Tim and Lynn Collins have been invited to be the Pastors of Ignite Church that began in Freeport IL. Ignite Church is currently an online church that meets on zoom. On November 5th we will be leading the church and continuing the journey of Shift Church. We will post the link here on this website to the zoom meeting before that first meeting. Come and join our discussion of how to live this life with an awareness of the love of Jesus and the mandate to bring heaven to earth. Let’s all be transformed by living in Him. See you soon. (Lynn)

by Tim Collins

What we believe will affect the way we live our lives. The following is what I have come to believe as I have followed Jesus for the last 40 years. 
“I’m not a strong writer so I’m open to input from all my friends in Facebook land.”

1. I believe that the devil was disempowered at the resurrection of Jesus. That the only power he has is what we give him.

2. I believe that God has encouraged us to leave a legacy for our children and our grandchildren. I will leave a legacy that will last for generations.

3. I believe that Jesus told us to pray that His Kingdom should come. I will pray and work towards that end till the knowledge of the glory of God covers the earth as the waters covers the sea. I believe that Jesus will not return until that has been accomplished.

4. I believe that Jesus healed us spiritually, physically and mentally. Therefore according to Isaiah 61, we his children are to restore that which has been ruined. That could be peoples lives, cities, business or anything our lives touch.

5. I believe that God is good, and that Jesus is a perfect reflection of God. If my view of God gets cloudy I just need to refocus on Jesus.

6. I believe that the gates of hell will not prevail. Therefore the Kingdom of God will get larger and the future is bright. This world is a great place to raise our children, build businesses and make our society better.

7. I believe that all the promises of God are for now. I will push into them for my generation and I will encourage future generations to do the same.

8. I believe that now is the time to have faith, hope and love. It is never the job of anyone to ask God to condemn. Any message that condemns is not speaking by the Spirit of God.

Phil 2:15 “For you will appear among them as shining lights in the universe offering them the words of eternal life.”

In the beginning the Bible talks about darkness over the earth and God said, “Let there be light” and there was light. Where there was darkness and void now there was light! And the light came before He created the sun and stars. His light broke through the darkness just by His word.

So, if God Himself spoke light into being, there is nothing that can take away that light. Jesus came to earth over 2,000 years ago to bring us into a New Covenant. He taught about the Kingdom everywhere He went and healed all who were sick. This is from a time when He taught about the light that His disciples carry.

Matthew 5:14 “Your lives light up the world.
Let others see your light from a distance,
for how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop?
And who would light a lamp and then
hide it in an obscure place? Instead, it’s placed
where everyone in the house can
benefit from its light.
So don’t hide your light!
Let it shine brightly before others,
so that the commendable things you do
will shine as light upon them,
and then they will give their praise to
your Father in Heaven.”

He was the light of men and brought that light to all who believe in Him.

John 1:4 “Life came into being because of Him,
for His life is light for all humanity.
And this Living expression is the
Light that bursts through gloom –
the Light that darkness could not diminish!”

After He rose from the dead, He sent the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit filled each one and a tongue of fire was seen on their heads.

The light that began through the word that God spoke in the beginning is now multiplied and resides in every one who believes in Jesus and receives the Holy Spirit. The increase of the light is His plan.

Col 1:12 “Your hearts can soar with joyful gratitude when you think of how God made you worthy to receive the glorious inheritance freely given to us by living in the light. He has rescued us completely from the tyrannical rule of darkness and has translated us into the
kingdom of His beloved Son.

Eph 1: 18 “I pray that the light of God will illuminate the
eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light,
until you experience the full revelation of the hope of
His calling – that is the wealth of God’s
glorious inheritances that he finds in us,
his holy ones!”

As the children’s song says, This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!!!
Hide it under a bushel, NO!, I’m gonna let it shine!

Let’s be the light of the world. Let’s bring His light into every area of the world. Let’s believe that the increase of His government will have no end. Let’s pray, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” Let’s believe for the light of the glorious gospel of good news to spread and take over the darkness. Let’s shift this earth to look more like Heaven. (Bible references taken from The Passion Translation)

If you have come across our web site for Shift Church I want to let you know that we are not meeting as a church currently.

Tim and I moved to Belleville to become third generation owners of his family floorcovering store, Collins and Sons.

If you want to know how to get in touch with us, send me a contact form.

God bless!

Lynn

Cleaning up the comments to our web site is very interesting….  lots and lots of words and adds and posts selling things, but not many with actual communication to me.  Our thoughts can be like this at times…. bombarded with many many messages and hardly any that are real communication.  I have been reminded a lot lately that we all need to guard our thoughts and what we allow to come into our minds.  If we allow a thought to come in that was put there by some “spam” source and then let it churn around inside of us we may begin to believe the “spam”.  For some, that “spam” can be trying to sell something that is totally not what we need!!!  Let’s recognize the “spam” and “permanently delete” it before we allow it to come into our thoughts.  And then on purpose put in the thoughts that come from the Holy Spirit to us.  Thoughts of hope!!!!  Love!!!!  Future!!!!

Love and hugs!!!  Lynn

The impression I keep getting is for me to simplify life….  to get healthy….  to stay unstressed….

To simplify life, changes are needed, these can create stress in the transition times.  But I had this impression of Pappa God cupping His hands and looking into them and grinning and smiling and laughing…..  He was looking at my future!  So when I start to wonder and feel the stress of the transitions I remember His sweet encouragement and I know that my future is good!

As I consider the letting go of something that I have done for five years and have (mostly) enjoyed,  I remember an impression in my time with God where He seemed to be saying that I could hang onto what I had and He would be OK with that….  or I could let it go.  If I let it go, then He would be able to bring me something better that I would really love.  So, I’m letting some things go….

In transition times, keep focus on the promise….

Lynn

This morning I’ve been thinking about what transformation means…..   to me I am sensing that transformation should be each one coming into God’s dream for their life.  If there is anything in our thoughts that contradicts God’s dream for us, then we need to be transformed.  Transformation can come through encounters with God in soaking, worship, Bible reading, prayer and be without any one else besides Holy Spirit as our teacher, comforter, and help.  Or sometimes transformation may mean we need to get some help from another person.  Help can be in the from of sozo ministry or counseling.  No matter where we are in our lives or our thinking there is transformation when we come into the presence of our amazing and loving God.  Let’s go for all that God dreamed for us!!!!!

Shift as a name for a church seems to say we are different than all other churches. But I don’t think the name indicates that we are different from other churches, but rather a mission and a frame of mind.

I believe that all men and women need to make a shift in their thinking. The Bible speaks of coming out of darkness and into His light. This is the first and most important shift that someone can make, declaring that Jesus is my Lord, my King, my Savior. It is a major shift to say I no longer take control of my life alone but rather I submit my control to God’s control. When that shift has been made we then embark on a new and continuing shift. As we read the scriptures we take time to incorporate them into who we are and all that we do. So the shift continues all the days that we live on this planet. So maybe a shorter more direct way of saying it would be, shift is a life style. So Shift church leans into life until all that we think and do is His Kingdom way of thinking and living. Jesus said it this way when he was a twelve year old boy, “I must be about my Father’s business.” So we too must be about our Father’s business. Enjoy your shifts. They are a life time and they will be eternal.