EXTENDED BIOGRAPHY
Originally
from Québec, Joël was reared in a Christian home and was
born-again around the age of three. A truly zealous "self-teacher,"
Joël pursued God through the study of the Word and by his
involvement in his local church. At the age of 12, he began to teach
Sunday school and to travel abroad as a gospel soloist. Through
Joël Spinks Ministries, Joël has ministered in Canada, the
United States, the West Indies and in Australia. In 2003, Joël and
his wife Mathilde, were invited as guests on the Lifeline television
prgram hosted by Miracle Channel founders, Dr. Dick and Joan Dewert.
Following this first TV taping, Joël was invited by Dr. Dewert to
join this international ministry. For four consecutive years, Joël
served on a variety of television programs and was also
Associate-Pastor of the Miracle Channel based Dominion Gateway Center.
Joël hosted the bilingual, daily devotional, Semence de la
Foi/Seeds of Faith and Revival in the Land until he returned to
Québec in September of 2007. This transition occurred following
an invitation from Pastor Bill Prankard (a Canadian pionieer in the
healing ministry) who extended a hand of fellowship to Joël who
joined him to serve in evangelism, pastoral care and television
ministry. 
Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)
Have you ever wondered why you were here? I mean, have you ever questioned yourself about life's true meaning? Most of us have, but few of us have truly found the answer. Well, if you are in the dark concerning this question, perhaps you will discover the answer as you read my personal testimony. My Background I can honestly say that I have been outrageously blessed! I was raised in a Christian household where God was always placed in first priority. Practically all of my relatives are born-again Christians. In fact, many of my family members are active in the ministry. For example, I have an uncle who pastors a Full Gospel Church. I also have a cousin who is married to a traveling evangelist and gospel singer. In my immediate family, my father ministers in my uncle's church and my mother plays the organ. Some observers have stated that we are a truly religious bunch, however, that is not the case. You see, my family, as a whole, has not adopted a religion, but instead, a living relationship with Jesus Christ. As a child their testimony truly impressed me. When we had family get-togethers at Christmas time -- for example, all were sober. Alcohol was not a prerequisite in order to have a good time. In fact, I've never seen a relative drunk or disruptive. But rather, I've witnessed the peace and the joy that they all share. Early on in my youth, my family's testimony impacted my life! I knew that something was different about them. You may wonder what made them so different? Well, one person made the difference, His name is Jesus. My Salvation Experience Some children were
brought to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them.
The disciples told them not to bother him. But Jesus said, "Let the
children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs
to such as these." All that is needed for one to be saved is simple child-like faith. Prideful man has great difficulty with this statement. Consequently, religion has invented several different and complicated theological theories which teach mankind the "right" formula leading us to heaven. Incidentally, one will notice that the formula is frequently a man-made institution! 
Anyway, my parents were not of this brand of thinking. They took the time to sit down with my sister and me and shared the gospel message with us. My parents explained that I was a sinner in need of forgiveness. They said that God had loved me so much that He sent His only son, Jesus, to come to die on the cross for my sins. The punishment that I deserved was paid for by Jesus, and when I placed all of my faith in Him, I would be saved. It was that simple! I understood the message and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I cannot recall the date of my profession of faith, however I do know that I was old enough to listen and speak. I was approximately three or four years of age. 
Of course, as I matured, I got into the Word for myself and came to a deeper understanding of the salvation message. Today I know many things that I didn't know back then, however, what matters most is not the knowledge that I've acquired concerning how God did what He did, but why He did it. The answer remains simple: God sent His Son for me! Anyone, young or old, can understand that! Thank you Lord! To God be the Glory! The first time that I was asked to share my personal testimony in public, I almost declined the invitation as I was afraid of having nothing to say. I was also afraid of being judged and labeled as a "goody-two-shoes". Having been saved at such an early age, I felt that I couldn't say how the Lord had saved me out of the deep bondage of sin. However, today I share my testimony everywhere because I know that it is a message of deliverance: God delivered me from myself! My testimony is an illustration of God's grace, preserving one of His own from what the world has to offer. I present my testimony to glorify God and to exemplify His faithfulness towards me. Praise the Lord! My Ministry Begins... Some people believe that kids cannot truly understand the gospel message until they've reached a certain age. Consequently, some find it difficult to believe that I was born-again at such a young age. Despite this, I firmly believe that I was saved at three or four because I had a great zeal for the Lord. I had to tell the whole world that Jesus loved them. I had to proclaim that they too could have a guaranteed, personal reservation in heaven! I was so excited and my activities revealed my passion for Jesus. As a youngster, one of my main activities was "shed-pastoring". Do you wonder what this might be? Well, the principle is simple. I would remove all of my father's lawn articles from our shed (the lawn mower, rakes and shovels...) and I would then invite all of the neighborhood kids to come have church. I was the song leader, the Sunday school teacher and the Pastor. I loved this ministry and loved the response that I was getting. Attendance was high and the members were rapidly learning the hymns that I'd teach them. Soon some of the mothers in the neighborhood would drop off their kids at our house, knowing that they'd be in good hands. 
Like all good pastors, I believed in world evangelism so my church would be active in this area. By this time the kids knew the gospel choruses, I decided that we should go around the neighborhood block singing and distributing evangelistic pamphlets. The song that we sang was "I hear the sound of the army of the Lord". Of course, aesthetics have always been important for me so I thought that it would be important to look the part. Consequently, using brown grocery bags, I instructed the church members to design their own personal soldier costumes. We placed the bags over our heads and wore them as shirts. We circled the block, just like the Israelites did around the walls of Jericho. 
A few years ago, I found out that one of the sisters that I've known for many years was saved after having received an evangelistic card that we had placed in her mail box. We had been distributing a business card that advertised a telephone number that people could call in to hear a pre-recorded gospel message. She said that she had listened to it for some time until her next door neighbor led her to Jesus. My heart rejoices in the fact that we were instrumental in her coming to the Lord! Indeed, God will use anyone, even a child! Irrespective of our own abilities, God is looking for those who will offer Him their availability. The Real World.... Like all children, the time came when I had to go to school. It was at this point that I realized that being a Christian was not considered so cool. I was frequently ridiculed because my behavior was different than the other kids my age. Unfortunately, when someone is different, other children don't always take a liking to the difference. I can remember walking down the school corridors when some students bowed down before me, mocking me by saying, "Praise the Lord" or "Hallelujah"! At times, I would come back home from school crying because of the treatment that I had received from other students. Fortunately, my mother was always there to encourage me with her words: "We are to rejoice when we are persecuted for Jesus' sake." I can say that it was at school that I really came at a cross road. Would I join the crowd in order to fit in? Would I forget all about Jesus or would I go on with God? The answer came and it was definite. I reasoned that if the students were acting this way with me it was because something inside of them hated the One inside of me. I knew that the Devil wanted to discourage me. He wanted me to forsake the Lord, but he was going to be a defeated foe! Pressing On... When you are young it is especially hard to stay put and do nothing. I had full of energy and I wanted to be active for the Lord. I believe that when one comes at a cross roads like I did, it will either pull one away from God or towards Him. In my case, I had taken a stand for Jesus. I was determined to serve the Lord. The persecution sparked a fire in my soul and the enemy would not have a hay day with me! 
Consequently, I became very involved in the ministry. By this time my church had a name, "Jesus Is The Answer". Our church frequently conducted outside camp meetings! Like many real ministries, I had my own publication, The Christian Journal. For four years my father provided the funds that were needed in order to produce the magazine. I suppose that is why I never sent out an appeal letter. The funds always came in on time! This publication contained some stories, games for children and several different testimonies that I would receive in the mail. The magazine circulated in a few other churches and was "published" for four years. 
At the age of twelve, my uncle, Rev. Daniel Poulin, who was my Pastor, gave me some wonderful ministry opportunities. I began to teach the children's Sunday School. The kids were between six and twelve years old. I told my uncle that I didn't want to take in any kids that were older than twelve years old. Can you understand this? I thoroughly enjoyed this ministry. I taught Sunday School until I was 18 years old. During my early adolescence, beginning at twelve, I began to sing in church. After a few months of being involved, I was to sing in the Salvation and Deliverance Church's "International Holy Convocation" . It was held in New York City with over 2000 participants. Wow, I couldn't believe that I was there to sing! This was a great and blessed experience for me. 
It was also during this time that I began to work on my uncle's radio broadcast. He preached and I would "produce" (put together) the program so it would be ready for the radio. I continued to sing and accompany my uncle in his evangelistic trips. When he would go to a church to preach, I would go to sing. We traveled to churches on the east coast of the United States. One of our travels led us to Haiti. It was there that I truly saw the Lord move in a mighty way. Souls were saved and healed by the power of God! In one service I counted 22 healings. One of those healed was a blind man who received his sight! When I attended classes on evolution in school, I could not possibly believe their theory. I was seeing God do marvelous things in my every day life. I could not imagine ever forsaking the Lord. God was so good and I'd miss out on too much. I considered myself so blessed. From my early childhood, I was taught that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. However, to actually witness a move of God is the grandest experience ever. I compared my life with the lives of those my age and counted myself so blessed. Although some thought I was simple minded for believing in God, I knew that I was privileged for knowing Him. I would never want to exchange my life for anything! The Call Of God: Upon my graduation from
high school, I felt called of the Lord into the ministry. So, I
enrolled in Bible College in Louisiana. USA. While I was there I had a
glorious time and I met the nicest people. I had wonderful ministry
opportunities. I was part of a quartet, a choir and I also had the
opportunity to do some back-up singing in the studios of a television
ministry. However, while in Bible College, I doubted my calling. I was not sure that I was truly called of God. "Maybe I want to be in the ministry and maybe I am calling myself? Maybe this...maybe that...?" One chapel service, a college professor preached a sermon that really impacted my life. He said: "You've gotta know, that you know, that you know, that you know that God has called you into the ministry. If you don't know this place is not for you!" Wow! He was speaking to me! I had seen my relatives in the ministry and I knew how difficult it could be at times. I knew the sacrifices that were involved. I feared that if I was calling myself into the ministry, I would give up the moment strong winds would blow against me. So I decided to pack my bags and leave. GRANBY, QUEBEC, CANADA Upon my return to Canada, I enrolled in a regular secular college: le cegep de Granby Haute-Yamaska. I completed the two year program in Social Sciences, still wondering if I was called of God. MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA Upon my college graduation, my sister Carole invited me to go live with her and her husband Dominic in Melbourne, Australia. I accepted and thought that perhaps the Lord would use this opportunity to open the doors for my music ministry while I was over there. Now, it is well known that Australia is a desert land. Well it was also a desert land for my music ministry. Although I did get to sing, it was not the anticipated breakthrough. I was more a tourist than a gospel singer. 
Irrespective of this, my time in Australia was ordained of God. The Lord wanted me to be isolated, on the other side of the planet, away from most of my family and friends. He wanted me to take time apart with Him to seek His face. For three months I would petition the Lord to answer my prayer: "God, I need to know if you are calling me into the ministry. I am not at peace doing any thing else. Lord, I am always wondering what I am to do. I want my mind to be at peace. Please speak Lord, your servant is listening." RICHMOND ASSEMBLY OF GOD, MELBOURNE One Sunday morning Pastor Philip Hills was preaching on the call of God and he said the following words that spoke to me: "Before stepping out into the ministry, don't expect God to show you everything ahead of time. God will show you one step at a time and then He'll show you the next step. Simply listen to what He says, he will show you the next step." That was a revelation to me. I was the kind of person who liked to plan everything ahead of time and do things in a logical way. But when Pastor Hills spoke those words, I felt a burning inside of me. God was speaking to me for sure. I prayed: "Lord, if you were trying to teach me something through Pastor Hills, please confirm it to me. I need to know for sure that you were speaking to me." Well, the Lord was very gracious. In the following week I met a door to door salesman who just happened to be a Christian. We started to talk and he told me that he was involved in a youth ministry in another church in the area. He then said, "You know, before stepping out into the ministry, we're not to expect God to show us everything ahead of time. we are to take one step of faith at a time, and then God will show us the next step." With a big smile on my face, I replied, "I don't think that it was a coincidence that we met today". BACK HOME IN CANADA Three months after my departure from Australia, I was back home in Granby, Quebec. One Saturday night I was on the telephone with my girlfriend, who is now my wife Mathilde. I said, "You know Mathilde, I'm wondering about that episode that happened to me in Australia. What if it was just a coincidence? What if I launch out into the ministry and it just does not work out?" Well, Mathilde was not the only one that heard me! The next day, Sunday morning, I went to my uncle's church as the congregation was celebrating the church's anniversary. They had a special guest speaker from North Carolina, Pastor Richburg. Near the end of the service, he called me to the front of the church and spoke the following words: "Joel, God woke me up at four o'clock this morning and He wanted me to tell you that you are called into the ministry and to stop doubting your calling. Quit looking at the circumstances around you, but look to God." Wow, those words spoke to me big time! However, I reasoned, "I might be called into the ministry, but maybe it's not the right time yet. I should probably get a proper education. Consequently, I applied at Bishop's University enrolling in the field of Education. I was accepted in the program. I was really happy yet, still wondering: "Have I made the right move?" All the time that I attended University I was tormented. I was not at peace. I could always hear the voice of the Lord asking: "Are you really at the place that I want you to be? Are you really in My perfect will?" I was constantly tormented, I had no peace! Finally, I told the Lord: "Yes Lord! Okay Lord! I'll do it! I'll step out into the ministry." Stepping Out into the Ministry The first step I took was that which the Lord had laid on my heart ever since I was four years of age: I recorded my debut gospel album. While I was recording my album I was also in the middle of our wedding preparations. You see, I had prayed: "Lord, if you want me to be in the ministry, I pray that you will give me a wife, a help-mate. I don't want to do this alone." The Lord was once again very gracious and gave me a beautiful and wonderful woman to be by my side: Mrs. Mathilde Gaudreau Spinks. 
 
We released the album Let Him Be Your Refuge in Harlem, New York, at the 1 Corinthians Baptist Church at the International Holy Convocation of Salvation and Deliverance Churches in the summer of 1999. We are pictured here with and my aunt and uncle Apostle Daniel W. Poulin and his wife sister Linda Poulin and Apostle William Brown, founder and overseer of Salvation and Deliverance Churches. 
Ever since that day the Lord has been blessing us and teaching us his ways. Beyond Blessed! l've been traveling to different churches in different states and provinces sharing my personal testimony. You see, if I've taken the time to share all of this about myself, it's because there is a message for all of us to learn. As you have read my life's story, you have noticed the many twists and turns that my life has taken . Obviously, God has a plan for my life. In fact, if God has a specific plan for my life, He also has a specific plan for your life! God is interested in you. He wants you to be outrageously blessed. His plan for you is a plan of blessing. 
I can testify to the fact that the moment that I obeyed His call, I harvested blessing after blessing. Of course, we haven't been spared from the enemy's blows. We have known hardships, but the Lord has always been by our sides! You see, its so easy for me to believe that my Heavenly Father is wonderful and gracious because my earthly father has the same nature. Unfortunately, we haven't all been blessed with fathers like mine. Many struggle with great misconceptions that they have about God. Well, let this be a day of awakening for you! Truly, God is a good God and He loves to bless us! Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; BLESSED is the man who trusts in Him! (Psalm 34:8) The Miracle Channel Following a television interview on the "LifeLine" program, hosted by Dr. Dick and Joan Dewert, I was invited to become an associate pastor of the Dominion Gateway Center, located in the television studios of the Miracle Channel. In September 2003, the Lord led my wife and I to move to Lethbridge, Alberta to join this ministry team. For four consecutive years, I served on a variety of television programs and was also Associate-Pastor of the Miracle Channel based Dominion Gateway Center. I hosted the bilingual, daily devotional, Semence de la Foi/Seeds of Faith and Revival in the Land until my return to Québec in September of 2007.
Pastor Bill Prankard extended a hand of fellowship to me in 2007, so I joined BPEA to serve in evangelism, and television ministry in September of that same year. I am also present daily on Bill and Gwen Prankard's program, From The River which airs across Canada on Vision TV and CTS. I also continue traveling, preaching among the French.
God has a Plan for Your Life! Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord... Proverbs 3:5-7 (NKJV) This verse has literally changed my life. Where I used to be governed by my doubts and fears (and by my reason), I now strive to be governed and lead by the Holy Spirit. I've given up trying to figure everything out by myself. I make lots of mistakes, but God never does, so I mind as well trust Him! I've surrendered my plans to the Lord. He knows what is best for me. What I don't understand today, He will reveal it to me in His timing! Ever since the Lord has taught me to truly trust Him, I've received such peace of mind and joy in my soul! That is such a blessing! For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope Isn't it wonderful that God has a plan of peace for you? He longs to give you a wonderful future full of hope. All He wants is for us to trust Him. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. That is the key to discovering the plan of God for your life: Call upon the Lord. Take the time to pray. As my testimony reveals, seeking God in prayer requires some time and patience, but it is certainly worthwhile! And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord... Jeremiah 28:11-14 (NKJV) The Lord gives us a wonderful promise in this scripture. When we seek Him with all of our heart, He will let Himself be found by us. All that He asks is that we take the time to fellowship with Him. He will speak! Let us be ready to pray, hear and heed to His voice. Joel Spinks Ministries is a non-profit organization whose mission is to proclaim the uncompromised gospel of Jesus Christ. Through our music, testimonies and the printed page, our desire is to let all know that Jesus Christ is our greatest blessing! All gifts are tax deductible. |
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