Another Dimension

As Christians we are called to be supernatural,  God is super We are natural.

This past week our DTS went 4 hours south along the coast to a town called Byron Bay.  Byron is a hippie town full of backpackers & travelers from all over the world who are looking for adventure. The hippie/beach culture is a huge party attraction and so often everyone is lost & searching for something more meaningful in life.  Our weeks emphasis was Evangelism and we were able to meet up with 2 other YWAM teams for the entire week to practice evangelism in preparation for outreach.

Our speaker was Kevin Stickl who's been living in Australia since '99.  He shared his experiences with evangelism and how it is a different adventure each time.  So often the word evangelism can carry a sour taste and I can't say as if I've ever wanted to be apart of any evangelism.  I immediately think of someone standing at a street corner screaming at those passing by about how they're sinners and need to get their lives right.  I'm still in the process of changing these deprived thoughts and focusing on the good news we are called to share with others.  Here are a few thoughts that Kevin shared:

• Before evangelizing, we need to deal with our fears of man & pride.
• When we step out in faith in the strength of God, he will deliver us from these fears.
• We need to set our gaze on God and his abilities.

When looking to reach out to others in evangelism, we need to know:

• It is GOOD news!
• It's a free gift. If we had something of value (gold) to just give out to others for free, wouldn't we be excited!

There are so many different types of evangelism and it should become apart of our lifestyle to share about God's love & forgiveness for others, rather than just setting time aside to go specifically evangelize.  When we evangelize, there are 3 different types of outcomes.  1) someone is saved. 2). we plant a seed. 3) we are rejected.  1 Peter 4:14 "If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you." That being said, every time we step out in faith, there is a 66.6% chance that you'll be successful.

Jesus is either a Liar, a Lunatic, or The Lord.

    - For those who say that he was just a good man, I tell you this can't be, because he states that he alone came down from heaven and is the only son of God.

Going into the week we were told that Byron was a really heavy place spiritually and that we needed to be ready to experience things we had never witnessed before.  This was not an understatement, as I honestly wasn't sure what the words "spiritually heavy" really meant.  This week God blessed me with multiple opportunities to talk with heaps of people in Byron about God and the deep desire he has to build a relationship with them.  Every night we'd have a barbie in the park, serving free pancakes & chai tea with music for the locals to stop by.

• My friend Osama & I spoke with a homeless man named Feron, who's life had been ruined because of "Christians" and how he hated them.  Feron played his guitar for money on the street he told us that his dreams were that his nightmares would disappear.  All we could do is love on him and pray for his hardened heart.
• My friends Amanda, Megan & I ran into a guy named Scott from NY who was on vacation with his son.  He was searching for his soul-mate & longed for inner peace.  Scott had been divorced 3 times & had a successful construction business.  He had some knowledge of God, but also believed in extraterrestrial life & was confused about heaven.  We were able to pray for Scott & he knew that our encounter was not by coincidence.
• My friends Steph, Mich, & I had just finished praying for peace & comfort when 5 Jewish guys walked up and wanted to know what was going on.  They had been living in Australia because there was too much pressure in Israel to be religious and it didn't seem real to them.  Surprisingly, they were really open to hearing about our beliefs and who God is to us.

These are just a few encounters I had throughout the week and there was also a varieties of healings that took place.  Spiritual healings and YES physical healings!  Until this week I've never witnessed any physical healings, but God showed up and a girls foot was straightened, a girls shoulders were re-aligned, & pain was taken from a variety of people's broken bones & past injuries.  It was NUTS!!!

Even today this sounds ridiculousness & unattainable for me.  And indeed it is ridiculous & it is unattainable for me alone.  John 14:11-14 "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.  I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." BAM!

After reading all this, it may seem like this has been a glorious week, but it was actually a huge battle.  The spiritual world was heated and the devil was trying hard to dis-unify our groups and tear us apart.  Those with discernment could since the heaviness, because anytime there is a fight for souls the devil is going to be upset (no glory to him).  This was a really unique experience and I definitely grew in so many ways.

Making pancakes for our gatherings! 

Nothin like the Bay!

My Friends :)

Personal highlight of the week! Some mornings we were able to go surf & I saw my very first dolphins! So sweet! haha anyways... Love God, Love Others!  Have a wonderful week and please facebook me & let me know what's going on in your life!  Otherwise leave a comment below about anything that's on your mind or anything I have said.  It is possible that not everything I wrote is true, so check it with the Bible aka The Truth!  I can't believe I only have 2 weeks left here in Australia, but God is still good!