Jesus in Genesis

This past Sunday, I finished teaching through the book of Genesis in Riga and Ogre and now the recordings are posted here. For those of you who have been reading along, you can listen and leave coments below. Sorry I didn't post them sooner, I will try to post our next series of studies in Exodus within 3 days after the Sunday it was recorded on. I haven't had as much time to keep up with the blogging as much as I inteded to, but God gave me much to say as I prepared for these messages. I hope you are blessed as you listen.

Here are the links to each MP3 (left click to listen, right click to save):

• Jesus in Genesis Intro
  
• Jesus in Genesis 1-12
  
• Jesus in Genesis 12-29
• Jesus in Genesis 30-50
  

Listen to all the messages together here: streaming audio or download all MP3s

In Genesis we discovered Jesus in many Messianic prophecies, appearances of Christ, types and shadows of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. Our faith in the Word of God was strengthened and we have come to Jesus who is the Eternal the Word, God the Son, the Creator of all things, the second Adam, the Seed of the woman, the Lamb of God, the Ark of our salvation, the Seed of Abraham, Like Isaac obedient to the point of death, Jacob's ladder to Heaven, Lion of the tribe of Judah, the exalted Savior like Joseph, the Beginning and the End, YHVH, El Shadai, Shiloh and Yeshua. Our Jesus has fulfilled gospel preached to Abraham by giving his life for us, blessing every nation by turning us from our sin and justifying us by grace through faith.

Now we look forward to discovering Jesus in Exodus! But don't forget to leave your comments about Jesus in Genesis here.

Brenten's Testimony

I would like to share my testimony. My name is Brenten Powers, I was born January 28, 1977 in Sacramento California. My parents were following the Lord at the time but after a few years they divorced. My mom married an agnostic man and I grew up with my mom and step-dad. So we didn’t go to church unless I was visiting my grandparents. My grandparents were the best example in my life because they were faithful to the Lord in all they did. My grandfather was a pastor (before I was born) at a small Mennonite church in the small town of Reedley California.

• How I first believed
  

At the age of 7, I first heard the gospel and put my faith in Jesus Christ to save me. I did that a couple of times that year. First of the two times I was at a [Good News Club] in my neighborhood. My neighbors were this old couple, the woman’s name was Betty, she had all the kids over in the neighborhood to share with them the good news, how to be saved. I remember learning John 3:16 there:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have eternal life. John 3:16.

And I never forgot that verse and I never forgot praying to ask Jesus in to my heart. But later that year I did pray again to ask Jesus in to my heart at another children’s outreach called Vacation Bible School at my grandparents’ church. But the reason why I prayed and asked Jesus into my heart that time was, not because I felt convicted about my sin or I wasn’t sure that I was going to heaven or not, really I did it because I wanted to get a free Bible. (: I saw them giving Bibles to the other kids who were praying. So that wasn’t the best motivation. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong in praying again. But my understanding as a seven year old was not very deep of course. I knew and I believed that Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose from the dead and that if I believe in Him then I would have eternal life.

• Calling myself a Christian
  

But after Vacation Bible School I went back home with my mom and step-dad and my sister. My sister also was excited by the Vacation Bible School, she would make me sing all the songs that we learned there, over and over again until I would just get sick of it. (: But our understanding as children wasn’t very deep and growing up in a non Christian - not a church going family, we kind of strayed from the Lord, both my sister and I. When I was about 13 years old, I started going to church again with my friend because I wanted to go skateboarding with him after church. But at the same time I was living a life like a non-Christian. I didn’t understand that being a Christian means more than believing intellectually that Jesus is alive and able to save you, but it’s putting your faith in Him in order to save you – not just so you can go to heaven when you die but to save you from the practice of sin, to save you from actually sinning, to keep you from sinning. You know 1 John is written to you so you may not sin. Jesus wants to save us not only from the consequences of sin but from sin itself which destroys our lives. But I wasn’t taught, I didn’t know that when I was growing up. I thought I was a Christian because I prayed and asked Jesus into my heart, twice!

• But I wasn't sure of my faith.
  

And so as I grew… I was 16 years old, and I started thinking, “Well maybe there are aliens, maybe we are just put here as a scientific test. Or maybe we were an accident but if not an accident maybe God is just putting some experiment on the earth. Why am I here?” I began asking those kinds of questions.

“Why am I here? What is the purpose of life? Where did I come from and where am I going?”

At the same time I was living a compromised life, doing drugs, getting drunk and seeking sexual relationships with girls. That was my purpose: to have pleasure and find happiness. But when I was 16 and turned 17 I would say that was the emptiest year of my life (when I was a junior in high school, which would be the 11th year in America). I wouldn’t say I felt like I was at the lowest point in my life but it was probably the lowest point in my life because I had given myself away sexually and I had experimented in drugs and I had popularity – everything that the world said you need to be happy. But I wasn’t very happy. I had put on a mask saying “yeah” but I didn’t want people to know that I was empty inside. But all the while I was saying “I’m a Christian" because I believe intellectually in the gospel. But it hadn’t changed my life.

• Calling to live for God
  

Then these 2 girls come to me in my art class, named Joy and Leslie and they shared their testimony with me. They shared like evangelists in our school. I was sitting across the table from Joy as she was sharing the gospel with another student in art class. I was drawing and everyone else in the class were doing their drawings and so it was quiet. Everyone could hear Joy speaking but she was speaking just to this one girl. And the girl who was next to me turned and said to me, “I - I can’t listen to this anymore.” She was getting really frustrated like she didn’t want to hear this gospel (this girl turned out to be a witch). But I at that time, I remember saying, “Well I am a Christian too. There is nothing bad about Jesus. But I am not that radical, like that girl is, I am not that extreme!) What Joy was saying was basically,

“The reason why God created us was to know and to worship Him. Not that He needs us but He loves us and wanted to create people that He could pour His love out upon. He is worthy of our love, worship and service. So logically we should give our lives to Him who gave us life, especially in light of the fact that Jesus loved us and gave Himself for us. He died for us, so we should live for Him.”

To me, living for God was a new concept. But it was attractive to me because they had purpose and I was still looking for purpose in my life. So to make a long story short, they invited me to their church and I started going.

• God was really drawing me to Him during that year.

It was the emptiest year of my life but at then it was a very important year because God was leading me away from the world and to Himself. That year I went to a youth conference called “Aquire the Fire” where they really challenge you,

"Are you a Christian? And are you going to live according to your faith? What things in your life are really keeping you from growing as a Christian?"

I realized, well, there were a few things that were keeping me from growing – My hypocrisy first of all, you know, the pursuit of unhealthy relationships with girls. The second thing was listening to music that was anti-Christian, very overtly anti-Christian, speaking evil about Jesus, and basically blaspheming and speaking very angrily against the things of God. I realized that I had been listening to that music and it had been influencing me. So I decided that I would get rid of all of that music and burn it. Because I knew,

“The Lord is calling me to live for Him now like my ‘radical extremist’ Christian friends.”

So Joy and Leslie became my best friends and they discipled me. Basically after school they said,

“Why don’t you come over to Joy’s house and we’ll disciple you?”

I thought,

“What does disciple mean? Is that going to hurt?”

(: It sounds like discipline! But Jesus said (in Matthew 28)

“Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.” And “if anyone wants to come after me [to be my disciple], let him take up his cross and deny himself and follow me.”

So it was the process of learning how to follow Jesus as a Christian in my senior year of highschool, which was really desperately needed in my life. So I gave my life to the Lord, and said,

“Lord, I am Yours.”

Not only did He call me to get rid of that anti-Christian music and to listen to Christian music that would help me to grow, but He also called me to make music that would glorify Him.

• Because that is the purpose of my life now - To glorify God and to love Him and serve Him.

It’s all centered – my life is centered on Jesus Christ and it has been since I was seventeen years old.

Calvary Chapel conference in Denmark

Last week, we were greatly encouraged and refreshed by fellowship with our brothers and sisters from Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Ireland and Canada.


Although Latvia is technically not a Scandinavian country, we found that many of the issues we face in the Baltics are similar to the rest of Northern Europe. We found ourselves received and knit to this group of about 60 believers that sometimes call themselves "the frozen chosen" - I guess because of the cold winters and feeling of being a small remnant of faithful Scandinavians.



But the weather from July 30 to August 3 was quite warm and we even enjoyed a swimming in the fjord with the jelly fish.


I helped with worship services and gave a devotional teaching about communion. Other pastors and Bible teachers took turns teaching chapter by chapter through the book of Daniel. You can listen to the messages here:

• Daniel 1 - Joel Wickstr�m (Stockholm, Sweden)
• Daniel 2 - David Guzik (CCBC Siegen, Germany)
• Daniel 3 - Stan Block (Calgary, Canada)
• Daniel 4 - Daniel Jacobsen (Denmark)
• Daniel 5 - Theis Br�gger (Denmark)
• Daniel 6 - Kevin Fitzgerald (Ireland)
• Daniel 7 - David Guzik (Germany)
• Daniel 8 - Aaron Pratt (Finland)
• Daniel 9 - David Guzik (Germany)
• Daniel 10 - Kevin Fitzgerald (Ireland)
• Daniel 11-12 - Glen Nudd (Calgary, Canada)

Lena and I took turns sitting in the sanctuary to participate in worship and Bible study, while the other looked after the kids playing in the playground. What was great is that they had wireless headphones for parents who needed to be outside with the kids, plus 3 girls from Germany organized a children's ministry, plus there were other missionary kids who treated Caleb and Lily as little siblings.


As a result, our kids were not so clingy and needy and Lena and I were much more laid back about being together without being constantly aware of where our kids were. Good preparation, I'd say, for Caleb going to kindergarten later this month and Lena not needing miss my teaching every Sunday to help the children's ministry.


Overall, we were all really blessed with the Acts 2:42 environment "continuing steadfastly in the teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers". Below is a picture of Lena with a sister in Christ from Sweden whose last name is the same as Lena's Swedish grandmothers maiden name, could they be related?

Mark 3 - Is Jesus a Liar, Lunatic or LORD?

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.

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.