Tag: courage

Playing dead… cowardice

Playing dead in life is cowardice. Staying awake in everything you do is brave. Those who are stuck in a lifestyle of playing dead have no idea about the difference between the two ways. Jesus became human to awaken us so that we never need to play dead again.

Drive your roots deep into the truth in Christ, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

In Christ, you are a blessing!

Not easily threatened

How much are we limited and held back because of fear? When we feel threatened we tend to react in some way. The “fight or flight” instinct activates and what follows is not usually pretty or helpful. I have found that giving in to threatened feelings shuts down my spiritual perception.

I jumped in on a twenty-one day fast hosted by my church. We are giving God the first part of 2019 as a reminder that we will see his goodness break in on us throughout the whole year. The idea is to give up something good that you enjoy in order to receive the best thing, a deeper relationship with God.

The breakthrough I have been asking God for in my life, home, and church is in the realm of the miraculous. I want to partner with the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus in doing miracles, signs, and wonders. I also want those around me to do the same.

During my fast, the Lord has been making me more aware of the freedom I possess because I am in Christ. There is a reason that Jesus shared his freedom with me. Because I am free, I can live unafraid. I don’t need to act or react to anything locked up in fear. (Galatians 5:1)

Jesus lived in total freedom because he was fully aware that he was free 100% of the time. Whatever he did, he was in charge. Wherever he went, he was intentional and fully present. He lived on earth by the power and authority of heaven.

He could see and hear in the realm of the spirit because it was no threat to him. Because he was not threatened, he was willing to perceive all things in the seen and unseen realm. Now, because I am in life-union with him, I can begin to perceive what he sees and hears in complete freedom.

You and I will grow in our ability to receive and declare the living word of the Lord as we trust his presence in us. We are going to see more of his power displayed in 2019! Take courage in these words of Jesus, “And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!”

You are a blessing!

My Top “5Q” Takeaways (review of Alan Hirsch’s book)

Incredibly empowering book! Thanks, Alan Hirsch for another well-written, deeply engaging read. “5Q: Reactivating the Original Intelligence and Capacity of the Body of Christ” comes alongside the Body of Christ and engages us in a conversation in which we at first think we are fluent. Then, as Hirsch provokes and invites us to learn the ways of APEST in light of J-APEST(the unique way that Jesus relates to all of creation), we either jump off the submarine or strap ourselves in for a deep plunge into what is according to Hirsch, “coded into the whole Body of Christ, and we are but the living expressions of that Body in our given time and place.”

“5Q” is his term for hearing, appreciating, perceiving and engaging the gift of APEST (APOSTLE/PROPHET/EVANGELIST/SHEPHERD/TEACHER) as the way God relates to all things, is revealed in Christ, is expressed in the Body of Christ (BOX) resulting in the Fullness of Christ (FOX) spoken of in Ephesians 4.

 

My Top 5Q Takeaways are:

  1.  I experienced a powerful refocusing of Eph 4:1-15 and the APEST gifts on the Fullness of Christ being expressed through the Body of Christ. “We are to treasure the fivefold precisely because we treasure Jesus and what he is doing through us.” It was very refreshing to take a deep dive into a study on APEST without being distracted from the reason I was drawn to following Jesus in the first place… to be more like Him.

  2. J-APEST “I will sometimes refer to the distinctly Jesus-shaped version of APEST as J-APEST to distinguish it from the creational and ecclesial expressions” I loved Hirsch’s focus on the presence of the five-fold in Jesus’ DNA. Because it was there in Jesus, it is present in us because we are in Christ.

  3. Scenius: (borrowed from Brian Eno) “So I thought that originally those few individuals who’d survived in history-in the sort of ‘Great Man’ theory of history-were called ‘geniuses’. But what I thought was interesting was the fact that they all came out of a scene that was very fertile and very intelligent. So I came up with this word ‘scenius’-and scenius is the intelligence of a whole… operation or group of people. And I think that’s actually a more useful way to think about culture… Let’s forget the idea of ‘genius’ for a little while; let’s (rather) think about the whole ecology of ideas that give rise to good new thoughts and good new work.” This was a brand new term for me. It holds a lot of power and hope to fuel my dreams for revival and the Body of Christ working the Harvest.

  4. The Gift of APEST is in our DNA: “The good news is that APEST has been given at the very constitution of the church in Jesus’ resurrection and ascension and it cannot be removed, although it can be suppressed. It is there… latent in the Body of Christ waiting to be activated.”

  5. Bases and Phases: “We all have a base ministry in which we feel most comfortable. This base ministry flows out of our primary gifting. In order to mature, we have to enter a phase where we receive training and experience in one of the other four ministries.” Empowering, wise insight. Though my APEST tends to be expressed as Apostle/Shepherd/Prophet/Teacher/Evangelist, it is not bad for me to go through seasons of learning when I might behave more like an Evangelist, Teacher, or Prophet if you were to interact with me. I can assume that I will return eventually to my base ministry.

    Early on in “5Q…”Hirsch challenges the reader with the following comment… “If you are able to sense something of God’s beautiful design along the way, will you have the courage to change? Will you pay the price to learn again?”

 

Help us bring people to LIFE!

 

We are investing in helping people COME ALIVE!!

I am having the time of my life serving as lead pastor of KV East. As part of the growing church community called Kings Valley Church we are located in Eastside Saint John.

We are all about “making disciples”! You may be wondering; “What is THAT?”. Making disciples means that we exist to welcome EVERYONE to come ALIVE in God through faith in Jesus Christ.

One of the main points of activation for people is “Baptism”. Through the unique experience of baptism men & women, boys & girls express their faith in Jesus Christ, join the family of God and testify to their lifelong commitment to God and His mission. In other words “IT IS AN AWESOME LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE”!

We are purchasing a portable baptism pool.

I am so stoked about this as it will enable us to baptize people on site at the Cineplex Theatre on the Eastside of Saint John. Our first baptism party on site will be Sunday, May 31, 2015. AND it will also allow us to setup just about anywhere to host baptism parties!

The total cost of the Portable Baptism Pool is $4500. We have $450 raised currently.

Would you like to help invite hundreds of people

to come alive through faith in Jesus Christ

in the Saint John region?

There are three easy methods that you can use to make a donation and receive a charitable donation receipt:

1. You can give a financial gift in the special offering being received at our KV East worship gathering, Cineplex Theatre, 10:30 am, Sunday May 24th.

2. You can give a financial gift “online”. Go to http://kingsvalley.ca/donate/, Click the “donate” paypal button, then when reviewing the donation details, click “Add special instructions to the seller” and add a comment “For the KV East baptism pool”.

3. You can give a financial gift by dropping your donation off at the Kings Valley Church office, 332 Hampton Road in Qusipamsis, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm Monday-Friday.

Your comments mean so much and I love to hear from you. You can leave a reply in the comment section below or email danclamos@gmail.com.

Love partnering with you for God’s kingdom mission here!

Is Community worth giving your life?

I am seriously loving this season of my life! I LOVE the church I get to pastor, KV East Saint John in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.  By the grace of God, I want to give the rest of my life in building the church in my city. The biggest reason in my heart is that the people here need to have their confidence restored in authentic kingdom community.

Kingdom Community? 

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy Name.

Thy Kingdom come.

Thy will be done in earth,

As it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive them that trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

The power, and the glory,

For ever and ever.

Amen

Lord, we pray let your kingdom come & your will be done on earth as in heaven.

We pray let the government of heaven have it’s way here in Saint John

We pray let the culture of heaven flood our lives & relationships. 

The kingdom of heaven involves a “culture” reflecting life on earth as it is in heaven. Don’t make the mistake of pushing heaven to somewhere we go when we die. It is true that we do have the promise of being there after we die by faith in Jesus. But the good news that Jesus announced was that the kingdom of heaven has drawn near… here on earth. And so the prayer he taught his followers reflects that same good news.

Kingdom Community is unique in that it is community that is flooded by the culture of heaven.

I preached the following sermon on March 1, 2015 based on a letter written from prison by the Apostle Paul. In it, he stokes a fire in the hearts of the Church (community of Jesus) in the port city of Ephesus. Hope it stokes a fire in YOU! Click on the title to listen: “Living in Kingdom Community“

Birthday wish

There is a huge statement recorded in the Bible:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms

with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” 

… every spiritual blessing?

Today is my birthday. I am sure considering the population of the world, there are thousands of us who share this date set aside as our DOB.

What do I wish for on my birthday? 

Well, I woke up very early this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep. I was thinking about my life and honestly worrying about some things. Then I began to connect with my heart, the things that matter most… and I thought about what I wish for. So, here on my birthday I thought I would post this as a prayer:

Father God,

Thank you for blessing me and all of creation in and through Jesus Christ. The indescribable gift of the kingdom You ushered in through him is everything we will ever need. Today is the day on the calendar when me and my friends and family will celebrate the fact that I was born and get to have a life. I am so grateful for them. Thank you for them and thank you for life. I don’t know if “wishing” is okay with you or not, but in this prayer I want to express my wish to you. I do wish that we would experience an era of time when all of creation would love you and the dwelling place and the family you have welcomed us back to and blessed us with more than we love ourselves. I wish that the prayer Jesus prayed for all of his followers would be our pilgrimage and chosen destiny:

 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

It would be so amazing to live in a time where that prayer became the heart cry of enough of us on the planet that we reached the tipping point and your glory would be clearly seen and known in all the earth. When I pause to think deeply about all of this I know a day  like that is coming and it motivates me to pray and live for a world like that. So, as I give and receive love today with my friends and family, I just want you to know, God that I thank you for it all and for welcoming me back home in and through Jesus.

Amen

Living Stones Aren’t Factory Made!

One of the powerful images in the Bible that God uses to help us understand His plan for restoring everything is a picture of a house that He himself is building. He wants to use us as partners in this project. Click here to here what is on my heart about us as living stones… Living Stones Aren’t Factory Made