FreshwindAuthors

Q: Who is Brad Jersak? Where is he coming from? With whom is he affiliated?

A: I am a follower of Jesus Christ with Moravian, evangelical roots. I was brought up and baptized in a Baptist General Conference church. I’m a seminary graduate from the Briercrest Family of Schools in Caronport, Saskatchewan, Canada, and ACTS at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia. I was ordained at Bethel Mennonite Church in Aldergrove, BC, where I served on the pastoral team for nearly ten years. In 1998, Brian West and I co-planted Fresh Wind Christian Fellowship in Abbotsford, BC.

Fresh Wind is affiliated with the Christian Ministers Association and the Abbotsford Christian Leaders Network. We are an eclectic fellowship of Christian seekers that embraced partnering relationships with Mennonite, Vineyard, Anglican, Christian Reformed, Baptist, Alliance, United, Pentecostal, and Orthodox churches and organizations. While we are not members of a particular denomination, these active relationships include monthly seminars, teaching exchanges, and cooperative projects such as Clarion magazine. For those interested in a doctrinal statement, we adhere the Apostles’ Creed.

Q: Hearing God’s voice? I’m a little leery. Is this that charismatic stuff?

A: We have some good friends in Vineyard and Pentecostal churches and have enjoyed their input in our lives and in our church. However, our fellowship and my teachings have also drawn extensively from other movements. You’ll see the influence of Mennonite justice teachings, Catholic mystical theologians, and the Moravian Brethren, just to mention a few.

So to say that this teaching is ‘charismatic’ in the 20th century sense of the word is much too narrow. Specifically, we teach that the voice of God is the inheritance of all Christians, not just the charismatic movements nor the specifically gifted ‘prophets.’ Rather, we believe that all of God’s sheep can and do hear God’s voice, and can learn to hear Him even better. In other words, we would champion the ‘prophethood’ of all believers.

Q: When you talk about “God’s voice,” what do you mean? Do you actually hear a voice with your ears or in your mind?

A: You’d be surprised by how many people have had an experience of God’s audible (out loud) voice. I’ve met over two hundred people in just the last year who would testify to that. And most of them were from non-charismatic churches. It’s not really that rare at all.

However, when I speak about God’s voice, what I am describing is something more akin to an inner dialogue, which sounds a lot like the voice of one’s own mind. We all have internal conversations, many of them quite unhealthy (e.g. “You’re such an idiot! Why did you do that?”). What I am suggesting is that ONE of those inner voices is the voice of God’s Holy Spirit. Christ promises (John 10) that His followers can learn to recognize, distinguish, and follow that voice.

What’s surprising is how often and how well you already hear God. The chief barrier is often that we’re unaware of this fact. But I’d encourage you to read the sample chapter from Can You Hear Me? that we’ve provided online. It demonstrates how many signals from God that you’ve actually been picking up, whether you knew it or not.

Q: But how do we know that we’re not just hearing what we want to hear?

A: We often discard God’s voice because it seems like a passing thought when we would rather experience something more sensational. But the simplicity of the Shepherd’s voice is wonderful! When we prayerfully ask Jesus a question, we simply listen for His response with quieted hearts and take note of what comes to mind. Then it’s a very small step to testing what we’ve heard to see whether it is in alignment with God’s Spirit of love, truth, and peace. Does it find confirmation in the written Word, in the Body of Christ, and from God’s Spirit within? If so, we know that we were NOT hearing the voices of the world, the flesh, or the devil, but rather, the voice of our ever present Best Friend and Father. As you lean on His answers by faith, the words that truly came from God will bring about good fruit in your life (Galatians 5), thus further confirming that you are beginning to ‘tune in.’

Q: Are you sure this isn’t New Age?

A: Very sure. The chief difference between what I teach and New Age teaching is this: We are pursuing an ongoing, interactive, personal relationship with the living Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth and Him alone. The New Age Movement has tapped into some real spiritual realms and experienced some genuine spiritual experiences. But we’re interested in a higher reality: the Kingdom of God where Christ is seated on the throne of grace and welcomes us to approach Him boldly.

Q: Are you available to come to our churches and teach this in person?

A: It’s much better than that. We have an entire ‘bullpen’ of teachers available to provide in-house seminars on hearing God. Brad is available for the basic seminar, but we also have teachers who specialize in teaching leadership teams, youth groups, Sunday Schools, and prayer counselors how to activate ‘listening prayer’ in the local church. You can request a visit from us by email.

We are also part of a special ministry called the Listening Prayer Community that brings a series of seminars on Listening to God for Personal Growth, Listening to God for Inner Healing, and Listening to God for Others. For more information about that option, you can inquire by email to listeningprayer@attcanada.ca.




	Frequently Asked Questions Q: Who is Brad Jersak? Where is he coming from? With whom is he affiliated? A: I am a follower of Jesus Christ with Moravian, evangelical roots. I was brought up and baptized in a Baptist General Conference church. I’m a seminary graduate from the Briercrest Family of Schools in Caronport, Saskatchewan, Canada, and ACTS at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia. I was ordained at Bethel Mennonite Church in Aldergrove, BC, where I served on the pastoral team for nearly ten years. In 1998, Brian West and I co-planted Fresh Wind Christian Fellowship in Abbotsford, BC. Fresh Wind is affiliated with the Christian Ministers Association and the Abbotsford Christian Leaders Network. We are an eclectic fellowship of Christian seekers that embraced partnering relationships with Mennonite, Vineyard, Anglican, Christian Reformed, Baptist, Alliance, United, Pentecostal, and Orthodox churches and organizations. While we are not members of a particular denomination, these active relationships include monthly seminars, teaching exchanges, and cooperative projects such as Clarion magazine. For those interested in a doctrinal statement, we adhere the Apostles’ Creed. Q: Hearing God’s voice? I’m a little leery. Is this that charismatic stuff? A: We have some good friends in Vineyard and Pentecostal churches and have enjoyed their input in our lives and in our church. However, our fellowship and my teachings have also drawn extensively from other movements. You’ll see the influence of Mennonite justice teachings, Catholic mystical theologians, and the Moravian Brethren, just to mention a few. So to say that this teaching is ‘charismatic’ in the 20th century sense of the word is much too narrow. Specifically, we teach that the voice of God is the inheritance of all Christians, not just the charismatic movements nor the specifically gifted ‘prophets.’ Rather, we believe that all of God’s sheep can and do hear God’s voice, and can learn to hear Him even better. In other words, we would champion the ‘prophethood’ of all believers. Q: When you talk about “God’s voice,” what do you mean? Do you actually hear a voice with your ears or in your mind? A: You’d be surprised by how many people have had an experience of God’s audible (out loud) voice. I’ve met over two hundred people in just the last year who would testify to that. And most of them were from non-charismatic churches. It’s not really that rare at all. However, when I speak about God’s voice, what I am describing is something more akin to an inner dialogue, which sounds a lot like the voice of one’s own mind. We all have internal conversations, many of them quite unhealthy (e.g. “You’re such an idiot! Why did you do that?”). What I am suggesting is that ONE of those inner voices is the voice of God’s Holy Spirit. Christ promises (John 10) that His followers can learn to recognize, distinguish, and follow that voice. What’s surprising is how often and how well you already hear God. The chief barrier is often that we’re unaware of this fact. But I’d encourage you to read the sample chapter from Can You Hear Me? that we’ve provided online. It demonstrates how many signals from God that you’ve actually been picking up, whether you knew it or not. Q: But how do we know that we’re not just hearing what we want to hear? A: We often discard God’s voice because it seems like a passing thought when we would rather experience something more sensational. But the simplicity of the Shepherd’s voice is wonderful! When we prayerfully ask Jesus a question, we simply listen for His response with quieted hearts and take note of what comes to mind. Then it’s a very small step to testing what we’ve heard to see whether it is in alignment with God’s Spirit of love, truth, and peace. Does it find confirmation in the written Word, in the Body of Christ, and from God’s Spirit within? If so, we know that we were NOT hearing the voices of the world, the flesh, or the devil, but rather, the voice of our ever present Best Friend and Father. As you lean on His answers by faith, the words that truly came from God will bring about good fruit in your life (Galatians 5), thus further confirming that you are beginning to ‘tune in.’ Q: Are you sure this isn’t New Age? A: Very sure. The chief difference between what I teach and New Age teaching is this: We are pursuing an ongoing, interactive, personal relationship with the living Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth and Him alone. The New Age Movement has tapped into some real spiritual realms and experienced some genuine spiritual experiences. But we’re interested in a higher reality: the Kingdom of God where Christ is seated on the throne of grace and welcomes us to approach Him boldly. Q: Are you available to come to our churches and teach this in person? A: It’s much better than that. We have an entire ‘bullpen’ of teachers available to provide in-house seminars on hearing God. Brad is available for the basic seminar, but we also have teachers who specialize in teaching leadership teams, youth groups, Sunday Schools, and prayer counselors how to activate ‘listening prayer’ in the local church. You can request a visit from us by email. We are also part of a special ministry called the Listening Prayer Community that brings a series of seminars on Listening to God for Personal Growth, Listening to God for Inner Healing, and Listening to God for Others. For more information about that option, you can inquire by email to listeningprayer@attcanada.ca.

Frequently Asked Questions