Tony's Blog

Monday, 21 February 2011 17:29

Going Back!

Written by Tony Nardella

This has been a long 2 years. It has been difficult to wait ... but now the time has arrived - Emily and I are going back to Ecuador!

It was a difficult decision to put the brakes on my travels 2 years ago. Anyone who knows me knows how excited I get about these trips. I had fallen in love with the city of Guayaquil and our friends there. It and they are incredible. You will never meet a group of people who are so giving, so loving, and so generous with their time and resources.

It's hard not to like these people. They work hard for those they serve, believing that they are serving the Lord by doing so. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." [Matt.25:40]

Apparently my love for the people and for the country of Ecuador is nothing compared to the great love God has for them. We all know love is proved by her actions and God proves His love for them continually there. What a privilege it has been to see what God does for those He loves! We have seen countless supernatural healings and visitations of all sorts. We have seen Him rescue so many from so much ... it just thrills my heart.

Faith can be a very fragile thing. I for one need a lot of encouragement to keep believing that God not only exists but "that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." [Heb.11:6 NIV]. These trips have built my faith so much, and the faith of many others.

So I have the privilege of going to Ecuador tomorrow with a great expectation in my heart. I really believe I am going to see what I have seen before: God pouring out His love on His children with miracles of healing, encouragement, restoration, reconciliation and best of all, reconciliation with Him.

I can't wait to share these stories with you. God willing I'll be able to report some from down there as they happen. Check us out at www.facebook.com/heartoftitus - I'll be posting there.

God bless you, thank you for praying for Emily, Paul Madison, myself and all of our Ecuadorian friends.

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Saturday, 29 January 2011 02:42

Joy and the Highway of Holiness

Written by Tony Nardella

Let’s look at Isaiah 35. vs 1-2:

ISA 35:1 The desert and the parched land will be glad;

    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;

    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,

    the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;

they will see the glory of the LORD,

    the splendor of our God.

Isaiah is a prophet and he is predicting something. He is predicting that the Lord will take the desert wasteland and turn it into a beautiful place.

This shouldn’t surprise us. God wants to make all things beautiful. He is an Awesome God. When He created the world He filled it with beauty.

How many of you have seen photos of the Grand Canyon, or have actually been there? How many of us love to go to North Carolina to see the green mountains, and especially in October when the leaves are turning? My wife and I love to go to the beach… there is just something so peaceful and beautiful about the waves crashing up against the shore, and the noise that they make a like a melody…

But we don’t often see beauty around us. Our worlds are often filled with worry, pain, disease, fear, broken relationships. Even the young among us see the effects of aging, and we don’t like it. It seems we are continually trying to fight the chaos that is always trying to infect our lives, and we know that eventually it is a losing battle. It seems that one day we are going to have to succumb to the curse, our bodies will wear out, and we will die.

As a young man working my way through college this was all I could see. I was blinded to the beauty all around me. Instead, I gave up the faith I grew up with. In church one day looking for God I said to myself, “if God is anywhere, he isn’t here.” I despaired of church. I despaired of God. So I gave up and figured there was no God, and I was going to have to figure out life all on my own.

But I was young, and as I said I was blinded by the god of this age. It is a lie that we have to figure out life on our own. God loves us, and He does not want us to despair. And He is making the church beautiful. Even though at times the church may seem like a desert with no life in it God has a plan to bring springs of living water and make the crocus bloom. Let’s keep reading what He says to us through Isaiah:

ISA 35:3 Strengthen the feeble hands,

   steady the knees that give way;

ISA 35:4 say to those with fearful hearts,

    "Be strong, do not fear;

your God will come,

    he will come with vengeance;

with divine retribution

    he will come to save you."

God is coming to save us. God is “coming” means He isn’t here yet, not in the way you need Him. Do you believe this? The Prophet Isaiah is talking to us with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He is challenging us, encouraging us, inspiring us, even daring us to BELIEVE, that God is coming to restore His church and then His world!

So then he says, be strong and do not be afraid! God is coming, and He’s not coming as a wimp. He is coming with a vengeance, He is going to pay back your enemies and save you.

What enemies? Disease, infirmity, depression, disorder, and even death. Guilt and hopelessness. I believe this. I am glad that I am surrounded by people who believe this as well.

This Scripture, this promise of the Holy Spirit that is nearly 3000 years old, encourages me. It ought to encourage you, and bring energy and strength back to your hearts. Look at again at v. 3:

ISA 35:3 Strengthen the feeble hands,

steady the knees that give way;

Sometimes life is so overwhelming that our hands begin to shake, that we can’t even stand up. Events like the news of the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, the receipt of divorce papers…

Yes, we have many enemies, but we have a God who is stronger than those enemies! We serve a God of SUPERNATURAL POWER! Let’s read on to vs. 5-6 to see what happens when God comes:

ISA 35:5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened

    and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

ISA 35:6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,

    and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Water will gush forth in the wilderness

    and streams in the desert.

What an incredible promise! God is promising the most incredible miracles of love for his hurting people. Blind seeing, deaf hearing, lame not just walking but leaping and jumping!

This isn’t just for heaven because in heaven there will be no blind people to heal. No deaf will get their healing in heaven, because everyone there hears. Nobody jumping out of wheelchairs either. No cancer. No tears.

So this promise is for the earth. Let’s look at the ministry of Jesus. Everywhere he went he healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, brought the dead back to life.

MT 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.

Jesus did these things. He did exactly what He said He was going to do. He fulfilled Isaiah’s promise.

Look at what else Isaiah predicted:

ISA 35:9 No lion will be there,

    nor will any ferocious beast get up on it;

    they will not be found there.

But only the redeemed will walk there,

    ISA 35:10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return.

They will enter Zion with singing;

    everlasting joy will crown their heads.

Gladness and joy will overtake them,

    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

But Jesus wasn’t the only one to do those things, He wasn’t the only one to fulfill Isaiah’s promise. The redeemed of the Lord will walk on that highway too. It won’t be only Jesus. The ransomed of the Lord will return, and man we will be singing!

Mark 16:20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

Not just Peter and Paul, or the 12 apostles, but all of Jesus’ disciples did and do incredible miracles in the Name of Jesus.

No doubt many of you reading this have been miraculously healed or have witnessed a miraculous healing. This is more proof that God has already kept His promise. And through these miracle-working men the world has been turned upside-down. NO ONE has had more influence on this planet than the carpenter from Galilee and His followers. None.

So why is this happening? Let’s go back to Isaiah 35:

ISA 35:8 And a highway will be there;

    it will be called the Way of Holiness.

The unclean will not journey on it;

    it will be for those who walk in that Way;

    wicked fools will not go about on it.

Jesus travelled this highway. He knew what it was to by holy. He did not get Himself dirty with all the stuff around him. He didn’t hang out with wicked fools.

That was the secret to His power. He knew what He was here for, and He stuck to His purpose in the fear of God.

Many whose names are not written in the Bible are on that road. Simple men and women who heard the call of Jesus in their hearts, and gave it all to follow Him.

As a result those of us who were blind, are going to see. Those of us who were lame, are going to walk. And we will all experience the joy of knowing that God is with us.

What Isaiah 35 is talking about is the Kingdom of God in the midst of a wicked world. We are talking about the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven. And before then, we are talking about a church which will get holier and holier as the Day of Jesus’ return approaches.

All this salvation, and all of these ostentatious miracles, will be for those who walk the Highway of Holiness. No lions will be there, neither will the unclean, neither will there be any who are wicked. That place will be full of those who WALK in that Way, the Way of Jesus.

The church is going to see the Glory of God. He is going to reveal Himself in splendor to His bride. There will be an intimacy there we can only dream about today. But it is coming.

As a result, and over time, we will have meetings that are more and more exclusive. Perhaps because of growing persecution the church will begin to hide where it meets. Perhaps only those who are vetted and screened will be invited to participate. And there, where the hearts have been purified by fire, the Lord will reveal Himself to us, in His Glory and His Splendor.

Right now around the world this is already happening. In Communist China tens of millions of Christians are meeting in underground churches. They literally meet underground, in basements of regular houses which have had their windows blackened. They meet in secret rooms and there, God meets them with incredible miracles of love and encouragement. Only the holy ones walk there, and the wicked and the lions don’t know to enter, and wouldn’t dare if they could.

I have seen glimpses of this in South America. In little poor churches where only the desperate for the Lord come, a Lord who is desperate for His people comes. He lavishes them with love and miracles that make your jaw drop.

God is preparing His church for these days of supernatural intimacy. Some changes are needed. In the days to come the church will not look like it does today. It will not be identified by buildings. We won’t have buildings that look like churches because, unlike today, we won’t be looking for people to find us. Our glory will not be in our buildings but in the God who chooses to reveal Himself in our midst.

  But only the redeemed will walk there,
    ISA 35:10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return.

They will enter Zion with singing;

    everlasting joy will crown their heads.

Gladness and joy will overtake them,

    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

You think you get happy in church now? You haven’t seen anything yet! The days are coming when we will enter the presence of God with singing and a joy that no one can take away. We will be overwhelmed with gladness and joy, and it won’t matter what is happening to us outside. It won’t matter if we’ve lost our job, or our arm, or if we’ve suffered a stroke, a miscarriage or a divorce, because “sorrow and sighing will flee away”!

All of us reading this will have an opportunity to participate in this. But it comes with a price.

The redeemed and ransomed of the Lord will walk there. But wicked fools and unclean people will not be there. The lions and the ferocious won’t be there. Only God’s people who have truly chosen to walk in the Way of Holiness, the Way Jesus showed us, will walk there.

You say, “I would like to be part of that. I would like to be part of God’s plan to bring blessing to others.”

You can be. It is your choice. You must choose to walk on the Highway of Holiness.

So how do you get on the HIGHWAY TO HOLINESS? Let us go back to Isaiah 35:

ISA 35:3 Strengthen the feeble hands,

steady the knees that give way;

ISA 35:4 say to those with fearful hearts,

"Be strong, do not fear;

We must strengthen ourselves. We must choose not to be afraid.

Afraid of what? Afraid of our enemies. Yes, but more than that. Let’s look at where we can find Isaiah 35 in Hebrews chapter 12.

HEB 12:12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Here we see the same admonition from the writer of Hebrews. He says, STRENGTHEN YOURSELF. STOP LETTING YOUR KNEES SHAKE. The purpose? SO THAT THE LAME MAY NOT BE DISABLED, BUT RATHER HEALED.

We are all responsible for maintaining an atmosphere of faith and holiness in our meetings. If we are fearful of obeying God’s word, that may have an impact on whether God will show up and do miracles like heal the sick.

We know that the timid are not very useful to the Kingdom. The timid are neither going to be able to move in nor receive God’s supernatural power.

It is the overcomers who inherit the Kingdom. We must overcome our fear that things will happen to us like what happens to people all around us who have no faith. We must believe that God is GOING TO KEEP HIS PROMISE. We can’t be afraid.

And the thing we must be courageous about is not so much staring down the Goliaths as it is the fear of God making us holy. To walk on the Highway of Holiness we must be holy.

Let’s see what the Word says about how we get holy, earlier in Heb. 12:

10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.

God disciplines us so that we may share in His holiness. God will discipline us and it will result in holiness. In fact, this is God’s primary way of imparting grace to you. His power comes to you as you submit to His discipline.

Now this isn’t any fun at all, is it?

11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

God wants to train us through His discipline. We, as good disciples, must be willing to enter into that discipline. Let’s look at the beginning of the chapter to get this in context:

HEB 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Jesus put up with a lot from bad people because He knew there was joy before him if he persevered in the mission God gave Him.

    HEB 12:4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:

"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,

    and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

HEB 12:6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,

    and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."

    HEB 12:7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Discipline!! Rebuke! Chastening! Punishment! Wow, what is all this? I thought God loved me!

Yes, and it is because He loves you that He is going to discipline, chasten and even administer some parental style punishment that will get your attention and cause you to listen to Him and obey!

Do you really think that we can become a holy church rising up to be a glorious temple in the Lord all on our own?! NO, we need the grace of Jesus, and His supernatural power, to change us!

But the result is RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE and JOY. And the supernatural presence of God on the Highway of Holiness.

Today I am here to tell you that God is into beauty. The God who made the Grand Canyon is beautifying and purifying His church. She will be a glowing bride, without spot or any type of blemish.

But until then we must stay engaged in the fight. We must not give up on receiving the Lord’s discipline. We must continue to grow in grace and in holiness before the Lord.

If we do, we will see the church restored. In that restored church the lame will be healed. We will move in the supernatural power of God. We will see His glory.

I think there are some of us today who have been fighting hard to stay on the Highway of Holiness. Like Abraham, they obey God and go where He tells them, and even though they know they are in the right place they are still looking forward for something else, something better – “looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Heb. 11:8

They earnestly seek the Lord and they absolutely hate it when they fall short. I am here to commend you and to assure you, based on God’s promise, that if you persevere you will see God, His provision, and His glory in your life, your ministry and your church.

I think there are others reading this who may be despairing of seeing the glory of God in the church. All over the country people are leaving organized churches. There are many reasons, but I tell you they are making a mistake. God is glorified in the midst of His people. If they leave, and if they stay away, they are missing out!

I am here to encourage you today, to urge you to get back on the Highway. Don’t stop believing that God will cause rivers to flow in the desert. God loves you and wants to make the relationships among us grow more and more in love.

So, let us be like Jesus and throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Don’t be afraid, strengthen your feeble hands and shaking knees, because God is with us and He is Mighty to Save. He will put you through His discipline so all together we can share in His holiness.

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Saturday, 25 December 2010 12:41

The Christmas House

Written by Tony Nardella

"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." Lk. 1:32-33

I hope you are all enjoying your holiday. The angel told Mary that Jesus will reign over a house. What goes on in our houses is a big deal to God. Yesterday all of my side of the extended family came over our house for Christmas Eve (wasn’t planned that way, but life happens). We started eating around 3:30 and weren’t done til very late. Good times…. Christmas is about Jesus, but it’s also about families meeting together in houses.

Isn't it great that everybody takes time off so we can get together and connect as family? In this culture that is a big deal and not easily done. It’s true that not everyone will be there and we miss the missing ones, but how incredible it is that those who are here are together!

As I think about having my kids over, sitting around the table with my nieces, brother, sisters, mother and in-laws, I know all the preparation and all the money spent on gifts was worth it. Emily and I pray that Christmas in your house will be peaceful and a true celebration of love and togetherness.

Merry Christmas!

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Friday, 03 September 2010 05:25

What to Do When You are in a Jam

Written by Tony Nardella

I've been reading through Genesis and came upon Jacob's story. You remember how with the help of his mother he deceived/tricked his father Isaac into giving him the "blessing". His brother Esau got so mad he wanted to kill him, so Jacob and his mother again deceived Isaac into allowing him to go to Paddan Aram to go find a wife. But he was really running for his life, to get away from his brother’s vow to kill him.

On the way he stopped to rest at a place called Bethel. Jacob was all alone and he had left behind everything and everyone he had ever known. But God appeared to him there and promised him that one day He would give him the land he was leaving, that He would bless him, and that He would "be with you and will watch over you wherever you go." Gen. 28:10.

So Jacob goes to Paddan Aram and goes to work for his Uncle Laban. Jacob met his match in Laban – Laban outdeceived Jacob the deceiver, changing his wages 10 times. But God kept His promise and blessed Jacob anyway. God gave Jacob 2 wives, 12 kids and great riches. Finally, after many years it got really uncomfortable there with Uncle Laban. They were so blessed Jacob and his wives sensed there was no more favor and quite a bit of jealousy toward them. So they fled Laban and left to return to the Promised Land.

The problem with returning to the Promised Land was that Esau was there. He had never gotten even with his brother for stealing his blessing many years before. But after Jacob wrestled with the Angel of the Lord all night He blessed Jacob. Esau, who had come out to "greet" his brother with hundreds of armed men, suddenly embraced him instead.

So Jacob settles in the Land near Shechem but before too long, one of the Canaanite princes from Shechem rapes his daughter Dinah. Two of Jacob’s boys, who learned a bit about deception from their father, deceived the prince, his father and whole town, into circumcising themselves. When they were recovering from that and still in a lot of pain, the sons of Jacob attacked the city and slaughtered all of the men to pay them back for what happened to their sister. Not only that, but they stole everything and carried off the women and children.

When Jacob discovered what happened he freaked out. He knew that he was a stranger in the Land. He said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed." Gen.34:30. Jacob knew that he and all his family were in big trouble.

So what did Jacob do? He did what we all need to do when we get in a jam. He got a Word from God. The next verse says, ‘Then God said to Jacob, "Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau."’ Gen. 35:1

So Jacob pulls up stakes and heads out for Bethel. Bethel you’ll remember is the place where God first appeared to Jacob and made all those promises to him when he first left home. Promises of protection. Promises that Jacob and his sons would inherit the Promised Land they were strangers in.

Just the thought of going to Bethel helped Jacob remember God’s faithfulness. He said to his family, “Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone." v.3.

When times get tough and out of control, it’s time for all of us to go back to Bethel. We need to go back in our minds to the place where God made promises to us when we were young and scared. Then we need to remember all the ways God kept His promises to us. He is Faithful – He never, ever breaks His Word to us.

So Jacob was revived in his faith and God kept His promises. “Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.” v.5. Supernatural protection was Jacob’s reward for his faith even before he got back to Bethel.

When Jacob got to Bethel he obeyed the Lord. He built an altar there. And with every shovel full of dirt, with every rock he lifted in building that altar, he had to be thinking of how God had kept His Word to him. As he watched his sons build that altar with him he also had to be happy that his boys were learning about God’s faithfulness too.

Like Jacob, we need to build some altars and monuments in our lives to the faithfulness of God. What a blessing it is to be able to say to our families that God has always “answered me in the day of my distress and … has been with me wherever I have gone.” Those monuments will be markers not only for us but reminders for our kids that we serve a loving, powerful, faithful God.

If you are in a jam today, think back on the promises God made to you years ago when you were first learning to trust Him. Then think about all the ways He kept those promises to you. These memories will build your faith and strengthen you through whatever hard times you are facing. May the Lord bless you as you trust in Him!

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Tuesday, 24 August 2010 03:24

Is our 'Crazy Love' 'Radical' Enough?

Written by Tony Nardella

I was talking with a friend today about what it means to give it all for the Lord. We’ve been reading books like “Crazy Love” and “Radical” and have been challenged by what we read. Or maybe we are just feeling guilty. Whatever it is, we like to think we are good Christian guys and we want to follow the Lord with all our hearts. But how on earth can we really “deny ourselves, pick up our crosses daily, and follow” Jesus?

Denying ourselves, I think, is easier if we are doing it with a purpose, with a clear goal in mind. In other words, it's easier to say no to one thing while you are saying yes to another. Remember Jacob in the Bible? He didn't mind giving up 7 years of his life if that meant getting Rachel as his wife. When I met my wife, I soon realized that she was worth giving up all the other girls I was dating or would ever date. I was in love, she captured my heart, and that was that! It was no big deal to give them up just so long as I could be with her.

In the same way I don't mind giving up time and money to go to Ecuador because God put a love for the people of Ecuador in my heart. I think God is trying to put a love in our hearts for some group of people somewhere. This love may start small, like a seed. But it’s up to us what we do with the seed. Do we provide good soil for the seed or do we choke the seed/word and make it unfruitful? If we let the seed grow then it becomes our passion.

If we are passionate about something it doesn’t seem like a big sacrifice to give up other things to pursue it. That's why Jesus died for us. The sacrifice of death and torture on the cross was outweighed by the 'joy set before him' of seeing us, his bride, saved from hell and sin.

If we think about giving it all up for Jesus in a vacuum that’s too hard. In a vacuum there’s only 1 thing to focus on, and that’s what we are going to lose. But when the Lord puts a ‘crazy love’ for somebody in our hearts, it will incite a passion that will make us absolutely ‘radical’.

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Saturday, 05 June 2010 21:22

How Jesus Proclaimed the Gospel

Written by Tony Nardella

Proclaiming the Gospel: It’s not necessarily about trying to convince people who don’t want to be convinced that Jesus will make their lives better. When Jesus started preaching, here is what He said:

"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" Mark 1:15

Notice how Jesus didn’t start off by saying anything about what a wonderful God He is. He didn’t beg and plead with people to come follow Him. Instead, it was as if He was saying, “A change is coming, a big one. A different King is coming and is about to take over, so get with it, believe it, and act accordingly. ”

Jesus never really came out and said He was God but He never apologized for being God either. He let everyone worship Him, whether on Palm Sunday or when Peter fell down in front of Him and said, “Get away from me Lord, I’m a sinful man.” The point is that Jesus didn’t proclaim the gospel from a point of weakness. He was bold and straightforward.

Just in case the people didn’t quite get who He was, He made a point of doing things that no one else could do. Look at what was reported to have happened when Jesus first started giving this message:

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. MT 4:23-25 (NIV)

Jesus didn’t come out with a whimper, but with a BANG! He made a point of healing not just one or two people, but EVERYONE! Can you imagine if someone walked into Florida Hospital and healed everyone and sent them home? It’s not hard to imagine why Jesus drew a large crowd very quickly.

Jesus healed people because He loves people. But He also healed people to make a point. He didn’t want anyone to miss who He is. Look at the message he gave to the disciples of John the Baptist when John was doubting who Jesus was when he was in jail and about to get his head cut off:

Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." MT 11:4-6

Jesus used the testimony of all the supernatural events to prove to John that yes, He is God’s son, because only a supernatural being, or His agent, could do such incredible things.

So what do you think? Did Jesus make His point?

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Wednesday, 02 June 2010 14:24

No More Ash: Your Prayers are Answered!

Written by Tony Nardella

The latest we have heard is that the volcanic ash that had been raining on Guayaquil has stopped. Thank you for praying for the city and for the health of our team there.

Last week the Tungurahua volcano powerfully erupted spewing tons of ash and debris in the air. The winds had carried the ash to the coast and covered the city of Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador and our ministry base there.

Posted 6/2/10

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Saturday, 29 May 2010 13:41

Volcanic Ash Rains on Guayaquil

Written by Tony Nardella

We got word that volcanic ash has been raining down on Guayaquil, Ecuador. The Tungurahua volcano erupted again, and although it is over 100 miles away it blanketed the city with ash, causing most business and activities to stop for the day.


	Tungurahua Volcano erupting in Summer, 2007.

Our team there has asked us to pray that the ash will stop falling and that everything will get back to normal. Let's pray for them and especially for the people near the volcano that they would be protected.

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Monday, 17 May 2010 12:10

Joy at King of Kings Church

Written by Tony Nardella

Yesterday afternoon I preached at Rey de Reyes Church in Apopka. Check out this video of their young girls worshipping the Lord:

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Saturday, 10 April 2010 20:02

The Kingdom of God: It's About Power, Not Talk

Written by Tony Nardella

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 1 Cor. 4:20

When we gather together as believers in Jesus Christ, what do we expect?Are we getting together to make friends, and to strengthen existing friendships? Yes.

Are we getting together to be discipled and to hear the Word of God from each other? Of course.

Are we anticipating a blessing by the supernatural power of God in our prayers for one another? That is our expectation.

But none of these things by themselves is our objective. Rather, our main objective is simply this: to see the kingdom of God here on earth.

Jesus commanded us to pray for the kingdom of God to come to this planet:

“your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matt. 6:10.

How do we know if our prayer for the kingdom to come have been answered? The Scriptures tell us:

For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." Matt. 16:27-28

The answer is, we'll know when Jesus shows up! It will be obvious. An army of angels will be with him. He will be dressed for war. He will destroy his enemies, and after that he will sit as judge and jury, rewarding the righteous and punishing the evil doers. That’s what a king does in his kingdom.

This return of the King of Kings has been a long time coming. We are patiently waiting for Jesus to come back. But we don't have to wait for Jesus to come back to see the beginnings of the kingdom of God on this planet.

Next blog: how you can know the Kingdom of God is here now.

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Tuesday, 16 March 2010 01:59

Fight Any Wild Beasts Lately?

Written by Tony Nardella

The Lord woke me up last night with 3 things rattling in my brain:

1. “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul is pressing on, in a definite direction, striving and reaching and pressing on to get the prize of the upward call. What is this “prize of the upward call”? Whatever this prize is, it had Paul’s full and complete attention. See Phil.3:12-14.

2. “Was it merely for human reasons I fought wild beasts in Ephesus?” Paul wrote this, referring to his rock-solid commitment to press on with his life even when things were hard. Paul knew that one day he was going to have to stand before Christ and measure up to His standard. He wasn’t going 1 minute before he was ready if he had anything to say about it! Paul knew that he was going to have to give account for what he did and he knew he wasn’t ready yet. See 1 Cor.15:32 ff.

3. And then, a popular song:

I don’t wanna go through the motions

I don’t wanna go one more day

without Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking,

“What if I had given everything, instead of going through the motions?”

The Motions by Matthew West

Click here to hear the whole song and see the lyrics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHhWGtR9E3c

To me these Scriptures and this contemporary song take us all in the same direction. Jesus is calling each of us to win the prize - the prize of an upward-looking call in Him. We can’t let anything short-circuit this passionate pursuit – not even wild beasts! Let’s join the chorus of the song, declaring that we don’t want to go even one more day without Jesus’ all-consuming passion inside of us, so that we can fulfill the work that God has called us to do!

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Friday, 12 March 2010 03:39

Praying for Travelers

Written by Tony Nardella

We are planning to send a team to Ecuador in April. The doors are wide open and we really want to go and be a blessing and encouragement to the churches there. Ray Watson has agreed to lead the team but .... we have a problem. We don't have anybody to travel with him.

We don't like sending people by themselves and it is generally our policy to have at least 2 people go together. So Ray isn't going if we can't find the right person to go with him.

We're obviously going to be selective. But we believe the Lord has just the right person. Please pray with us that the Lord raises up someone quickly to join Ray.

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Thursday, 04 March 2010 19:00

Good News!

Written by Tony Nardella

Good news! We are proud to announce the launching of our new and improved website. Now we can share with you even better about the AWESOME things God has done in our travels, that we have both seen and heard.

We understand that not everyone gets to see some of the things we have seen. It's time for that to be over. With all the bad news in the world, like earthquakes and blizzards, falling house prices and expensive health care, we want to be your good - news website. You sick? Read a testimony of how God healed someone. You depressed? Watch a video of how God put a gleam in someone's eyes after hearing of the hope we have in Jesus.

Good news! It's all about good news. It's really as simple as this: if God will fix the hopeless situation of someone in South America, then maybe God will fix the hopeless situation of one of my loved ones. Or me. If that's not good news, I don't know what is!

So be encouraged. Put our site on your favorites. Subscribe to our RSS feeds, become a fan of our Facebook page, and be the first to hear of these incredible things as they happen.

Be blessed, and dare to believe the good news of Jesus.

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Sunday, 21 February 2010 00:50

The Hand of God

Written by Tony Nardella

"The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him." Ezra 7:6

Ezra was a man who enjoyed the favor of God. With that favor he helped restore the true worship of the God of Israel in the land of promise. Ezra had God's favor. Do we have God's favor?

The Scriptures says that believers in Christ have His favor. The blood of Jesus has purchased for us all the grace and favor we would ever need.

Let's look at Gal.1:3 - "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Paul opened his letters usually with a greeting like this. But this raises an interesting question. If "grace and peace" were 'automatic' for Christians then why did Paul open his letters with this kind of greeting?

Think on your life. There have been times of incredible favor and blessing and peace. And then there have been those other times.

Published in Tony's Blog

Sunday, 21 February 2010 00:35

The Power to Say No

Written by Tony Nardella

I had lunch with a friend at a restaurant yesterday. As we were leaving I saw a glass enclosed display which contained all kinds of scrumptious pies, cakes and other sweet desserts. Having both a sweet tooth and a weight problem, the battle was on! I could almost hear the lemon meringue pie calling my name. Somehow by the grace of God I kept walking and did not yield.

I commented to my friend as we both successfully escaped another close encounter with temptation that, "Seems like each day we have to say ‘no' so much more than we get to say ‘yes'." I then reflected on how much strength saying ‘No' requires. It's a truth, isn't it, that our faithfulness to say ‘No' is a reflection of our character?

"Seems like each day we have to say ‘no' so much more than we get to say ‘yes'."

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