The Hellands in Holland

Crisis in the Ukraine The people of the Ukraine are facing a humanitarian crisis in the east of their country due to a war. Our churches there are doing there best to alleviate the suffering there by delivering food, (winter) clothes, and medicine. Earlier this year however, IPHC Pastor Roman Gorobchenko was bringing supplies to victims of the war when he was tragically killed in an accident. He left behind his church, widow and and two children behind. (Here I am with Pastor Roman's Widow and Daughter)  After hearing about this tragedy, the leaders of the International Pentecostal Churches (IPHC) in Europe decided to raise an offering for the widow of Pastor Roman as well as for the ongoing relief work for the victims of the war. On October, 23, 2015, I, together with the leaders of People to People Europe, were able to bring them an offering of 12,000 euros for these two causes. This money came from churches in six different European nations and marks the beginning...

Transformation Is A Way Of Life With Jesus Christ "If we want to remain ourselves, we need to be continually changing. The future starts today. Will you come with me?" -Willem Sandberg, Dutch Artist 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:38-39          Following Jesus is not about just knowing the right information, but continual growth and life transformation. By knowing Him we can experience the reality of God and his kingdom now. Our lifestyle can be like salt, making people thirsty to experience God. Yet, the only way that we can touch hearts is by making ourselves vulnerable and daring to open our hearts to God so that he can change us first. Then we can open our hearts others...

       For the last few years, I have been regularly going to the Paranormale Beurs (Psychic Fairs) to share the love and power of Jesus Christ. Last weekend, I again saw many people healed as I prayed for them in Jesus name and also received a lot of revelation (words of knowledge, words of wisdom, & prophecy) about their lives.  One young man (pictured above) brought a microphone to my table for a radio program he was making. He asked if he could interview me. I said sure. Here is a short clip of that conversation:               My name is Matthew and I operate from my source Jesus Christ. When I was six months old, he healed me of Cerebral Palsey. I was supposed to never be able to walk or talk and yet here I am. I am a walking miracle and testimony of the power of Jesus. I love to give spiritual gifts of healing and revelation from Jesus. How can I help you?   ...

"Devote yourself to prayer..." Colossians 4:2 "How can I learn to pray better?" - an experienced Pastor Prayer can be difficult. It can feel like going to the dentist; something we know is good and necessary, but would rather leave for another day. It can feel as exciting as watching paint dry or that we are talking to the air and that our prayers are not going higher than the roof.  What are some keys to growing in prayer so that it becomes dynamic and life giving instead of feeling like having to take another visit to the dentist?             1) Faith [1] - the first element we need to pray long is to believe that God will not just hear us, but that he will reward us for sincerely seeking him (Hebrews 10:6).  One reason that we don't pray is because we doubt or are afraid that if we pray for something we will be disappointed.             This is also...

Editor's Note:  As executive catalyst for the church-planting network Mission Orange County, Chris Lagerlof works with churches in 34 cities in Orange County, Calif., to collaborate for the good of their cities and to plant churches that have a city focus. Here, Lagerlof reflects on more than 30 years of ministry experience to offer six practical principles any church leader can learn from as he focuses on making disciples in his context: 1. Don’t mistake participation for transformation.  In Orange County, we get so excited about events and people showing up that we sometimes mistake big attendance for actual transformation. In church planting, a number of the models that have been embraced for the last 25 years are event-driven. They’re about the big events: the preview services and the launch. Church planters and their launch teams often become event planners rather than what they need to be: agents of change. 2. Develop a discipleship strategy before a planting stra...

Devouring God's Words When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart's delight... Jeremiah 15:16 "You Are Stupid"             Words can create, shape, make or break us. When my brother Aaron was in kindergarten my mother realized that there was something wrong with his learning things at school. My mother pulled him aside and asked him, "Aaron, what is wrong? Why are things so hard for you at school."             HIs response floored her, "My teacher says that I am stupid and that I can not learn anything." My then four-year-old brother had accepted the words of his teacher as truth and had stopped learning.             My mother had a serious talk with that teacher and now my brother who has two master's degrees is doing great due to a mother who refused to accept those deadly...