The Pentecost Effect

I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! Luke 12:49

Once in awhile there comes a time when you defy your reservations, hesitations and procrastinations all at once. A moment when your butt jumps off the easy chair of excuses and you do the very thing your heart is burning for.

How often does this kind of fire fall on you?

Jesus often spoke with a scorched frustration and yearning for the day his people would finally get it. That day came and went, but the flame that sparked the Church of Jesus Christ on the Day of Pentecost was never meant to go out. God has entrusted us with a truth that cannot be seen by anyone if we just sit on it.

Are these following words a living reality in your daily life?

"Christ in YOU, the hope of glory..." "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me..."

Everyday? Yes, every single moment. It's still possible.

Do you smell something burning?



Sincerely,
Brandon & Pamela
www.freedomhouse.org.uk

Join us this week to bring the Pentecost experience to Camden Town. Please pray hard because this isn't the kind of thing the enemy takes lightly.

We've had to re-adjust aspects of the festival due the many pressures involved, but we are still believing for something extraordinary to take place this weekend. We'd love for you to be a part in anyway possible. Just write Brandon (brandon@freedomhouse.org.uk) or Mark (mark@freedomhouse.org.uk) if your interested in volunteering.

Empty By Choice

Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6

Fasting was never meant to be easy, that's why it works. Not only do you have a growling stomach to deal with, there is also an anxious mind with tangled intentions trying to focus on anything but ____________ (add favourite craving here).

It's harder know we're fasting for the right reasons in these times of crash diets and size zero hero's, who shun food for attention. Add to this a shaky economy breeding tortilla riots and a full blown rice crisis. Is it right to deny the basics we've been blessed with?

And what does fasting actually accomplish anyway?

Isaiah 58 addresses our different intentions for fasting, as well as God's attitude towards them. What may seem pious and spiritual to people can make God feel like gagging sometimes. On the other hand, many history-altering moves of God were proceeded by the food-less prayers of God's people.

Are you desperate for God to do something in a certain area of your life or someone else? Would you like a clearer connection to God's voice? Fasting is a time-proven way to get over yourself and under the chain breaking power of the Holy Spirit. It's just one of those things that can only be truly understood through experience.

Shut the cupboards and let's see what happens this week...

Bless you guys,
Brandon and Pamela
www.freedomhouse.org.uk

Join us this week as we FAST and PRAY for the upcoming Camden Pentecost Festival in Cantelowes Gardens. Here are some of issues that need to be covered in sincere and fervent prayer:

• People to hear,come and be touched by God's Spirit
• Enough hands on support to run smoothly
• Finances to be covered completely!
• A lasting impression made on the people of Camden
• The God would do more than we could ask, think or imagine...

Choose a day or two this week to where you can pray in the times you would normally eat. Thanks for your participation.

Just Add Water

"Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptised?" Acts 8:36

It was a sunny, but chilly day in November. The pigeons and tourists watched in confusion as two people walked into the ice cold fountains of Trafalgar Square to take part in something very holy. It had to be quick though, before security came.

Baptism is an ancient tradition that even Jesus took part in. What it means entirely, no one can fully explain, yet people have been doing it for thousands of years. As Christians, we believe this act identifies us with the death and burial of Christ, but something way beyond mere symbolism takes place when you add H2O to your faith.

Over the years, the baptismal waters has been given many additive rituals and rules that may confuse people who want to take part. "How old should I be?...How much water do you need exactly?...Does it count if I don't remember it?...I was only 3 months old after all."

The baptism illustrated above was as simple as you can get. One day after church, Brian asked if he could be baptised. He showed the genuine fruit of someone who loves God, so I told him I know a good place down the street. His friends form work came down to be there with us all. We went through some Scripture, prayed together, then splash...he came up a different man. We all celebrated together as he shivered with joy. I will never forget that day.

Today Brian lives and studies in South Africa, continuing to seek the amazing will of God for his life. He has since been on a couple missionary journeys in Africa and knows there are many other adventures ahead. His impact on a baby church called Freedomhouse is still felt today.

Does baptism have something to do with it? I'm sure of it.



Who's next?
Brandon and Pamela
www.freedomhouse.org.uk

PS: Join us this Sunday as we celebrate a Special Group Baptism at Freedomhouse Church. It will be indoors with much warmer water this time around. Bring a towel and some spare clothes if you would like to take part. As the excited Ethiopian declared in Acts 8, "What's stopping me?"

PSS: I won't be using the "choke hold manueaver" used on poor Brian in the picture ;)

Black Hole Christianity

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters...Gen 1:2

Ever feel pulled in a direction, emotion or state of mind you can't seem to escape? A black hole can suck the life out of anything in the universe, even light. Can your faith survive one?

Black holes are completely invisible. We can only observe their influence on the galaxies that surrounds them. Try to get in for a closer look and your a goner the nanosecond you cross the event horizon i.e. the point of no return.

A similar (unnamed) law of nature states that if you focus too much on your own problems, you'll get pulled in indefinitely. You can then become a walking black hole that starts sucking life from those around you. The polar opposite of a life-giving Christian.

The book of Genesis always blows my mind. Ever notice that water, light, seeds and plants existed before there ever was a sun (or black hole) in the heavens? (Day 4) The source of all life is completely and supernaturally found in God.

The Lord can speak light into your emotional black hole and pull you out of it's grip by the gravity of His will. A mature and rooted faith is one that's seen a few holes and survived. It's source of light is no longer found in the vacuum of circumstance, but in the unchanging power of the God.

Which force will your faith surrender to this week?



Looking to the Source,
Brandon and Pamela Munoz
www.freedomhouse.org.uk

True or False Fruits

You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? Matthew 7:16

Ever been fooled by a faker?

Imitations are all around us. Counterfeit clothes, bootleg movies and even synthetic spirituality. Like the plastic apples in the picture, we can settle for shiny, look alike experiences and teachings that are only a cheap imitation of the real blessings of God. In this age of overcrowded information, we need to quickly spot the imposter's and hold on to the truth with an abiding grip.

So how do we tell what's real or not? I recently shared an old Aesop's fable with my son Daniel that may help us. I regret that I can't act it out with animal characters for you, but the words should work just fine:

An ass, having put on the Lion's skin, roamed about in the forest and amused himself by frightening all the foolish animals he met in his wanderings. At last coming upon a Fox, he tried to frighten him also, but the Fox no sooner heard the sound of his voice than he exclaimed, "I might possibly have been frightened myself, if I had not heard your bray."

Clothes may disguise a fool, but their words will soon give them away.

Who are you trying to fool? Can you be the kind of person that God can bear some real fruit with? The kind that people can sink their teeth into the waxy aftertaste. Join us this Sunday as we discover how to know the difference between a well dressed lie and the naked truth of the Word of God.

What kind of fruit will you eat this week?



Your Friends,
Brandon and Pamela Munoz
www.freedomhouse.org.uk

Breakthrough Growth

"...I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not stand against it." Matt 16:18

There are certain living things in this world that keep growing no matter what kind of barrier is put in front of them. Are you one of them?

I have a friend who was training to be a police officer a few years ago. Part of the training included and obstacle course with a 6ft wall near the end. No badges are given out until you clear it.

Day after day - week after week, she hit that wall with abandon, but never quite made it over. By then, many reasonable people would've justifiably given up. They could tell themselves, "Maybe this just isn't for me" or "I guess it's a man's job after all..." The only thing between her and a lifelong dream was that stupid wall!

God wants to grow, build and create new life everywhere he can by using whoever he can. All he needs is people who think like him. Are you like a bonsai plant, which let's the trimming limitations of others determine its growth? Or are you a relentlessly rooted redwood that sees a brick wall in your way and feels sorry for it?

My friend finally conquered her wall after all. She prayed, quoted Scripture and believed God for the help. I don't know how many times it actually took, but that doesn't really matter once your on the other side.

How tall is your wall today?



See you on the other side,
Brandon and Pamela
Freedomhouse Church, Camden

Tuesday Telegram: Blast From the Past

Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance-all who seek the Lord!
Consider the quarry from which you were mined, the rock from which you were cut! Isaiah 51

First of all, let's get a few cliches concerning the past out of the way.

• "You don't know where your going, until you know where you've been."
• "Hindsight is always 20/20"
• "No use crying over spilled milk"
• "Nostalgia will stall'ya"

Do you ever feel sorry for those bands who can't survive a concert without performing nearly every song from their 'golden era'. When they try to play anything new, it's usually received with loud shouts for the oldies. It must be frustrating knowing that people will never appreciate your new songs as much as the ones you've played a few thousand times.

The past can be a tricky thing sometimes, especially if your a Christian. When times get tough, we can look backwards to days when it was much 'easier' and life seemed more golden. The lies of the devil are a very real thing. They can actually alter our memories and give us a hind sight that is anything but 20/20.

Ever find yourself having fond memories of terrible times? We can also vadalise our recollections of the good times we've had with God and his people. Sometimes we just plain forget the great miracles the Lord has done in our lives. Like those old bands, we want to move forward, but we're just stuck in the same old rut.

The past was meant to give us strength to reach for the future. God uses the struggles and victories of those that came before us to inspire a new song out of our lives. He really wants to hear it. We can cherish the lives and lessons of the past, but we cannot moonwalk into the future!



Chamon'
Brandon and Pamela
Freedomhouse Church, Camden

Look out this weekend for the new Freedomhouse Website.
It will have stories of the past and songs of the future for God to get glory around the world...
Wait til' Sat. to open this present www.freedomhouse.org.uk