Peninsula Vineyard Blog

Our God is Awesome

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 03:37:00 GMT

Praise God for another successful mission. Our team of 17 have just returned tired but overwhelmed by the presence and activities of God over the past two weeks in the city of Dipolog, Mindano. We held twenty afternoon parenting seminars, twenty-four night time meetings with associated follow-up morning home visitation. As you can see, it was a very busy schedule but very rewarding as we saw a minimum of 2000 salvations and personal follow ups.

There were also many strategic meetings with team members being able to meet with and pray for the city mayor and business leaders as well as government administrative staff. We also ministered to the parents of special needs children. All this was accompanied by many amazing healings from blindness, deafness and assorted medical conditions. Praise God!

The city was one of the most open, if not the most, of the many places I have visited over the past 23 years. The city had been officially dedicated to the Lord in 2010 by all the religious and civic leaders and they are believing for the whole city to be a God centered city by 2030. This dedication by those in authority was really apparent by the openness of the people and the anointing of God over the city.

A big thank-you to all the team and all who supported the trip by your continued prayers and financial contributions.

Step out in Faith

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 03:35:00 GMT

As believers, we also have an inheritance. We have both an eternal inheritance (laid up in heaven) and a present inheritance to be appreciated and lived. The extent of our eternal inheritance depends upon how we use our present day inheritance.

What are some of the things we have been given that God expects us to use so that we will walk in victory? He has given us Jesus and the use of His name. He has given us the Holy Spirit and His empowerment through His gifts. We have been given authority and power. We have forgiveness of sins and freedom from guilt and condemnation.

As co-labourers with Christ we have been given a purpose and empowering for life, in fact “His divine power has given us everything for life and godliness through our knowledge of him” 2 Peter 1:3.

However, like the Israelites of old, we have to advance and engage our enemy to walk in the fullness of our inheritance. We wrestle against a spiritual enemy who tries to tempt us and intimidate us from possessing what is rightfully ours (Eph.6:12)

As we saw previously, God promises us the victory so let us not be fearful, complacent, or ignorant of our God given inheritance but step out in faith as obedient and faithful servants.

Land of Inheritance

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:20:00 GMT

Joshua 24:28 Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance. We continue looking at our inheritance. The Israelites were given an inheritance by God, the land of Canaan, known as the Promised Land; the land of inheritance.

After the initial conquest by the Israelites, the land was allocated to the different tribes. These tribes consisted of various clans and families. Every family had their inheritance, but it had to be occupied and fully possessed. God temporarily allowed remnants of the original inhabitants to remain and occupy part of their given inheritance. He did this so that the land would not be overrun by wild animals and that the younger generation would continue to learn how to fight.

His promise was that when they engaged the enemy, they would succeed because He would fight for them. The onus on the Israelites was that they had to appropriate what had been promised. For many of the Israelites, their inheritance was never fully possessed because they refused to engage the enemy. They were either fearful of the enemy or had a complacent attitude.Many never enjoyed the fullness of God's promise. Worse still, their failure to walk in their inheritance opened the door to sin and apostasy.

What about us? Are we walking in all the promises that comes with our inheritance? or are we too fearful and complacent and settling for second best?

Spiritual Inheritance

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:35:00 GMT

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them." Luke 15:11-12

All of us, at some time in our lives, will receive an inheritance from grandparents, parents or close relatives. History tells us that inheritances can be used wisely, squandered or in some cases left unused due to ignorance or lack of understanding. Inheritances can be tangible (eg property, cash, shares etc) or in some cases they can be intangible. For example, our parents may have been poor but they imparted to us strong character traits. These could include a strong work ethic or the need to help those less fortunate. These traits, in many situations, will be more valuable than tangible ones.

We see the different misuse of our inheritances in the passage quoted. So often we focus on the younger son who in a very obvious way squandered his entire inheritance on reckless living. However, when we look at that verse, we see that the Father divided the property between both of them. As was the ancient custom, the older brother received twice the amount than his younger brother.

The older brother also misused his inheritance through lack of understanding of what he actually possessed. His complaint at the end of the story of that he worked for little reward was met with surprise by the father who assured him that all that he had was his sons. The older brother had never walked in his inheritance through ignorance and lack of knowledge.

We have all been given a spiritual inheritance, how do we use it?

What motivates us?

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:10:00 GMT

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you have had to help another person? Maybe someone has had a fall and you were the closest person or maybe you were with someone when they received some bad news. For most people, an immediate response will be to reach out and help. A hug or a touch of comfort to a distressed person is usually our first response.

It is the same in our Christian life. We need to respond to the needs around us in the same way Jesus did; with one of love and compassion. Many people do not respond because they believe they are not skilled or trained to be of any assistance. As believers, we must not let our degree of skill or training be our motivator. Love and compassion must come first. Otherwise, every opportunity that God provides for us will be thwarted. We won't witness, share the gospel or pray for someone because we are not fully trained.

I am not saying that we don't need to develop our ministry skills but as we reach out to others in love, we soon realise that we can help more if we develop more skills. In the Christian life, we should initially step out in God's love and then develop our skills, not visa versa.

Roy Barrett
Lead Pastor, Peninsula Vineyard

Still Following Jesus

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 06:27:00 GMT

We commented in our last blog that this young ruler was earnest in his desire for eternal life.

Unfortunately, he saw eternal life as an insurance policy for the hereafter. He had everything under control in this life and he didn't want to change that; he merely wanted to secure the eternal aspect of his life. He was actually seeking God not to have a relationship but to just cover all his bases. How common is this attitude in the world?

Jesus says to this man "if you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

Jesus spoke of life, the Greek word is zoe, it means the type of life God lives. This type of life does not begin when we die but actually commences when we become a Christian; it commences in this life and carries over into eternity.

This life comes or is entered into by obeying God's commands. The man then asked Jesus a legitimate question "which commands do I need to keep?". Jesus lists the last 6 of the ten commandments; ones concerning human relationships summed up by 'loving your neighbour as yourself'. The man thought he had kept these commands but the reality was that he hadn't. Jesus solution was for him to give all his wealth to the poor; a positive action that would demonstrate a love for his neighbour. The man went away very sad because he could not bring himself to really follow God's commands.

Jesus says to us also in John 14:15 "if you love me, you will obey what I command". How do we show we really love God? We should do what he says regardless of how it may personally affect us. The commands of Jesus cover all aspects of the Kingdom; from entering in "you must be born again" and "repent and believe the good news" to our ongoing life in the Kingdom. If you read through the gospels you will see many explicit and implied commands of the Lord. Let us not be like the rich young ruler and pass up the life Jesus offers, but rather let us do whatever it takes.

Following Jesus

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 06:01:00 GMT

Their was a man in the bible who literally ran to the feet of Jesus begging him to know what he had to do to gain eternal life. We may never have had that experience happen to us, usually if we are the ones who are seeking out people with whom we can share the gospel. This man is described as being rich, young and a ruler. In his eyes, and in the culture of the day, he was seen to be blessed of God. However, even though he possessed everything in a material sense, he knew he did not possess eternal life. He came to Jesus, a rabbi (teacher) and a man recognised as coming from God and asked a question that many people ask, " what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?".

The question had a basic flaw in it; you could call it a universal flaw. This is because it is a belief system that seems to be common to all people. Firstly, the man assumed that eternal life or life in heaven after death could be earnt in some way. Secondly, that this gain could come through human effort, he asks "what good thing...must I do?..."

The bible clearly tells us that salvation is a gift, it cannot be earnt or deserved. Ephesians 2:8-9 says "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."

This is one gift that money can't buy.

God tests the heart

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 05:50:00 GMT

A few months ago my doctor referred me to a cardiologist for a stress test. As my previous stress test nearly killed me (I was totally unfit), I decided to delay the test for a month and prepare. This preparation consisted of countless mornings on the treadmill watching the monitors, checking my heart rate till I knew I would make it through the test in one piece.

Praise God I passed the test with flying colours and have been given a clean bill of health. My arteries, valves, chambers, muscles, in fact, all areas of my heart are functioning normally. It made me think, though, if we take the same care and preparation with our spiritual heart. Proverbs encourages us "to guard our hearts for it is the well spring of life."

God is also interested in our heart's condition for the bible tells us that God examines the spiritual heart of a person to see if it is functioning normally. Like our physical heart, God also knows that our spiritual heart condition is best revealed under pressure; through the situations and circumstances of life.

The test of a person's heart is revealed in our response to God's Word. Although not specifically mentioning the heart, the parable of the sower reveals the inner heart response to God. The first soil or heart attitude was completely unresponsive; it was hardened, it could not produce anything beneficial. The second was superficial; it looked OK at rest but when stress came it failed. The third is referred to as a worldly heart; it is distracted by other things and fails to fulfill it's true function. The last heart is the heart that God desires for us; a receptive heart where we may not be perfect but we have a desire to please God and fulfill all that he has for us to do.

Let's make sure both our physical and spiritual hearts are healthy and functioning the way that God desires.

Roy Barrett
Pastor

Prophecy for Peninsula

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 05:36:00 GMT

I received this word at the Ken Fish conference at Peninsula Vineyard on the 28th May 2011. The word seemed to parallel the natural disasters that were happening around the world at that time. The tsunami wave that hit Japan, the earthquake that destroyed Christchurch and the cyclones and floods that swept over Queensland.

I see a tsunami wave of God’s love, power and grace washing over the church. In Japan this wave brought death and destruction but this wave will bring life and growth. The tsunami will be preceded by smaller waves that will wash back and forward building up slowly to the tsunami that will follow. These small waves will bring changes that will be noticed by people, an awakening and awareness that will prepare them for what is to follow. These smaller waves or experiences will start to wash over any barriers that we have built to withstand what is to follow. We need to allow these experiences of God to prepare ourselves for what is to follow but some will resist and try and build the walls higher. The hardening of hearts and the height of resistance will divert what God has for you, but that which you think will protect you will actually starve you of what God desires.

The recent earthquake that rocked the city of Christchurch brought death, destruction, fear and uncertainty. God is going to bring a great shaking to your life and the church. This is not to bring death but God’s shaking is to bring life. This shaking will bring things to the surface in your life, things that have been faults and issues which he wants healed. The opportunity is for us to repent and deal with these life weaknesses and inconsistencies. The shaking in some however will solidify wrong beliefs and areas of hurt and shame. These things will gravitate to deep areas of our life if not dealt with in a correct way. Again God wants to purify us and make us whole.

The recent cyclones in Queensland brought enormous drenching of rain that brought floods with death and destruction. God is going to pour out His Spirit like rain that will drench the church. The river banks that once contained the waters will be broken and the water will spill out. The banks in our lives and our church represent the religiosity and formalism that has in the past tried to contain and direct the Spirit of God moving. These will be obliterated as the volume of the Sprits presence breaks out. The flood waters will go into dry places and activate seed that has laid dormant; it will bring new life and fruitfulness. In the life of our church and its people God has since the foundation of the world seeded plans, visions and purposes. These in most of us have lain dormant because it is only by the watering and saturation of the Spirit to those deep depths in our life that will activate a germination and flowering of His purposes.

Roy Barrett
Pastor

How shrewd are you?

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 05:51:00 GMT

In Luke 16, Jesus shares a story with His disciples about a dishonest manager. This man was not using his managerial gifting to his masters advantage but rather had been embezzling his masters wealth for his own gain.

On being exposed the man realized he was not strong enough to work and he was to proud to beg so he devised a plan. He called in all his masters debtors and had them re-adjust what they owed to their advantage, ingratiating himself with them so that they would look after him in the future. In verse 8 it says that the master commended the dishonest manager for acting shrewdly. This commendation was not for his dishonesty but for his shrewdness. What does it mean to be shrewd? It originally meant foresight. That is, someone who has the ability to look at the present circumstances and then make wise decisions for the future. A businessperson who foresore the Global Financial Crisis and made adjustments to his business would be said to be shrewd.

Jesus then goes on to draw a comparison between worldly people and the people of God.

Worldly people, he says, are more shrewd, even though they only consider this mortal life. They still make plans for their future; their retirement and old age. If believers were shrewd they would spend their finances and resources preparing for their future, which is not in this world but for eternity. In verse 9 Jesus encourages us to use our wealth to advance the things of the Kingdom, thereby making ourselves friends in heaven. Jesus goes on to tell the disciples and us that no servant can serve two masters.

How shrewd are you? Are you investing in the things of this world that will pass away or are you investing in the Kingdom?

Moving by the Spirit.

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 01:44:00 GMT

The apostle Paul tells us that we need to walk by faith and not by sight. In our daily walk we walk by faith in His revealed will; the principles and commands of the bible.

As we do this we may also be prompted by the indwelling Spirit to operate in the gifts of the Spirit. This will cause us to say and do things that will fulfill or advance His purposes in any given situation. Our obedience or faith steps in these situations will, if we are hearing correctly ,see a positive confirming response from God.

When David desired to build God's temple he was not allowed. Instead he passed on to his son Solomon the design and pattern given to him by God. It is interesting to see how the bible puts this, "he gave him (ie David gave Solomon) the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the Lord...." 1 Chron. 28:12

The progression here is that God by the Spirit reveals His plans for the temple, David in faith passes them on to Solomon who completes the task. The result is that in 2 Chron. 5: 13-14 the temple is filled with the cloud of God's presence, so much so that the priest could not stand to minister. Gods confirmation of the plan revealed by the Spirit and spoken out by David.

In our ministry walk we can experience the same results. God says that he will confirm His Word by signs following. This would apply not only to the preaching of the gospel but I believe also the confirmation of words and actions released via the gifts of the Spirit.

Pastor Roy Barrett
Peninsula Vineyard

Moving from a place of Defeat to Victory

Thu, 12 May 2011 05:30:00 GMT

I spoke previously about spiritual insanity and we saw that this keeps us in a cycle of defeat and frustration. God, however, wants to take us from defeat to victory. He does this in four steps.

A good example is when as children we learn to ride a bike. All of us, at the start, will do something wrong that will cause us to fall. Most people learn from their mistakes and get back on and become competent riders. There are some people however who give up on bike riding saying it's not for them.

In our spiritual walk we can also find ourselves living a defeated life. We deal with our sin in a godly way but don't press on to live in the victory that God has for us.

When Joshua dealt with the sin of Achan that had affected the nation, God wanted the people to move on from that defeat to victory.
In Joshua 8:1 we see the four steps
1. Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
2. Take the whole army with you,
3. and go up and attack Ai.
4. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.

Step one: God wants to assure Joshua of His presence and His support. So often we are fearful of moving forward. The devil adds to this fear by whispering discouragement into our thoughts. God says "Do not be fearful nor discouraged" as defeats are but a stepping stone to victory.

Step two: God wants us to learn from our mistakes. The army was defeated at Ai not only because of Achans sin but also that they did not inquire of God causing them to underestimate their enemy and overestimate their own strength. God says "this time take the whole army with you".

Step three: God will always re-test us to see if we have learnt our lesson. God takes Joshua back to the place of the previous defeat. As we deal with the defeats in our life, God will always take us back to be tested again. Hopefully, we will have learnt from our mistakes and be able to progress.

Step four: The last step is that we need to be aware that God has already given us the victory. Note the past tense God uses "for I have delivered...." The victory has been won our role is to be obedient to God's word and His leading and we will gain the victory.

As you can see, steps 1 and 4 are God's assurance and unchanging. The degree of our walking in victory revealed in steps 2 and 3 is dependent upon us. So let us not blame God, but look at ourselves, if we are not walking in the victory.

Roy Barrett
Pastor

Spiritual Insanity

Mon, 09 May 2011 07:08:00 GMT

We have all heard the definition of insanity as someone doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Well, there is a spiritual equivalent. Spiritual insanity is having a sin or character flaw exposed over and over through life's circumstances but refusing to do anything about it.

So often we allow negative circumstances and defeats in our life to demoralise and destroy us. God however, if we cooperate with Him, will always use the negative situations we go through and turn them into victories. This was true in the life of Joshua. His army had just been defeated at Ai, and God was using this negative situation to draw Joshua's attention to the root cause of the defeat. This was that someone in the camp had sinned. Joshua could have ignored this but he stopped and got the nation right with God once again.

How often in our life do our defeats raise underlying sin or character flaws? God wants us to mature so He uses these situations as opportunities for us to repent or make choices that are more godly in producing godly fruit in our lives. The choice is ours. Spiritual insanity is never dealing with these issues thereby guaranteeing a cycle of defeat. That is not God's best; his victories come when we address issues and place our faith in Him.

Roy Barrett
Pastor

Are you going to the royal marriage supper ?

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 00:29:00 GMT

I must admit that I sat through the wedding ceremony of William and Kate from the walk down the aisle to the last kiss and as I write this, the party is still in progress. Unfortunately I was not on the invitation list to the ceremony, or more importantly, to the post wedding party.

However I rejoice that there is a greater marriage supper that is not to be missed.

This is best understood when we look at the marriage culture of Jesus' day. There were 3 stages of marriage. The first was when the parents would arrange the marriage for their respective children; the brides parents would pay a dowry to the groom or his parents. This was called the betrothal period, it corresponded to Matthew 1:18 where Mary was betrothed to Joseph. The second stage occurred about a year later. The groom would have been at his parents home preparing a place for he and his future bride. He would come with his friends at midnight and take his bride. We see this enacted in Matthew 25: 1-13 in the parable about the wise and foolish virgins. This brings us to the last stage, the marriage supper, where all the invited guest celebrate together at a supper that would last sometimes for a week. (John 2:1-2)

These same three stages apply to believers today. We, who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, are betrothed to him. The dowry that was paid was Jesus shed blood on the cross which purchased us. We now await the second stage, his second coming when he will take us to the place he has been preparing for us in heaven. This ushers in the third stage will be the old testament saints, the believers and tribulation saints. We will sit down at the royal marriage feast of the lamb as revealed in Revelation 19: 7-9.

You may have missed out on Will and Kate's wedding but here is one that you can be assured of. Verse 9 says "blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb." The Fathers invitation is to you today. Will you respond to the invitation by repenting of your sin and placing your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to save you, thus assuring you a seat at the table?

Roy Barrett
Peninsula Vineyard Church

Anzac Day

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 22:48:00 GMT

Although our thoughts on Anzac Day usually go to Gallipoli, there were many other theatres of war that demonstrated the sacrifice of Australian soldiers for the freedom we enjoy today.

One of those was Villers-Bretonneux, a French town that had been captured in 1918 by the advancing German army. The counter attack that followed by the Australians against a far superior force saw the town rescued and the Germans pushed back. It was described as one of the most pivotal actions of the war.

The townspeople remember the sacrifice of the Australians and if you visit that town today you will see inscribed "never forget the Australians" in every school classroom. What a wonderful continual reminder of their ultimate sacrifice.

How much more should we "never forget Jesus" who gave His life for all people. As Romans 5:8 says, "but God demonstrates his own love for us in this; while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." While we were His enemies, Jesus died on the cross that we might have life, and be reconciled to God. A victory not just for this life but for eternity.