MAPLEVIEW BLOG

Dear Disciple: 1 Cor. 2:⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power…

I read this short article by J. Lee Grady, author and contributing editor of Charisma Magazine and totally related. I want to pass it along so you may better understand a Pastors perspective.

“I did it again. This past Sunday I stood in a pulpit, looked out over a congregation of mostly strangers, cleared the lump in my throat and preached a message that the Lord had laid on my heart from the Bible. Thousands of men and women speak publicly like this every week. It’s what preachers do. No big deal. But even though I speak often, I’ve found that preaching the gospel is one of the most difficult, frightening and painful assignments anyone could possibly attempt. It is not fun. I feel as though I die a thousand deaths right before I do it, and I die several more times after I go home and evaluate what happened. After one particularly discouraging experience in which an audience stared coldly at me with their arms folded, I determined that preaching surely must not be my calling. I shared my struggle with an older pastor. “Sometimes I feel really discouraged after I speak,” I told my friend. “Does that ever happen to you?” I was sure he would counsel me to stop preaching, since it obviously was not my spiritual gift. His answer shocked me. “Son, I have felt like that every Monday morning since I’ve been in the ministry.” When I tell my friends that I never felt I was gifted to speak, and that I stubbornly resisted the call of God on my life because of my lack of confidence, they act surprised. Most of us assume that people who stand in pulpits want to be there. – Think again!

The power of prophetic preaching actually works in the opposite way we assume it should. If we view things carnally, we believe God chooses gifted orators who hone and shape their skills like a doctor who learns surgery or an actor who learns to perform on stage. But true preaching is not a natural exercise—it is actually one of the most supernatural tasks anyone can ever be called to do. It requires an imperfect human vessel to yield himself (or herself) to speak the very words of God. If we do it in the flesh, the results will be miserable; but if we wholly trust the power of the Spirit, prophetic preaching will unleash God to move however He desires. If we fail in this process, we are humiliated. Why would anyone want to preach? Charismatic revivalist Arthur Katz, wrote about the power of true preaching: “The only one qualified to preach … is the one who wants to run the other way, like Jonah.”

That is certainly not the way most of us view pulpit ministry. We celebrate the smooth and the polished. We measure the impact of a sermon not by whether hearts were touched by Holy Spirit conviction but by how the preacher performs and how high the people jumped when the preacher told them what they wanted to hear. Carnal preaching may win the accolades of men, boost TV ratings and even build megachurches.  Not until broken, reluctant, weak and trembling preachers allow His holy fire to come out of their mouths will people be truly transformed.”

I say a hardy Amen to that…

Pastor Jay

Jesus replied, “…on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades^c will not overcome it.” Mt.16: ¹⁸

Last week I shared five foundational ministry priorities that I believed are important for the Mapleview Community Church family to live out in order to experience overflowing fruitful ministry.  This week I will add to those five ministry priorities a number of specific ministry objectives that our church body should be advancing toward if we are to successfully touch our community for the cause of Christ.

1. Helping people to come to know the love of Christ.
2. Ministering to children, youth and young adults.
3. Showing people how to build refine and sustain relationships with one another.
4. Teaching and leading believers to obey and respond the Word of God.
5. Leading believers toward real commitment &membership.
6. Cultivating spiritually functional disciples.
7. Cultivating a constant passion for lost souls.
8. Establishing resources for training Believers to live a life of purpose.
9. Teaching the principles of divine stewardship.
10. Addressing the distinct challenges facing Men/Women

If you familiarize yourself with these ten Mapleview Community Church ministry objectives you will have a solid idea of what we are trying to accomplish from day to day, month to month and year to year. It may not always look like it but there is intention and a plan for what we are doing and where we are going.

Maranatha – “Even so come Lord Jesus!”

Pastor

JAY

In the Old Testament the prophet Hosea spoke the words – “my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” ^{Hosea 4.6} In the New Testament the Apostle Paul said to Timothy “¹⁵ Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. ^{2 Tim.2:15} In both cases the Lord is emphasizing the importance of studying and growing in knowledge in order to stand against the snares of the enemy. Where are you at in spending time preparing for the purposes and ministries God has assigned to your life. I hope you never grow weary of reading, studying and learning what the Word of God has to reveal to you.

There are five foundational priorities that I have learned from studying my bible over the years that I personally believe will help the Mapleview Community Church family persevere against the works of darkness that seek to make them unproductive and in effective in their lives.

How can we be S.olid T.enacious and N.ever D.efeated?

How can we (S.T.A.N.D.) and resist the devil in the day of evil?

•       We must have a vibrant life of prayer

•       We must make a commitment to prioritizing specific times for praise & worship

•       We must place energy and effort in studying the scripture.

•       We must learn to share our faith with others.

•       We must serve the people in our Community with genuine love and compassion.

If you do these things in growing measure you will become “more than a conqueror” in your life of faith. If you choose not to than you could be headed for “shipwreck.” Let’s all together arrive alive by following these five essentials found in Gods Word.

Maranatha – “Even so come Lord Jesus!”

Pastor

JAY

Dear Disciple:

Matthew 16: Jesus replied,…And I tell you that you are Peter,  and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades  will not overcome it.

It has often been said that “if you don’t stand for something then you will fall for anything.”  Well over the next several weeks I hope to give everyone calling Mapleview Community Church their ‘Church Body’ a clear picture of what it is that we are all apart of. This is not to say that you have to agree with every thought or thing said in order to be part of us, but simply to outline that there is a direction and an intention behind what we are attempting to achieve for the Kingdom of God within our community. Some may argue the need to be part of the church – but as Rich Wilkerson said. How can we follow Jesus and not join in on what He is building? …THE CHURCH!

Here is what MAPLEVIEW COMMUNITY CHURCH stands for:

We believe the Bible to be the inerrant Word of God that declares the whole counsel of God.

We believe that salvation is by faith alone in the finished work of Christ on the cross and that God offers the gift of eternal life to all that believe.

We believe that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a work of grace that is separate and distinct from salvation and that Christ offers this baptism to all who believe.

We believe that supernatural signs, wonders and gifts of the Holy Spirit accompany the preaching of the gospel and that divine healing has been provided through Christ’s death on the cross.

We believe that Jesus is coming again and that His return may occur at any moment. We believe He will reward those who follow Him and that He will punish those who reject Him.

We believe that God is calling people to dcilicate themselves to the fulfillment of the Great Commission in these last days.

For this reason and purpose has Mapleview Community Church been established, and we solemnly dedicate ourselves to serving Him in this community to the best of our ability.

Mapleview Community Church is AFFILIATED WITH THE PENTECOSTAL ASSEMBLIES OF CANADA

Remember, we need each other!

Pastor JAY

 It is without argument that our culture has seen a number of significant changes over the past decade, much of it fueled by social media, viral video, and the increasing amount of information exchange on the internet. The way we share and exchange information with one another is constantly changing, and now more than ever, I believe there is a call on the church to embrace and utilize new media for kingdom purposes.

We have all heard the statistics about the internet and the challenges that it poses to the church at large. Almost 80% of all websites are pornographic in nature, gossip and lies flood servers all around the globe, and even as of late with leaked government documents the internet seems to be entrenched in scandal and lies.

Just as the church has strived in the past to reclaim that which was given to us as a beautiful gift from God in the form of art, dance, music and more, I believe there is a strong mandate on the church to reclaim the information age for His Glory and Kingdom purposes.

86% of all Canadians are on the internet; almost 4 billion of all the world uses the internet that is 66%! The numbers in southern Ontario are estimated in the high 90s percent-wise. That is why we as a church are striving to reach people over the internet all across Barrie, Canada and the World, and we are excited to offer you multiple social networking platforms, podcasts, video and audio of our teaching and more.So we encourage you all to get involved! Join our facebook group and follow our twitter account. Subscribe to the podcasts and invite friends and family, church-goers and non-church-goers, coworkers and acquaintances to the same. And get excited as we gear up to share the love, hope and life of Jesus Christ via the web!

Looking forward to the days to come

Pastor Mike

Welcome to our new blog! As we take time to focus in on our presence on the web we will be utilizing our blog for a number of exciting things! Events details, thoughts on God, The Bible and Life in General, Words of encouragement and teaching from Pastor Jay and the Staff of MCC and so much more. So Check back regularly for updates and new posts!

Don’t forget to be at one of our weekend services 9 & 11am Sundays.

For Now!

Pastor Mike