to pray and fast and focus on ministries of our church. On Wednesdays I host and lead our home fellowship so I spend time cleaning my apartment and going and buying drinks and snacks beforehand. On Thursdays I host the youth group at my place. And Fridays I lead those who show up on sharing the gospel in parks and places where ! people h ang out. In addition, on the third Sunday of the month I invite everyone over to my place to watch a movie.
In addition to these things I help coordinate our monthly meetings of all the Calvary Chapel pastors here in Romania, as well as organize workshops we do in order to better equip the people coming to our churches. In November I did two evangelism workshops, one in the south and the other in the north. We do this to make it so people don't have to travel so far. I also video the workshops we do and put them online for those who can't make it. I don't do all the workshops myself as I try to get all the pastors involved in what we do.
Evangelism Workshop, Bucuresti, November 20-21, 2009
Developing Romanian Gospel Website
I am also continuing to develop my Romanian gospel website called despreisus.ro (about Jesus). Also related to this is the making of a variety of videos for use with the site, for our church here and for outreach in general. The development of the site is going way slower than I expected but it is coming step by step. One of the challenges is getting enough people willing to translate and do other stuff for the site. But God is using the site already even though I have not tried to promote it yet. Once I am happy with the home page and that the blog is up and running then I will do a lot more to promote the site. In the last 5 months there have been 623 unique visitors and 830 visits from people from 49 cities here in Romania. In addition to these stats I have 111 videos on Vimeo that are being watched around 300 to 400 times a week though this figure can vary quite a bit. On YouTube I have 19 videos that have been watch 42,482 times since I added them. I also have added a few of my gospel oriented videos on three Romanian social networks and video sites and they had been viewed 9,978 times. I have videos also on despreisus but do not have a way yet to know how many times they are being watch.
Another thing I have been working on is updating the teaching materials and powerpoints for the gospel workshop I do. I still have a few Calvary Chapels here in Romania to do this workshop at but after that my vision is to do it in as many other churches as possible outside of Calvary Chapel.
So this gives you a good idea of the main things that have been happening here in Romania with me. Thanks to all those who have prayed for me and supported me financially to be able to serve the Lord here in Romania.
I am on Facebook so if you are as well please add me as a friend: http://www.facebook.com/dulcewill
In the second of three posts I will share what I think the future holds for me and my ministry. Until then God bless.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Dwelling in the Gospel - Tim Keller
Monday, April 06, 2009
Friday, April 03, 2009
Panel Discussion - What is the Gospel?
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Equipping to Serve Workshop Resources
Since we closed down the School of Ministry we started a series of workshops called "Equipping to Serve" for all the Calvary Chapels in Romania. So far we have done three workshops- the gospel, Bible overview and How to study the Bible. Below are links to download the PowerPoints and handouts from the two Bible workshops and the video channel for all the teachings. All these downloadable resources are only in Romanian, as well as the teaching of the last two workshops.
Echipare pentru slujire channel: http://vimeo.com/channels/36124
Vederea Generala a Bibliei.zip
Cum sa studiem Biblia.zip
Echipare pentru slujire channel: http://vimeo.com/channels/
Vederea Generala a Bibliei.zip
(4 MB)
Includes handouts from every book of the BibleCum sa studiem Biblia.zip
(1 MB)
Updated Gospel Series Resources
I forgot to add a link to download the videos I showed during the powerpoints. So here is what I added to my last blog entry:
PowerPoint Videos (93.5 MB)
I played three videos with the PowerPoints. Only the first one, Hubble Ultra Deep Field 3-D, is embedded in the first powerpoint slide 29, "Why is the Gospel Important?". I think you should put this video in the same file as the PowerPoint. The other two are not embedded but have a photo slide to indicate when they should be played. "A doua sansa - Jean" is shown in the fifth powerpoint slide 66, "How Do I Share My Testimony?" and "Isus al meu/My Jesus" is shown in the seventh powerpoint slide 67, "Why Don't Christians Live the Gospel?".
PowerPoint Videos (93.5 MB)
I played three videos with the PowerPoints. Only the first one, Hubble Ultra Deep Field 3-D, is embedded in the first powerpoint slide 29, "Why is the Gospel Important?". I think you should put this video in the same file as the PowerPoint. The other two are not embedded but have a photo slide to indicate when they should be played. "A doua sansa - Jean" is shown in the fifth powerpoint slide 66, "How Do I Share My Testimony?" and "Isus al meu/My Jesus" is shown in the seventh powerpoint slide 67, "Why Don't Christians Live the Gospel?".
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Links to Gospel Series Resources
Here are links to the videos, handouts and powerpoints from the 10 week gospel series I did. There is no powerpoint for week 6 as we watched the Hope DVD that week. On the gospel list you will find what handouts were given out each week.
Links to Online Videos
Gospel Video Channel: http://vimeo.com/channels/25736
To download the videos you would have to become a member then log-in. You can't download the videos from the channel page. What you would do is click on the title in the embedded video on the channel page and that will take you to the video's full page where you will find the button to download on the lower right part of the page. You will have to scroll down the page a bit to see the button.
The Hope online - Româna
Links to Download Handouts and PowerPoints
PowerPoints Româna
English PowerPoints
Evanghelie Noţite
English Handouts A4
English Handouts Letter
Links to Online Videos
Gospel Video Channel: http://vimeo.com/channels/
To download the videos you would have to become a member then log-in. You can't download the videos from the channel page. What you would do is click on the title in the embedded video on the channel page and that will take you to the video's full page where you will find the button to download on the lower right part of the page. You will have to scroll down the page a bit to see the button.
The Hope online - Româna
(best viewed on Internet Explorer) English
Links to Download Videos
PowerPoint Videos (93.5 MB)
I played three videos with the PowerPoints. Only the first one, Hubble Ultra Deep Field 3-D, is embedded in the first powerpoint slide 29, "Why is the Gospel Important?". I think you should put this video in the same file as the PowerPoint. The other two are not embedded but have a photo slide to indicate when they should be played. "A doua sansa - Jean" is shown in the fifth powerpoint slide 66, "How Do I Share My Testimony?" and "Isus al meu/My Jesus" is shown in the seventh powerpoint slide 67, "Why Don't Christians Live the Gospel?".
Links to Download Videos
PowerPoint Videos (93.5 MB)
I played three videos with the PowerPoints. Only the first one, Hubble Ultra Deep Field 3-D, is embedded in the first powerpoint slide 29, "Why is the Gospel Important?". I think you should put this video in the same file as the PowerPoint. The other two are not embedded but have a photo slide to indicate when they should be played. "A doua sansa - Jean" is shown in the fifth powerpoint slide 66, "How Do I Share My Testimony?" and "Isus al meu/My Jesus" is shown in the seventh powerpoint slide 67, "Why Don't Christians Live the Gospel?".
Links to Download Handouts and PowerPoints
PowerPoints Româna
(70 MB)
English PowerPoints
(70.6 MB)
Evanghelie Noţite
(1.35 MB)
English Handouts A4
(0.63 MB)
English Handouts Letter
(0.63 MB)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
How Do I Defend the Gospel? (Video & Notes)
The is the ninth and final teaching in a series I did on the gospel of Jesus Christ at Calvary Chapel Bucuresti on March 8, 2009. We looked at why we should defend the gospel, what apologetics is and it's goals and limitations, guidelines for doing apologetics and what the Bible says about how we deal with people. We finished by looking at arguments for the existence of God, for the Bible being the Word of God, the ten most common objections to Christianity and the "test drive" proof.
Friday, March 06, 2009
What are God's Purpose in the Gospel for Me (Video & Notes)
This is the eighth in a series of in-depth teachings I did on the gospel of Jesus Christ at our church,Calvary Chapel Bucuresti, on March 1, 2009. We looked at three purposes: 1. To be His Child. 2. To Follow and Obey Jesus. 3. To Become Like Jesus. As we looked at these three purposes we also looked at what it means to be a disciple, how we love God and people, what is character and it's importance and what Jesus did during His earthly life that we should apply to ours.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
How Do I Live the Gospel? (Video & Notes)
The seventh in a series of in-depth teachings on the gospel of Jesus Christ I did at our church, Calvary Chapel Bucuresti, on February 22, 2009. We began by looking at the blessings that come from living the gospel, then we looked at two aspects of living the gospel: 1. Living a life of continuous repentance and faith and 2. Preaching the gospel to yourself every day.
This was the longest sermon I think I've ever done with a translator. I usually have a good idea how long I've gone even without a clock but I was shocked about how long this one was. To me it seemed around an hour which is about what I like to go with a translator. Physically I was pretty tired as I had averaged five hours of sleep the two nights before but when I got up Sunday morning I felt energized in my spirit as I reviewed what I was going to teach that morning. Please pray that God will use what I taught in the lives of those in our church and those who watch the video.
This was the longest sermon I think I've ever done with a translator. I usually have a good idea how long I've gone even without a clock but I was shocked about how long this one was. To me it seemed around an hour which is about what I like to go with a translator. Physically I was pretty tired as I had averaged five hours of sleep the two nights before but when I got up Sunday morning I felt energized in my spirit as I reviewed what I was going to teach that morning. Please pray that God will use what I taught in the lives of those in our church and those who watch the video.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Why Don't Christians Live the Gospel? (Video & Notes)
De ce creştinii nu trăiesc Evanghelia? from William Anderson on Vimeo.
This is the sixth in a series of in-depth teachings on the gospel of Jesus Christ at Calvary Chapel Bucuresti on February 15, 2009. In it we began by looking at the importance of living the gospel and then looking at some reasons why Christians don't live the gospel. We followed that up with looking at what is the foundational cause from which these reasons flow from and what is the fruit that results. We finished by looking at how to deal with these things and become people who truly live the gospel. Below are the notes and handouts from the teaching.
This is the sixth in a series of in-depth teachings on the gospel of Jesus Christ at Calvary Chapel Bucuresti on February 15, 2009. In it we began by looking at the importance of living the gospel and then looking at some reasons why Christians don't live the gospel. We followed that up with looking at what is the foundational cause from which these reasons flow from and what is the fruit that results. We finished by looking at how to deal with these things and become people who truly live the gospel. Below are the notes and handouts from the teaching.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The Hope DVD (Links and Notes)
This past Sunday we took a break from our in-depth teaching series on the gospel to watch the Hope DVD which is 80 minutes long. It is one of the best videos out that explains the gospel and is available online to watch in both English and Romanian. On the Romanian version you need to use Internet Explorer in order to watch it.
Friday, February 06, 2009
How Do I Share My Testimony? Video & Notes
The fifth in a series of in-depth teachings on the gospel of Jesus Christ at Calvary Chapel Bucuresti on February 1, 2009. In it we look at why we should share our testimony, why we don't share our testimony, an outline of key points to include in a testimony and some guidelines to consider in developing a testimony.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
The Gospel - A New Definition
I've been so busy with the gospel series I am doing now that I haven't had much time or energy to blog or do much of anything else. I have about another month to go so I would appreciate your prayers for wisdom, guidance, strength, energy and protection as the spiritual battle has intensified lately.
Below is a new definition of the gospel that I wrote based on the material I covered in "What is the Gospel Message?". I would appreciate any constructive suggestions or comments about it. Thanks.
After we die physically, there will come a day when we will have to stand before Jesus and give an account of our sin against God. Everything we ever thought or did will be revealed on that day and we will be without excuse. He will even show us the times He tried to reach out in love to provide Himself as the way for us to be reconciled to God but that we rejected His offer.
Since God is holy beyond our comprehension, sin cannot exist in His presence. Therefore, we will be found guilty and cast into hell, the lake of fire, where we will experience the wrath of God forever. There we will be separated from God forever, with no hope of ever being reconciled and restored to Him.
But there is good news, the greatest news ever! God does not want anyone to be sent to hell so, He sent His Son to provide a way for us to be reconciled and restored to Himself, by having our sin taken care of. Jesus came and lived a sinless life, then went obediently to the cross where the Father placed all the sins of the world on Him. As a result, Jesus was separated from His Father for the first time in all of eternity and then He experienced the full wrath, the full punishment for every sin. After Jesus paid the price for every sin, He rose again to life as proof that He was indeed the Son of God and had fully satisfied the wrath of God for our sin.
To receive God’s provision for our sin and be reconciled and restored to Him and become His children, we need to recognize in our hearts that we have rejected Him and rebelled against Him and confess it with our mouths. Then, we need to turn from sin to God and place our trust in Jesus and all He did for us and commit ourselves totally to Him. As we place our faith in Jesus, we must also give Him his rightful place in our hearts and lives as our King, always following and obeying Him, while we look forward to the day He will return and restore His kingdom here on the earth forever.
You can check this against what I wrote on September 12, 2007, A Definition of the Gospel. It has been viewed by people all over the world and has been as high as number 2 in Google search results for "definition of the gospel".
Below is a new definition of the gospel that I wrote based on the material I covered in "What is the Gospel Message?". I would appreciate any constructive suggestions or comments about it. Thanks.
THE GOSPEL
We are separated from God, the one who created us, because we have rejected Him and are in rebellion against Him. We have denied Him his rightful place in our hearts and lives. Instead, we have chosen to be our own gods and have looked to created things to find meaning, purpose and happiness, rather than looking to our Creator. This is called sin and from it flows all the “sins” we do.After we die physically, there will come a day when we will have to stand before Jesus and give an account of our sin against God. Everything we ever thought or did will be revealed on that day and we will be without excuse. He will even show us the times He tried to reach out in love to provide Himself as the way for us to be reconciled to God but that we rejected His offer.
Since God is holy beyond our comprehension, sin cannot exist in His presence. Therefore, we will be found guilty and cast into hell, the lake of fire, where we will experience the wrath of God forever. There we will be separated from God forever, with no hope of ever being reconciled and restored to Him.
But there is good news, the greatest news ever! God does not want anyone to be sent to hell so, He sent His Son to provide a way for us to be reconciled and restored to Himself, by having our sin taken care of. Jesus came and lived a sinless life, then went obediently to the cross where the Father placed all the sins of the world on Him. As a result, Jesus was separated from His Father for the first time in all of eternity and then He experienced the full wrath, the full punishment for every sin. After Jesus paid the price for every sin, He rose again to life as proof that He was indeed the Son of God and had fully satisfied the wrath of God for our sin.
To receive God’s provision for our sin and be reconciled and restored to Him and become His children, we need to recognize in our hearts that we have rejected Him and rebelled against Him and confess it with our mouths. Then, we need to turn from sin to God and place our trust in Jesus and all He did for us and commit ourselves totally to Him. As we place our faith in Jesus, we must also give Him his rightful place in our hearts and lives as our King, always following and obeying Him, while we look forward to the day He will return and restore His kingdom here on the earth forever.
You can check this against what I wrote on September 12, 2007, A Definition of the Gospel. It has been viewed by people all over the world and has been as high as number 2 in Google search results for "definition of the gospel".
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
What is the Gospel Message? Video & Notes
The fourth in a series of in-depth teachings on the gospel of Jesus Christ that I did at our church, Calvary Chapel Bucuresti, on January 25, 2009. To answer the question of what the gospel message is we looked at why we need Jesus, what Jesus did for us and how we can receive what Jesus did for ourselves.Below are the notes of the teaching and a handout with examples of the basic definition of the gospel.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Second Chance - Testimony of Jean Iancu
Here is the first in a series of testimonies I want to do to put on the despreisus.ro website. I enjoy doing this and learning as I go. I pray the Lord will use them to touch people's lives here in Romania. Florin was talking to the guy we hired to video our concert in October and he said he would like to get involved. That would be great as he has very nice cameras and lights. I have been praying for lights so maybe this is God's answer to my prayer. Please keep these testimonies and the website in prayer. That they would be instruments God would use for His glory and to be a source of blessing to many here in Romania.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
What Does the Word "Gospel" Mean? Video & Notes
The third in a series of in-depth teachings on the gospel that I did at our church Calvary Chapel Bucuresti on January 18, 2009. We looked at the meaning of the word 'gospel' in Jesus' day, descriptors of the gospel in the Bible, the heart of the gospel, outline of the whole gospel and the difference between religion and the gospel. Below are links to the notes from the teaching and a handout I gave on the descriptors found in the Bible regard the gospel.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Why Do People Reject the Gospel? (Video & Notes)
This is the second in a series of in-depth teachings on the gospel of Jesus Christ that we are doing in January and February. I am teaching in English and Florin is translating into Romanian. Below are links to handouts of the teaching notes with the homework listed at the end.
- De ce resping oamenii Evanghelia?
- Why Do People Reject the Gospel? A4
- Why Do People Reject the Gospel? Letter
Thursday, January 08, 2009
First Home Fellowship Gathering
Here is a bit of the worship from our first ever home fellowship yesterday evening at my apartment. I really enjoyed it a lot! There were eight of us and we had a great discussion on the importance of the gospel. May the Lord use this weekly gathering to open us up to being real and loving one another.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Why is the Gospel Important? (Video & Notes)
We have designated this year as "The Year of the Gospel" for our church Calvary Chapel Bucuresti. This is the first in a series of in-depth teachings on the gospel of Jesus Christ that we will be doing in January and February. I will be teaching in English and Florin will be translating in Romanian.
If you click on the title under the video embed it will take you to it on Vimeo where you can also download it if you are a member of Vimeo (it's free).
At the end of the teaching I gave some handouts and explained them. (Letter = American paper size - A4 = European paper size) Below are links to these handouts if you are interested:
If you click on the title under the video embed it will take you to it on Vimeo where you can also download it if you are a member of Vimeo (it's free).
At the end of the teaching I gave some handouts and explained them. (Letter = American paper size - A4 = European paper size) Below are links to these handouts if you are interested:
- Cel mai important adevar al vietii poate fi cel mai usor de uitat - Din introducerea cărţii Trăind o viaţă centrată pe cruce de C. J. Mahaney
- Note asupra importantei Evangheliei
- Evanghelia detaliata colour
- Evanghelia detaliata AN
- Life’s Most Important Truth Can Be the Easiest to Forget A4 - From the introduction to C. J. Mahaney’s book Living the Cross Centered Life
- Why is the Gospel Important Notes A4
- The Gospel in Detail A4 - color cover
- Life’s Most Important Truth Can Be the Easiest to Forget (Letter sized) - From the introduction to C. J. Mahaney’s book Living the Cross Centered Life
- Why is the Gospel Important Notes (Letter sized)
- The Gospel in Detail (Letter sized) - color cover
Friday, January 02, 2009
New Year's Eve Group Photo
Here is a really good photo Dana took of all of us at our New Year's Eve celebration.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Yeshua the Messiah
Below is part of a blog post by Derek Leman of Messianic Jewish Musings. I enjoy reading his blog and find his perspective as a Messianic Jew thought provoking.
The prophets spoke of such a coming king who would bring justice and peace to Israel and even to the ends of the earth:
The prophets spoke of such a coming king who would bring justice and peace to Israel and even to the ends of the earth:
Hosea 3:5 (David, their King).
Micah 5:1-4 (A Ruler from of Old).
Isaiah 9:1-7 (Light of Galilee, Prince of Peace).
Isaiah 11:1-16 (Root of Jesse, Righteous Judge).
Isaiah 61:1-3 (Healer of the Broken-Hearted).
Jeremiah 23:5-6 (Branch of David).
Jeremiah 30:21 (The Leader in the Last Days).
Jeremiah 33:14-26 (Branch of David).
Ezekiel 21:25-27 (The One to whom it Belongs).
Ezekiel 34:23-21 (The One Shepherd).
Ezekiel 37:24-28 (David, my Servant).
Daniel 7:13-14 (Son of Man).
Zechariah 9:9-10 (The King on a Donkey).
Revelion 2009 - Bringing in the New Year
Here's video of some of the things we did to bring in the new year here in Bucuresti, Romania. I really enjoyed our time together, I think there were about 14 people. We had food, played some intense Uno, just hung out, worshiped, prayed, shared with each other about the past year and what we were looking forward to in the coming year and we went out and watched some fireworks in the neighborhood. I got home a six in the morning so I need to spend some time getting caught up on my beauty sleep:)
During our sharing time I was really blessed when Ioana, one of the older ladies in our church, said she had been praying for five years for a church and finally found it in our's. May God bring more like her in this new year.
During our sharing time I was really blessed when Ioana, one of the older ladies in our church, said she had been praying for five years for a church and finally found it in our's. May God bring more like her in this new year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)