Now the new year has kicked in and we have opened up this year with worship and praise. Last weekend became a weekend that I never will forget. God did so many things and the way HE is doing things is just blowing my mind away!
Last friday I took my daughters Jessica and Jeannette on a road trip to Jakobstad, one hour north of our hometown Vasa to pick up my oldest daughter Jennifer who is Jessicas twin sisters. Since the girls have been living in a home where their father (me) was an alcoholic for years our daughters have walked through some really difficult times during their first teenage years. The last two years have been difficult and our relationship have been very difficult as well as dealing with different institutions. I felt so bad one and a half year ago about all this and I had a hard time forgiving myself for not being there for my daughters and my family when they were little. It went so far for me that I wrote a mail to some of the older brothers and sisters at our church and told them to pray that Jesus would come and take me home.
Of course they did not want to pray such a stupid prayer! Instead these wonderful people opened up their doors to their home and invited me to come there so they could lay hands on me and pray for me. At this time my life was really going to break to small pieces that looked impossible to put together. I thank God for these brothers and sisters who have walked such a long time with the Lord so they not only believe, the also have faith to proclaim victory in Jesus name. That night in that living room I cried and opened up myself for these people and laid down all my cards on the table, also the hidden jokers. They prayed for me and since that night I have had peace and I have been able to forgive myself because of the fact that I know from the word of God that I AM forgiven. IF there is someone who can forgive me I can also forgive myself. This someone is no one other than Jesus and there is NO other one who can forgive our sins. We just have to receive this truth by faith and welcome HIM onboard not only in our lives but also in our hearts.
There have been times when I thought there is no longer any hope for me to reconcile with my daughters but in the Kingdom of God there is no such things as "no hope" or "impossible". For some months now our relationships have been restored and before Christmas I wrote about the best Christmas present ever that I got last Christmas. It was the invitation from my daughter to come and sing my song "Thankful" together with her on her schools Christmas party. After this I knew that this is only the beginning of a new era of our lives.
Five years anniversary
On Saturday night, January 7th 2012 I celebrated five years since I walked thru the doors to the church that became my spiritual home. There is no chance that I would be where I am today without this church and all these wonderful people. The same day The Ambassadors For Jesus Christ M/M Europe had our annual general meeting and Ambassadors from both Sweden and Finland showed up. We made some really good decisions and as the director of the ministry I am thankful and proud for each and every member. Even more Ambassadors showed up for the anniversary party at church and so did many others, the church was packed.
Another big thing in my life and this night was that my biological, little brother Marko, that I never knew I had came together with his family. I have met my brother a couple times before, the first time early last year. I love my brother and it was an honor and privilege to have him play guitar in the band this very special night. I am also so thankful for the band: Martin Kantola, Camilla Cederholm and Mårten Streng. Without them I would have been there alone with my guitar and these folks did a wonderful work, love them very much. The same night the church choir and Sven and Lise Rönnlund also sang as well as representatives from my record label Aikamedia Oy were there to officially release the Thankful record. All these are wonderful things and without GOD none of these would have come thru.
The biggest thing for me is still that I got to have all three daughters with me this night and that Jennifer and Jessica sang a couple of songs with me. They did a great job and I am not sure if they know that they did a heck of a miracle just with being there. That they wanted to sing with me and wants to be with me is just something really big, it brings me to tears when I think about it and when I remember this awesome night. From now on, I will always bring my daughters to sing with me when possible. There are several prophetic words spoken out about our family that we are going to be a testifying family and that we are going to serve the Lord together as a family. This is just the beginning folks. Stay with us in prayer that God's will might happen.
I just have to share this with you all. In october while I was at my Bible school conference in Sölvesborg, Sweden I met a man. If I remember right he was from South America. An very big man of God but so humble that he never told me his name. One morning we sat at a table at the hotel breakfast together and he started to speak into my life and this is how the conversation went:
Pontus: - Have you read my book when you know everything about me?
Man of God: - I do not need to read any books!
Pontus: - But you know where I come from and you know everything about me....
Man of God: - I see where you come from and I see where you are going. You are going to get a big breakthrough in your family. Relations are not only going to be restored, they are also going to be healed.
Pontus: - But... ????.... How?..... do you know about all this???.... eh.... eh...=
Man of God: - I go even further with this! I give you six months and you will see this breakthrough and you will live it. This is NOT a prophecy, it is a promise from the throne room of God!
Pontus is now wiping away tears from his eyes....
This was spoken out before it happened in the same way the prophets spoke out about JESUS before JESUS even was born! These things still happens and while writing this it feels like half an hour ago when I was sitting at that breakfast table with this man of God. So, YOU, Man of God, if you read this just let me know you got the message, contact me!
The night at church was a total blessings and the best of all in a bigger perspective was that many of those who came were there for the first time and many of them were not yet born again and saved. Thats what it is all about: reaching the lost for Jesus and here it comes: my daughters ARE born again and saved. Can you imagine how thankful I am today?
Biker Church
On sunday night the Ambassadors For Jesus Christ opened up for our first Biker Church at Recycle Motor and Music. We did not know what to wait but at the end of the night we were all happy as well as all of the other people who just walked in out of nowhere. We had another awesome night in the presence of God and on thing is sure. This is from God and we will continue to have Biker church at this location, the first Sunday every month and all are welcome to attend. Our vision is to bring the church to those how does not yet wanna go to church. It is sad to see that there are so many people that are longing from God but they do not want to attend church because of religious spirits, legalistic people and finger pointers. Too many people are offended and hurt by Christians and this fact has been ministering to me lately. We HAVE to walk in love and take down our judging fingers. We HAVE to let The Holy Spirit be the one pointing at the sin in each and everyones life. Of course we shall say something when a brother or a sister gets of the track but thats not where we start. We have to LOVE them to JESUS with the LOVE HE used when HE loved us first. We have to bring the people to church with LOVE and not with judging them. CHURCH IS NOT A BUILDING, WE ARE THE CHURCH and we are NOT any better or more loved than any other person. The privilege we have as born again Christians is that we can choose if we want to walk in the flesh or in the Spirit. Amen!
Next Biker Church at Recycle Motor & Music will be February 5th but before that there will be lots of other stuff going on. Next week, January 17th me and my son Sebastian are taking off for a two week long missionary trip to Sweden.
Sweden January 2012
The first meeting in Sweden will be at Finska Filadelfia in Stockholm, January 18th at 19.00. Most likely there will be interpretation from finnish to swedish so as many as possible can understand. I have really good news to tell. The following day we will minister at a alcohol & drug rehab who also takes care of hard criminals. I have been there some times before and we have had awesome times at this place when I have had the honor to tell the people about all the good things that Jesus have done in my life and about Jesus Himself.
From Stockholm we are moving south for a meeting in the Finnish Pentecostal Church of Södertälje, Friday, January 20th and on Saturday January 21st we are having a meeting at Linneahuset in Göteborg where I will have the band, The Betels with special guests with me on stage. Sunday, January 22nd there is a meeting in the morning in Borås, Sweden followed with a meeting together with The Betels at Betelskeppet that is a ship and home for many homeless people in the Gothenburg area.
January 26th - 29th we are going to be together with Church on Wheels, The Ambassadors For Jesus Christ, Gospel Riders and some other Christian motorcycle organizations on the "På två Hjul 2012" motorcycle exhibition where we are going to give away Bibles and JESUS LOVES YOU CD:S as well as I am going to sit there for four days singing my songs about Jesus. Before we return from Sweden, there is one more meeting in Gothenburg on Sunday night, January 29th, this in International Assemblies of God church.
This year will be busier than ever and I am both excited and thankful for all open doors. As I earlier told there is now a new support group to join if you want to be part of the work we are doing for the Kingdom of God. Frank Mangs Center have opened up a new bank account for this ministry and for this work, and this year God has put the youth on my heart. By joining the support group with a monthly donation YOU can be part of changing peoples lives. There is a new small paper out with the information in finnish and swedish. You can access it by clicking HERE.
The NEW account number from January 1st is: Frank Mangs Center r.f - Pontus mission: Närpes Sparbank FI30 4963 0010 0365 38 BIC CODE: HELSFIHH
World wide testimony
Another thing that I am thankful for is that my life story and testimony is spreading around the world and my prayer is that God shall use my mistakes, my life and my story to reach other people. The youth magazine Life Line in Hyderabad, India featured a two side story in their December 2011 number. I am very thankful for this and I know that GOD have been good to me and will continue to be good to me as long as I do what I do to glorify the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
A new book is also under work and this book about my life is written by author Jukka Mäkinen. It will be released by Aikamedia Oy in March and my prayer is that we could afford to have it translated into other languages as well. English is the first on my wish list so please pray with me for this.
Closer to God
I want to end this long update with a scripture that has been on my mind a time now, it is from James 4:8:
"Come close to God, and He will come close to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners, and clear your minds, your doubters."
Here we have a fantastic truth. First of all we were all sinners, as born again Christians I would not longer call us sinners but we might live in sin. This is a big difference and when we start to live in this truth it is also easier to walk in the spirit and not in the flesh. We all have things in our lives that we need to clean up and we are all doubting. The only way to do these things is to get closer to God. Note that you can only get closer to God by yourself. You have to take that step and it is not something you do only ones. You have to do it daily and open up your heart for God and His promise here is very powerful. He will come close to you. Imagine that the creator of heaven and earth is coming closer to YOU. You just have to respond to His word and His promise first. I hope you see this truth as a big promise and when we approach God daily or even every time we approach Him, HE will get close to us and this is when you will be able to clean up your life, your mind and walk in the Spirit!
God Bless you all!
Love you all!
Pontus
