It has been a very exciting year for me.  The adventures with Christ are never ending.  The journey is sometimes tough but the experience is almost as invaluable as the destination.

In January 2011, I returned to Bethany Bible College for my final semester, not knowing what the Father held in store for the future.  I was on the edge of my seat waiting for Him to reveal His next steps for me to follow and, I have to be honest, I was a little blindsided by His request.

During one of our chapel services at Bethany, the Spirit was moving in undeniably tangible ways.  As I prayed, I felt the Father telling me distinctively “I want you be a Church Planter in Western Canada”.  In the conversation that followed, He revealed to me how, through prayers that I’d prayed and requests I’d made, He had been preparing me for this calling.

Since that time I have continued to prepare for the mission that lies ahead.  I began to research church planting and Western Canada and in May, after graduation, I went to the Church Planter Assessment Center in Ontario and received the endorsement of the Wesleyan Church to pursue a future in this ministry.  It was here that I first spoke with Jerry and Amanda Wurnig about the possibility of joining their Church Plant, Manna Church, they have been preparing to launch in Calgary, Alberta.

This summer I had the incredible pleasure and opportunity to serve as the Summer Director at Shiktehawk Bible Camp.  This was my seventh summer serving in this ministry but it was different than all those before.  Never before have I worked with a camp staff so willing to follow Christ no matter the cost.  God worked through this willingness to lead 137 children and teens into saving relationships with Him this summer and those young believers are already having an impact in their homes and schools.  During this time God continued to teach and prepare me for what lies ahead.

In September, I had the awesome privilege of taking a Vision Trip to Alberta so I could see and walk the land in which God has called me to plant a church.  While I was there, I fell in love with the entire province but especially Calgary and Red Deer.  As I walked through both cities, I saw swarms and swarms of people who don’t yet know Jesus Christ, over a million people that have not yet been set free from slavery to sin.  Shortly after returning home, I called Jerry and Amanda to tell them I was joining the Manna Church team.

Jerry, Amanda and I share a very similar heart to see the people of Alberta become disciples of Christ and I hope to see this come about using my gifts in music, teaching, leadership and evangelism to help build the Kingdom in Calgary.

          Plans are currently laid for us to move to Calgary in January 2012 to prepare for our launch.  We could use your help in three ways:

1.     Prayer Support- An endeavor like this is pointless without the support and leading of our Father.

2.     Connection Support- In our travels we’ve found nearly everyone knows somebody in Calgary and since you can’t start a church without people, we would love any names or introductions you could provide.

3.     Financial Support- Church Planting is like any other missionary work and in order to do it, we must rely on the generosity of God’s people.

 Your support in any or all of these areas would be greatly appreciated.  By helping us you are playing an important, even critical role, in the expansion of the Kingdom.  Together we can help lost souls find grace, love, healing and purpose in our savior Jesus Christ.

 Until the whole world knows,

Josh Hopkins

For More Information About How You Can Help Or To Receive Donation Packet Please Message Me At http://www.facebook.com/hopkins.joshua

In an earlier post I told of how God opened my eyes to the reality that I was not following Jesus but rather a strict, unforgiving legalism similar to that of the Pharisees who so adamantly opposed the Rabbi. Since this epiphany, God has been taking me through a sort of detox for my addictions to legalism and religious piety. There has been many things He has used to help me on this journey but one that’s stood out the most was when He taught me to seek Life Transformation rather than Behavior Modification. It is Christ who takes us through this Heart Changing Process and we cannot do it without Him.

This is critical to Christianity but so many times we forget it. Instead of introducing others to Him so they can allow Him to transform their lives, we begin trying to convict (guilt), them into turning from their sinful ways. Conviction is the role of the Holy Spirit in people’s hearts but guilt is how Satan keeps people chained down, imprisoned in their sin. Conviction leads to repentance and is immediately followed by forgiveness that eradicates guilt. Guilt, on the other hand, makes people ashamed so they try to hide their sin and the deeper they bury it, the more the roots entangle them.

Sometimes, trying to remind people of this truth is tiring and difficult so it brings me great joy when I meet others who are also preaching and teaching it. David Murrow is the author of Why Men Hate Going To Church and recently I have been encouraged and inspired by his book. He’s blunt and succinct but thoughtful and deep. Most importantly, he understands the value of Life Transformation over Behavior Modification.

“Jesus’ message was one of repentance. To repent is to do a complete turnaround. The old man dies; a new man is born. Unfortunately, many teachers focus on moral improvement instead of total repentance. This was the method of the Pharisees: changing men one sin at a time. Erect enough laws, and men will be righteous. This brand of incremental moralism makes men resentful. They see it as nagging. It’s far more effective to call men to life transformation than it is to target specific sins. Once a man is following Jesus, he will accept moral instruction because of his transformed heart.” -David Murrow