Stepping out in faith

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me." (Galatians 2:20)

Things in Latvia are changing for our family's mission as the Lord is sending us out from two church groups that we have been serving. Now we feel free to focus to our original calling: preaching the gospel to the lost, making disciples of new believers and planting a new church for the glory of God in Latvia.

And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man's foundation; but as it is written, "THEY WHO HAD NO NEWS OF HIM SHALL SEE, AND THEY WHO HAVE NOT HEARD SHALL UNDERSTAND." (Romans 15:20-21)

First, God answered prayer for a graceful exit from the Russian church in Ogre that we had been helping since May 2008. Pastor Vadim came back from his trip to America and let me share last Sunday about how the Lord is leading us forward in our mission.

And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. (Acts 13:2-3)

The other group we are leaving is in Ikskile, consisting mostly of believers who go to a Latvian Baptist church in Ogre. Since January 2008 I had been teaching through Acts on Wednesday and we all hoped that we would see a revival in this city of 7,000 and a new church would be born on Resurrection Sunday. But even though hundreds heard the gospel in Ikskile and a few received it, the church didn't grow.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15:58)

We decided to continue offering Sunday services to the city hoping that it would take root as I taught faithfully through the gospel of Mark every Sunday for 6 months. I had 2 faithful translators and 2 faithful Sunday school teachers, but there was no one to teach except for the small group that has been praying for revival for 10 years. I decided I would be committed to feeding them the word of God and equip them to preach the gospel with me. But we were not all on the same page, some resisted my emphasis on teaching and equipping, while others where hungry for it.

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. " (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

So again I sought to clarify our vision for planting a Bible teaching church this time attaching the name "Kalvarijas draudze" or "Calvary church". Now there are a few young people that are committed to studying the Bible with us, but none of them live in Ikskile. Those who live in Ikskile are no longer willing to plant a new church and want to change the emphasis of their home fellowship back to prayer for revival. So since God is leading us in different directions, we will be moving the Bible studies to our house in Ogre for those who are hungry for the Word. It reminds me of the book of Acts when Paul had to leave the synagogue but other effectual doors were opened to him.

"But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus." (Acts 19:19)

So, Sunday September 28 will be our last service at the Culture Hall in Ikskile. For those who want to continue, we plan to finish the book of Acts on Wednesday and finish the gospel of Mark on Sunday from October to November in the warmth of our home. In December, we will be visiting our home church in California but we will be back by January, in order to begin an exciting plan to study through the Bible in 2009. But it is getting late, so I'll tell you about that next time.

"Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires" (2 Timothy 4:2-3)

Video of Brenten preaching the gospel

This is the gospel message I preached on March 23, 2008 at the house of culture in Ikskile. No one indicated they repented as a response but my hope is that the word of God that I shared would one day bear fruit in changed lives.

Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. James 1:21

Thanks to Ansis Imaks and his team at Kristus Gaisma TV, the Easter Sunday outreach was filmed, edited, shown on local Ogre TV and posted at www.kristusgaisma.lv. He gave me permission to copy it and share it at imeem.com and here.

Tas Kungs patiesi augšāmcēlies!

The Lord is really risen!

Thank you all for praying for our Resurrection Sunday service in Ikšķile, Latvia. We had a great turn out, over 100 people came to the culture house for our Christian concert and evangelistic message. There were even a handful of kids that enjoyed the children's ministry. Lena was part of the children's ministry team as I preached the gospel to the adults from 1 Corinthians 15.

I felt the Spirit give me boldness to preach the gospel, why Jesus died for us on the cross and how His resurrection is significant to our salvation. I preached about sin according to the law, about God's righteous judgment, about what Christ did to save us, and about the need to respond to the gospel with faith and repentance, but no one wanted to pray to receive Christ as there Savior and Lord. However afterward I talked with two teary eyed teenage girls who were invited by a grandmother in our church, it seems one was convicted but was not ready to commit to following Christ and the other is a professing Christian concerned for her friends eternity. I am kind of discouraged that no one responded right then and there but I am encouraged that so many heard the gospel and seeds were sown. I am reflecting on how I could have done a better job as a sower of seed, but I also know that only God is able to make it grow and the response also has to do with the state of the hearers' hearts (as in the parable of the 4 types of soils). Perhaps it is better that they didn't spring up at this first opportunity, they need time to count the cost of discipleship. Perhaps the double edged sword of God's word was tearing up soil of their hearts so that the seed of God's word would take deeper root.

Let us pray that the enemy doesn't steal the memory of this message but that God's Spirit will continue to convict the unbelieving world of sin, righteousness and judgment concerning Jesus Christ. So at the end of the day, after all the effort that went into the event, I am disappointed there were apparently no conversions and I wish I was a better communicator but then I look up at my God with assurance that His word will not return void (Isaiah 55:10-11) and our labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). Please also pray for us to have God's perspective as we prepare for our 2nd Sunday at the culture house in Ikskile. Thanks, good night. - Brenten

Prayer Letter

Dear friends, family and praying Christians,

I am writing to ask you to pray for us because we are stepping out in faith to a new city where God is leading us to evangelize and plant a church. I am still teaching the Russian speaking church in Ogre, but we also desire to reach the Latvian speaking city of Ikšķile with God's word. Easter Sunday (March 23) we will be having an evangelistic event in Ikskile, Latvia at the Ikšķile culture center that seats 180 people. Our Bible study group is inviting the whole city to come hear the gospel and a concert. We also have reserved this venue the following Sunday to begin church services for new believers. Will you pray for us, please?

March Prayer Requests

1. CHURCH - Pray that God would speak through me on our Resurrection day outreach, to save souls and to add them to the church.
2. FINANCES - needs are increasing and support has been decreasing. Pray that we will have enough to cover all our needs and expanding ministries.
3. HEALTH - Lena, Caleb, Lily and I all have colds or coughs. Pray for us to be healed soon by God's grace.
4. LANGUAGES - our Latvian teacher may be getting another job soon, pray for God's will concerning our progress in speaking in Latvian and Russian.
5. MISSIONS - God is calling Dennis and Frank to Latvia in August for a short evangelistic trip.. Pray for others considering joining the team to have clear calling this month.

Financial support (checks or credit card forms ) can be delivered to:

Calvary Chapel Monterey Bay
3001 Monterey-Salinas Hwy
Monterey, CA 93940

*make checks payable to "Calvary Chapel" but attach a separate note saying "for the Powers Latvia mission"

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support!

Brenten and Lena Powers
Missionaries in Latvia
www.calvarylatvia.com

Apustuļu darbi 4:1-22

Here is a photo from our Wednesday Bible study and a link to the MP3. Our journey through the Acts of the Apostles continues with the believers in Iskile. Acts 4 gives us the different reactions of the people to the preaching of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. There were thousands that believed and were added to the church but there were those who rejected Jesus who were "greatly disturbed" and threatened the apostles not to teach anymore in Jesus name.

The same is true today, there may be a few thousand believers in Latvia but there are a couple million people who think that God is contained in a cathedral and does not belong in public discussion. Even some religious leaders discourage the direct preaching of the gospel of Jesus in public saying it's not going to work like that in our day in our culture. Remember when Peter fished all night and caught nothing, but at Jesus' word he let out his nets again and caught so many fish it was hard to handle. It was a lesson about fishing for men and like Peter, we understand it is obedience to God to preach the gospel and we believe that God has ordained to use to public proclamation of the truth to broadcast the gospel seed and trust that it won't return void but that God will draw the people to Jesus. If we faithfully and clearly present the gospel and it is not received, is it because the gospel is unacceptable or is it because the hearts are hard and unreceptive?

God gave us a plan for an evangelistic concert and gospel message in Ikskile for March 23 (Easter Sunday) and God has opened a door for us in the center of Ikskile to use the culture house or set up a sound system outside if it's good weather. Although some church people are opposed to such a public service we do have the support of the Latvian Evangelical Alliance and a few believers in Ikskile who do desire to reach their community with the gospel. There are many obstacles for pioneering a new church plant but greater than all the obstacles is our living God.

Apustuļu darbi 3

Here is the teaching from chapter three of the Acts of the Apostles with Latvian translation for those who subscribe to the podcast. Or you can download the MP3 here.

Apustuļu darbi 2:42-47

Wednessday, February 6, I taught Acts 2:42-47 in Ikskile. You can download the MP3 here. The text describes how the Lord added to the church those who were being saved. We focused on the model for the church found in Acts 2:42 to continue in 4 things:

1. The apostles teaching - for the equipping of the believers and growin in knowledge of Christ, we can New Testament
   
2. Fellowship - Sharing and having common
   
3. Breaking of bread - could mean eating meals together, remembering Christ's broken body and responding in worship.
   
4. Prayers - Communication with God
   

One thing that didn't make it on the MP3 is how Acts 2 illustrates the foundational teaching about baptisms (Hebrews 6:1-2)

1. In Acts 2:4, 17, 32 and 33 we see Jesus baptizing the disciples in the Holy Spirit and made them witnesses (see also John 1:33, Acts 1:5-8)
2. In Acts 2:38 and 41 we see the apostles baptizing new believers in water making them disciples (Matt 28:19). Water baptism does not save but it symbolizes our identification with Christ's death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4, Col 2:12, 1 Peter 3:21).
   
3. In Acts 2:42-47 we see the Spirit of the Lord baptizing all Christians into the body of Christ making them members of the church (see 1 Corinthians 12:13). This is the "one baptism" all true believers have in common (Ephesians 4:5) since some truely saved people have not been baptised in the Holy Spirit or have not been baptised in water, for example the thief on the cross to whom Jesus said, "Today you will be with me in Paradise" Luke 23:43.
   

Easton's Bible dictionary says that the baptisms in Acts "suggests the idea that it was by dipping the person baptized, i.e. by immersion." Therefore we seek to be obedient to Christ by being immersed in water, in the Holy Spirit and in the church. They say the best way to learn a language is not just studying the books but to be immersed in the culture. Isn't it also true that the way to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ is not just by studying the Bible ourselves, but by being immersed in the new testament church that continues in His teaching, fellowship, worship and prayer? The word "church" in Greek is "ek-klesia" which means "out-called" in other words, Jesus is calling believers to come out into the public gathering in His name. Get plugged in, get immersed in the church. If you are a part of the body of Christ then live like it, be blessed and be a blessing.

Apustuļu darbi 2:22-41

Last Wednessday in Ikskile, I taught Acts 2:22-41 focusing on Peter's presentation of the gospel on the day of Penticost. The gospel messages in Acts are great examples for us in preaching a Jesus centered message, based on the Scriptures and allowing the Holy Spirit to bring conviction to the hearers hearts. Next week we will see how the Lord added to the church those who were being saved. You can download the MP3 here.

Apustuļu darbi 2:1-22

Acts 2:1-21 is the story of when the Holy Spirit was poured out and led to the birth of the church. After this teaching we talked for another hour about spiritual experiences that some in the group believe are from God but have no Biblical support for. I tried to warn people about this but unfortunately much of the "word of faith" movement has already crept into Latvia through TV evangelists Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and the New Generation church's apostle Alexej Lidjaiv and the Toronto blessing. What a shame that such "signs" like falling down and laughing and other manipulative schemes have been imported while sound Bible teaching is slow to take root. God help us to discern the true work of the Spirit in our lives for the health of the church, for the sake of the lost and for Christ's name sake. Please pray for the Word of God to spread in Latvia. P.S. You can download the MP3 here: http://www.archive.org/download/Acts2a/Acts2v1-21_64kb.mp3

Apustuļu darbi 1:9-26

The second Bible study (Acts 1:9-26) in Ikskile went well last night. It is exciting to teach people that are hungry to learn the Word of God. Here is a link to find the audio recording in different formats: http://www.archive.org/details/Acts1v9-26

Apustuļu darbi 1:1-8

January 9th, we started our new weekly Bible study in Ikskile with Acts 1:1-8. My desire is to build up the body of Christ through the teaching of the Word. As I prepared to teach, I was concerned with how they would receive it, but the Lord encouraged me just to be faithful teach it "rightly dividing the word of truth" and let His Spirit work in the hearts of His people. God was faithful and blessed His word and afterward about 10 of the 15 people came forward wanting the baptism of the Spirit. We recorded the teaching for those who were not able to be there, so you can download the MP3 here or you can listen now in streaming audio.

Word for the New Year

As the clock struck midnight and the fireworks blasted in the new year, I was in the city of Ikskile with Dainis (a youth pastor) and his youth group seeking first the kingdom of God. After the fireworks faded, we prayed and waited to hear God's still small voice (1 Kings 19:11-12). The Holy Spirit spoke to us through the scriptures he gave us, then we encouraged one another with these words. Here are some of the verses God gave us:

• Psalm 91
• Jeremiah 29:11
• John 1:8
  
• John 14:16-17
  
• Acts 1:8
  
• Romans 8:1-4
• 2 Peter 1:3
  

These scriptures seemed to have common themes and gave each of us vision for 2008. For me, Acts 1:8 was a confirmation that I am called to be testify of Jesus Christ in this region, and that He will give me the power to fulfill this calling. So may the Spirit of God continue to work through the Word of God in the hearts of the people of God this year!

Pray for Ikšķile

Wednesday night I went to a prayer meeting in Ikskile, Latvia with Dainis, his wife (Liena) and her mom who built this sanctuary attached to her house. She has been praying for 10 years for a church to be formed in Ikskile and in faith remodeled her green house into a sanctuary that can seat 40 people. Ikskile is a growing city of 7,000 people, situated in the Ogre region, only 28 kilometers from Riga, the capitol of Latvia. Ikskile is the oldest city in Latvia and is the first place that Christianity reached over 800 years ago. Today the only evangelical church is the Lutherin church and the Catholics are building a women's monastery.

Those at the meeting attend a Latvian speaking church in Ogre on Sundays but all agree that their city needs a church that teaches the Word of God. I will share more later about the meeting and these believers, but for now I can say that the Lord seems to be opening a door in this city for us to start a Bible study there in the near future.

There is Snow in Latvia

This is the day that Caleb has been waiting for the last 2 years. Finally, a chance to throw snowballs at Daddy. And there was enough snow on the ground to build a snowman and make snow angels.







We also went for a drive to the near by town of Ikskile. We are praying about starting a Bible study there too. There are many private houses in Ikskile (as opposed to apartment buildings).
And we found a nice park for the kids. And don't forget Lily, not as excited to be out in the cold, but she still enjoyed getting out.