Message for the New Year!

2007 was a year of preparation and completion for New Beginnings Healing Center. Ministries were established and leaders were equipped. As with Nehemiah, we had a group of people with a mind to work, build, and establish. A place of peace and fulfillment had to be prepared for the many that are seeking for a church to call "home". I feel that in '07 that assignment was successfully accomplished.

The number 7 speaks of completion. I know that as a church we entered into that phase of completion this past year. At the end of this phase for Nehemiah, he had to begin setting his sights on populating the city that had been prepared. In Nehemiah 7 he finds a register of names. This list consisted of the families that came with Ezra just a few years before. These freed Jews tried to build and establish themselves as a people, but had no success. The enemy would come and destroy any progress that they made. This continued for 7 years. Then God raised up Nehemiah to build and finish the work. The enemy would no longer be successful in thwarting their efforts. At the beginning of the 8th year, Nehemiah was ready to call the names of those on the register to re-populate the city.

Can you imagine the joy of those who were on the list? For 8 years they fought to be established but had no place to call home. They must have felt forgotten and insignificant. Maybe some even lost hope in that they would ever have a place of establishment and peace. But in the beginning of the 8th year, God put an end to that! I believe that is what He is doing in Orlando in 2008. He is calling the names of those in this region who have felt forgotten and neglected, those who have not had a place of peace and rest. He will populate His city and church with those who are on that list.

2008 will be a year of surplus. One definition for the number eight is: a surplus above the perfect number 7. This year, we will see a surplus above perfection!

2008 is a year to look forward to the future and not back to the past. In Acts 1:10-11, the disciples were looking up into the clouds where they had last seen Jesus. The 2 angels asked them why they were still gazing up toward the heavens. I believe there is great significance in this question. Before Jesus was taken up, He told the disciples that He was sending one after Him. A new dispensation of "Himself" was to be released through the person of the Holy Spirit. Why were they wasting their time looking at what was, when they should have been in the upper room preparing for what was to come. Many in the body of Christ are hung up on the "yesterday" move of the spirit. They constantly dwell on and reminisce of the past. It is time to look toward the future. God is ready to do something beyond what has ever been seen. We cannot waste time looking back. We must prepare to move forward. The best is yet to come!

Hag 2:9, "The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the LORD Almighty. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken!"
NLT

Merry Christmas!

Cristina and I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas! This is our favorite time of year. It is a time for giving, loving and spending time with those who are dearest to our hearts. But most of all it is a celebration of our Lord Jesus and His birth. We are so thankful to God for sending His Son to earth to be our Lord and Savior. Jesus truly is the greatest gift on earth.

During this season we are reminded of how much we love our natural family as well as our spiritual family. Many times we feel closer to our brothers and sisters in the Lord than even our natural family. We are all connected by the precious blood of Jesus. Our bond and covenant is stronger than any natural relationship could ever be.

Please know that we are praying for you and your family. I believe that the upcoming year will be filled with great and wonderful things.

Please continue to pray for my family and the ministry as we enter into this next year. We need your love and support in order to fulfill all that God has set before us.

Heb 13:15-16 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. NKJV

The Last Shall Be First

In Luke 14:15-24 we read the parable of the great supper. This scripture ultimately speaks of eternity, but I believe that it also has prophetic implications for today. The master of the house speaks of our Master, Jesus. He has prepared many great and wonderful things for those who love Him. It is His pleasure to give these gifts to His people. However, in this story we see 3 types of people who were invited, but due to selfishness, refused the invitation and missed all that was prepared for them.

The first invited was too busy looking at a piece of land that he purchased. This speaks of materialism. Some are so busy pursuing materialistic things, that they miss their true purpose, sometimes even loosing their salvation.

The second man wanted to prove the new oxen that he purchased. This represents the type of person who is too busy working to allow anytime for spiritual matters.

The third man was too busy because he just got married. Within days of his marriage, he had already allowed the line to be crossed and God was pushed out. Too often we allow legitimate family problems to develop into illegitimate excuses to miss the things of God.

The master was angry because those who he chose and invited wanted nothing to do with his banquet. They were his first choice and he became their second. He quickly bypassed them and sent invitations to the desperate. Before long, the house was full, and hungry people were filled.

I believe that we are living in a day where many people God has chosen have become filled with selfishness, pride, and greed. Yet there is a desperate, hungry people who will ever appreciate the gifts and callings of God. The hungry are taking their place at the table, while the others are simply being bypassed and forgotten. Their is a great shift that will take place in 2008. God will bring down the arrogant, proud, and greedy, and elevate the humble, pure, and the broken. Those who have been first will be last. Those who are last will be first. It is time to take our place at the table. All is ready!

Growth and Multiplication

This is an exciting season for New Beginnings Healing Center. We are experiencing growth in every way. Ministries are being formed that will meet the specific needs of the variety of people attending our church, as well as reaching ouy to those outside the church.

Our children's ministry,"Praizin Generation", is up and running, and proving to be a unique, dynamic, and powerful tool in shaping the lives of our children. Our college age adults group,"The Dragnet", is now meeting on a weekly basis.

We are continuing to see great results from our nursing home, jail, and and hospital visitation ministries. Many in prison are receiving Christ on a weekly basis. Many elderly people are getting saved and encouraged through our nursing home services. People in hospitals are being touched and healed.

We are know in the process of organizing men's and women's ministries. Also, we are preparing to start our street evangelism team. People will be out witnessing on a weekly basis and I believe we will see many saved as a result.

God truly has given us people with a heart for ministry. As we continue to be an outreach, God will increase our church in every way. Their is a great harvest before us.

We have been in a season of growth. But I believe now more than ever that we are entering a season of multiplication.

Gen 35:11 Also God said to him:"I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. NKJV

On TV!

Today our TV program will be airing on Orlando TV 45 for the first time! The show will be on at 7am and 11pm every Friday. We will continue this once a week schedule through January. After that we will be looking at a more frequent airing schedule, possibly 5 times a week.

We have waited for the opportunity to have a program on air since the first day we moved here. God provided our ministry with $150,000 of TV equipment before we even arrived in Orlando. It became obvious that the Lord had plans to do something great with our ministry through the means of Christian television. We wanted to get started immediately. But, many complication and delays have occurred throughout this past year, making this dream seem unobtainable. But God's timing is perfect. Now, this dream has become a reality. I know that many will be touched as they watch these anointed programs. I know that many will receive Christ as a result. This is a great evangelistic outreach tool that will abound in much fruit.

Joel 2:21 Don't be afraid, my people! Be glad now and rejoice because the LORD has done great things

Sanford Outreach

This past Saturday, our church went to the Sanford Housing Authority to distribute food to 300 families in need. God has given us extreme favor with the Sanford Housing authority, which allowed us the opportunity to conduct a full blown service before the distribution of food. Hundreds gathered on the neighborhood basketball court for the service. We ran out of seats, so many had to stand throughout the service. There was a great spiritual hunger in the hearts of these precious people.

I preached a message called, "You Are Not Forgotten". It was evident that this message brought hope and encouragement to many who felt forgotten and inaignificant. As the sermon concluded, I began ministering on the cross and the blood of Jesus. There was a powerful anointing present. The Spirit of the Lord began moving on the hearts of the people. 87 people responded to the call for salvation! They asked forgiveness of their sins, and received the Lord Jesus as their savior.

After the service, many that were sick in body, came forward for prayer. Our ministry workers met them and began to pray over their needs. Healing took place and many testified of the touch of God's hand upon their life.

Of course, at the end of the day, we distributed food to the families. It was a great ending to a great day. You could see the joy and thanksgiving on their faces. Not only did they receive spiritual relief, but also relief in the natural.

I believe that this is what the Body of Christ is all about. God has blessed us that we may be a blessing to others. We are an extension of God's hand upon this earth. It sure felt good, being a part of this great commission.

Mark 16:15
And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.NLT

The Blood

2 weeks ago I began a series on the the Passover from the book of Exodus. We have been focusing on how the story of the Passover relates to the New Testament sacrifice or our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Passover Lamb!

In Exodus, we find Moses before Pharaoh, performing many different signs. Many of these signs were copied by the Egyptian magicians. But the one thing they could not copy was the blood! The enemy today has a counterfeit for power, healing, freedom, happiness, and peace. Their are many counterfeit gods and spiritual beliefs. However, the enemy has no substitute for the Blood. There is no power like the power of the blood. There is healing in the blood. True freedom and deliverance can only be found through the blood of Jesus. Of no other god can it be said that their blood was spilled for the salivation of those who serve them.

In America today, we have many preachers preaching many different things. Some preach a message of prosperity. Some a message of self-help through the method of positive thinking. Others preach a message of "blab it, grab" which can often times play into people's greed and selfishness. These messages are out of order and a danger to the Body of Christ. There is only one message that we are to preach. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel is the message of the cross and His suffering. It is a message that reveals the power of his blood and life we now have will have forevermore as result of the work of the cross.

It is time in America, that we as preachers come back to the same gospel the early apostles preached that revolutionized the world. It worked then, and it is the only message that will work now. Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

1 Cor 2:3-5 For I decided to concentrate only on Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. 3 I came to you in weakness — timid and trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. I did not use wise and persuasive speeches, but the Holy Spirit was powerful among you. 5 I did this so that you might trust the power of God rather than human wisdom. NLT