Love Compels

Love Compels from Catch The Fire on Vimeo.

About Love Compels

This year we’ve announced an exciting new vision initiative for our church called Love Compels. 2 Corinthians 5 talks about the love of Christ compelling us to reach out to a hurting world. The passage elaborates on this, calling us to see the world through the eyes of Jesus, and to seek his perspective of the people around us. It then goes on to speak of being reconcilers, bringing lost people to the Father through Jesus Christ. This chapter also gives us the mandate to be ambassadors for Christ, spreading the gospel of a Loving Father and the death and resurrection of His Son.

This year, we’re going to be taking focused steps toward this vision in an effort to see our city changed by the love of God. Every campus will be discussing what it means to be compelled by love, and what kinds of practical steps we can take to live out this vision in our day-to-day lives. It is very important that everyone get involved in some way with this vision on a personal level.

I’d like to urge you: take ownership of this chapter in 2 Corinthians, and start asking God what it means to see the world through his eyes, to be reconcilers, and to be ambassadors.

Steve and Sandra Long - Senior Pastors

ListenUp TV (Love Compels) from Catch The Fire on Vimeo.

Neha's Story - Love Compels Click Here to Watch the Video.

On November of 2009 one of the men in our congregation came to me for help. Majed El Shafie had been quietly working over the past three years to help a family in Pakistan. I knew the families story as I'd seen them on video tape. The father, a Christian farmer, was being threatened relating to a forced conversion to Islam. When he refused his two year old daughter Neha was savagely raped.

The family was then forced into hiding and for the last 3 years have been moved from safe house to safe house. As I met with Majed he told me of his plan to help the family escape. Walking in favour is a blessing of God. Over the past couple of years, Majed has made contacts with government leaders through the Human Rights organization he founded. One of them is Jason Kenny, minister of immigration for Canada. Jason gave Majed the go ahead.

There is other information that we can't share on how the family got passports, got through the airport in Pakistan, etc. I shared with our church in early December that we were going to help a family escape from an Islamic nation. I couldn't give any details as to the country, their names, etc. Our church gave generously and we raised the $20,000 needed to purchase their airfares. I went to the airport and prayed with Majed and Chris Atkins who would film the event. They left not knowing if they would return. They hoped to return with Neha, her parents and 4 siblings.

On December 11th a group of us from Catch The Fire Toronto plus media and a camera crew met the family as they arrived in Canada. W5 is a news and current events program on the CTV network. They knew some details and began to film the story. Over the last few months they have added to the piece and on Saturday, March 13th the story of Neha was broadcast across Canada.

We have opened our arms to this family and showered them with gifts. We have rented them an apartment and the father, Munir is now working at our church as part of our maintenance staff. The family attend Airport Campus and are settling into Canadian life and culture.

This story is about how love compelled Majed to action. This story represents our theme verse for 2010, that Love Compels (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Love Compels

Have a story about how you or your cell have showed how 'Love Compels'?

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