Rance's sermon for May 1st, 2011, Is this not the fast I have chosen? Isaiah 58

Hi everyone, I'm going to post something I normally wouldn't, only because it's not in "proper written format" for a blog, nevertheless, I felt it was worth it to "cut and paste". This is a copy of my husband's sermon for tonight's IDT service he was invited to preach by Pastor Steve & Kathy Yoshimi, kicking off the 40 days of prayer and fasting here in Vicente Guerrero, B.C.N. that IDT is hosting. Enjoy.

Sunday May 1, 2011 IDT service at the prayer tent for 40 days of prayer and fasting.

Pastor Steve Yoshimi coordinating/Communion.

Pastor Rance Cook ministering God's Word.

Missionary Kim Rodriguez Spanish translation.

Missionary Angela Guenter and team, praise and worship.
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PROGRAM


Pastor Steve--welcome and introduction

Kim--opening prayer

Pastor Rance--Introduction

1). Explain Prophetic Sword/Comfort Israel event on May 21. 9am to 3 p.m. with lunch.

2). FOR pastors and leaders plus their wives.

3). Agenda is "MIDDLE EAST IN PROPHECY" and problems currently developing in the world that may have a difficult impact on the entire world later this year and during 2012.

4). FREE FOR EACH PASTOR (one per church).

Sephardim magazine.

DVD from Messianic pastors in Israel.

5). Today we have handouts for you on the display table. One per family or church please!

ISRAEL ALERT letter---how to pray for Israel and the Middle east right now.

The father's love letter (to you) in Spanish.

A two sided questionnaire for you to fill out and take home with you. This is intended for your eyes only but is a way to ask yourself how you are doing in your personal evangelism. Pastors, I recommend that you take one to your church and have copies made. Have your congregation members fill it out also and use it as a platform for encouraging your church members accomplish the Great Commission of Matthew chapter 28 verses 18-20.
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PART 1:

This prayer tent is dedicated as a way to bring all the churches together at various times during the next 40 days. The purpose is to fast and pray for this valley and the unsaved people that live here.

We know that each of you fast and pray already and work diligently in the areas surrounding your churches. HOWEVER, When we come together as a unified body of Christ, our prayers have great power in heavenly places.

1). Population of world today. Numbers of professing Christians worldwide. Stats on Muslims, and other religions.

2). Difference between salvation by works and salvation by grace.

3). Isaiah 58:6-9 Have them look up this scripture and keep their fingers on it until we read it later.

4). Display apple and bottle of water. The subject I have for you today is fasting according to God's word. Most people think that fasting involves going without food (the apple) and drink (bottle of water).

5). Matthew 4:1-10 describes how Jesus was led up into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. We all know the story and it is obvious that Jesus defeated everything the devil tempted Him with and He did so by consistently invoking God's Holy Word! During this 40 days and 40 nights of time Jesus fasted food and afterword was hungry.

6). Since Jesus fasted food and He is our example, it is obvious that fasting is a good thing to do.

7). In the parable of the widow and the judge in Matthew 18:1-8, Jesus exhorts us to ALWAYS PRAY AND NOT LOOSE HEART! And then Jesus continues in Matthew 18 verses 10- 17 with the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Jesus makes a point here to tell us in verse 12 that the Pharisee fasted twice each week.

8). Matthew chapter 17:21 is the story of a young man suffering with epilepsy. His father takes the boy to the disciples of Jesus but they could not cure the boy. The disciples asked Jesus why they could not cast out the epilepsy? He answered them and said that it was a lack of faith on their part but also because (VERSE 21) "This kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting"!

9). Then in Matthew chapter 6 verse 16-18 ( part of the sermon on the mount) Jesus tells us HOW we should fast!

QUESTION??? How many times do we have other Christians come up to us and say "guess what? I am fasting this week"! I wonder if telling you that they are fasting is Biblical?

10). Matthew 6:16-18 Jesus say's "Moreover when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not app-ear to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly"!

11). Clearly when we fast food or drink it is God's desire they no one knows about it except Himself. When you fast it is a very private thing before you and God and should remain private.

12). There is such a thing as a corporate time of prayer and fasting in which a pastor (or group of them as is the case right now) calls for everyone to pray and fast for a particular reason. However, even then, the type of fast that you choose should remain a secret between you and you're heavenly Father.

13) So we have established that fasting food (the apple) and drink (the bottle of water) is a good and Holy thing to do. But that is NOT what I am going to speak to you about right now! For the purpose of this sermon, let's just set the subject of fasting food and drink aside for a few moments and turn our Bibles to Isaiah chapter 58 verses 6-9.
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PART 2:

Isaiah 58:6-9 (READ) in English/Spanish!!!

1). Tell background and minister on God's definition of a true fast!
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PART 3:

James 1:26-3:8 (READ) English/Spanish!!!

1). Minister on "LASHON HARAH" (HEBREW= "the evil tongue").

2). What is the evil tongue?

Speaking means things behind another persons back.
Kidding someone because they are too skinny or too fat.
Over the back fence gossip about another neighbor
Speaking behind the back of your pastor or his wife or children
pastors using their pulpits to publicly chastise someone in the congregation.
Tearing down someone else's church or denomination.
crude jokes
profanity at someone else's expense.

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3). We have to remember that the Lord is listening to every single word that we speak!

4). Philippians 4:18 talks about our being a "sweet smelling aroma". The Apostle Paul is speaking and say's (physical) things (presents) sent to him by the Philippian church was " A sweet smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God"!

So we know that some things we do or give represent "a sweet smell to God"! The question we must all ask ourselves BEFORE WE ACT OR SPEAK is this. Is what I am about to do, a sweet smell to God or will it be a stench in His nostrils???

5). READ 2 Corinthians 2: 14-17 in English/Spanish.

So once again we see that our actions (or words) can be either an aroma leading to death or an aroma leading to life! Which one of those would you rather have your life represent? Life or death?

6). Ephesians 5:1-2 READ English/Spanish

Once again we see that we are to be imitators of God as His children. Christ Himself was a sweet smelling aroma to his father because He gave Himself for us.

QUESTION??? How can we do less that that for our brothers and sisters in Christ no matter where they may be found on this earth? And if we do not do the same for our unsaved relatives, friends and neighbors---HOW WILL THEY EVER SEE CHRIST IN US???
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PART 4:

CHALLENGE TO FAST (ALL) LASHON HARAH for the next 40 days and 40 nights!!!

Close service with prayer.

Lance Lambert shares a Word from the Lord

CALL TO INTERCESSION FOR "MY PEOPLE"

Nathan Gosling
(On behalf of Lance Lambert)

Sunday 17th April 2011 Jerusalem

It is well with you that you intercede for Israel that she be saved, for it is My purpose to save her. I will complete the circle of Redemption that began with Abraham and my promise that a great nation would come forth from him, and that in him would all the families of the earth be blessed. And so it has happened! For Israel became the vehicle through which My Word has come to all the nations; And also My Salvation; and the knowledge of My Purpose. From this nation, above all, came the Messiah. Soon the fullness of the Gentiles will have been saved, and I will turn again to Israel, to My Jewish People. They shall be reingrafted into their own olive tree, and My promise to Abraham will be gloriously fulfilled. Then their hardness of heart will melt, their blindness be turned into sight, and their suffering to radiant Glory. This is My determined purpose, and I shall not be turned from it. It will shortly begin to be fulfilled. I will turn all their weakness into unbelievable power, and I will use this nation as the last witness to the world as to who I am.

Take very seriously what is taking place in the Arab world. It is no good for Israel! It is not a move toward freedom and true democracy, but an enormous gain for militant Islam. They will seek to annihilate and liquidate Israel, but they will not only fail; their strength and power will be broken, and a huge harvest of souls will be saved from amongst them.

Hear Me, I call you to intercession! It will not be easy. All the powers of My enemy are centred and focused on stopping this people from coming into My Redemption and Salvation. But he will fail! I look therefore for those who will stand in the gap, who will build up the wall; those who will stand in the place of intercession.

Shortly also I will begin more serious judgment on the Western nations. I will bring them to nothing; I will turn them upside down; I will grind them to powder. They will not know what has hit them. It will seem as if there is nothing left of what once I worked in those nations; Especially that Superpower. I will bring it to weakness; she will no longer be super, but a pity of the nations.

Hear this Word of Mine; I call you to intercede for those who belong to Me in those nations; that they will be saved from it! Hear this cry. My heart yearns for those who belong to Me, that they might be clear in their understanding, clear in the way that they are to walk in the midst of all this. Do hear Me! For I speak to you who love Me, and who have this morning remembered Me; I do not desire judgment, but judgment of the most serious and devastating kind will fall upon those nations. Hear this Word from Me, and obey My call to intercession!

SEPHARDIM MAGAZINE AND LIVING STONES DVD NOW IN SPANISH!

Today, is a landmark day. For just under a year, we have been working with with Yeshua's Harvest Ministries to help translate the "Living Stones" DVD into Spanish. Johanne has worked endless hours translating, and Yolanda and Kim helped her proof it. Just this weekend, I received the box of 100 DVDs IN SPANISH!!!! And simultaneously, we have been working with The Jerusalem Connection (Washington D.C.) in helping to translate the magazine "The Sephardic Jews" into Spanish, and I was just notified this week as well that that is finished and printed as well and on the way. Ed & Yolanda have worked ENDLESS hours for over a year as well on the translation... These are 2 MAJOR projects we have been working on for over a year collectively, that just "happen" to finish at exactly the same time!!! We will also have these for the Israel Conference on May 21st for the Pastors, which all just "happens" to fall right in the middle of the 40 days of prayer. This morning at the Comfort Israel meeting, we surprised everyone and put in the DVD in Spanish in our TV! Needless to say - all of us were THANKING AND THANKING THE LORD for allowing us to be a miniscule part of His huge plan... and the best is yet to come. Now that we have these two extremely important things in Spanish available to us, it is going to be such a blessing to the churches the Lord opens up here in Mexico. Over the past 10 years, we have seen such an amazing heart in the Mexican churches, amongst the pastors and their congregations as they have invited us to share about Israel and they have made over 1,000 Challah Covers we have sent to Israel. The timing of the culmination of this work is ONLY SOMETHING HE COULD HAVE ORCHESTRATED. In addition, we just heard from the land company we work with in Jerusalem, and we have, for the first time ever, the possibility of taking a group of SPANISH SPEAKERS (and English as well) to Israel for a tour, something that people have been asking about for a long time. God willing, we will also be announcing that trip at the Israel Conference on May 21st. ALL PRAISE TO THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL! check out the two links for both the magazine and the DVD: SO THANKFUL!!!!

For the DVD: www.YeshuasHarvest.org

For the Magazine: www.thejerusalemconnection.us/blog/2011/03/30/spanish-translation-of-sephardic-jews-magazine-is-finished.html

We covet your prayers for what's ahead. ALL GLORY TO THE KING!

Now The End Begins

I'd like to share a website with you.

www.nowtheendbegins.com

God's blessings and keep the Faith!

Brandy

It's been a while...

HI everyone, yes it's been a while since I've blogged. Seasons in life is all I can say! God willing, I'll start again soon. Blessings to you all this weekend and KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS! The Author and Finisher of our faith.

Brandy Cook

Moving back home

Hi Everyone, His ways are a mystery, but they are ALWAYS good. We are moving back to Vicente Guerrero. We'll be back online in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, may the Lord richly bless you with all things in Christ Jesus our Lord. Shalom in the truest sense of the word, Brandy

"A Living Reminder"

This week, I would like to share with you what Passover means from one Jewish perspective. As we prepare to celebrate Passover this year at Crossroads community church on April 2nd, we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, as He celebrated Passover with His disciples. The following was written by Gary M. Cooperberg, direct from the land of Israel.

Why is Passover a "living reminder"?

"We remember miracles that happened to our ancestors, and we are reminded that there are miracles yet to come. And, if we are really aware, we should also notice the miracles we live every day.

Passover, more than any other Jewish (Biblical) holiday, is truly a time for us to consider our past and, especially, to reexamine the role we Jews were created for. On all of our holidays and in most of our daily prayers we remember the miracle of being redeemed from slavery in Egypt. Why did our G-d take us out of Egypt? The answer to that question is to be found at the end of the Shema Yisrael that we recite every morning and evening and before we go to sleep at night.

“I am the L-d your G-d who took you out of Egypt to be your G-d. I am your G-d.”

We were slaves unto Pharaoh in Egypt. We had no natural way to ever escape. When our G-d performed miracles and took us out, it was for a reason... not simply to set us free, rather to transfer our servitude from the Egyptians to Him. He took us to Mount Sinai and gave us His Torah to show us how to serve Him...

The holiday of Passover comes to remind us of our eternal obligation to serve our G-d. The seder we conduct at night around the dinner table is a learning experience, for young and old alike, to remind us that we are an ancient people with a Divine destiny... Passover, more than any other Jewish (Biblical) holiday, is a reminder that we are part of a Divine Process. Our liberation from slavery in Egypt wasn’t the end. It was only the beginning. The Jewish People was created to be an example to all of Mankind that it has a Creator..."

We are so looking forward to celebrating our Creator King with you on April 2nd. So come, all who are hungry, let us celebrate the Passover, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who came to take away the sins of the world.

Pesach Samaech (Happy Passover),

Brandy Cook