Now we have been back home for some days and are well rested for the rest of the summer. Last time I wrote we were in Köping, Sweden on our way towards Gothenburg. We had a very nice ride down and it took us a couple of days but our stops and breaks were divine and we ran into people who needed to hear what we had to say. We also ran into some of our brothers and friends along the road.
We arrived to Gothenburg two nights before our performance together with The Betels at the Betel Ship and on thursday we took a ride out to the islands outside the big city. We visited the island Hönö and the conference that took place there right then.
To be honest with you all I have to tell you that I am not that "conference" type of Christian. I have nothing against these big conferences but I rather stay out where I can meet people who still are living outside the Kingdom of God. I thank God for being able to attend two conferences per year, both at Folkkyrkan and PTL-Ministries in Sölvesborg, Sweden. One at easter and one end of October. Summer to me is a time filled with possibilities to be out preaching the good news about Jesus Christ and therefore I am not that into summer conferences. I understand that all Christians need to be re-filled and re-built every now and then but as I said I study and visit many churches during the year and I have my two yearly conferences that really have blessed me.
Friday night we played on board at the Betel Ship and I love playing with that band. This was the third time and still they know my songs better than I do myself. I thank God for Jukka Mäkikangas and the others working onboard as they are doing an awesome work for the Lord. It is a shelter for homeless people and people with alcohol- and drug problems. Now they were filled up with nearly 40 persons living there and the testimonies we hear about how 90% of those who walk through there get saved just gave me chills. To work with that kind of people is not easy and sometimes I ask myself what is driving people to take care of these other people and the only answer I can give to that questions is that it has to be the love of God.
The following day, Saturday we had our last engagement during this time in Sweden and that was a Biker Rally called McParkOnly in Skara. It was a nice happening and it felt great to meet some of these Biker brothers and sisters one more time before we returned home to Finland. We took it easy and stopped in Västerås on our way back and we arrived at home tuesday night.
Over all this trip has been a big blessing. Of course it has been hard and I have had my bad moments but thinking about how it used to be and how it is today makes me nothing else than thankful. To be able to wake up in the morning without hangover and without fear is wonderful but the best of all is to just be out there somewhere as an Ambassador For Jesus Christ and speak on behalf of Him. Would it be something we did in our own strength nothing would happen but as The Holy Spirit is present people get touched, saved, healed and delivered. To see one person get a new life is something BIG!
Mahne new leader for Ambassadors Finland
Last Friday we held our Biker Church at the Pentecostal Church in Ylistaro. We drove there on our bikes and it was nice to have some of the Recycle members joining us on this trip. We had a great night there. Brother Veli-Matti Koivisto opened up with some serious words about being an Ambassador for Jesus Christ, I shared something and sang a couple of songs and Brother Jaqcues Mahne brought the word. After the sermon we prayed for and blessed Brother Jaqcues to the new Branch Leader for The Ambassadors For Jesus Christ m/m Finland.
All this has to do with the vision I had five years ago when I just had started the ministry over here. I saw people come and tell me that they met Ambassadors on different places and I was elsewhere. They had only positive things to say about the Brothers and I felt this was something that we had to wait for. Now in 2012 God sent us new members and things are moving forward. As my own ministry is growing and we now have serious and wonderful members with a vision being Ambassadors For Jesus Christ I wanted to follow the vision and step down from the leadership in Finland and let the boys run the ministry. I will continue as Director for Europe and hopefully plant new chapters in other European countries. I will always be an Ambassador For Jesus Christ and right now I am proud of each member we have. We started from scratch and today we are 26 members in Finland and Sweden. Part of my work for the Ambassadors is to keep these encouraged and on fire for Jesus!
Thy faith hath made thee whole
When we study the word of God we also can see the same things happening today. I can see that the same thing happened in my life but in a bit different way as in the true story below:
"And Jesus answered and said to him, What wilt thou that I should do to thee? The blind man said to him, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said to him, Go, thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way." Mark 10:51-52
I went to a church and I did not know if I believed or not. There were only a few people in that church that night and there was no meeting. I was sick, drunk and I had tried to stop drinking so many times without success. This night I saw the true christianity and felt the love of God through these brothers and sisters and first of all I said to myself: - What ever these people have, I want to have the same!
Of course they had JESUS in their hearts and as in the story they asked me in JESUS name what I wanted with my life and what I wanted JESUS to do for me. I wanted to be delivered and set free from my addictions that I had been dealing with since I was a teenager. They prayed for me in JESUS name and I got set free! I did not know it right away but I have not had a single drink of alcohol since that night or any kind of drugs!
As in the true story we just read the same thing happened to me. I saw and felt JESUS through these people and wanted the same thing they had. JESUS saw this that I wanted to have HIM in my life and HE heard my cry and answered my prayers using these people that I met at church for the first time ever!
As in the true story about the blind man this was my u-turn and that was the day when I started to follow JESUS! See, the word of GOD is alive and we ALL have a testimony to tell! Not everybody has to be an alcoholic, drug addict or criminal. ALL people need JESUS and HE came to set YOU free, to give YOU all good things and to save YOU so YOU can follow HIM!
Many people wonder about heaven! Is there a heaven and is there a hell! As the word of GOD is the only written word that is ALIVE why take that risk and think there is no heaven or there is no hell! The word of GOD is clear and the only way to the Father and to heaven is through JESUS CHRIST! When you follow HIM you will get to the final destination, destination heaven!
I went to a church and I did not know if I believed or not. There were only a few people in that church that night and there was no meeting. I was sick, drunk and I had tried to stop drinking so many times without success. This night I saw the true christianity and felt the love of God through these brothers and sisters and first of all I said to myself: - What ever these people have, I want to have the same!
Of course they had JESUS in their hearts and as in the story they asked me in JESUS name what I wanted with my life and what I wanted JESUS to do for me. I wanted to be delivered and set free from my addictions that I had been dealing with since I was a teenager. They prayed for me in JESUS name and I got set free! I did not know it right away but I have not had a single drink of alcohol since that night or any kind of drugs!
As in the true story we just read the same thing happened to me. I saw and felt JESUS through these people and wanted the same thing they had. JESUS saw this that I wanted to have HIM in my life and HE heard my cry and answered my prayers using these people that I met at church for the first time ever!
As in the true story about the blind man this was my u-turn and that was the day when I started to follow JESUS! See, the word of GOD is alive and we ALL have a testimony to tell! Not everybody has to be an alcoholic, drug addict or criminal. ALL people need JESUS and HE came to set YOU free, to give YOU all good things and to save YOU so YOU can follow HIM!
Many people wonder about heaven! Is there a heaven and is there a hell! As the word of GOD is the only written word that is ALIVE why take that risk and think there is no heaven or there is no hell! The word of GOD is clear and the only way to the Father and to heaven is through JESUS CHRIST! When you follow HIM you will get to the final destination, destination heaven!
Rooted in the local church
Another thing that has been on my mind is how important it is to serve together with others. Kingdom work is nothing we do on our own, especially when we are traveling around. It would be very un-responsible to get into a town, have a meeting and lead people to the Lord and just split. I see so many people do like this and it makes me not only sad but also worried. I wonder where I would be today if I had not come to that church where people took care of me. What if I had met Jesus at a meeting somewhere with an evangelist visiting and there would have been none local church people around. I am almost sure I would have lost my faith and lost my relation to the Lord. We ALL need to be rooted and serving out of a local church where ever we are. Especially if we are calling ourselves men or women of God. God already made a plan for how we shall be accountable and have accountability to God but also to others. Everyone need to have a leader and everyone need to take their responsible for people who are finding their way to the Lord.
I have also seen that lots of people want to receive prayers from the "preacher" or the "man of God" on stage. I see it so clearly so where I can I do not pray for people. I rather have the people from the local church I am serving together with do it and of course they can be from different churches. I do not look at what kind of Christians I serve with, if they are Baptist's, Pentecostals, Lutherans or Catholics does not matter as long as Christ is preached as our Lord and Saviour and the Son of God. ONLY Jesus saves souls and it does not matter who you pray the sinners prayer with. I highly recommend this to be done together with a person you can have contact with and a person who will guide you further on the right way together with JESUS! We ALL need spiritual mothers and fathers and a traveling minister can not be one of those, therefore he is called the evangelist. The Bible is also clear about these things and the right order regarding the leadership. Imagine how great it would be if we all got it right!
A busy fall
This fall will be busy. Early August I am traveling to the EMC Rally in Germany and I have some other appointments in August as well. In September I am going to work together with Pastor Tommy Lilja, first in Finland on a tour starting at the Pentecostal Church of Seinäjoki and the following week in Lusaka, Zambia on a big PTL crusade. It will be my first visit of Africa and I am excited. I am thankful for being able to serve together with Pastor Tommy and his crew and this is something like a dream coming true. I always wanted to see GOD in action at a big crusade like this, stuff I only seen on tv. I know it will be a faith raiser and I hope that The Holy Spirit activates something within me during this trip that I can use where ever I walk in the future. I want to see people healed, set free, delivered and saved anywhere and everywhere and thats what we are called to do.
October is still under progress but it looks like some meetings in Finland and another trip to Spain. End of the month I am going to receive some at a conference in Sölvesborg, Sweden and straight from there I am leaving for a month of missionary work in USA. I am so looking forward to the rest of this year. I feel good when I have things to do and to work for the most high is something else. Don't let anybody fool you that you are not good enough to work for GOD as HE has called YOU as HE has called all of us to preach the good news to all the world.
Also I would like to invite YOU to come and celebrate my 40th birthday, August 10th at Frank Mangs Center in Närpes. The celebrations starts at 4PM (16:00) with food and some music and at 7PM (19:00) we are having a meeting together with Morgan Carlsson from Sweden. ALL are welcome!
Love You All!
In Christ!
Pontus
Frank Mangs Center are standing behind me as an organization and together we have decided that it is not wise to stand outside the open doors just because there are not enough money to walk through those doors.
Frank Mangs Center have opened up a new account for this ministry and we are now looking for people who would like to partner with us monthly. At least I would ask you all to pray for our work and for the harvest of 2012. You can read more about being a partner in finnish or swedish by clicking HERE.
NOTE!
YOU are invited to come and celebrate my 40 years birthday at Frank Mangs Center in Närpes, Friday August 10th. There will be food from 4PM to 6:30PM for everyone and the same night Morgan Carlsson from Sweden is preaching! No presents, gifts to the mission at Frank Mangs Center are welcomed indeed.
