The Gift of Free Will

Free will. It is the greatest gift we have been given by God. This isn't written in scripture. However, it is written on my heart.

Free will gives the ability to choose, and with that choice we can choose God. We can choose love. And in that choice we can truly experience what we choose in a way not possible with compulsion.

It is through choice that we experience joy, and are ensured love. Love cannot be felt through compulsion. Love must be chosen, because love is a choice.

Jesus did not have to go to the cross. The Father, Our Abba, did not force him. Jesus chose to take up the cross for us. That is why the cross is the greatest symbol of love we have ever seen. If this were not the case the cross would merely be a sign of fatalism or at the very best obedience. But the cross was more than an act of reluctant obedience. It was the choice of a loving Savior that broke all the rules, and restored humanity. It restored love and our will to choose.

We are not puppets to God without choice. His heart is to write with us. He wants to create with us. Why else would Adam get to name the animals and subdue the garden?

It is in this choice that we choose God, and truly experience. As we choose and create with Him. We fall more in love with him, and he instills his heart in us to be co-creators.

Don't give up your choice. Do not even just throw it back to God. He wants you to talk to him and choose. Do not throw away your freewill for fear of disobedience and failure, because then you will throw away love. Rather choose like Christ chose us. For this is true love.

I think many times we treat God as the cosmic puppet master waiting for him to tell us where to put our hands and feet, and I believe this takes away our joy and God's desire for our lives. He gave us free will, so that we could choose alongside of Him. Not so that He could dictate every move that we make, thereby giving us fear of ever stepping off of his course and His will. I believe it is much more organic and free moving as we make choices along side of God.

This does not mean that we are free to choose rebellious ways, or to not consult Him, because the beginning of wisdom is fearing God and following His counsel. Rather, it means with Him in our hearts we radiate his glory and truth and make decisions with Him, thereby co-creating with our Father, which was His original design. God desires us to choose, and to live in that freedom.

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1)

You are not a slave, but a son or daughter with ability to create with your Father! What will you choose?

Write a comment below and leave any thoughts or questions! Let's begin a discussion!

Off to Kansas City

With 59 days left until the tour begins in the Fall we are off to Kansas City. This coming week we will be joining the rest of IWT USA staff to learn and seek the Lord together for our ministry. We are in really exciting times, as we are growing and God is expanding our vision. There is a possibility for a long term base that will be planted in Fargo, as well as a school/base that will be built in Kansas City, that will help us train more staff, which will allow us to reach more cities and people! We will be praying into all of these possibilities this next week, as well as asking for fresh vision and revelation for the ministry. Please keep us in your prayers, and pray clarity as well as a rejuvenation as we spend time with the Lord.

Not only am I excited about how God is going to direct the ministry, but I am really expectant that God will give me a lot of personal direction on how I fit into all of these big plans. There are a lot of options and possibilities, so I am excited to have an entire week to seek God on all of this. And I am excited to be reunited with Amanda, who is doing her training down in Kansas City with IWT, and to be able to pray with her as well! (Please pray for guidance for our relationship as well) So, it is going to be a great week.

There is also a lot of excitement that is brewing here in Fargo. This last week we were able to engage leadership in two more cities that we have been working on for the past 2 months. In one community we have 5 churches committed to making the event a success, and in the other we have a church doing a kick-off this weekend, and volunteers from around the community that are rallying together to make it happen. In addition, we have 2-4 more churches that will be coming on board in the Fargo-Moorhead area. It is exciting to see God work, expanding the movement.

August is looking like it is going to be a packed month. We have 2 more staff moving into the area! We have 2 more banquets, engaging with the Catholic church, which is an amazing open door from the Lord, we actually were able to receive the approval from the Bishop of the Fargo Diocese, talk about favor! Not to mention numerous trainings and community nights of prayer and worship, and continue to develop the needed structures for discipleship and prayer in all the communities!

Please pray that we would have endurance and stamina in the busy season, as well as protection. Pray that God would raise up laborers, as we are seeking more volunteers to meet with kids and start small groups. And pray that more churches and ministries would come on board for this amazing move of God.

Also, I am looking for help/donations for two upcoming travel costs/plane tickets. One is so that I can take part in my bestfriends wedding in late September, the cost of the plane ticket right now is around $500 dollars. As well as a ticket out to LA in late November to attend/work at the Call2All International Congress. The plane ticket, hotel, and food will cost around $800 for the trip. Donations and prayers would be much appreciated! God bless!

Slowing Down!

"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in Heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few."

-Ecclesiastes 5:1-2

This week has been a busy one. There is so much to do, and we only have 10 weeks to do it. We still need to finish up our contracts with schools. There are 4 communities that still need to launch executive teams to lead their community, not to mention the countless things that need to be set-up in the community to ensure effective care, prayer, and follow-up. There is the budget that still needs completed, materials that we need to find and resource, and volunteers that we need to raise up. There is a lot to do, and at times it gets really overwhelming.

Then there is also the extra stress of what needs to be done with my finances. All the thank-you's that need to go out. The phone calls that need to be made. The letters that need to be wrote. So, that I can raise the money needed to pay bills and plan for the future.

It is easy to let all of this plague my mind, and I am sure that you have similar situations that are easy for you to let plague your mind. This week God brought this verse up amidst all that was going on, Ecclesiastes 5: 1-2. He spoke to me, and just said, "Matt, slow down! I want to talk to you. I have something to tell you."

I finally slowed down this morning, and He spoke to me. I was reading in 1 Thessalonians, and I got to Chapter 1, verse 5, which reads, "because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction." The Lord just started speaking to me about my word, and how He wants to unite it with His power, but that I need to wait on Him. I need to seek Him in the silence, so that He can fill me up with His presence for this is where the power is, waiting on Him. As all of this was pouring into me I received a peace and a calmness that cannot be explained. Everything is going to be ok because big brother Jesus is here! There is nothing to worry about.

So, often we are so quick to speak that we miss the whisper of Jesus, which is waiting to give us life and joy. We forget to be quick to listen, and we get busy speaking and doing, and then we get restless and overwhelmed, and we wonder where is God. We forget to wait on God who is so eager to show us the way, and frantically searching for Him, we miss Him. He is not far off, but He is near! (Eph. 2:13). We just need to slow down to see and hear Him. I think it may be time for us all to just slow down. Stop speaking. Stop doing. And just listen for the glorious whisper of our Dad. For He is in Heaven, and we are only on earth, and He has some amazing secrets to tell us and lavish on us. Secrets that will give us life, and life abundantly. Whenever we are ready to listen He is ready to speak!

The Trip Home and My First Week Back!

The past two weeks have been full of ups and downs. There have been times of excitement, but also times of utter depression and desperation. However, amongst it all God has been faithful to reveal His hope and His mercy. He has been faithful to lift me up and use me. His love has once again proven itself to be more than enough.

My trip home was full of meetings. I met with 3-6 people every day; spreading the vision and looking for partners. God was awesome in lining me up with amazing people. I was able to connect with with around 40 people on my trip home, and I had 8 people commit to monthly partnerships, and a hand full more who are going to pray into it, which is awesome. I believe it will be no time until my monthly budget of $2000 is completely covered, with this new group of supporters I should be around $800 a month, which is fantastic, but there is still work to be done!

I was also able to meet with a lot of friends and family, which was really good. I miss them all so much, so having time to catch up with them is always good. Although because of the busyness of my schedule there was not nearly enough time!

One of the most exciting times of my trip back home was being able to spend time with my new girlfriend, Amanda, and her family. Amanda is an amazing gift from God, and I am so excited to see how God will use us together. She will be coming out to Kansas City in July to begin training with Impact World Tour, and I cannot wait to see what God does. And we would love your prayers as God guides us together!

I was also privileged to have the opportunity to preach at my home church, First Baptist Church of Massillon. Every time I go back I get excited to see how God is moving and growing my church family back home. It was so cool to see God move on Sunday morning. I am always amazed to see God work in stirring hearts and freeing his people. It was cool to see the altar steps filled both services of people seeking the Lord and getting freed! God is so good!

With all that in one week needless to say I was exhausted, and still am a little bit. But God is doing so much here in Fargo, and we are getting ready to kick it into high gear. This week we were busy with getting all of our venue contracts signed and into our office, so that we can begin preparing our schedule for the outreaches in the Fall. So, far we have 5 of our 9 contacts in and are expecting the other 4 will be in later next week, which is really exciting that will take away a ton of stress!

Once that is done the rest of the time will be involved in mobilizing the church to prayer, discipleship, and evangelism to prepare for the mighty harvest that will be coming in September and October. We will have a lot of upcoming trainings in small group training and evangelism. In addition, to that we are working on getting the logistical side of the tour taken care of, such as, housing, food, transport, materials, publicity, etc. So, there is a lot to be done, but God is more than faithful to guide and provide!

I would love all of your prayers and support. Please be praying for peace and rest. These last few weeks have been full of restlessness and anxiety, which is not of the Lord. God is teaching me to rest in his peace and security, but my analytical mind likes to think of every option, which is only driving me crazy. So, please pray that I would learn to focus on God and what needs to be done here in Fargo, and that I would learn to rest in His words, and not question them to be too good to be true.

We serve a great God! And I am so privileged to be doing what I am. Thank you for your prayers, and if you feel led to help support what God is doing here in Fargo through me feel free to click the donate button at the side of the page! God bless!

My First Day Home

I am excited for the big things that God is going to do on this trip home. Through many hours of prayer and petition the Lord has spoken many words through many people of expectancy and favor. Today is the first day of meetings for this trip. The goal and purpose of this trip is to become fully funded, so that I can continue to do what the Lord has called me to.

Our nation is a stage of crisis. In a matter of 3 generations the church has lost over 61% of its church participants. The World War II generation also, known as the Builders, recorded that 65% of Americans were actively involved in church, which meant they attended church 10-13 times a month. Now today, the millennial generation, our kids, grandkids, brothers and sisters, are recording 4% church involvement. This means that for this generation they attend church on average of 2 times a month. This is due largely to the fact that we have missed two generations with the Gospel message. The last major evangelistic thrust in America was the Jesus Movement in the 70’s where the likes of Billy Graham and Ravenhill captivated hearts with the Gospel.

We are no longer in that era where we can simply preach the Gospel and people will respond and return to church. The framework of church has largely been lost in this culture’s mindset. This is why the work of Impact World Tour and Call2All America is so pivotal and timely. We will prepare the churches to reach out and disciple this lost generation, and then we will preach the Gospel where they are at in a way they can understand and accept. It is a movement that will be focused on 3 main initiatives that must work together: prayer and fasting, discipleship, and evangelism.

This is what I have devoted my life to seeing raised up. However, I cannot do this alone, and if left to do it along will fail. I need men and women like you to come around me to lift me not only through prayer and guidance, but also financially. In order to continue in this work I must raise a monthly budget of $2000/month, of which I am currently only at $300/month. Monthly supporters are crucial to the effectiveness of my ministry.

I want to boldly ask you to not only pray and intercede for the success of this trip, but also to prayerfully consider becoming part of my ministry team. When I asked God what was I to give to see this lost generation reached with the Gospel, He told me to give my life. Now, I want you to ask the same question. What is it worth to see a generation reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ? What is your part in seeing that happen?

Jesus wants our kids back! So, let’s go get them together.

There are multiple ways that you can support me. The easiest is to click the dontate button on the side of this page, and then you can do electronically over the internet. Or, you can make checks payable to YWAM Campaigns and mail those into YWAM Campaigns / PO Box 38 / Grandview, MO 64030 with a note marking the check for Matt Woods. If you have any questions please leave a comment or email me at mwoods@iwtusa.org.

The Unexpected

Have you ever had one of those unexpected God moments? It is something that you were never looking for, but inside you were yearning for. You were just going about your normal day, and then God drops it in your lap.

Yesterday I was at McDonald’s with two guys, Josh and Devon, that I am doing discipleship with. It was a normal Monday with the guys. We were going through scripture and eating fries, and then we met Erick. Erick had just gotten out of a same day release surgery, and was stranded in Fargo, with his home 2 hours away.

Seeing the Bibles laid out on the table, Erick asked what we were doing. After talking to him about Jesus and the Gospel Erick immediately asked to be baptized. Once we talked to him a little bit longer we found out we had the privilege of reaping a harvest that someone else had sewn earlier.

Then the question became, where do we go? At first we thought a church. But could not find a pastor. Then we thought the River? But did not have a change of clothes. Finally, we went decided to go the house where I live. Luckily, the Pastor I live with was home.

After talking with Pastor Dave a little bit, and being insistent on getting baptized before he went home we decided to baptize him in the tub. So, we gave a change of clothes. Pastor’s Dave wife (Mary) got the camera. We led him through a prayer, and then Dave, right in the bath tub, baptized him in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – from death in sin to life in Jesus Christ!

Then we began the long ride home to drop him off in his home town in Thief River Falls. On the way, home he could not stop smiling. He was a changed man. He talked about the weight of what he did wrong in the past being lifted. Then with my phone he began calling his family and friends, and talking to them about his baptism, and what God had done for him. He was sharing his faith, literally within minutes of being baptized! He was a witness for Jesus Christ!

Now he is home. He has a bible. He is getting connected with a church, and keeping in contact with us. He is starting a new life and has vision. He wants become a counselor to help kids through the rough situations that he has been through. Soon he will get his baptism pictures, so that he can always remember and celebrate the day where we was reborn from death to life.

We were never expecting it! But, God had it planned. Now looking back at that day it makes me beg the question. Am I ready? Am I willing? Am I ready and willing for God’s interventions? Am I ready and willing for God to change my schedule? I was this time, but is there any point in my schedule where I am too busy and focused that I miss God’s plan and gifts? If so, that needs to change. I could have missed Erick, and he could still be in Fargo, and struggling with the weight of his sin. Thank God that did not happen!

Have you had any of these moments? If so, leave a comment and share your story. Would you encourage us with God’s unexpected surprise in your life?

How privileged we are to be the recipient of God’s surprises in our life?!

Fargo is on move!!!

Fargo is going great! It is finally warming up! We hit 50 degrees last week, which was a great change from the sub-zero temperatures that welcomed me into the city. Although this means that Fargo is having to deal with flood waters, but we are making it through, and sandbagging has been a great way to reach out to the community and meet new people. However, all the families in the Fargo/Moorhead area could definitely use your prayers.

Since I have been up here God has been doing so much to get us ready for the Fall. Right now we are currently working with 14 local churches, and that number is increasing each week as we meet and new people/churches, and we have been able to engage 6 smaller communities outside of the Fargo/Moorhead area to begin trainings, as well as to schedule more outreaches for our Fall campaign that will take place from September 19th-Oct 9th. God is opening up doors for us every day.

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of seeing 50 high schools kids come out to get trained to start small groups/outreaches in their high school. Then the day after the training a group of kids started a group through Facebook and with in 24 hours they already had 60 members join their group. The fields truly are white for the harvest up here!

In addition, to all of those kids raising up small groups through out the community we have raised up, through a partnership with Children's Evangelism Fellowship, 86 small groups for children. But we still have much more work to go. We are estimating that to properly handle the amount of responses we get during the tour with nurturing follow-up and discipleship we will need around 200 small groups for all ages through out the Fargo-Moorhead area, and the surrounding communities.

In addition, to that God has been so faithful to provide financially for the tour. Of our $350,000 budget that we have the community God has already raised close to $200,000 in pledges. In fact last week we received a check for $10,000 from a local business man, and then this week in a church kick-off we had gentleman pledge $45,000 and he began that pledge with a $25,000 check. God is so faithful to provide for His children!

We have a lot of exciting things coming up in the next month that we would love for you to pray with us on. First, is we are having a series of banquets that will help launch new communities, as well as bring on new churches through out the area. We are having 3 banquets in 3 separate communities April 29th and 30th, as well as May 1st. In addition, to our banquets we are beginning what we call local link trainings, which is where we go into local churches and train the church on personal evangelism and follow-up. So far we already have 3 churches who have booked their trainings, and a few more who are looking for dates. It is so cool to see God rallying His troops behind what He is doing here in Fargo. The final thing that we could use your prayers on is engaging the schools. So far we have 2 high schools committed to allowing us to do evening time events, but we are hoping to have about 6 more, and we need to book assemblies in ALL the schools so that we can invite the kids out to the evening performances where we will preach the Gospel. The assemblies are so key! Please pray for favor and openness as we approach the school to book assemblies for next Fall!

Thank you so much for taking time to read what is going on here in Fargo. I am so excited to be a part of what God is doing here in Fargo, and it is so encouraging to see all the churches rally behind this one call to reach their community. It is a huge blessing!