PEOPLE of the PRESENCE [Part 1] w/RON OHST

 “My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest…because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

 Exodus 33:14-17

-In order to see God’s vision and fulfill God’s mission for us, we must be People of the Presence

 Our vision: For people everywhere to know and worship God in all His glory and goodness.

 Our mission: To build growing communities of worshipers who are becoming like Christ, empowered to do His work.

-The Presence is the resource for the mission

 Matthew 28: 18-20 

1- People of the Presence

Being marked by God’s dynamic Presence has always been the biblical expectation for God’s people.

a. In the Old Testament

 Exodus 33:12-20

Breath of Heaven Children’s Ministries is dedicated to helping meet the needs of a growing orphan population in Lusaka, Zambia Serving orphans is part of our Biblical commission, as stated in James 1:27, “…to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”

Our desire is to provide a stable, secure, family-like environment that will enhance the children’s interaction with their neighboring community. Breath of Heaven Children’s Ministries has an immediate mission to develop sustainable Children’s Village consisting of 14 children’s homes, a school, a medical clinic, and a church.

The children’s homes themselves will function as individual family-units within the larger village community, each comprised of 1 House Mother, an Auntie, and 12 resident youngsters.  (We have chosen this household model deliberately, in order to help minimize the stigma associated with more stereotypical, institutional approaches to orphan-care.)  BOHCM is thoroughly committed to facilitating and fostering as normalized a family-experience for our kids as possible.

When built-out entirely, Breath of He

A Future and a Hope

Our preferred future and how to get there

God’s Glory

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·       God’s glory is essentially God expressing Himself

·       God’s glory is united with God’s goodness

Exodus 33:18-19

18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." 19 And the Lord  said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence.

Psalms 8:1

8 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

Epic Friendship, Part 2

How Koinonia empowers us to face loss and maintain joy

The Importance of Mourning Loss

Matthew 5:4

 While we await the consummation of the Kingdom when sorrow and pain will be no more, we all will experience the pain of loss. 

 The path to blessing in the face of the reality of loss includes wisdom of mourning.

Epic Friendship

Philippians 2:25-30 NLT

25 Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need. 26 I am sending him because he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill. 27 And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another.

28 So I am all the more anxious to send him back to you, for I know you will be glad to see him, and then I will not be so worried about you. 29 Welcome him with Christian love and with great joy, and give him the honor that people like him deserve. 30 For he risked his life for the work of Christ, and he was at the point of death while doing for me what you couldn't do from far away.

Koinonia – New Testament Greek word,primarily meaning fellowship, sharing in common, communion.  “Koinonia is being in agreement with one another, being united in purpose, and serving alongside each other. Our koinonia with each other is based on our common koinonia with Jesus Christ”  (from www.gotquestions.org/koinonia.html)

True Brother – our shared experience in Christ as daughters and sons of God the Father, brings us into a relationship with each other and Jesus as brothers and sisters that is deeper and more profound than the ties of natural family.

How to Live a Fruitful Life

The Parable of the Soils

Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:1-15

God gives us what we need for fruitful living in seed form

Matthew 13:3-9

3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop — a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 He who has ears, let him hear."

Parables are fictional stories drawn from everyday experiences which communicate spiritual truths.

Matthew 13:18-23

18 "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When any one hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly fa

Increase – The Parable of the Measure

Mark 4:24-25

24 "Consider carefully what you hear," he continued."With the measure you use, it will be measured to you — and even more. 25Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will betaken from him."

·       There is nothing greater in life than to experience the revelation ofGod

John 17:3 (The Message)

3 And this is the real and eternal life: That they know you, The oneand only true God, And Jesus Christ, whom you sent.

·       “Consider carefully what you hear”-

God has made His Word – therevelation of Himself – available to us

Hebrews 1:1-3

1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at manytimes and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by hisSon, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made theuniverse. 3 T

The Life of Jesus – The Sermon on the Mount

The Overflow of the Kingdom Heart

Matthew 6:1-18

The Power of Living from the Father’s Love

Matthew 6:1

6 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

We live from the overflow of our hearts

Luke 6:45

45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.