influence magazine 2013 11

7/23/2019 Influence Magazine 2013 11

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INFLUENCE

MAGAZINE

Proclaiming Gods LOVE to MANKIND


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Romans 5:19

For as by one mansdisobedience many weremade sinners, so also by

one Mansobedience many will be

made righteous.


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CONTEN

TS

From Bertie - p. 4

ouch Me Lord Ministries - p. 6

A Serenade or Your Soul - p. 11(by Cindy Quarles)

Bible Representation - p. 15(by Bob Woods)

Invited to Reign - p. 19(by Rick Malone)

Zambia Outreach - p. 23

(by Bertie Brits)

Te Gospel rom Gods Perspective - p. 26(by Greg Henry)

Te Gospel - p. 29(by Ed Elliot)

Gods words over You - p. 33(by Gregory Riether)

My Favorite way to Pray - p. 36(by Annette Uys)

Spreading Gods Love Ministries - p. 39

We do not need to ask Forgiveness - p. 44(by Marty Happle)

God o the Breakthrough - p. 48(by Nico Uys)

Te Power o Righteousness - p. 51(by Dr Jim Richards)

No more Scorecards - p. 54(by Steve McVey)

Te Oceans o Gods Grace - p. 58

(by Vic Porter)

Victory or Everyday Lie - p. 61(by Lewis Yanez)

God and Sin - p. 64(by Stephane Rakotomalala)


4/68

FROM BERTIE

(To understand this article you need to

know that the Law is the power of sin

and that sin in the esh needs a catalyst

to manifest, which in the case of Rom. 7& 8, are the Ten Commandments.)

Many of us use the words condemnation

and guilt as synonyms and so we really

miss the power of grace. Thinking that

Rom. 8:1 says you dont have to worry

if you see the fruit of the esh in your

life is a complete wrong understanding

of the verse. Today we are going to lookat Rom. 8:1 in a way that will empower

you to a new life.

Rom. 8:1 is one of the most well known

verses in the Bible yet one of the least

understood verses. It has been used

from manipulating people into church

programs to getting away with the fruit of

the esh and trying not feeling bad aboutit, which is simply humanly impossible.

When you are in the esh you shall

denitely experience one of the most

deadly and most powerful, destructive

forces known to man, called guilt.

Guilt should not be confused withcondemnation. Condemnation in Rom.

8:1 is used as a legal term explaining

that you will have a life resulting in death

should you continue in legalism for

righteousness. When you live under the

law you are condemned to have your life

destroyed. Guilt is an important factor

in perpetuating obsessivecompulsive

disorder symptoms. Guilt is an effectivestate in which one experiences conict

at having done something that one

believes one should not have done.

This is inescapable under the law. Guilt

is the unconscious force within the

individual that contributes to illness and

most psychological disorders. I think the

obstacle of an unconscious sense of

guilt is the most powerful of all obstaclesto overcome. It would be IMPOSSIBLE

to overcome outside of believing the true

Gospel. It is humanly impossible to live

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without it when seeing the fruit of the esh

in your life, for it is a fruit of the esh in

itself. We can see that guilt is something

that would destroy your life. What would

make it worse is if guilt is subconscious,

where it is written in deepest parts of

your subconscious mind. Guilt is mostlyin an subconscious form. It is the father

to most peoples actions and choices in

life.

What is of utmost importance is to

understand that Rom. 8:1 does NOT say

that we shall not feel guilty when we live

by the esh (legalism) and see the fruit

of the esh (sins) in our lives. We will becondemned to a life of guilt when we are

saying we are in grace and still live by

the law unto the manifestation of the fruit

of the esh. Whats important to know is

that the law is the power of sin and the

fruit of the esh - God will not condemn

you to guilt but the law will. What grace

does is to free us from the power of sin

in the esh and the dictatorship of thelaw to a life where we are not forced to

manifest sins against our will.

Once under the law the good you want to

do you cannot do for you are condemned

to a life of the fruit of the esh. This is what

Rom. 7 is all about. When we live under

the law we will nd sin is empowered and

guilt will be magnied in the consciousand subconscious levels unto the

destruction of our lives. This destruction

can manifest in different forms - you

will either fall deeper into getting your

life right by will power or depression

and rejection of God can even settle

in. Rom. 8:1 & 2, read in the context of

Rom. 7, clearly states that we shall not

be condemned to a life where the fruit ofthe esh manifests to the point that we

cannot do what we will but what we dont

will. We should not think that Rom. 8

states that we can live by the law, see the

fruit of the ministration of death (which is

the law written on stones), manifest the

power of sin in us and think it is an I

dont care pass. Guilt shall grab you and

destroy you if you think along those lines

and freedom from the fruit of the eshshall not manifest. Guilt is an emotion for

breaking the law, it is not something you

decide to have, and it is packaged into

the law. When we are under the law of

life, which is easy and burden free, we

will see a fruitful life and live guilt free.

This guilt free life will not be a fruit of the

holy living but a fruit of not being part of

a system that involves guilt.

Guilt can easily be seen as the voice

of the Holy Spirit. Guilt is like a voice in

our hearts that comes from a law based

mentality. As the voice of the Holy Spirit is

the communication God has with us under

the message of grace, guilt is the voice

of the enemy under the ministration of

death written on stones. So many peoplewill say God told me where it was never

told them but the voice of guilt that told

them and empowered them. If you look

at 1 Corinthians 13 we can clearly see

that we can have great acts of sacrice

and giving even for the Gospel yet we

are nothing. I believe all these actions,

good actions are actions that are based

on guilt and at the revelation of the loveof God.

Let us make sure that we constantly hear

the good news in a way where we dont

feel condemned or guilty so that we can

ensure that the Holy Spirit will bear his

fruit in our lives.

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Touch Me Lord

Ministries

A Division ofDynamic Love Ministries


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2

RECEIVING A PICK UP TRUCK

We are so grateful to Dynamic Love Ministries, Pastor Bertie Brits, who gave us anice pick up truck to transport goods for the orphans and feeding outreaches. May

the Lord richly bless you Pastor. We appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts. In

front, on the photo above, you see Mr. Tsiloane. We opened a feeding centre at his

home and we feed 55 orphans and children, with no birth certicates, from Mondays

to Saturdays. We bought him a new two plate stove to prepare the food.

FEEDING AT KANANA TOWNSHIP:

We are also feeding the vulnerable children in Kanana Township, from Mondays to

Fridays, with a sustainable plate of food. We also help children with clothes and other

basic needs.

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VEGETABLE TUNNELS

We have added another three new vegetable tunnels to our project in Wepener. Now

we have nine tunnels where we plant cabbage, onions and spinach, to help as an

additional meal to feed the children daily and to become sustainable in what we do.

These projects teach the children planting skills.

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CLOTHES AND BREAD DONATION

God blessPastor Johan Meiring

We went to Bloemfontein to pick up old clothing and 100 fresh loaves of bread to

give to the children. Our only challenge is to have petrol money to go and pick up

donations in Bloemfontein. We spend R600 for petrol to Bloemfontein and back.

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TESTIMONIES

I was listening to "Identifying myself

with Jesus". Your preached it in 2011.

I am now thinking and today I can see

myself as my Heavenly Father sees

me without sin. Not by what I do but

in what was done for me. No more

law, working to become. You and your

family will always be special to me.

- Priscilla Cooper -

Bertie, I studied and used a lot of your

Fathers day message when I preached

at a prison last week. I told the believing

men there that God did not see them as

failures but as sons with a birthright to

the same quality of life as Jesus and the

Father. It was very well received.

- Bill Caudill (Vancouver) -

A little while ago an old friend of mine

contacted me on Facebook. We used

to sing together in the worship team

at Church back then. She told me that

she had been struggling with a wrong

mindset for years and now she had beenlistening to your videos on Facebook for

a while......She said she was confused

over some things in her church where

she goes to now, but she knows that

what you are preaching is the truth. I

just thought this was so beautiful...how

God prompts our hearts to seek after the

truth.

- Anonymous (Norway) -

My husband and I saw you in the D.C.

meetings. I appreciated how you took a

few minutes to chat with George and I

about how God loses his breath over us

at the beginning of your second night. I

can not get that out of my mind and I pray

that it sinks way down deep in my heart

so I can live out of it! God's message

through you has had the greatest impact

on my life...that's the part I can not ndthe right words to express!! Bertie, thank

you so much for coming to America.

- Theresa Whitsel Bowser (USA) -

Dear Bertie. Thank you for the reminder

of His love. Although John 3:16 was

something I memorized as a young girl,it come to life last year when I heard

you share about the Hebrew meaning of

Agape "to take one's breath away." After

that, I frequently just sit in his presence

mesmerized by the realization that "I" take

his breath away." As I set in meditation,

past scenarios came to mind of when

I felt the most like a failure. Each time

he overwhelmed me with the realizationthat His love for me did not diminish as

a result of my actions but rather caused

him to embrace me all the more. WOW!

That understanding began to transform

me to the point that I begin to experience

"effortless" change.

- Jamie Collins (Paragould) -

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ASerenadef

or

YourS

oul

By Cindy Quarles


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Cindy Quarles is passionate about the amazing message that has come to the worldin the person o Jesus Christ, and loves to write and teach that message. She and herhusband o 40 years, Will, reside in Chicago, IL. Tey have 2 wonderul sons anddaughters-in-law, and 4 beautiul grandchildren. Cindy and Will ellowship with alocal body o believers at Grace Covenant Christian Center in Mokena, IL, Bob and

Carla Woods pastors.

Hail, the incarnate Deity!

Pleased as Man with men to dwell,

Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Hark! The herald angels sing,

Glory to the New-born King!

from Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

--- Charles Wesley

Lately this classic carol has been

serenading my soul. Its not even

Christmas-time, still some mornings

recently I awaken to its melody softly

and beautifully playing in my mind. Ind myself singing it now and then

throughout the day, reecting on its

profound message: The second person

of the God-head became a human

being and made his home with us.

About a year ago a participant in a

Q&A forum at a ministers conference I

attended commented about a particular

group being discussed. He remarked

that the problem with this group is they

put more emphasis on the incarnation

than the crucixion. Really? This is

a problem? Can we even begin to

comprehend the magnitude of what has

been done for us at the cross (and in the

resurrection and ascension) without an

appreciation of - and yes, an emphasis

on - the truth that the eternal son of theFather became esh?

CindyQuarle

s

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Out of the ve books in the New

Testament written by the apostle John, it

is noteworthy that he begins two of them

adamantly declaring that Jesus was Godin the esh.

In the beginning was the Word, and the

Word was with God, and the Word was

God. He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through Him, and

without Him nothing was made that was

made. John 1:1 - 3 (NKJV)

And the Word became esh and dwelt

among us, and we beheld His glory,

the glory as of the only begotten of the

Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

(NKJV)

From the very rst day, we were there,

taking it all inwe heard it with our own

ears, saw it with our own eyes, veriedit with our own hands. The Word of Life

appeared right before our eyes; we saw

it happen! And now were telling you in

most sober prose that what we witnessed

was, incredibly, this: The innite Life of

God himself took shape before us. 1

John 1:1 - 2 (The Message)

Why was John seemingly xated on ourgetting this message that God became

us? Could it be that the incarnation is

important enough to warrant our attention

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word waswith God, and the Word was God. He was in the

beginning with God. All things were made throughHim, and without Him nothing was made that was

made. John 1:1 - 3 (NKJV)

beyond the occasional Christmas carols

and annual manger scene on the front

lawn?

The Message In the Message

When a man courts a woman, he may

do many things in pursuit of her. He

might send owers, write poetry, lavish

gifts upon her and her family, escort her

to elegant parties and private dinners,

all the while displaying his wealth,

goodness, power and inuence. He isexpressing his heart and conveying a

very personal message: This is who I

am; this is what I have to offer you; I love

you, absolutely adore you, and desire a

lifetime relationship with you.

That John refers to the Fathers son as

the Word is brilliant and intentional.

Words communicate. They expressour heart. The truth that the God of the

universe, creator of all that is seen and

unseen and by whom all things consist;

that this God identied completely with

us by becoming us; that He died as us;

rose, ascended and is now seated at the

right hand of the Father as us - this is

God declaring His unrelenting love for

us. The reality that the second person ofthe God-head is a man and will forever

be a man is God proclaiming His desire

for relationship with us for an eternity.


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The incarnation conveys an astounding

message of commitment and self-giving

love beyond anything we have language

to express.

Practical Theology

Theologically, the incarnation is tied

directly to the atonement and the two are

inseparable.

Practically for you and I, the message it

communicates to our hearts affects anassurance that goes to the very core of

our being: My value required nothing

short of God Himself to redeem me,

and He wholeheartedly and without

reservation paid that price.

What a divine serenade for your soul.

Hail, the incarnate Deity!Pleased as Man with men to dwell,

Jesus, our Emmanuel.Hark! The herald angels sing,

Glory to the New-born King!

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bible

representation

byBob Woods


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Bob & Carla Woods

Bob Woods, along with his wie Carla, are Senior Pastors at Grace Covenant ChristianCenter in Mokena, IL (a Southwest suburb o Chicago). Tis message o Gods grace tomankind began to radically change their lives several years ago and, in an attempt toshare this good news, they started a home ellowship. oday, this group o believers isimpacting their local community and via their weekly live stream those around the

world. For ree message downloads and urther inormation about Grace CovenantChristian Centers ministry, you can visit their website at www.gracecovenantcc.org.

Government ofcials represent all people

within their region and every decision

they make impacts their constituents

life. Biblically, there have only been two

representatives of mankind Adam and

Jesus.

Adams representation was clearly

revealed in the Garden. In Genesis

3, Eve ate of the fruit rst, yet nothing

happened. It was only when Adam took

a bite that BOTH of their eyes were

opened. This happened because Adam

represented Eve; he was created rst

and she physically came out of Adam

which was symbolic of a greater spiritual

representation that was to come.

Adams quality of life that God had provided

vanished because Adam believed he

could obtain a life equal to Gods through

self-effort. A great deception given that

he was already created in Gods image

and likeness. This act set into motion the

concept (mentality) of the Law Covenant

where man would attempt to get things

and become right before God through

self-effort.

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Adam sent man down a long, destructive

path and passed down several things as

his representative. Effects like physical

and spiritual death and a sin nature with

all its consequences such as sickness,

stress, guilty conscience, curses and a

works mentality.

Jesus representation started while

hanging lifeless on the cross. He

represented us in both His death and

resurrection.

Because Adam was a man, Jesus could

only represent us if He became a man.

He needed to come down to earth asa man to die and resurrect so that He

could forever represent man while sitting

victoriously at the right hand of the

Father!

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 explains that

if One died for all then all died. It

was Jesus death that snapped the

representation of Adam and exterminatedall the effects enacted in the Garden.

He took all things that could ever harm

mankind upon Himself and destroyed

them in His death. He BECAME sin,

poverty, accursed, defeat and bore our

sickness.

This changing of the guard was thegreatest exchange that ever occurred. It

allowed us the opportunity to get back in

to our former state of harmony!

Ephesians 2 shows us what happened

upon His resurrection:

Ephesians 2:4-6 But God, who is rich

in mercy, because of His great love with

which He loved us, 5even when wewere dead in trespasses, made us alive

together with Christ (by grace you have

been saved), 6and raised us up together,

and made us sit together in the heavenly

places in Christ Jesus.

Notice that even when we were dead in

trespasses God made us alive together

with Christ AND raised us up togetherin Christ! The question is: when were

Because Adam was a man, Jesus couldonly represent us if He became a man.He needed to come down to earth asa man to die and resurrect so that He

could forever represent man....


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we dead in our sins?

Paul wrote this several decades after

Christ went to the cross and exterminated

all sin, for all man, for all time. Once for

all is how the Bible describes it.

It was only from Adam to Jesus that sin

and its effects were alive and well. We,

before we were ever born, were in a sinful

state because of Adam. Yet, before we

had a chance to make a choice toward

Christ, God made us alive together with

Christ and raised us up IN HIM based

on Jesus resurrection. This was the

spiritual reality that was foreshadowedwhen Eve came out of Adam in the

Garden. She was in Him before she

was ever physically born. We, too, were

in Christ before we were ever physically

born.

Being in Him, though, is not the objective

of the Gospel. Christ in us is the

objective and that only comes from beingpersuaded about our new representative

and what He did on our behalf at the

cross and in His resurrection.

Jesus received all the blessings of

God in the form of a man; all the things

that could provide abundant life. He

BECAME OURrighteousness, wisdom,

salvation, sanctication, redemption andprosperity. As we believe in Him our

union begins and we start to effortlessly

experience all that Jesus provided for us.

All of mankind has access to these things

because they are in Christ yet making

use what Christ provided only occurs

when Christ is in us. Be persuaded of

what Christ did on our behalf!

Grace Covenant

Centre

Sunday serviceat 10:00 am

Come early and join usfor fellowship and

refreshments beginning

at 9:30 am

8500 W 191st StreetMokena, IL 60448

815-464-2193

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Invited to Reign

by

Rick Malone


20/68

RickMa

lone

Rick Malone was born and raised on the northside o Chicago, Illinois in Rogers Park.Rick Malone is a husband, ather and Pastor o a local church called Christ EsteemMinistries. He is Passionate about the Gospel o Grace and is ocused on seeing people

set ree with Gods Gospel o Grace and unconditional love.

What earthly king do you know, or have

ever heard of that invites people to sit

with him on his throne? Probably none.

An earthly king will most likely not even

notice or acknowledge someone who

is not on their level. They may even

consider people as peasant, let alone

invite them to sit with him on his throne.Not Jesus, who is the King of Kings. He

is the complete opposite. He actually

invites us (humanity) to take up our right

to sit with him on his throne as a result

of his perfect nished work and not ours.

Gods Law, which is the highest standard

known to man, that required perfection in

order for us to be made righteous (as we

ought to be), could not be met by a mereman. So our humble, lowly in heart King

JESUS left his throne to take on human

esh to meet the standard for us, so that

he could lift us up to sit on his throne with

him.

King Jesus rules and reigns in the hearts

of people by Love and not fear. His

perfect Love, when experienced, actually

cast out all fear. Jesus also rules and

reigns because of how righteous he is.

The rst chapter of Hebrews tells us thatthe scepter of his kingdom is a scepter of

righteousness. A scepter is a symbol of

the authority of a ruler. So the invitation

for us to be seated with him on his throne

is also to reign with him in righteousness.

Romans 5:17 conrms this:heart King

Jesus 17 For if by the one mans offense

death reigned through the one, muchmore those who receive abundance of

grace and of the gift of righteousness

will reign in life through the One, Jesus

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Christ.

No matter how you feel or what this world

tries to identify you with based on your

status in society, know that the king is

offering you to not only be seated with

him, but to also reign in righteousness

forever.

One denition for righteousness

mentioned earlier is as you ought to be.

God has made it possible through Jesuswork on the cross for a Man to be a part

of the Godhead which was always his

original intent. This is what God believes

that we ought to be - righteous and seated

with him in heavenly places. He made

this possible through his death burial, and

resurrection. God through Jesus Christ

has forever taken care of sin that was

once an issue, by appearing to put awaySin by the sacrice of himself. Jesus

also fullled the perfect Law of God, a

law that had a requirement of perfection

in order to obtain righteousness by it. No

man, other than God becoming a man,

could meet that standard. God has met

the standard for all of mankind.

If you have already come to know Jesusas Lord of your life by accepting the

indwelling presence of his Holy Spirit,

then this is your reality: Seated with the

King at the right hand of the Father. If

you have not accepted Jesus as Lord,

there is no coincidence that you are

reading this article right now. This is your

invitation. Will you accept your offer to sit

with your king on his throne and rule and

reign in righteousness?

King Jesus rules and reigns in the hearts of people by

Love and not fear. His perfect Love, when experienced,

actually cast out all fear.


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FINANCIAL MIRACLES

Dear Bertie, we just watched todays

message and we too are really enjoying

these messages on nances. We have

found ourselves more and more free to

give, and it is a wonderful feeling! Just

wanted you to know what a blessing you

are, and we appreciate your boldness.

- Kimberly & Michael Vizza

Dear Bertie

Thank you for teaching us the truth about

the law. Specically about the tithe. I

would like to share a story with you. About

1996, my wife and I were listening to all

the "Word of Faith" teachers. We read the

scriptures the way they did and saw the

same things they did. We were glad to

tithe and sow. I didn't know it at the time

but faith had become a work. One day I

was sitting at my computer, about to play

a game, when the Lord spoke to me. I

have only heard him speak this clearly

about 12 times, like someones thoughts

coming into my mind. He said "prove

me this day and see if my covenant is a

covenant of a free gift. Don't tithe or give

for one month." I said "Lord, I'm hardlymaking it now, how will I make it if I stop

tithing"?

No answer. I told My wife what the Lord

said and we did it. Ten days later we

received a van that we had prayed for

some time earlier. It was not new but it

was very good, it was free, and it was

insured. I wish I could say that we neverhave nancial challenges but that's not

true. I can say that from that time, we

have never given out of obligation or to

motivate God into doing something. We

are givers, like our Father.

Thank you Bertie!

- Jim & Amy - USA -

Dear Bertie. Thanks for your teachings on

nances. I am experiencing more peace

and prosperity in my life than ever before.

And it is only been a few weeks!! The key

truly is identity, and you are very secure

in yours, which empowers you to tackle

the big subject of tithing and sowing and

reaping within the church without fearof losing anything; particularly income.

Again, thanks for staying true to the

gospel and God. Bless you my brother!

- Joan Wiseman - USA -

Ive been saved from poverty. Thank you

so much for allowing our Daddy God to

use your teaching to bless me so much.

Thank you!

- Penny -

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ZAMBIA OUTREACH

by Bertie Brits


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Helena to the little bush hospital with

no medicine and basically no help. The

doctor told me that there was nothing

they can do for her and that she was

dying because of all the blood loss.

I remember going into the small hospitalone evening and out of sheer desperation

I started to call on the name of Jesus at

the top of my voice. The fetus came down

and I could take my lovely wife to our

caravan standing underneath the tree

at the crusade eld. A miracle happened

the next day - she recovered 90% and it

was as if nothing has happened.

That Wednesday we had a lot of people

accepting Jesus as Savior. One of them

was the drunk man that I met as I entered

the town. That drunk man is now the

pastor and head of all the churches in

the area. He is not just the Shepherd in

this area, but also a very good friend of

mine and I really enjoy his company. He

is my good friend, Pastor Jerry.

We havent had a big outreach since

1997. In this outreach well be taking

enough sound, big lights and everything

that is needed to draw the whole town

to the meeting. The best thing that will

happen is that they can hear the message

of Gods unconditional love for them.

Im driving up alone. It is a four-day drive

if everything goes well.

Like some of you know, we have been

building a small mission station and put

in a borehole and some other things

that we would need that comes from the

Western world. Im sure well be able to

take some teams of people with nextyear to the western part of Zambia where

people are living very simple lives in the

middle of nowhere and are very hungry

for the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

I would like to thank everybody that has

contributed nancially towards this trip

for thats what makes it possible. I also

want to thank everybody that carries

us in your prayers because theresjust something dynamic about people

praying for us. We can experience the

power of prayer as we travel on these

roads into the middle of nowhere taking

the Gospel of Gods unconditional love

and the innocence of men to people who

have never heard it before.

In next months magazine we will have afull report on what has happened on this

outreach. Im super excited about what

is lying ahead.

Bertie Brits

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The Gospel FromGods Perspective

By Greg Henry


27/68

Greg Henry

Greg is the pastor o Gospel Revolution Church in Slidell, LA. He has a passion ordeclaring Christ and Him crucified and to see people experience the reedom that comesrom this truth.

For so long I only thought of the gospel

from the perspective of what Jesus

accomplished for me. I only looked atthe gospel from the perspective of what

I gained in the death, resurrection and

ascension of Jesus to the right hand

of God. I never considered what God

gained from what Jesus accomplished.

I never considered the gospel from

the perspective that God also gained

something in the death, resurrection and

ascension of Jesus to His right hand.

When I began to see the gospel from

Gods perspective and not just my own,

I found myself experiencing the love of

God in a much deeper and more profound

way than I ever had before in my life. I

began to see how valuable I was to God.

I began to see who I was to God, that

His desire was unto me, that He felt inHis heart to seek after me so He could

care for me, that He felt in His heart He

missed me when I was lost.

If we only see the nished work of Jesus

from our own perspective we see it as if

God did us some favor, as if God pitiedus in the sense that He felt sorry for us.

But that is not what happened. The Bible

does not say for God so felt sorry for the

world He gave His only Son. It says for

God so loved the world He gave His only

Son.

In no way am I making light of what

Jesus accomplished for me on the cross.I rejoice daily in what Jesus did on my

behalf, and the life and fellowship with

the Father I have been made a partaker

of in Him. But one day as I was rejoicing

over what Jesus did on my behalf and

the life He made me a partaker of I

heard God say to me, have you ever

considered what I gained in Christ and

Him crucied? Have you ever consideredwhat the death of Jesus accomplished

for me? I heard God say, as much as

you think you rejoice over what Jesus

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accomplished for you and what you

gained through Christ and Him crucied.

It pales in comparison to how much I

rejoice over what Jesus accomplished

for me, and what I gained because of

Christ and Him crucied.

God has a desire for His life and His

desire for His life is that there could

be someone so much like Him the two

could be one. And in that the two could

become one He could share His life with

them, and they could experience this

life together. And this is Gods idea of

eternal life. It is Gods picture of what the

highest quality of life there is for Him toexperience looks like.When God made

man He found what He was looking for.

He found someone that could satisfy His

hearts desire.

In the beginning was Gods logic of what

eternal life looked like and it included

union, fellowship, and intimacy with man.

The same intimacy and fellowship Jesusshares with the Father. Gods idea of

eternal life is not possible apart from

what Jesus accomplished at the cross.

In the gospel God has declared He could

never be satised with a life separated

from man. He has declared a life that

does not include union and fellowship

and intimacy with man, cannot satisfy

the passion in His heart for His life.

In the beginning when God reasoned with

Himself about the highest quality of life

there was for Him to experience, His end

conclusion about what that life looked

like can only be described as eternity with

man from the foundation and dynamics

of the intimacy found in the Godhead.

A life with man dened by the kind ofunion, intimacy, and fellowship that is

found in the Godhead is Gods denition

of eternal life. What Jesus accomplished

satised the passion in Gods heart to

become one with man, and share His life

with man for all eternity! And now God

cries out My cup runneth over! When I

think of this I feel loved!

In the beginningwas Gods logic ofwhat eternal lifelooked like and it

includedunion, fellowship,

and intimacywith man.

The sameintimacy and

fellowship Jesusshares with the

Father.

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THEGOSPEL

by Ed Elliot


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EdElliot

Ed Elliott is known, affectionately, as Te Vagabond Evangelist. He travels the worldsharing the love o God with everyone he meets. His adventures have taken him deepinto the jungles o Laos where he reached tribal groups with the gospel who have neverheard the name o Jesus. For many years he lived in Arica as a missionary. As a crusadeevangelist he saw millions come to aith in Christ. Working with the undergroundchurchs o Vietnam and Laos he has pioneered underground evangelism techniques

that have helped the church grow.

He is a writer, author and conerence speaker with a passion to bring the gospel to areasit hasnt been heard

I have been hearing a lot lately about this

so-called dangerous, feel-good gospel.I have heard well-known preachers

accuse other well-known preachers of

preaching a feel-good gospel. They

make the claim that those preaching this

so-called, feel-good message never

mention Gods wrath, repentance, sin, or

Gods law, a.k.a. the Ten Commandments.

Because these major issues are left out

of their so-called gospel message, theysay the gospel they preach is a false

one, only intended to make people feel

good, while still in their sins.

I have always admired the Bereans

and have always felt we should followtheir example by checking out the facts

when it comes to hearing what someone

preaches or teaches. In Acts we learn

that the Bereans heard Paul preach, but

they decided to search Gods word for

themselves to see if what he was saying

was true. Paul quoted the Old Testament

prophets many times in his proclamation

of the gospel and the Bereans couldeasily look them up to see if what Paul

had said was true and accurate.

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Now the Berean Jews were of more noble

character than those in Thessalonica for

they received the message with great

eagerness and examined the Scriptures

every day to see if what Paul said was

true. Acts 17:11

Today many believers seem to lack that

same sense of study and fact-checking

when it comes to verifying the biblical

accuracy of what some preachers

declare to be truth from Gods word.

Instead, they just parrot what they have

heard, assuming that it is all 100%

biblical. I wasnt raised like that. I was

blessed to have had a wonderful man of

God as a mentor who always challenged

me to see what the word of God said. He

would often tell us, Dont believe what Isay. Go check it out in Gods word. He

modeled what the Bereans practiced.

That man is with Jesus today, but I have

never forgotten his powerful lessons and

insights.

Lets take a closer look at the claim that

unless the gospel message contains

warnings of Gods wrath, a rebuke forsin, the demand for repentance of sin,

and the use of Gods laws, a.k.a. the Ten

Commandments, then the gospel has

not been properly preached because

to leave out any, or all of these major

points, would constitute a false gospel

one that has been claimed to be a feel-

good message.

Lets take a stroll through the book of

Acts to see what the apostles and Phillip

the evangelist preached. Lets see if they

preached the wrath of God, rebuke for sin,

the need to repent of all sin, and if they

used the law of God to convict people of

their sins. In my opinion, if anyone knew

what the pure gospel was, it would be

the apostles and Phillip. We should seek

to learn what they preached in order to

discover the parameters of the gospel.

What did they say to the lost they were

trying to reach with the gospel?

There are 19 sermons in the book of

Acts. These sermons provide plenty of

material for research in order to discover

if all the above major points were covered,

and how they were addressed to the

masses of their day. Over the years, I

have shaped many of my evangelistic

messages around what Paul, Peter andPhillip preached in the book of Acts. No

reason to reinvent the wheel, as I see

it. If it worked for them 2000 plus years

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than

those in Thessalonica for they received the message withgreat eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to

see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11

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ago, why not follow their same example

and preach what they did, today.

Lets see how they preached the wrath

of God in the Book of Acts. Remember,

the claim is that if this is not mentioned

in preaching the gospel, what is beingpreached is a feel-good message or

a watered-down gospel. Here is an

interesting discovery I made: the word

wrath is not mentioned once in the

book of Acts. So, the apostles and Phillip

never preached on Gods wrath at all.

When I point this fact out to these feel-

good critics, they often come back withPeters message on the day of Pentecost

in Acts 2:35, where he said, Until I

make my enemies my foot stool. They

assume that this is a reference to God

crushing or having wrath on those who

reject the gospel, a.k.a. unbelievers, but

is that what this verse is saying? The

apostle Paul seems to have a different

perspective on it.

In 1 Corinthians 15:25-28, Paul says

that the last enemy to be put underfoot

is death. Lets not forget that in Luke

6, Jesus taught that we should love our

enemies because God loves them. So,

it is highly unlikely that Peter was talking

about Gods wrath on people. Even

if you want to assume that Peter wastalking about Gods wrath, then one out

of nineteen sermons is the only time it is

mentioned. So that means the other 18

sermons fall into the feel-good category,

since wrath is never mentioned.

Think about this logically for a minute.

Is the gospel a re insurance policy? Is

that why some feel the need to mentionGods wrath as a motivator for getting

someone saved? 1 John 4:19 says that

we love God because God loved us

rst. In Romans 2, Paul says that it is

Gods goodness that leads people to a

place of repentance. Paul also tells us

in Galatians that faith works by love. It

is knowing Gods love that enables a

person to trust or have faith in God. Paul

didnt say that it is knowing or fearingGods wrath that would produce faith,

but that His love would.

The apostles and Phillip seemed to

understand this principle and used it to

draw people into a relationship with God.

In 2 Corinthians 5:19, Paul says that

God was in Christ reconciling the world

to Himself, not imputing their trespasses(a.k.a. sins) to them, and has committed

to us the word of reconciliation. This

might explain why the apostles didnt

preach against sin as some suppose,

but instead, preached that peoples sins

were forgiven. The apostles didnt preach

the problem; they preached the cure for

the problem. Well cover this more a little

later.

32

The apostles didntpreach the problem;

they preached the

cure for the problem.


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by Gregory Riether


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Gregory Riether

Greg Riether has been a pastor and teacher or 25 years. He is the ounder o GraceUnited (GraceUnited.org) and currently pastors Healing Grace Church in ulsa, Okla-homa. He is the author o Grace Revolution: A readers Companion to Hebrews, and

Te Aleph av Old estament.

He who has my commandments andkeeps them, it is he who loves me and he

who loves me will be loved by my Father

and I will love him and manifest myself

to him. John 14:21

This is a beautiful verse that has been

so misunderstood that it has brought

much guilt and condemnation on Gods

people. When we think of the word,commandments, people immediately

think of something that they must do.

But the Greek word here, entolay

simply means authoritative precepts.

See this for what it is saying. This is not

the list of dos and onts that Jesus is

saying you have to get right in order to

get Gods love from Him. No, these are

the authoritative precepts, (a precept isa principle

or a tenet). These are the authoritative

declarations that God has made over

your life, THROUGH JESUS (they areHIS authoritative precepts; the result

of His work on the cross). They are His

words over you.

What are you to do with His words over

you? You are to keep them.

Again, if you look at this from a works

mentality, you would think that Jesus istalking about doing everything right in

your life. But the rst meaning of this

word to keep means to guard from

loss.

Jesus is instructing us, in this verse, the

way that we come to experience His love

and the Fathers love. We experience

the love of the Godhead by hearing theauthoritative declarations of God over

us, and keeping these in our hearts and

minds, guarding them from loss.

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What are the divine, authoritative precepts

that the Father speaks over you (through

Jesus), that you are to guard from loss.

I declare you righteous apart from yourdoing! How about, I declare you holy.

God on his throne has spoken these

authoritative decrees. Guard them from

loss! I declare you righteous. I declare

you worthy. I declare you beloved. I

declare you family. I declare you son.

I declare you daughter. I declare you

good, I declare you pure, I declare you

powerful, I declare you perfect, I declareyou provided for. I declare you healed. I

declare you healed. I declare you healed.

I declare you whole. I declare you wise.

I declare you in Christ. I declare you a

new creature.

In reading these things, you have a

choice. You can either dismiss them and

allow them no weight in your mind andheart, OR you can receive them, meditate

on them, guard them from loss, and

believe that they are TRUE FOR YOU!! If

you keep these commandments, Jesus

guarantees that you will experience both

His love for you AND the love of the

Father. And more and more, you will

see Jesus in yourself; he will manifest

himself in you.

Praise the Lord!!

He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he

who loves me and he who loves me will be loved by my

Father and I will love him and manifest myself to him.

John 14:21

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HEALING GRACE

CHURCH

7777 South Lewis Avenue Tulsa, Oklahoma

+1 918-381-9382

www.HealingGraceTulsa.com


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MyFavor

iteWaytoPra

y

By

Annette Uys


37/68

Born and spent early childhood in Windhoek, Namibia. Graduated at the University oPotchestroom, and the University o Pretoria. Lectured in Arikaans/Dutch Literatureat the Pretoria College o Education. Married to Nico Uys early 2002 and since thenliving happily together in Cape own, South Arica. Annette has 2 children, both owhom were married within the last year and a hal. Saved as a 10 year old, but onlysince understanding true Grace during the past 5 years, has she got to know the real

character o the Father.

Many concepts taught about prayer,

or so called intercession, I nd difcult

to reconcile with the nished work ofJesus on the cross, which rst and

foremost brings peace and rest to our

souls. But recently I read about prayer

as a way to experience God. The writer

recommends that when youre getting

alone to pray you actually just need be

present, without too many words. To

measure the success of prayer is, in

his opinion, to be supercially concerned

about RESULTS, like we mostly have to

be in this world in doing our different kind

of jobs.

As opposed to this, prayer is essentially

a personal response to the love of

God...to simply BE alone with God, asthe beloved, without DOING anything -

without any pragmatic considerations.

This strikes a cord with me. It is true,

in essence prayer is simply: having a

conversation with God!

Im getting convinced that any other kind

of prayer is actually for the strengthening

of the believers faith, not for moving

Gods hand. Isnt His love and goodness

motivation enough for Him to make

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blessings manifest, especially as I have

already received all blessings in Jesus

(Eph 1:3)? However, prayer is good for

my emotional bonding with Father.

I think Numbers 10 may conrm this.

Here Moses received orders to make

two silver trumpets for several purposes,

i.e. (:9) for blowing an alarm when going

to war against the enemy - and ye shall

be remembered before the LORD your

God and ... be saved. Also in times

of gladness, solemn days (:10) andover your burnt offerings, and over the

sacrices of your peace offerings; that

they may be to you for a memorial before

your God.

I wonder: arent many believers praying

like this, believing that God will be

reminded of them and take heed? Surely

even here in Numbers 10 it could nothave been taken literally. Does God need

something to remind Him of his people?

Surely, it was the other way around. The

trumpets were purely for the benet of

the people - to remind THEM of God and

his promises, his faithfulness.

I believe that Jesus blew the trumpet

on the cross, once and for all. Sincethen He IS my memorial before the

Lord! Therefore I dont blow trumpets

and go to war anymore. He stands as

my representative in all kinds of prayer,

in solemnest and gladness, whether I

rejoice or momentarily panic in fear (as

happens!). My part always is to taste Hislove. Im joined with Him. Not for me to

war ever again. It has been done and

nished with. (Col. 2:15).

Victory is mine, today and always. To

STAY PUT in my faith is the only spiritual

battle left. Jesus IS my armour/battle

dress. I honour Him and keep my hands

off. When my faith and soul needsrefreshing I just need to go sit and talk

to Him.

Many concepts taught about prayer, or so calledintercession, I nd difcult to reconcile with the

nished work of Jesus on the cross, which rst andforemost brings peace and rest to our souls.

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Spreading Gods

NEWSLETTER

Love MINISTRIES


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FARMWORKERS CAMPS

We were in a very privileged position to have held three farm workers camps together

with Waterfall Ministries. It was really a wonderful experience. The Gospel was

ministered to them in a very basic, simple manner. Many of them are unable to read

or write and they appreciate the good news in any form ministered to them. One of

the camps was a Family camp, where it was wonderful to see how Father restores

many broken marriages. By Sunday many married couples eyes were lled with

tears, looking into each others eyes and pardoning each other for the past. Coupleshad the opportunity to wash each others feet and tears washed hearts and souls!

Wow!!! What a great privilege it was to share in all off this! Recently I was part of

a team who held a camp at Bonnievale. We once again experienced how Father

himself did a powerful work through the Holy Spirit in liberating people - without hours

of deliverance! Thanks to John Van Heerden managing all off it and for us to be part

of the team. I am convinced that by the Grace of we are going to work together a lot

in the future!

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WOLSELEY SECONDARY SCHOOL

We have been involved at Wolseley Secondary School for the past two years and are

in a privileged position to have our own classroom where we can minister to the kids!

We painted and made it more personal and started a coffee bar in the classroom.

Here the kids can share their hearts and been ministered to while they enjoy a cup ofcoffee. It is a privilege to share Gods love and experience how He works wonders in

the kids hearts and minds!

DVD nights: We had a few enjoyable Christian DVD nights at the school. 50 to 60

kids attended and enjoyed it very much. Unfortunately, during the winter with its cold,

rainy weather, we werent able to hold this healthy activity as often as we would have

liked to, because the kids have to walk to and fro the school. We trust however that

we will be able to continue with it during the summer months!

FEEDING SCHEME

We are very excited about the feeding scheme we were able to start. Thanks to Fathers

wonderful grace and the obedient, open hearts off our partners, we are able to feed +/-50 kids during the cold winter times. Thank you very much for everybodys contribution

in this regard. We can really see what difference it makes in many childrens lives! We

found a porridge that is specically formulated for feeding schemes. It is called feed

a child. This porridge contains many minerals and vitamins - 21 to be exact! Many

children starve of hunger because the main income in this area depends on seasonal

work. The majority of people dont have any income during the out season. Known to

most off us, a hunger child is a child who cannot concentrate. We are trying to feed

the children at least twice a week. We are very certain that well be able to increase

the amount of days per week to feed them in the future. If there are people who wouldlike to specically share in this part of the ministry, you are more than welcome and

it will be highly appreciated. The costs are R230/10kg bag of porridge. Donations

must be marked as nourishing scheme. Then we can more effectively help the kids.

Thanks once again for this.

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PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Initially Isebel was involved at one primary school where she, on a very simple but

effective way, told the children off Fathers good news. Because there is no religious

instruction in schools any more, they have very limited knowledge of the Bible, but

now have the opportunity to voluntarily get it during break! She started at Genesis 1and teaches them from the beginning and laying the foundation of Gods unconditional

grace and love. Although the available time is very little we trust the Lord that through

His Holy Spirit an impact is made on their lives in order to replenish their love tanks!

In the mean time, the Lord also opened a new door at the other primary school.

Initially the large group of 80 children was difcult and challenging to handle, but

through the Lords grace they became calmer and more receptive! Please pray with

us for wisdom, insight and patience, which only the Lord can provide!!

vgk childrens group

We started a childrens ministry group at a local church, the Full Gospel Church.Our vision is to get as many children as possible from different churches to gather

on Thursday afternoons. Here Isebel teaches them Fathers good news. We start

with an icebreaker game in order to let them forget all their sorrows and problems at

home for a while. We continue to build them up and give them spiritual and emotional

support and love. A good news Bible lesson, followed by a practical application, like

drawing, painting or gluing, are enjoyed so much, that it takes quite a while to wrap

everything up and to get home! We are whole-heartedly in this project and our prayer

is that His unconditional love will make a big difference in their lives!

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FARM OUTREACHES

We are still very involved at the farms. Everywhere we went we noticed that more

children than adults attend the meetings. Before we minister the Word to the adults,

Isebel shares something in a joyful manner to the kids on their level. This month we

were blessed with a basic music system which makes singing and preaching mucheasier and effective. Now we are able to show DVDs to the people on the farms

something we wanted to do for a long time. Because of the high illiterate rate people

are able to see and appreciate the good news in this way.

All honor and praise to the Lord! We thank each and everyone through whom this is

made possible. It is sincerely and highly appreciated!

Johann en Isebel Hurter

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Wedonot

needtoaskForg

iveness

By Marty Happle


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Marty Happle is the Resident Pastor o a International Bible School or pastors andleaders rom all over the world located in Sayreville, New Jersey. He, along with his wie,Susanna, have worked together or the last 6 years and enjoy imparting the message o

Grace and Love to all those they encounter.

Ephesians 1:7 clearly states that we

have forgiveness of sins. So I am not

saying we don't need forgiveness but it

went ahead of us before we ever needed

it. Sin has been dealt with and we should

no longer live in bondage to it. It clearly

states that in Romans 6. We DO need toreceive that forgiveness and allow that to

produce the life of God in us. We receive

it by faith. It is impossible to receive that

forgiveness without a revelation of His

unconditional love and acceptance of us.

God and Jesus do not want guilt to come

in between us, ever! Run to Him and His

grace will then produce the fruit of Christ

in which sin cannot come forth.

And for all of you theologians who are

turning to 1 John 1:9, let me help you out

there. This verse is used to say, "see,

you have to ask for forgiveness." Ok,

now let me ask you a question. Let's say

someone offends you or hurts you and

then you have had enough. You are angry

and decide that you will not forgive that

person. In the midst of this you mentionthis to a leader or pastor and tell them

that you have had enough and you can't

forgive this person any longer. What

would that believer, leader or pastor

suggest to you? Wouldn't anyone say

that you HAVE TO forgive that person?

Yes. Every mature believer would tell

you to forgive that person and let them

go. Then your response would be "butthey haven't asked me for forgiveness

so I am not going to forgive them until

they ask!" Then the advice will be, "no,

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you have to forgive even if they don't

ask." Am I correct here?? Well, then are

we better than God? We forgive without

people asking us because we have the

ability to trust in what Jesus did in us and

in that person and allow that forgiveness

to do the work in the relationship or even

to just be at peace. The same thing with

God. We only forgive one another and

have a peace about it because of what

Jesus did and His love in us. It's all aboutwhat Jesus did and us receiving it.

1 John 1:9 says to confess your sin.

Homologeo is the Greek word there and

it means to say the same thing God says

about it. Like our confession in every

area is just agreeing with God. So if you

see the fruit of esh coming alive in you

and not the fruit of Christ, it isn't grace tosay it is ok. God didn't design us to live

in sin and gave us a way out. So it isn't

about asking for forgiveness or feeling

sorry and punishing yourself by moping

around, it is about realizing that there is

a way out, not making an excuse for it

and then receiving that forgiveness and

allowing His righteousness to cleanse

us. People may be scared of their sinissue but John is saying: "Hey, call it

what it is, don't be afraid because He is

faithful to forgive and even provided a

way to help you not do it anymore, it's

called HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!!" When

HIS life, aka Grace, is living through us

we aren't bogged down with sin or a sin

consciousness.

Receive forgiveness, receive

righteousness, receive holiness, live

without guilt, you don't owe God and

most of all, RECEIVE HIS LOVE!!!

Receive forgiveness, receive righteousness, receive

holiness, live without guilt, you don't owe God and most

of all, RECEIVE HIS LOVE!!!

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DYNAMIC LOVE MINISTRIES

SUNDAY FELLOWSHIP

Bertie and Helena has a fellowship that meets every Sundaymorning. The fellowship is warm and inviting and full of God'sLove. Bertie shares the Word and afterwards we enjoy a cup ofcoffee together. It is located in Durbanville, Cape Town, in theWestern Cape province of South Africa. The meeting starts at10 am and ends around 11:30 am. If you need a place to meet

people that is like minded when it comes to the message of Hislove for us, this is the place for you. It will be such a joy to see

you there!

The meetings are held inside the Durbanville Conference Centre,27 WellingtonRd, Durbanville (across Agrimark).

If you need any information about the church meetings please

don't hesitate to contact our office.


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by Nico Uys

GOD OF THE


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Nico Uys grew up in the rural town o Lichtenburg South Arica. Graduated with aB.Com Honours degree in Financial Management rom the University o Johannesburg.Currently employed as a financial manager in Cape own. Married to Annette early2002 and since then blissully living in the mother city o South Arica, Cape own.Liberated rom a destructive law based belie in 2009 and now enjoying the pure and

unadulterated Gospel o Grace.

Breakthrough: an act of overcoming

an obstacle; a major achievement that

permits further progress; a sudden

advance in knowledge.

Many believers today believe that their

breakthrough is just around the corner

- were almost there!. Others believe

that prayer is their most powerful tool to

achieving a breakthrough in their lives -

we pray until something happens.

The fact is that unless we believe thetrue gospel of Jesus and realise that

everything has already happened,

we will wait our entire lives for some

breakthrough to manifest. We will spend

a great of amount of effort in working

some spiritual principle (e.g. tithing,

fasting & praying) to bring change to ourcircumstances. When we believe the

falsehood that breakthrough equates to

a change in our circumstances, it leads

to a life where we are never content

and at peace (for our circumstances

on this planet are never perfect). We

thus spend our lives discontented with

circumstances that do not change - living

as slaves to our circumstances.

Even though I was a believer, I spent a

great deal of my life being depressed -

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desiring a change in my circumstances.

Only upon nding peace in the gospel

of grace, did the depression lift from

me - and this in the midst of unchangingcircumstances.

Only when I understood (a sudden

advance in knowledge) and then believed

that the death and resurrection of Jesus

brought a perfect, completed and

unrelenting breakthrough even to me, did

I start to live in peace and victory. Even in

the midst of unchanging circumstances,did I start to experience peace, hope, joy

and victory. This ultimate breakthrough

being the life of God manifesting within

me, through faith in Jesus work and by

the power of the Spirit - effortless.

Isa 58:6-7 Is not this the fast that I

choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness,

to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the

oppressed go free, and to break every

yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the

hungry and bring the homeless poor into

your house; when you see the naked, to

cover him, and not to hide yourself from

your own esh?

The fast that Isaiah speaks about is a

prophecy of Jesus work on this earth.

We always assumed that He was telling

us what to do. However, Isaiah is not

telling US what to DO, he is pointing

us to Jesus and telling us to RECEIVE

our completed breakthrough from Him.

Jesus, who did not hide Himself fromHis own esh (we are His kind, created

in His image), walked among us, set us

free and brought us back into the house

(the family) of God.

Thus, we do not live as those oppressed

(having to see a change in our

circumstances) - we live as children of

the most high - soaring on eagles wingsabove the obstacles of this world.

Breakthrough: an act of overcoming an ob-stacle; a major achievement that

permits further progress; a sudden advancein knowledge.

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The Power ofRighteousness

by Dr Jim Richards


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Dr.Jim RichardsDoctor, Author, Speaker, Pastor, Musician. Jim's resources are designed or people

who love God but are tired o religious games.Website: www.impactministries.com

Regardless of our theological position,

the one Biblical reality we cannot escape

is this: everything that occurs between

men, as well as between God and man

is the fruit that grows from the soil of

the heart. Our evil words and deeds as

well as our good deeds ow from theabundance of our heart (Lk. 6:45). Based

on what God said to Samuel when he

was sent to anoint David as king over

Israel, God Himself, is a heart God! For

the Lord does not see as man sees; for

man looks at the outward appearance,

but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Sam

16:7).

Our relationship with Jesus begins with

believing the truth about His resurrection

in our heart, not accepting and approving

the facts in our intellectual minds.

Hebrews tells us it is impossible to please

God without faith (Heb. 11:6), and faith is

an issue of the heart. In fact, the heart is

the seat of all of our root feelings: love,

joy, fear and etc.!

Throughout the Old Testament God

never meant for man to attempt to live

under the law as a means to be made

righteous. He wanted them to trust and

obey His wisdom so they would live the

best quality of life possible. The result

would be to love God with all their heart

(Dt. 6:5)!

Whether Old Testament or New

Testament, God has always shown

Himself to be a heart God. Behavior has

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never been our righteousness; it has

always been the fruit of the beliefs of the

heart! Even righteousness is a matter of

the heart! For with the heart man believes

unto righteousness (Rom. 10:10).

In spite of this, the rst question aperson asks, when they have a problem

is, What do I need to do? And all too

often, the rst advice we give is, This

is what you need to do! Unwittingly, we

have made the focus of our ministry to

others, primarily behavioral modication.

Dont misunderstand; if your behavior

is destruction, you need to change your

behavior to reduce the conict in yourlife. But changing your behavior in no

way solves the root of your problem.

Behavior modication is based on

force, will power and personal effort.

The problem with personal effort is one

day we will get tired of putting forth

the effort. Or, we encounter a problem

that is greater than our will power. Ourstrength is limited! Sadly, this is where

most committed believers live. They do

the best they can for as long as they

can; then one day they dont have the

strength. They fail. After wallowing in

guilt and shame they eventually get up

and recommit. Then they repeat the

same cycle over and over.

If we want their behavior to change, by the

Gods power, which has no limit, which

never wanes, it must occur by addressing

the beliefs of the heart. Christians must

believe they are righteous, because they

are in Jesus. This alone, is the key that

releases Gods power into our life! Grace

is Gods strength, ability, power and

capacity, and comes by unmerited favorand WORKS IN THE HEART! Grace

makes us able to do, what we cannot do

in our own strength!

Contrary to popular thought, grace

doesnt manifest because we believe in

the doctrine of grace. Grace manifests

because we believe we are righteous

in Christ. Grace reigns through

righteousness (Rom 5:21). When we

believe in our heart that we are righteousin Christ, grace (Gods ability) gives us

the power to live in righteousness.

Remind people: they are in Christ, their

old man is dead, they are a new creation

and they are righteous because they are

in Jesus. Believing the truth will produce

fruit that remains!

53

Remind people:they are in Christ,their old man isdead, they are a

new creation andthey are righteous

because they arein Jesus. Believingthe truth will

produce fruit thatremains!


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NO MORE SCORECARDS

by Steve McVey


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SteveM

cVey

Steve McVey is the President o Grace Walk Ministries, a discipleship training ministrylocated in the ampa Bay area. He is the author o the books Grace Walk, (HarvestHouse, 1995) Grace Rules, (Harvest House, 1998), Grace Amazing (Harvest House,January, 2001), A Divine Invitation (Harvest House, July, 2002), Te Godward Gaze(Harvest House, 2003), Te Grace Walk Experience (Harvest House Publishers 2009),Walking in Te Will o God (Harvest House, 2009), Journey Into Intimacy (Grace WalkResources, LLC 2008) 52 Lies Heard in Church Every Sunday (Harvest House 2011)

and Helping Others Overcome Addiction (co-authored with Mike Quarles - HarvestHouse 2012). Over 550,000 copies o Steve's books have been published in fifeenlanguages. He and his wie, Melanie live in Atlanta. Tey have our adult children and

three grandchildren.

I seldom play golf anymore. Occasionally,

if Im with somebody who loves the

game, Ill play a round with him. Playing

golf with me will test a persons patience.

You can learn a lot about a man playing

golf with him.

To some people golf is a game. For

others, its a sport. I drive those peoplecrazy. Theyre the ones whose adrenalin

production triples the second their hand

touches a club. They hurriedly tee up their

ball, violently drive it down the fairway,

jump into the cart as fast as they can and

drive at breakneck speed to get to the

ball so they can slam it again. They act

as if theyre paying to play by the second.

Meanwhile, Im off in the rough looking

for my ball that sliced like a boomerang.

When I rst played golf, it drove me crazy.I tried so hard to hit it straight and to hit

it far, but couldnt do either. Compared to

most of the guys I played with, I felt like a

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little girl playing with her daddys power

tools. I just couldnt do it well, Keep your

head down, well-meaning partners told

me dozens of times. The only way I could

have kept my head down was to set a

ve-gallon bucket on my shoulders.

I became more and more frustrated. I

thought I had to do well. Trying harder

to perfect my game only added to the

frustration and made matters worse.

One day, after knocking my third ball

straight into the water in front of me the

water everybody else had cleared in one

shot the thought crossed my mind that

I should throw the golf bag and all theclubs into the water and forget the whole

thing. I resisted and a few moments later,

something miraculous took place.

I was on the eleventh tee and was

waiting for my friend to hit when I looked

around. For the rst time, I really noticed

the surrounding area. The grounds were

perfectly groomed; the woods around uswere brilliant with fall colors. The water

hazard down the fairway looked like a

serene, peaceful pond where a person

would want to build a home and sit out

front just looking around for hours.

Suddenly something inside me changed.

Hitting my ball straight and long didnt

matter anymore. I stopped caring aboutmy score. I just began to enjoy being

outside in this beauty. I began to enjoy

the company of my friends. I nished the

game experiencing a kind of pleasure I

hadnt known since I was a child.

Since that day, I dont care about my

score anymore. I think I shoot around

115, but I dont count my bad shots. Idont care. The scorecard doesnt matter

anymore. Now I play just to enjoy my

friends and nature and the game.

I think thats how we ought to live our

lives. For years I focused on my swing. I

lived with the demand to do it right. My

performance was all that really mattered.

I kept meticulous watch on myself,

scoring my actions at every moment.It was a frustrating experience. I never

felt that Id be able to reach the level of

performance that I saw in those to whom

I compared myself.

Then one day something wonderful

happened. My eyes were opened to

grace. I came to see that God wasnt

keeping score on me anymore. What aliberating truth to understand and believe!

There is no divine scorecard! Our God

doesnt keep score. Do you want to enjoy

life to the fullest? Then stop keeping

score on yourself! Your Father accepts

you just the way you are.

So, relax. Enjoy whats around you. Takein the scenery. Revel in the relationships

you have. Go easy on yourself. You

may never qualify for the Masters in life.

Thats okay. Just enjoy the game. Thats

what your Father wants most for you.

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There is no

divine

scorecard!

our God doesnT

keep score.


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PHYSICAL HEALING

57

Hey Bertie. I just want to thank you for

your awesome heart. I've received many

prophetic words that has broke me and

your messages have brought healing.

I had a pain in my left ear and it was

so painful. I listened to your teaching

and in the teaching you said that there

is someone who has pain in your left

ear. God is healing you now. The paindisappeared out of my LEFT ear!!!!

- Nina -

I just have to share this DLM testimony

with you.

A friend send me a message yesterday

telling me that her friends cancer hadreduced with 70-80 %. This friend of

her is for the moment living in Dubai,

but was now back home in Norway to

do this check up for her cancer, and

was surprised about how well it was

going. She had told my friend that this

had probably something to do with her

medication, and what she eats, but also

something to do with the teaching ofBertie Brits. My friend, you are reaching

Norway, and I'm so excited about it. God

bless!

- Ann-Elin (Norway) -

Thank you very much for the birthday

wish DLM team! I am so spoilt by our

Abba Father to be introduced to this truth!

The 5 minute bible school was the best

thing that happened to me this year! The

best thing since sliced bread! What could

be more exciting to nd one's inclusion

in His riches and His life! I also keepthanking God for His Grace and being

healed from arthritis through listening to

Bertie's CD's.

While visiting my 84 year old mom, I took

her to your church service in Belville.

She was prayed for and I believe God

has healed her. During our stay she

watched sermons of Bertie sharing theGood News. When I left to come back

to Johannesburg, my mom said she had

a new revelation that it's all about Christ

in us! I was also so blessed watching

Bertie's sermon at Safe Harbour

conference in the States in February. It

was so exciting to hear the truth like that,

how we bring the gospel in simplicity!

You ministry is clearly a demonstrationof the love, liberation and rest that can

only be through the completed work on

the cross. Will keep praying for all of you,

and know God has blessed you with His

fullness.

- Anonymous -


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The Oceans

of

Gods Grace

byVic Porter


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VicPorter

Vic Porter has been ministering to people across the United States and overseas orthirty years. His message o aith and grace paints a picture o reedom or the hearer.He has a unique way o showing people how the cross brings us, not only eternal lie;but, also, reedom rom a belie system that requires us to perorm to become something

we already are.

He is the author o Te Institute o Sel Worth, A Curriculum or Lie Volume I and II,and the book Borrowed Offenses.

Several years ago I asked the Lord for a

simple, easy to understand denition ofGods grace. This is what He gave me:

Oceans of Grace

Have you ever wondered how much

grace is available to meet your needs?

Picture yourself in the middle of the

ocean. All you can see for miles and

miles is water. God takes you by yourhands, dips you into the water and then

pulls you out. The amount of water it took

to get you wet is the amount of grace

you have experienced. The amount of

water left is the amount of grace thatsavailable to meet your needs.

Pouring You Out

In John 10:9 Jesus said that He is the

door. He isnt a door He is the door.

There are many doors but there is only

one who is The Door. In Malachi 3:10 we

nd an interesting verse that has greatermeaning than our money. I call this Vics

Translation.

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Malachi 3:10: Bring ye all the tithes

into the storehouse, that there may be

meat in mine house, and prove me now

herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will

not open you the windows of heaven,

and pour you out a blessing, that there

shall not be room enough to receive it.

Remember, Jesus said He was the door

and this verse is talking about windows.

Now lets read from Vics Translation:

Malachi 3:10: Bring ye all the tithes

into the storehouse, that there may

be meat in mine house, and prove me

now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts,if I will not open you, (added comma)

the windows of heaven, and pour you

out a blessing, that there shall not be

room enough to receive it. Notice the

added comma. The greater meaning

of this verse is you. I do not want to

take away from the importance of giving,

but I believe the primary focus isnt your

money, but you.

If Jesus is the door, we could be the

windows. God pours out His blessings

on others through the Body of Christ.

What God wants to do is to ll you up with

His identity and then pour you out into

the lives of others. When this happens,

there isnt room enough to receive the

blessings that come to you and thoseyou bless.

People are always watching the believer

to see if we have something they want

or need. People are window shopping.

When they see the peace of God working

in our lives through our window they

want what we have. Then we can direct

them to go through The Door.

Lying Against the Truth

How does a Christian lie against the

truth? James 3:14 tells us to lie not

against the Truth. In Hebrews 10:14 the

Word tells us that our re-created spirit

is perfect. This being the case, your re-

created spirit contains the Truth of the

Word. However, our soul or heart isnt

perfect and has to be renewed to the

Word or Truth. In I Peter 1:9 Peter tellsus that the way we receive the end of

our faith is through the salvation of our

souls. The salvation of our soul takes

place when we renew our mind to the

Word or Truth.

Our soul consists of our mind, will,

emotion, thoughts, and feelings. Our

spirit is re-created but our mind has tobe renewed. When a believers soul or

mind isnt renewed to the Word or Truth,

it will follow the path of least resistance,

which is the direction of the esh. When

your soul goes in the opposite direction

than your spirit would go, thats lying

against the Truth. However, when your

soul or mind knows the Word, you are

in agreement with your re-created spiritand you dont lie against the Truth thats

in your spirit.

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What God wantsto do is to fill you

up with His identityand then pour youout into the lives of

others.


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Victory for

byLewis Yanez

Everyday Life


62/68

Lewis Yanez

Let me start by saying, you and I alreadyhave the victory. Realizing that we

already have it because Jesus obtained

it is the truth that allows us to experience

victory. I hear so many people ask me,

Pastor if this is true, why am I still

struggling with such and such? Ive been

listening to the message, Ive been going

to meetings, but its just not clicking. I

feel like Im swimming through cement.Maybe youve felt like that before or are

experiencing that even now. Let me say,

there is nothing wrong with you. In fact,

many times, people feel like they are

the only ones going through this and

they either begin having the emotion of

shame, start ruling their lives, or get back

into works mode. All will rob you of the

victory in your everyday life. Paul said

God Always leads us in victory in Christ

Jesus. God has no dead end streets to

take us down. He always leads us to thewealthy place.

I think so much emphasis has been

taking off of man these last couple years

that many are led to believe that there is

nothing on mans part to do. When I say

do, Im not talking doing to become

but doing because we are. The greatest

word the Lord ever spoke to me outside ofscripture, (yes I still believe in scripture)

was 13 years ago as I was driving. He

said: Lewis, you are only nding out

who you have always been. That blew

me away because for the rst time as a

believer, I was experiencing victory in my

life. I remember saying, Lord, you mean

Ive always been a champion? And he

said yes. So what was the problem

these 7 years prior to this? Life was up

on the mountain one day down in the

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Lewis Yanez is the Pastor o Abundant Grace Church.


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valley the next. Victory was something I

thought only a few select, highly anointed

people, experienced. That mentality had

me insecure and dependent on man and

to be honest, it stunk. I hated it. I felt like

such a failure.

You might be asking, So where did it

all change? How did it click for you and

what did you do? Well the truth is, a

persuasion was birthed inside of me. I

began becoming persuaded of what God

said about me. I saw myself the way He

saw me. I spoke over my life what He

spoke about me. I sought not to create

something that wasnt already true aboutme, but to declare what God already

knew about me. Paul said, We believe,

therefore we speak. He also said, The

word is near you. Its in your heart and in

your mouth. The more I heard the gospel,

the more I declared the gospel, the more

I became persuaded of the gospel. I

began to really believe that everything

was nished and accomplished byJesus. Its amazing how this message

creates an image on the inside of us so

powerful that it brings effortless change.

Its like the more I discover, the more this

persuasion just seems to grow inside of

me. The doing part for me was just the

discovering of the truth. I discovering

it didnt create it, but it did allow me to

experience it. Ive always said, If this isonly positional truth and doesnt actually

work in everyday life, then what the heck

am I wasting my time for? But the truth

is, it does impact everyday life. Jesus

came to give us Abundant Life. Paul

said it this way, Those who receive

the abundance of grace and the gift of

righteousness, they shall reign in life by

Jesus Christ. Man, thats what Im talkingabout, reigning in This Life! Not later, but

now. Victory is ours today. Jesus al

influence magazine 2013 11

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