Archive for the ‘Prophetic’ Category

Choose You This Day

Posted: July 31, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
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Choose You This Day
By Ron McGatlin

I hear the Father saying:
I have brought you to this time for this time. This is the moment of the millenniums – the time of the culmination of the ends of the earth collapsing upon themselves.

Human government, society, culture, religion, and every aspect of human rule and order is corrupted and has reached its destination of total collapse and failure.

Nothing of the evil world order shall survive, and you are in danger of being overcome in this last end-time sweep of perversion and ungodly order filling the world with the anti-Christ spirit, flaunting itself in the headship of the religious church and world ruling order. All governments, economies, militaries, false religions, and societies are imploding upon their evil roots.

THIS IS THE TIME OF THE ARISING OF THE KINGOM OF HEAVEN.
My glory shines brightly from the horizon of your inner being. My power, that generated all creation, rest above and beside you awaiting release to empower the greatest holy and pure transformation ever to come upon the earth and its people.

The roar as of a lion and as thunder beyond hearing exploding in My purified holy sons and daughters is now to be released. You have come to the world for this time. The past is past and the future is now.

The glory has arisen upon you. This is the season of release. What will be done will be done in this moment. There will never be this moment again. It is now and forever that My kingdom must be poured out. The joy of the rule of My Son through my sons is, for you, now or never.

Choose today to release all that I have put within you through the power I am releasing in you.

Every gesture, every word, every roar from you shall be heard clearly in heaven and shall bring a response immediately and powerfully from heaven.

Powerful angels will respond and supplement your every move with heavenly power that cannot be resisted by any power on earth or in all creation. I have made you to be my people for this time.
Will you choose to release heaven on earth now?

Will you shout from the highest mountain the roar of the end of the work of the darkness and the fulfilling of the rule of heaven on earth?

Will you ride with me and call out the signals for the end of the foolishness of the past that will release My power to end the evil takeover of My world?

Yes, Lord God, I will ride with you!

Ron McGatlin

http://www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

THE DEBT CEILING CRISIS

Posted: July 31, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching
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THE DEBT CEILING CRISIS
by Pastor R. Loren Sandford, New Song Fellowship, Denver, Colorado.

By the time many of you receive this, congress may have found a solution to the current debt ceiling crisis. The immediate danger may be averted – temporarily. The real issue, however, isn’t the budget, the debt ceiling or anything else as much as it is a philosophical battle over the direction of the country. This is the root of the intransigence and increasing bitterness exhibited by both parties. People defend philosophies more vehemently than they do money. It’s like defending one’s religion as one side against the other claims to be the only source of truth – and make no mistake, politics and political ideology have the force of religion in America.

For this reason, no matter what solution Washington comes up with to deal with the immediate crisis, the danger will not have passed. The battles and the paralyses will continue well into the future on this and other issues, progressives versus conservatives, neither side willing to concede anything to the other and each characterizing the opposition as evil. The debates will remain bitter and accusatory while our president appears ever more impotent to provide the leadership necessary to carry us through. Some months ago I prophesied a serious third year crisis at the presidential level that would profoundly impact the nation for years to come. One would have to be blind not to see it shaping up in current events. At that time I called us to urgent prayer concerning this. I do so again.

In writing all of this, I am not being political, but am rather pointing out the deeply divided condition of our nation. Divisions range from politics, to religion and race. Not since the Civil War have we seen so many fractures in so many places at such deep levels. We are no longer “one nation” and no longer does our nation regard itself to be “under God” in any effective sense. The bad news is that we are beyond healing. Certain trends have been allowed to go too far unchecked and we now live with a shattered national consciousness and a broken sense of who we are as a people.

This situation requires a change of strategy on the part of Christians. We cannot make America what it once was. The America many of us grew up with and came to love is gone forever. We must therefore surrender our bitterness and anger over this state of affairs and deal with the situation as it is, rather than as we believe it once was or how we would like it to be.

I have long since surrendered the idea that we are a Christian nation or that we will return to any kind of admission that we were ever such. I refuse to debate whether we ever truly were. What is important is that my nation, my true citizenship, is the church of Jesus Christ and I will direct my prophetic cries to her heart. She is black, white, brown and Asian, Chinese, Japanese, Caucasian and Slavic to mention a few. I cannot and will not confuse my loyalties by making my love of America a point of faith.

Use your vote in the coming days to express your conscience in the political realm but invest your truest effort in strengthening the Lord’s bride and bringing about her health. This is a struggle we can win. The storm is coming, icebergs lie ahead, Titanic will sink because no one has the power to turn the ship, and we, the church, must be ready with lifeboats and supplies, healers and lovers, lights to dispel the darkness and secure spiritual homes to rescue those who will be drowning as the ship founders.

I’ve been on record saying that it won’t be as bad as many are saying, but it will certainly be bad enough. For us who have prepared ourselves and our churches effectively, it will be the moment of glory as God increases His acts of mercy, His demonstrations of power and His love through us who will step forward boldly and with passion. This is our time to rise and shine, not to join the world in fear and depression. The world will hurt as increasing sin bears its inevitable fruit in destruction. Many will cry out to be saved. We must be ready.

Let the “sons of God” (Romans 8:28) who have absorbed His nature and character (Romans 8:29) arise at last as the earth suffers the birth pangs of the coming kingdom of God.

KINGDOM BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION Pt 2

Posted: July 28, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, wilderness
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KINGDOM BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION

Part 2 – Managing Kingdom Wealth

Money and wealth are viewed and managed in a very different manner in the heavenly kingdom lifestyle than in Babylon.

In Babylon, money was diligently sought after to meet needs and then to fulfill desires for more material things and social status. Whether through working at a job or owning a business, the people sought to accumulate money and the things it would buy. Seeking money or seeking to meet our own needs was never God’s perfect design.

Jesus brought forth much teaching on kingdom order because it had been lost through the ages of Babylonian-style rule. Seeking to meet our own needs and to get more stuff created a greater stress on people that God ever intended for mankind to experience. In seeking money we become the servant of money. Jesus clearly spoke God’s instruction as He explained the kingdom way. In God’s order, we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness and things are added to us.

Mat 6:24,32-33: No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

The concept of seeking the kingdom and God’s righteousness has been very misunderstood and misapplied by most Christians. Seeking the kingdom first has been viewed largely as doing religious church-type things, which were considered holy. “Secular” type things, such as work and business were considered unholy. In the Babylonian system a false distinction has been made between holy and secular.
Secular is not the opposite of holy. Profane is the opposite of holy. Both business and church things can be holy or they can both be profane.

The kingdom of God includes all of life and all is to be holy (set apart to God). Seeking the kingdom means seeking God’s rule for all of life. And seeking His righteousness means seeking His purposes and order in all things. Righteousness is His right way of being and doing. It is being in perfect alignment with His instruction and desire. If we seek first the kingdom and righteousness, then “all these things” will be added because we will become productive and useful servants in meeting the needs of mankind and the world around us. This is not a magic or supernatural thing. It is a basic reality of natural kingdom life. Our treasure really is where our heart is.

There is contentment and excitement in serving God with our whole lives and doing things His way. Whatever our service or work happens to be, it is rewarding and easy to do with our whole hearts. Not at all like the burdensome, worrisome striving of seeking money. What we chased after and could never have enough of comes to us when we stop seeking it and start seeking the real kingdom of God and His righteous way of doing and being.

We know the Lord is our source and strength. Love motivates us to serve more, but it also causes us to be content with what we have. Our contentment does not rest in what we have, but in Who we have.

Philippians 4:11: Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.

Hebrews 13:5: Let your conduct be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, �I will never leave you nor forsake you.�

Covetousness and self-seeking is the desire for and reaching for more than I already have. Materialism is one of the most common idols in the Babylonian system. It is important to understand that wealth and material things are not inherently evil. Money is not the root of evil. The love of money is the root of evil. Having wealth is not evil. Receiving profit is not evil. However, it is wrong to seek wealth or money rather than seeking the kingdom of God and trusting Him to meet our needs.

Matthew 6:33: �But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.�

1 Timothy 6:5-8: …useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

Godliness + Contentment = Great Gain.

Godliness (God-seeking, God-serving) is righteous obedience to God, which aligns us with His universal laws and purposes. Contentment is not desiring more than I already have.

Those who seek after money can never keep or enjoy wealth.

1 Timothy 6:9-11: But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

James 5:1-3: Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.

Who are the rich people that these miseries are coming upon?

�Rich� is a relative term. A brother in one of the developing nations would consider many of you reading this rich. If you ask a man with one million dollars, �Are you rich?� He would probably say, �No, I�m not rich at all,� and would point toward the man with more and say, �He�s rich.� A rich person is one who owns any amount of wealth that is not given over to God�s control for His use.

Garments that are being worn do not become moth-eaten; gold and silver coins that are being used do not corrode. Riches that are being used to meet the needs of mankind will not destroy the one who possesses them. If our lives are wholly given over to God�s control, all of our possessions will be His and will be used in His kingdom. In a very real sense, no matter how much God has placed in our possession, we have no riches. They all belong one hundred percent to God.

We do not seek wealth. We become wealthy while seeking to serve. We do not hold back any part for ourselves. However, because of our obedience, He will give us a portion as our own to enjoy. He will give us the power to eat of it and to rejoice. We must seek His direction for His goods at all times. We must not take it upon ourselves to keep some of His wealth for ourselves.

Luke 18:24b: �How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God.�

Ecclesiastes 5:10,13: He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.

Only the God-seeking, God-serving person can enjoy wealth.

Proverbs 10:22: The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.

Ecclesiastes 5:19: As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor- this is the gift of God.

1 Timothy 6:17: Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

God desires for His people to possess and manage His earth with all its abundance for Him.

We must be managers of God�s goods and not owners.

God gives a portion of His creation into our hands to manage for Him. We grow in wealth as we do a good job of managing what He has given us to manage. God adds more to us as we become faithful and wise managers of the portion He has placed in our hands. If we do not manage it well, it will be removed from us and given to one who will manage it in accordance with God�s heavenly kingdom wisdom and instruction.

Luke 19:12-13,16-20,22a, 24-26: �A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, �Do business till I come.�

�Then came the first, saying, �Master, your mina has earned ten minas.� And he said to him, �Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.� And the second came, saying, �Master, your mina has earned five minas.� Likewise he said to him, �You also be over five cities.�

�And another came, saying �Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.� And the master said to him, �Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant.� And he said to those who stood by �Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas�. But they said to him, � Master, he has ten minas.�

�For I say to you, that to everyone who has more will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.�

Matthew 25: 14-l 5, 19-21, 24a, 25-26a, 28, 30: �For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

�After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, �Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.� His lord said to him, �Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.�

�Then he who had received the one talent came and said, �…and I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.� But his lord answered and said to him, �You wicked and lazy servant…� Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. …And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.��

We are given the Master�s money to do business with until He calls for it. If we manage His money in alignment with kingdom principles, we will have a good report at our accounting time. The most profitable way to do business is according to God’s instruction and in accordance with His kingdom principles.

There are many principles to be considered and there are always balancing principles in God�s kingdom. We must seek God’s direction by the Holy Spirit. Principles are like �road signs� to assist our hearing and provide valuable understanding. But we must hear God�s direction.

One of the major principles is to use money to do good. If we put money to work creating activity (commerce, industry, etc.), which will put people to work meeting each other�s needs, then we are headed in the direction of kingdom prosperity. We will do more long-term good by this type of investing, than we would have done by giving away all the money to meet an immediate need.

What we do with the money we have is more important than how much money we receive. How we use what we have today determines what we will have tomorrow. Many of us have not understood that God gave us money to use to do business. We erroneously thought it was all for us to use for our own desires and needs. We have thrown away our financial future by increasing our lifestyle just because we had more money. We have used money to make us feel better. Babylon�s business pattern is to �get all you can, and can all you get�.

Do not serve money, but serve God with money. Do not hide it or consume it. Do not give it away if God has not said to. Use it to do kingdom business that meets needs. Seek God�s direction and further understanding of His principles about how and where to do business.

If we diligently use all God has given us to serve Him by doing business, we will be given more. It will be added to us. All that we possess should be available to be used to meet the needs of mankind, and especially those of the household of faith.

Man has three basic areas of need: those that relate to his spirit, those that relate to his soul (mind, will, and emotions), and those that relate to his body. Anything that God leads us to do with the resources He has given us to meet needs in any of these three areas is doing business. Whether it is preaching the Word, growing potatoes, or teaching physics, if it meets the needs of the brethren, it is doing business in the kingdom of God.

Ask God, How does what I do meet the needs of mankind? And what can I do better to add more value to mankind?

Start with what you have. A warm smile and an encouraging word can meet a need in a person�s soul. A prayer and a thought from the Word can meet needs of the spirit of a person. Doing that extra amount on the job with a good attitude can meet someone�s needs. Cooperating with the boss and speaking a good word about him can meet more needs than complaining and giving a bad report. Consider what you have, what is in your hand, what gifts and talents you have. Then, ask God how they may be used to meet the needs of others.

Would investing that extra $25 in someone�s kingdom business or ministry help meet their need for capital so they could meet more needs? Could contributing your talents and abilities to help a ministry or kingdom business meet needs? Could improving your own skills enable you to meet more needs?

In Babylon, people go to school to get more education so that they can get more money, so that they can have more power and more things they want. In the kingdom, we sharpen our tools by getting more education and training so that we can meet more and greater needs of others. The more skilled we are, the more we can do. The more we do, the more we will be blessed in return. The more we are blessed, the more we have to use. Love causes us to make the best we can of ourselves and of what we have.

Two dimensions of meeting needs

There is more than one dimension in meeting needs. There is both quantity and quality. You can meet a little need for a lot of people, or you can meet a great need for a few people. Manufacturing chewing gum can put a good taste in millions of people�s mouths; doing brain surgery can greatly impact a few people. The total amount of value added to mankind could be the same in either case. So, if you can�t do something big, do a whole lot of the little things that you can do, while at the same seeking to improve your skills so that you can do more.

Loving-kindness In Kingdom Business

Loving-kindness in kingdom business replaces pretended affection and pandering in Babylonian business operation. In Babylon, most customers expect to receive an offer of help or service by a businessperson. Underlying their question, “Can I help you?” is their real thought of, “Can I get some of your money?” Customers do not expect a businessperson to really care about them beyond what they can get from them. Once people learn that in the kingdom, the businessperson really cares about them, and not just about their money, they develop a whole new attitude. If they know that you really care, they will trust you with their business. Whether we are supplying a spiritual need or a physical need, love will cause us to really care about others� needs and well being. Loving-kindness cannot be faked in the kingdom of God. A phony will be spotted.

Love cares about fellow workers, including the boss. Love causes employees to feel a great sense of security and loyalty because they care about one another and know the boss cares about them and has their interest in mind. Love cares about the quality of product or service being provided. Love is the key to increased productivity, quality and efficiency.

The essence of God�s love permeates every aspect of kingdom-life. The thirteenth chapter of 1st Corinthians draws a picture of what love is. It teaches that, no matter how great our gifts or works are, they are meaningless without love. Love makes it happen and keeps it in order in the kingdom.

Love is the greatest mystery in the world. There is no other force or power in the world as great as love. Love will cause us to give up our very lives. Only after love motivates us to die to our self-focused life, can we know resurrection life. Just as Jesus gave up His life for others and was resurrected to a far greater life, we will experience a far greater life now on earth as love motivates us to selflessly serve. The Babylonian-style world cannot comprehend the value of the love of God. It is a mystery to the people of Babylon.

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

http://www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

Embrace the Awe of God!

Posted: July 24, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, wilderness
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Embrace the Awe of God!
by Bobby Conner

An Urgent Word

The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy? Amos 3:7-8

A Divine Veil of Light

Recently, I was overwhelmed by a heavenly visitation. Without notice, I received one of the most significant and captivating encounters of my life.

I was enjoying an ordinary day with my family in Texas. I had much to do to prepare for an upcoming ministry trip to Europe, so I excused myself to retreat to my study. As I arranged some papers on my desk, I heard a slight sound behind me. Thinking it was my wife or perhaps one of my grandchildren, I casually turned around to see who was in the room.

Without warning, I found myself in a spiritual realm. There suddenly appeared just inches in front of my face a living, incandescent wall of translucent light, suspended within brilliant, blue-green waters. The waters were glowing and luminous and also alive. A soft swishing sound came from the moving mass of living liquid light, much like the sound of wind through trees.

This glorious wall was a divine veil reflecting the most stunning, alluring rays of brilliant light I had ever seen. They were refreshing beyond words. Astonished, I wanted to absorb everything I could from within that veil. Its purpose seemed to be to enlighten and refresh.

Suddenly, He Roars!

All of my senses were extremely alert as I admired this breathtaking veil and wondered what was about to transpire. I reflected on how peaceful, tranquil and good I felt, when suddenly, without warning, a magnificent LION exploded from the wall of living light. This was an enormous, fearsome creature, a gigantic lion of golden-amber color whose mane radiated a halo of golden light. He was tall enough to look me straight in the eye. In fact, He locked his eyes on mine, gazing into my eyes with such intensity that I knew He was looking into my very soul. As I returned His steadfast gaze, I felt I was peering into eternity.

I wanted to flee from sheer terror, but also wanted to embrace this wonderful being from another realm. This Lion had an extraordinary fierceness, but from within this indescribable strength and power an overwhelming gentleness also radiated. I was amazed at the warmth and love pulsing within Him, and the peace and sense of protection that exuded from His presence.

Our eyes were locked in a gaze for what seemed to be a very long time, when suddenly the Lion opened wide His mouth and began to roar. The roar was unlike any sound I had ever experienced ear-piercing, overwhelming, indescribable. Mere words simply cannot convey the force and beauty of that blast of breath from another world. This massive roar lasted for quite some time and released a vibration and reverberation that shook the heavens and earth and felt as though it could be heard and felt throughout the entire universe.

Standing within that divine current of the Lion’s roar, I felt a divine invincibility. Before I had time to ask, I understand the nature of the roar: Within my spirit, I heard the words, “The breath of God.”

As suddenly as the Lion’s roar began, it stopped so swiftly that its absence created a vacuum that sucked the air and sound from the room. Out of that deep, sublime silence a booming voice from Heaven rang out with a holy declaration that shook my entire being. The voice surged with supernatural power and authority:

“Prepare My people to embrace the awe of Almighty God!”

And then the beautiful liquid light disappeared also, as swiftly as it came. I stood trembling in my office, my heart pounding hard and fast, my spirit ablaze with the fire from Heaven’s altar.

At this point, in a quiet, comforting and convincing tone of voice, the Holy Spirit said, “Yes, prepare the people of God to embrace the Awe of God!”

The Spirit then explained that much revelation would be released concerning the Lion of the Tribe of Judah a revelation that would produce the holy, wholesome fear of the LORD.

The Fear of God, the Awe of God

Indeed, the Lord spoke a very stern warning to me, saying, “Warn the people that I am not as easy to get along with as some preachers have made Me out to be!”

What does this mean, dear brothers and sisters in Christ? We must never forget the truth that “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God” (Hebrews 10:31). The writer of Hebrews further admonishes us, entreating us to fear the Lord:

“Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Hebrews 12:28).

This Greek word translated fear is eulabeia, which means reverence, piety and veneration. Veneration and piety are not mere religious formalities. Yes, we can “act” pious and not feel true reverence in our heart but the Lord will see through our whitewashed gestures.

Although some Christians have feigned reverence through the centuries, we cannot dismiss the authentic and vital experience of holy fear and trembling before the Lord as just “the form of godliness” or man’s empty religion. The fear of the Lord is more than ritual and has not been replaced by the New Covenant of grace. To be sure, when a revelation of God’s grace grips our soul, the deep reality of our heart will become holy circumspection and discretion before the King of the Universe! We will not approach God casually, nor with a religious spirit, but with “godly fear.”

This same word translated fear, the Greek eulabeia, is only used one other time in the New Testament to describe the holy reverence, piety and veneration of Jesus Christ Himself for His Father God:

“Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared…”

If Christ Himself feared the Father “with strong crying and tears,” how much more shall we offer up holy prayers and supplications in the fear of the Lord? Indeed, we are instructed to not only serve God with fear, but with awe. We’ve all but forgotten this most precious and vital disposition of the heart.

The fear of God and the awe of God are inseparable. If you fear God with a holy fear, you will stand amazed and reverent; if you feel the awe of His majesty and omnipotence, you will most certainly experience a godly fear of His power and sovereignty. In truth, you cannot be in awe of the Lord without a holy fear.

The Greek word translated reverence or awe in the above verse of Hebrews 12:28 is aidos, which suggests not just modesty but actual bashfulness a healthy shame for one’s own lowly status. This awe is a holy reverence whose essence is a profound, unspeakable wonder, the deepest honor and respect imaginable, reserved for the King of kings. This is an awe that cannot humble itself enough, cannot bow low enough and cannot be thankful and worshipful enough before the One who gave His life for us.

God is Indeed a Consuming Fire

Beloved, we must rekindle a holy awe, reverence, honor and respect for the glorious Lamb of God and Lion of Judah, Creator of the universe! Let’s consider another translation of Hebrews 12:28-29:

Let us therefore, receiving a Kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship, with modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe; for our God [is indeed] a consuming fire.

How do we offer the Lord “pleasing service and acceptable worship”? With nothing less than “modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe.” And why do we offer the Lord this piety, fear and awe? Because God is a consuming fire.

This Greek word translated fire is none other that pyr, from which we derive our English words relating to actual fire, such as pyrotechnics. To be sure, this pyr of God described in Scripture is real uncontrolled, scorching, dangerous and wild. This pyr isn’t referring to a fancy metaphor or analogy, like a “fiery” personality or a “fire” of passion in the belly. On the contrary, the word pyr occurs 74 times in the New Testament and most often refers to a quite literal substance that burns, scorches, and imparts power: Hell fire; everlasting fire; raining fire (as Lot and his wife experienced); tongues of fire; blood, fire and smoke; the fire of the burning bush; and flames of fire the eyes of the Lord Himself and more.

This fire of God is described in a very specific way: God is a consuming fire. This word translated consuming is from a Greek root that means to use up entirely and to destroy. From this Scripture, we learn a most important lesson: God is not a cozy campfire providing warmth and a comfortable circle of fellowship. Neither is He a fire we can control by turning a burner dial. His fire is of an entirely different substance and purpose than any fire on earth. It is not for our personal use and enjoyment. We cannot control it. We can’t understand it. We can’t compare it to anything or anyone we’ve ever encountered or will encounter.

Just as C. S. Lewis wrote of Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia, “He is not a tame Lion,” we must say of God that He is not a controlled burn. He is not a torch we can carry casually. He is neither a match head we can strike at will, nor a lamplight we can turn on and off.

No, His fire consumes. His fire destroys or gives power and life. His fire is Resurrection. His fire creates universes. In truth, His fire commands our fear and awe.

Are we prepared to become intimate with this consuming fire? The first step is learning how to approach God with fear and awe! And great rewards are in store for those who do. If we truly fear and reverence the Lord, great promises are ours:

“O fear the Lord, you His saints [revere and worship Him]! For there is no want to those who truly revere and worship Him with godly fear” (Psalm 34:9).

But if we learn to abide in the fear and awe of God, the even greater reward is the manifest Presence of Christ Himself!

Intimacy vs. Familiarity

Unfortunately, this godly fear and holy awe have been replaced by a yawn of familiarity in our modern Church. The consuming fire of God has been reduced to a mere candle flame on the pulpit or in our prayer closet, or at best a handy “pillar of fire” that guides us along the way.

We wrongly assume that we can approach the Lord casually and blithely according to our own timetable and needs. We use Him like a flashlight when we desire guidance or revelation. We sit beside Him as a warm stove when we are cold. We crank up our reliable and familiar “God fire” to meet the need of the moment.

May it never be! The modern Church must learn the vast difference between mere familiarity and true intimacy. True intimacy speaks of love and affection. With true intimacy, we experience deep, sincere and abiding appreciation. Intimate friends are consistent in their kindness and care for each other. They bond deeply and continue to grow together in honesty, transparency, togetherness, trust and mutual sharing. They know each other’s secrets. They share each other’s burdens. They love spending much time in each other’s company.

Ask yourself: Am I intimate with the Lord or just a casual, familiar acquaintance? We must ask the hard questions. Do we fear the Lord or just “use” Him to fill the lack in our lives? Do we have the vaguest idea of the type of power we so casually invoke?

The condition of the modern Church is, at best, sad and extremely troubling. Many sincere Believers have accepted a distorted concept of the God of the Bible by whittling Him down to a manageable person. They refashion God to fit their own expectations and to serve their own selfish desires.

Beloved, we have exchanged the magnificent glory of the incorruptible God for heathen gods suited to a sin-soaked nation, gods compatible to a self-serving culture. The result? Biblical awe is lost! The holy fear of the Lord is lost! We have reduced our worship to programs and performances. We have heaped praise upon ourselves instead of heaping reverence, piety and unbridled worship upon His Majesty! We have appropriated His anointing and giftings for personal use, building ministries, careers, publishing ventures and reputations instead of His Kingdom.

It is sad but true: visit almost any worship service on Sunday morning and you will likely find a wonderful, well-meaning congregation comfortably relating to a deity who fits nicely within their particular doctrinal positions. We have constructed our own so-called god to back our own plans, visions and social concerns, molded into our comfort zone. This is a “god” that can be explained and controlled by the carnal minds of mere men and women the minds of Christians with personal agendas, who have not died to themselves and the world.

God’s plan is to make man in His own image; however, Christians are attempting to make God into their image. The seeker-friendly, non-confrontational, Cross-removing church will not prepare the Body of Christ for the days we are facing!

In a church like this, no wonder we find an absence of holy awe and the fear of the Lord! We have dared to approach the Almighty God with our many desires and needs, yet feel no awe, no trembling heart, no bated breath, no sweaty palms, no shaky knees no reverence. The atmosphere of most churches today and even the prayer closet of most Believers is diametrically opposed to what we find in the Scriptures, where the glory of God filled the temple and no one could stand, where worshippers prostrated themselves before the living God.

The Lion Will Roar!

But do not despair, dear Believer. There is mercy, deliverance and hope for His Church! Rest assured that the casual, carnal attitudes of the modern Church are about to abruptly change!

We are about to be introduced to Almighty God as the roaring Lion of Judah. God is restoring holy awe and fear to His people and as this righteous and wholesome fear of the Lord returns to the people of God, the manifest Presence of the Lord will also return. Expect to see God reveal Himself in such magnitude and glory that the mouths of the people will open wide. Expect no less than jaw-dropping experiences.

Let us ponder the response of John the Beloved, the disciple who was of all men most intimate with Christ Jesus. Notice that when John encounters the risen, ruling Redeemer on the isle of Patmos, he falls to the ground with no breath left within himself. John did not casually or nonchalantly give Jesus a “high five” and go merrily on his way:

“When I saw HIM, I fell at His feet as if dead. But He laid His right hand on me and said, ‘Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last'” (Revelation 1:17).

How will we learn to rightly fear and reverence the King of kings like John the Beloved? The Holy Spirit is our Teacher!

Come, you children, listen to Me; I will teach you to revere and worshipfully fear the Lord. Psalm 34:11

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, fall on your face and cry out to be changed! Ask the Lord to soften your hard heart and impart a living revelation of God as a consuming fire. With your whole being, implore Him to teach you “to revere and worshipfully fear the Lord.”

Ask, seek and knock until true awe and fear are branded upon your spirit and soul, until you no longer approach the Lord casually but as a trusted, reverential friend. Seek to become an intimate of God not just an acquaintance who assumes too much.

Beloved, “Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8). This is His promise He will draw near to us in turn but understand that we must only draw near in the holy fear and awe of the Lord. Herein lies the secret of true intimacy with the King of kings!

Prepare to hear the Lion’s roar and embrace the awe of Almighty God!

Bobby Conner
Eagles View Ministries
Email: manager@bobbyconner.org

Kingdom Business Transformation – Part 1

Posted: July 22, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
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Part 1 – The Ministry of Business

By Ron McGatlin

Every adult believer is involved in the business/ministry of Kingdom Life.

Business is a primary foundational part of the kingdom of God.

The foundational principles of Babylonian-style business are opposite to the New Jerusalem kingdom of God business principles.

All productive enterprise in the world can be qualified as either business or ministry. Almost every mature adult is involved in business. Some may own businesses, others work at jobs in businesses, others do the business of managing a household or family and everyone manages the business of his own personal life.

In the kingdom of God, both ministry and business have exactly the same basic foundational purpose. What we each do with our lives involves business/ministry. Before we consider how kingdom business is to be done we must consider God’s purpose for our involvement in business or ministry. In the kingdom, the primary purpose of business or ministry is to serve God by providing for the needs of mankind and the world around us.

Kingdom business or ministry is caring for God’s people and managing the resources of His earth.

God’s love is the primary motivational force of all kingdom business and ministry. Through love, people serve one another.

The love of God will cause us to lay down our lives for our brothers. We will seek to provide for our brothers’ needs. Jesus’ love coming forth in us will cause us to serve one another. We become humble servants and not proud rulers. We keep His commandments to love God and love one another.

Galatians 5:13-14: For you brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love – serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

In the kingdom both ministry and business exist for the primary purpose of meeting needs. The only distinction between ministry and business is the type of needs met.

Ministry generally seeks to meet spiritual needs of people. Business is focused mostly on meeting physical needs. However, there is much overlap and both may meet mental and emotional needs. All areas of kingdom enterprise are important to God.

The desire to serve stemming from love is the foundation of kingdom enterprise. We serve Jesus as we serve mankind by providing for peoples’ needs. We are able to do a good job of providing because love has ordered our lives. Love brings unity and cooperation that enables greater production. We are to do good to all people but especially to the people of God.

Gal 6:10: Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

The Sheep and Goats of Business/Ministry

In the parable of the sheep and the goats, the only factor considered by the Lord when dividing the sheep from the goats was whether an individual had provided for the needs of the brethren. Those, who had provided for the needs of the brethren, were told to “come inherit the kingdom” (Matthew 25:31-46).

No one can provide food for the hungry or clothes for the naked unless they first acquire food and clothing. We cannot supply what we do not have. Someone must grow, transport and process food; one must obtain fiber, process it into cloth, and then sew it into clothing. Or, one must, through production of some sort, obtain money to pay others for food and clothing. Obviously, the sheep in the above parable were involved in industry–the production and distribution of goods and services.

The kingdom principle Jesus is teaching here is greater than just giving away some of our surplus to the needy. The principle is that, because of the love of God, we desire to serve and because of the gifts and power of God working with us, our lives become productive. We become highly productive in business activities of manufacturing, farming, building, education, transportation, processing and a myriad of other enterprises providing for the needs of people.

What does my job, business/ministry do to meet the needs of mankind and the world around us?

This concept is hard for most people living in heavily populated areas to grasp. In the modern setting the importance of what our production does for others is sometimes lost because of a disconnect in seeing the end use of what we do and how needs are met by our labors.

For a moment, imagine life in a small, godly, frontier village that has no access to outside provisions. The people of the village would all know one another and care about the well being and the needs of each other. The different people would develop their God-given gifts into various skills to help supply the needs of the people of the village. Someone might be adept at growing certain needed food or animal feed items. Someone else might become good at raising and providing poultry products and others beef or pork products. Someone else might be a dairyman and provide milk products to their neighbors. Someone else may be good at cabin building and woodworking, and another at blacksmithing and so on. When a need in the village arises, someone will seek to meet that need for the people. Working together, they will provide for one another and will be happy to trade the produce of their skills and labor for the produce of others to meet their needs and the needs of the others in the village.

In this small village no one tries to get rich at the expense of others and no one seeks to hinder or harm another. Loving concern for one another causes industrious activity (business) producing goods and services to meet needs. The love of God brings order and cooperation. Now, expand the view in your mind from the small village to nations and then the world and God’s plan for business in the kingdom begins to come into view.

The more our love leads us to provide for the needs of mankind, the more we will reap. The law of sowing and reaping never fails. The more we provide, the more we will receive. Our needs will be provided for and we will have more to use to provide for the needs of the brethren and the world.

As we grow in the business of producing and providing for the brethren, more people are required to help with the enterprise. This means productive employment for more people. Jobs are created and people join together to work in the enterprise of providing for peoples’ needs. All this comes from the root of love that causes a desire to provide for the needs of people and the planet.

The sheep that serve by meeting the needs of the brethren inherit the kingdom of God quality of life (true prosperity). The goats that do not serve by meeting the needs of the brethren have only continuous lack (real poverty).

The thing that divides the sheep from the goats is the love and life of Christ Jesus in the sheep.

The sheep inherited the kingdom of God because they produced. They became productive kingdom servants/rulers as they met the needs of the brethren. Love motivated them to cooperate with and serve the brethren. The goats were motivated by unlove to use what they had only for themselves. The goats do not enter the kingdom. They are separated from God’s heavenly blessings in this life.

Life is the presence of God and serving His purposes. The kingdom of God lifestyle is abundant life, eternal life, now and forever. Death is separation from God and His purposes.

The end result of Babylonian business/ministry is death (separation from God and His purposes).

The Babylonian system has perverted the purpose of business in the minds of most people, including Christians. The perverted purpose of business has also infested ministry. Love is not involved in business in the Babylonian-patterned world. Unlove is assumed in all business transactions in the Babylonian world system. Need and greed are the primary motivational forces behind business and work.

The primary purposes of business in Babylon, is to control in order to meet personal needs and gain personal wealth. People, in the Babylonian system, work at a job or business to get money. They normally give little or no thought to what the job they are working at does to serve God by meeting the needs of mankind and the world. Generally, work is a tiresome dread for them because they are doing something that they don’t want to do but must do to get their paycheck. They have become as harlots–selling themselves to provide for their needs and wants. For the most part, this is considered normal in Babylonian-style business.

Christians caught in this system may believe it is God’s design for them to work at their jobs to get money and that church and church-related things represent their only opportunities to serve God. They also may believe that paying a tithe, plus some offerings, from the produce of their labors satisfies God and makes it all acceptable. Being a good slave and obeying your master is commendable and about the best that can be done in Babylonian captivity. Even in captivity, being a good servant can lead to ruling. God can bless those who remain faithful to Him even in captivity. However, we all need to know that in the kingdom work and business are vital parts of serving God.

God is not leaving His people captive in Babylon. God is delivering us into His marvelous, heavenly kingdom of light and love. We are learning the ways of New Jerusalem in every facet of our lives, including our families and businesses.

The greater principles of kingdom life and business found in the Bible are becoming more ingrained in the hearts of God’s people as we continue to move toward the kingdom of God life on earth.

Keep on pursuing Love. Love never fails
and His kingdom never ends.

Ron McGatlin

http://www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

Let us return the Word to the pulpit Pt 3

Posted: July 20, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
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The church today needs once more to return to the primacy of preaching.

Sadly, we are again seeing a serious decline in the important place of preaching in the church — Ministers of the gospel are forsaking their God-given duty to “preach the Word” (2 Tim. 4:2). They are busy with counseling sessions, with church meetings, with social activities, and with their own personal interests. And what is it that suffers? What is neglected? The exposition of the Word of God before the public assembly of the church on the Lord’s Day!

Worship services are packed with new innovations — beautiful singing by trained choirs, liturgical dancing, testimonies, dialogues, dramatic presentations, and many other forms of entertainment. And what gets less and less time and attention? What is shoved to the rear of importance in the worship service? The preaching of the Word!

But why is this? What is the cause or (are) the causes of this near loss of preaching? Is it that many evangelical and conservative seminaries are no longer training their students to be chiefly preachers of the gospel, but rather counselors and liturgists and administrators? Is it that the churches are full of unfaithful shepherds who are feeding themselves and not the sheep of God? These may be reasons too. But they are all subordinate to a more basic and underlying reason.

That is that Protestant churches have forsaken the sole authority of the Scriptures and have, therefore, lost their confidence in the preaching of this Word. The churches at large have been influenced by the higher critical views of Scripture that swept this country at the beginning of this century. Men denying that the Bible was the inspired and infallible Word of God through and through. They claim it is more the word of man than of God. In this way they undercut the Bible’s authority and power. And many churches are fallen for this lie. This is “the great evangelical disaster” as Francis A. Schaeffer points out in his book by that very title. Hence, Protestant churches have lost their confidence in preaching this Word. If the Bible is in fact mainly the word of man, why preach it?!

The English preacher D. M. Lloyd-Jones makes precisely this point in commenting on the decline of preaching in the 20th century. He gives as the leading factor accounting for the decline of preaching this: “…The loss of belief in the authority of the Scriptures, and a diminution in the belief of the Truth.” And so he continues,

While men believed in the Scriptures as the authoritative Word of Cod and spoke on the basis of that authority you had great preaching. But once that went, and men began to speculate, and to theorize, the eloquence and the greatness of the spoken word inevitablv declined and began to wane…. As belief in the great doctrines of the Bible began to go out, and sermons were replaced by ethical addresses and homilies, and moral uplift and socio-political talk, it is not surprising that preaching declined (Preaching and Preachers, Zondervan, 1972, p.13).

That is where the church is at today.

What is the answer to this? A return to the Scriptures, first of all. And then, on the basis of that Word, a conviction that preaching is God’s method of saving and building up his church. This, too, is what Lloyd -Jones prescribes:

So I would sum up by saying that it is preaching alone that can convey the Truth to people, and bring them to the realization of their need and to the only satisfaction for their need. Ceremonies and ritual, singing and entertainment, and all your interest in political and social affairs cannot do this. .. . What men and women need is to be brought to a ‘knowledge of the truth’; and if this is not done you are simply palliating symptoms, and patching up the problem for the time being. In any case you are not carrying out the great mandate given to the Church and her ministers (ibid, p.40).

This is the way the church will be gathered and her saints remain strong. What is it that God’s people need? What is it that will still effect true reformation in the life of the church in these days of apostasy? It is the preaching of God’s holy Word. This alone will be effective and blessed, because it is God’s way. To this primary labor He has called and does call His church yet today. Anything less than this is disobedience to Him.

Let us be warned that a departure from this God-ordained method is sure to spell another generation of lawless Christians, running after ear tickling words and amassed in error. Let us pray and work for faithful pastors to bring us the faithful Word.

We are in an our when the Spirit is swiftly bringing forth another reformation in the Church, He is calling back the Bride to a purity in the Word. Cleansing the Fathers house of error and exposing at a rapid rate the wolves who have taking the forward seats of the church.
By all means let us preserve the pulpit!

Let us return the Word to the pulpit Pt 1

Posted: July 18, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
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During the Middle Ages (approx. 500 to 1500 AD.) preaching gradually lost its place of primacy in the church, until it was all but lost from her life and work in the years before the Reformation. We should remember that the Middle Ages were in general a time of gradual but steady decline for the church. As she increased in her worldly power and influence, she decreased in her spiritual strength and influence. Sometimes the Middle Ages are referred to as the “Dark Ages.” This was certainly true also with respect to the preaching.

The days before the Reformation were preaching poor times. Many of the established clergy, bishops, and priests, simply did not preach at all. It is said that the lay people could not expect any preaching from the priests in the local parish. Weeks and even months could go by without their hearing any sermon from the pulpit of their local church. Many priests simply forsook their parishes (local churches), checking on them only on occasion. The English Reformer, Hugh Latimer, called such absentee priests “strawberry parsons” since “they came only once a year and stayed for a very short time,” (quoted by G. J. Murray in The Preaching of the English Reformers, pp. 9,10).

Writing already in 1520, Martin Luther explained,

Lo, whither hath the glory of the church departed! The whole earth is filled with priests, bishops, cardinals and clerics, and yet not one of them preaches by virtue of his office, unless he be called to do by another and by a different call besides his sacramental ordination. (“The Babylonian Captivity”, Works, II, Baker, 1982, p.280.).

And if and when the bishops and priests did preach, the quality of the sermons was very poor. There was preserved in the worship service a place for preaching. This was called the “homily,” a brief sermon. But these homilies were for the most part nothing but borrowed sermons from the church fathers. The priests did not do any original work, nor was there any exposition of the Scriptures. The sermons were therefore not edifying but boring treatments of meaningless subjects of the Middle Ages. In addition, these sermons were filled with many absurd stories and fables. Besides, even where the sermons were of good quality and content, they were most often read in Latin, which most of the people could not understand. On the character of these sermons John Calvin wrote:

…What sermons in Europe then exhibited that simplicity with which Paul wishes christian people to be always occupied? Nay, what one sermon was there from which old wives might not carry off more whimsies than they could devise at their own fireside in a month? For, as sermons were then usually divided, the first half was devoted to those misty questions of the schools which might astonish the rude populace, while the second contained sweet stories, or not unamusing speculations, by which the hearers might be kept on the alert. Only a few expressions were thrown in from the Word of God, that by their majesty they might procure credit for these frivolities. (Selected Works of John Calvin, ed. & Trans. by H. Bevridge, vol. l, p.40).

This weakness in preaching also applied to the traveling preachers, the friars. These were special religious orders of men in the Roman Catholic Church. whose beginnings had been sound and good. This class of clergy arose because of a lack of preaching in the church and care for the sick and poor. Founded by Francis of Assisi and Dominic in the 13th century, they were organized into preaching orders, which would travel throughout the countrysides bringing the message of the gospel to the poor peasants. But gradually, these friars too fell victim to the abuses in the church. They gave in to the sermon style of the day, and worse, became nothing more than instruments of the pope.

Hence. also their preaching became corrupt and worthless. Instead of bringing the pure and simple gospel based upon the Scriptures, they resorted to embellished messages in which the stories of the Bible were mixed in with sensational fables and traditions, designed to entertain the peasants. Thus did they spread fact and fiction, truth and error, and therefore, confusion, throughout the countryside. The result was that, though they still traveled preaching, the message they brought was not that of the gospel, but of loyalty to the pope and the need of money for the church coffers.

It is also striking but sad that with the preaching so bad and the people so ignorant, another method of bringing the gospel to the people was being used — drama. Groups of dramatists would travel from town to town putting on mystery plays and passion plays. Sound familiar?! Yes, history is being repeated in our day! Entertainment once more fills the churches! And sadly, this occurs in Protestant churches which have their roots in the preaching revival of the Reformation!

But if there was little or no preaching done by the ordained clergy of the church, who was doing the preaching? Undoubtedly, there were a few faithful bishops, priests, and friars scattered throughout the vast regions of the church world who continued to bring the gospel to the humble city and country folk. But one Reformer was convinced that there was another faithful preacher at work in the church.

Hugh Latimer, in a sermon preached in 1548 denouncing the sin of a lack of sound preaching among the clergy of his day, announced whom he considered to be the “most diligent preacher and teacher in all England.” Said he,

And will ye know who it is? I will tell you: it is the devil. He is the most diligent preacher of all other; he is never out of his diocese; he is never from his cure; ye shall never find him unoccupied… And his office is to hinder religion, to maintain superstition, to set up idolatry, to teach all kinds of popery. He is ready as can be… to devise as many ways as can be to deface and obscure God’s glory. Where the devil is resident, and hath his plough going, there away with books, and up with candles; away with bibles, and up with beads; away with the light of the Gospel, and up with the light of candles…. Where the devil is resident that he may prevail, up with all superstition and idolatry; censing, painting of images, candles, palms, ashes, holy water, and new service of men’s inventing; as though man could invent a better way to honor God with than God himself hath appointed. Down with Christ’s cross, up with purgatory pickpurse, up with him, the popish purgatory, I mean. Away with clothing the naked, the poor and impotent; up with decking of images and gay garnishing of stocks and stones: up with man’s traditions and his laws, down with God’s traditions and his most holy Word. Down with the old honor due to God, and up with the new god’s honor…. Oh that our prelates would be as diligent to sow the corn of good doctrine, as Satan is to sow cockle and darnel. (quoted by G.J.Murray in The Preaching of the English Reformers, pp.70,71).

Such was the situation prior to the Reformation. Not only was the true biblical preaching no longer central; it was also virtually nonexistent. How do we account for this?

There are especially two reasons for this decline and dearth of preaching. First, there was the rise of the authority of the pope, and with that, the decline in the authority of the Scriptures. During the Middle Ages gradual stress was laid upon the offices of the church. With this came a multiplication of offices: cardinals, bishops, priests, monks, etc. In particular, the office of the papacy came to dominate, when the bishop of Rome assumed the title of successor of Peter and head of the entire church of Christ. From that point, all it took was a few dominant popes, and the power of the pope was firmly established. And that is what happened in the Middle Ages. Yet these men were not satisfied with being the mere successors of Peter. Assuming to themselves the office of Christ, these popes took the position that they were the direct mediators between God and men; they were the voice of God to the people. Hence, the pronouncements they made, and the decisions they took were the infallible, authoritative word of God.

The result was that the authority of the church and her tradition were exalted above the Scriptures. As far as the church was concerned, the people no longer needed the Bible nor the preaching of it; they only needed to hear and abide by the teachings of the popes. The Bible and the preaching of it were even considered dangerous to the people. Because of these things, the Bible was virtually taken out of the hands of the people. And with that, of course, went the preaching.

A second reason for the loss of the primacy of preaching was the emphasis placed on the mass as the chief means of grace. During the Middle Ages great stress was also placed on the sacraments and with that, on the formal, outward worship of the church. The result was that at the time of the Reformation the worship services of the Roman Catholic Church were filled with countless unbiblical rituals and ceremonies. But at the center was the mass. This was Rome’s sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, only with many abominable additions.

According to the Romish church an amazing thing takes place in the mass. First, the bread and wine are changed into the actual body and blood of Christ. And, second, the priest offers up the ‘body” of Christ in a real, atoning sacrifice for the sins of the people. Consequently, the people were led to believe that they were fed with the actual body of Christ in the wafer, and that this was the chief means of grace for them. They were taught that on the basis of the priest’s repeat performance of Christ’s death they had the forgiveness of sins. Their salvation, they were told, was tied to the mass.

It is not difficult to see that with this idea of the sacrament the preaching of Christ crucified had to take a back seat. In the mind of the church at that time, was it not far better to have Christ really crucified again before your eyes than simply to hear about it in the Word preached?

Thus did the mass become the heart of the worship service, because it was seen to be the chief means of grace. And the preaching was relegated to a low, insignificant place in the worship; it was no longer primary. Indeed, it was unnecessary!

For these two fundamental reasons, the priests and other officers of the church did not really need to preach, nor were they trained to do so. The priests did not have to bring the message of the gospel to the people. All they had to do was dispense the grace of God through the means the church established as the vehicles of salvation. The attitude that prevailed was: Why use the preaching of the Word when there are so many other easier ways to bestow divine blessings?

Hence, for the most part the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church went untrained in the art of sermonizing. Seminaries for the training of preachers were unheard of. Instead men were taught how to hear confessions, read the forms of the church, and follow her elaborate rituals and ceremonies. The result was an office of ministry that was woefully ignorant of God’s Word, and consequently incapable of delivering its message to the people. Even if a priest had wanted to preach, he did not know how.

The most serious consequence was that God’s people were being deprived of a true knowledge of God through His Word preached. Souls were starving since they were being fed stones for bread. There was a famine of the Word in the church (Amos 8:11). But God would not have it so for any longer.

Waiting Upon the Lord

Posted: July 17, 2011 in Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
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I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find Me… That I may cause those that love Me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.—Proverbs 8:17, 21

The “approbation” or favor of the Lord rests upon those who have fully yielded their lives to Him, who desire to intimately know Him and are willing to spend time in His presence. The result is that these will be able to recognize His presence and will have “understanding” concerning His ways.

If these qualities are to become a reality in our lives, we also must first learn to “wait upon the Lord.”

Blessed is the man that heareth Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My doors. For whoso findeth Me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.—Proverbs 8:34-35

When the Lord responds to our waiting for Him, and He manifestly comes into our midst, we then begin to wait on Him.

There is an Urgent Need that We Become Capable of Hearing a “Present” Word

As we wait on the Lord, it is important that we approach Him with a deep reverence in a spirit of worship, acknowledge His presence as being with us, and then tell Him how much we appreciate His coming to be with us. Now we can begin to flow in a cooperative relationship with Him in whatever way that He may lead or direct.

We have become a wheel (us) within a wheel (Jesus). That is, as being a wheel within a wheel, we will be in the right place at the right time, and with the right word.

Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up (opposite) them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up (opposite) them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.—Ezekiel 1:20-21

There is an urgent present need that we become capable of hearing a “present” word.

As the voice of many waters, the Lord is beginning to speak a powerful last day word to bring visitation and judgment to all mankind. Unless we become sensitive to hear His voice, we will miss the sound of His gentle “knock” upon the door of our spirit.

The “Secret” to Jesus’ Effectiveness and the Heart of His “Preparation”

Jesus spent much time in the presence of His Father. This is the “secret” of His effectiveness in ministry.

The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.—Isaiah 50:4-5

This is the very heart of the “preparation” of Jesus for His ministry – His being awakened “morning by morning.” This is also the means of preparation for our place in the end-time purposes of the Lord.

…The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.—Revelation 19:10

“The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned.” This speaks of the spirit of prophecy that which is beyond the gifts, and emanates from relationship. The spirit of prophecy is the result of having become so “at one” with the Lord, that our lives have become the expression of His life (the voice of many waters).

This testimony that the Lord desires to express through us, is imparted within us during our times of communion with Him, as we wait in His presence. As He quickens us, His testimony becomes the spirit of prophecy within us; then it can be expressed through us, to whom He wills. We will then have the right word, at the right time, to be given in the right place, or to the right person.

“He wakeneth morning by morning.” To be awakened means that I am lifted into the realm of the supernatural, above the limitation of my natural sense, perception and understanding. When He awakens us, our inner being is alerted to turn aside from all activity, to become sensitive so we will hear what He has to say – a present word.

How to Develop and Cultivate a Sensitivity to the Lord’s Voice

Today, His word may seem to be as a “wind,” strong enough to knock us off of our feet; but tomorrow, it may be as a gentle breeze. Our hearing today will prepare us for His still small voice tomorrow. We must cultivate our ability to hear and respond to His voice.

David had within him a sensitivity to the presence of the Lord. In spite of his problems, David listened, as he had a heart for the Lord. The Lord had to speak to one of the prophets through a donkey, but to David He could say:

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with Mine eye.—Psalm 32:8

David had such a relationship with the Lord that he sensed the very presence of the Lord. The Lord did not have to speak “words” to David for him to know the desire of His heart. David knew the heart and the mind of the Lord because he had cultivated a personal relationship with Him during the years he was in the fields at night tending the sheep.

For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.—I Corinthians 2:16

Our mind will be renewed, or progressively brought closer to the Lord’s mind as we wait upon Him.

Our taking time to wait upon the Lord will enable Him to enlarge our spiritual capacity, and grant us the tone of authority that comes only by hearing from Him. Thus, our times of waiting upon the Lord will become as a “wheel within a wheel,” which will enable us to hear and respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and to move with Him in His will as He guides us.

And He goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto Him whom He would: and they came unto Him. And He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils.—Mark 3:13-15

The Primary Purpose of God’s Calling

The primary purpose of His calling is for us to be with Him. It is essential to our spiritual health that we spend quality time in His presence “waiting upon Him.” Only then will we have the spiritual energy to face the challenges, testings, and problems of life.

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.—Isaiah 40:31

During these times of intimate fellowship, we are brought into a closer union with Him. In the closeness of this communion, we will receive of His life and strength, and along with this, we will come into a deeper understanding of spiritual principles and the unfolding of His Word, which will draw us yet closer.

…The times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.—Acts 3:19

Our times of waiting upon the Lord are the key to a victorious, overcoming life. Throughout the Psalms, whenever David found himself in difficult circumstances, he constantly reminded himself to wait upon the Lord.

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.—Psalm 27:14

It is here, in the Lord’s presence, that we will begin to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom. There will be a realignment of our lives, and our priorities will change from the natural to the spiritual. Our spiritual senses will be energized by His presence and restored to respond to His purposes.

We are to be changed from one level of glory to a higher level of glory. We may be birthed through a particular ministry and even flow in the same anointing, and echo the same teachings; but unless we “personally” have cultivated the presence of God by spending time waiting upon the Lord, we will simply be reflecting reflected light, a dimmed reflection of the pure glory of the Lord.

As we wait upon the Lord, we will experience a genuine encounter with the Lord. Then, wherever we go, the result of His manifest presence that we have experienced will cut through every bondage and every fear in those who are witnessing the result of our life in His. This will bring others to a knowledge of Jesus Christ.

During these prolonged times spent in His presence, we are “sowing” to the Spirit – enlarging our capacity to flow with the Holy Spirit. It is always costly to the natural man and will probably seem inefficient. Many of our “early morning risings” may seemingly bear no fruit at all, but the continued lifting up of our desire for the Lord, along with our worship and the obedience of seeking after Him rather than things, will in time bring forth within us an accumulative effect that will surprisingly produce a profound spiritual result.

We will have become a prophetic vessel that is available to Him. These times of waiting upon the Lord in His presence do not produce quick results, but rather, lasting ones. Jesus commanded us to abide in Him, adding that it will cause us to bear “fruit that remains.” The abiding life – a life that waits in God’s presence, will produce fruit that will stand in eternity.

Indeed, the Lord is knocking on the door of our spirit and is seeking to enter into the room of our spiritual being. He is seeking those who will respond to His knock, and will open the door that they might “wait upon Him.”

…Let my Beloved come into His garden, and eat His pleasant fruits.—Song of Solomon 4:16

Wade E. Taylor
Wade Taylor Ministries
wade@wadetaylor.org

Where is This Bus Going?

Posted: July 15, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
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Where is This Bus Going?

By Ron McGatlin

In our rapidly changing world, we seem to be as a passenger on a strange unfamiliar bus. We do not appear to be driving and are unsure where the bus is going. We are not even sure how we got on this bus. Apparently we were asleep and awoke rolling down the highway on a trip that we did not plan.

Certainly, it occurs to us that we may be on a bus headed to a destination that is not of our choosing. As we inquire from the passengers around us it becomes evident that none of them are certain about where we are going. They seem to have different conflicting beliefs as to where the bus might be headed.

Our thoughts turn toward the bus driver. We wonder what his belief is about the destination of the bus. We approach him to ask where we are going. However, we stop short when we see that he has head phones on and can hear nothing we say. His eyes are glassy and fixed on the road. He seems almost as a robot receiving instructions from someone else somewhere else.

Fear begins to enter our hearts as we look out the window to view a troubling sight. We see dry thirsty land without moisture to grow food, livestock waning for lack of pasture and water, desperate people walking beside the highway carrying starving children and a few belongings. As we approach a city we see smoke and hear the sounds of war. Entering the city we hear the roaring turmoil of thousands of people rioting in the streets. We welcome the nightfall and the darkness that limits our view as we drive on across the countryside where only a few lights dot the darkness.

Near the end of the night we begin to smell a musty order in the air. As dawn brings the first light of day, we learn the source of the strange smell. We are driving through miles of farmland with pools of standing water among destroyed and rotting crops. Among the residue of what has obviously been a huge flood, dead and bloating livestock spot the landscape. Many vultures that seem to have come from nowhere feast upon the carcasses and add the final touch of despair to the desolate scene. A short distance further down the road we drive through debris and piles of rubble from destroyed houses among trees stripped of all leaves and limbs. Turmoil and devastation seems to be in most every city along our route.

Awakening

We awaken from this discouraging dream to realize that God is doing something awesome that will forever change the course of this world. We have been placed in this point of time in the history of the world by God’s design. We have been transformed from citizens of Babylon, the ruling city of the lost and rebellious godless world order, into sons of God, joint heirs with Christ Jesus, to be a part of the glorious city of New Jerusalem, the holy, pure ruling city of the kingdom of God on earth.

What we are seeing now out the bus window is the beginning of the end of the rule of Babylon upon Planet Earth.

Where we are going is to become the seeds of the new order of God’s kingdom ruling on earth – the spiritual New Jerusalem descending from the heavenly realm to earth.

After the earth-cleansing judgments of God have brought to an end all that lifts itself against the one true God of heaven and earth, the remnant of true sons (male and female) of God will bring forth the new kingdom of God order on earth.

All who will come out of Babylon unto God, turning to Him with their whole hearts, will be spared the wasted loss of the plagues of Babylon. Those who continue to love their lives in Babylonian self-centered godless ways will suffer the fate of Babylon. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues – Rev 18:4.

We have seen the beginnings of one of the most pivotal moments in all known history. The whole world is beginning to be shaken and teeters on the brink of the final transformation that Christ Jesus seeded into the world over two thousand years ago. From that time until now, the seed of Christ has been growing into the world.

Christ Jesus planted the seed (the living word of the kingdom) in substance of spiritual reality into this natural world. That seed is now maturing into this world in the hearts of the maturing sons of the kingdom. For the first time in history the word of the kingdom is being broadly proclaimed, and multitudes of men and women young and old are laying down their lives to become humble, set-apart sons of God in Christ – sons and daughters in whom Christ fully dwells. The kingdom of heaven is growing into earth now as we speak.

Wicked Babylon has long ago grown to rule most of the people of earth.

For many centuries the evil Babylonian system was veiled in religion and riches. It was very subtle in its deceiving approach. However, the evil armies of Babylon have now grown bold in their haughty arrogant rebellion against God and His people.

Satan, the ruler of Babylon has as his goal the destruction of the earth and everything of Christ and His kingdom on the earth. His antichrist army has greatly multiplied in Babylon and is now openly attacking followers of Christ. Insane with the madness of hatred for Christ Jesus, the wild army inflamed by demons and thinly veiled in religion is fully showing itself and its mission to kill and destroy Christ Jesus and His kingdom from the face of the earth.

The evil antichrist armies and all that Babylon has built into this world and in its people must come down and be removed as the kingdom of God is fully established on earth. Everything that can be shaken must be shaken. Only the kingdom of God which cannot be shaken will remain.

Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world ~ John the Baptist.

In the New Jerusalem ruling city of the kingdom of God on earth from heaven, no longer will evil be respected as good and pleasurable. No longer will the one true God be disrespected among secular-humanistic thinkers who lead and teach the children of the world through education, entertainment, and mass media of every form. Self-pleasure, money, and every form of fleshly lust will no longer drive the hearts of the people to sin and violence. Children will be safe in homes filled with God’s love and blessings.

The reality of the mission of Christ announced by angels at the birth of Jesus will be fulfilled. There will be PEACE ON EARTH AND GOOD WILL TOWARD MAN.

Peace shall reign on earth and the glory of God shall be seen in the people of God filling the earth with His love. The government of God shall be upon the shoulder of Christ and of the increase of His kingdom there shall be no end.

For more on spiritual Babylon and New Jerusalem see Kingdom Growth Guide (#020) & (#007) http://www.openheaven.com/forums/forum_topics.asp?FID=14

Keep on pursuing Love. Love never fails
and His kingdom never ends.

Ron McGatlin

Visit RON’S BLOG – http://ronmcgatlin.blogspot.com/
http://www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

Stepping Inside the Circle

Posted: July 12, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching
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Stepping Inside the Circle

Many of us today are experiencing a transition that is taking place in us and among us. We are moving from a membership in the kingdoms-of-men mentality to a citizenship in the Kingdom-of-God mentality; from living in bondage to the world system to living vibrantly in the Kingdom of God. We are being taken out of her (the institutional church system and the world systems) and are being established into Him (Jesus Christ). This book intends to hold up a few signposts along that path to help us know where this journey is taking us.

THE AHA! THE CIRCLE

A few people were invited into our home to hear Brother Sam Rahi share the incredible stories of Gods miracles, signs, and wonders in him, through him, and through others that he had personally witnessed. He told how he was miraculously spared from a tragic death while still in his mother’s womb, How he was healed from stuttering speech and twisted legs, How a bright light appeared to him in a dream and a voice told him, This is my way and Jesus is my Son,

How God orchestrated his conversion experience while in a land foreign to his homeland, How he had to count the cost of endangerment to his life from his Muslim relationships, How God used him to raise a woman from the dead, heal a blind girl, heal a deaf and dumb boy, and related several other miraculous acts, including how God physically caused him to grow four inches as an adult in answer to prayer.

Sam told how his father trapped him into returning home that he might coerce him into renouncing Jesus. When Sam refused, his father imprisoned him in his own home and attempted to kill him. He told how two angels miraculously escorted his escape.

Numerous other stories were told, leading up to how God miraculously made the way for him to launch The Bible Channel that reaches millions of people with the gospel all over the world.

As he told his stories, I suddenly had a revelation. An Aha! I jumped to my feet and addressed my visitors seated around the room, gesturing with my forefinger to an imaginary circle on the floor. Imagine if you can that inside of this circle is all that pertains to the Kingdom of God. Outside of that circle is all that pertains to the world in which we live. It is the natural, physical world of fallen men and corrupt systems. God has not called us to live outside the circle and reach in, but to live our lives out from within that circle.

Following that day, I continued to receive more understanding and clarity regarding the difference between the world we live in and the Kingdom of God.

All that pertains to the world is on the outside of that circle. Everything that pertains to the Kingdom of God is within that circle.

Most Christians live on the outside of that circle in the world rather than from within the Kingdom of God. We have been standing in the world and, at best, reaching over into the realm of the Kingdom of God in the hope of making our worldly lives more comfortable.

We ask God for this or that. We pray for healing. We pray for help. We pray for jobs. We pray for wellbeing. We pray for protection. We pray for peace. We pray for blessings. We pray for finances. We pray for things like that. We stand outside and ask God to do these things for us.

We may be interested enough at times to want to know His will in our lives and pray for that, but we rarely take the time with Him to find out what that might be.

Perhaps this is why, more often than not, we do not see the answers to those prayers and we wonder why. We ask God to bless our flesh and our own wills. This level of Christian living is so minimal. In fact, it misses the mark.

We now find ourselves hungering for more than this. There has to be more than this and, thankfully, we are finding there is.

The Kingdom of God presents a whole different reality in which we can live. The outcome of such a life is radically different.

Once we begin to really see the Kingdom of God, the cares of this world will grow strangely dim and we will be better able to enter in. We desperately need eyes to see and ears to hear.

The New Testament speaks of three ways we initially relate to the Kingdom of God.

1. We can see the Kingdom.

Jesus answered and said unto him [Nicodemus], Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. John 3:3.

But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, who shall not taste of death, till they see the Kingdom of God. Luke 9:27.

2. We can enter the Kingdom.

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. John 3:5.

Verily I say unto you, Except you are converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 18:3.

For additional study read: Matthew 5:20; 7:21; 19:23-24; Mark 9:47; 10:23-25; Luke 18:17, 24-25; and Acts 14:22.

3. We can inherit the Kingdom.

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Matt. 25:34.

There are numerous scriptures that list those individuals who will not inherit the Kingdom. For additional study read: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 15:50; Galatians 5:21; and Ephesians 5:5.

I think these three seeing, entering, and inheriting occur in the order listed. We have to see it before we can enter it. We have to enter it before we can inherit it. Yet, in some mysterious way, the very instant we see it, we enter it. The very instant we enter it, we inherit it.

The goal of our inheritance is to reign and rule with Christ in His Kingdom. For now, we are taking the land little by little until one day suddenly we will have come into the fullness and glory of the Kingdom. We will be perfected. And [He] has made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. Rev. 5:10.

In addition to seeing, we are to receive the Kingdom of God if we are to enter it. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. Mark 10:15. It is my prayer that this writing will arouse within you the deep desire to love not the world, rather to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt. 6:33.
Moreover, may this writing open the way for you to move from being focused on the world to truly seeing, entering, and inheriting the Kingdom of God. It can happen! It must happen! It will happen because our Lord has appointed for many of His sons to be brought to glory.

STEPPING INSIDE THE CIRCLE
For many years the Kingdom of God was a mystery to me. I would read the parables and note that Jesus said they were not to be understood by those who were outside of the Kingdom. Mark 4:11. After all, the Kingdom of God is a mystery to the natural man. It is even foolish to him. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can teach the things of the Spirit. He teaches Spirit to spirit, not spirit to the natural mind of man. Therefore, the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Cor. 2:14. (Also, vs. 11-13.)

There I was. I could not reconcile the above passage in my own mind. I believed in Jesus with all my heart and thought I was spiritual, yet I did not get the point of many of the parables. I would hear what others thought the parables meant and think, Well, that may be right, but it still isnt insight to me. Then, it occurred to me that I was the one making a big mystery of the Kingdom of God. That is why I could not see it. It was a mystery to me because I was looking for something mysterious. The mystery of it all, however, is in its simplicity. It was there all along in plain view. It is there in the Bible from beginning to end. It is revealed in the life, words, and works of Jesus and of His original followers. It is all there in these writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, and Jude.

On several occasions, I asked my audience to name things that characterized the world as they understood it. I randomly wrote these on a flip chart around the outside of the circle. Together, we listed such things as: evil, darkness, sin, sickness, death, rebellion, occult, bondage, sorrow, fear, doubt, disbelief, curses, hatred, murder, lies, deception, manipulation, control, witchcraft, lusts of the eyes, lust of the flesh, the pride of life, religion, and various human endeavors.

Then, we randomly listed inside the circle a few of the multitude of characteristics that pertain to the Kingdom of God, characteristics that can be lifted straight out of the New Testament. Among them were: life, Holy Spirit, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, power, health and healing, faith, light, deliverance, miracles, signs and wonders, fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control justification, redemption, sanctification, glorification, mercy, forgiveness, gifts of the Spirit, ministries of the Spirit, prayer, authority, taking dominion, ruling and reigning with Christ, headship and submission, divine order, liberty, blessings, discipleship, praise, worship, revelation, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, the laid-down life, discipleship, persecution, and martyrdom.

Those things listed of the world and of the Kingdom are obvious, but what about charity work, hiking, music, art, reading a good novel, picnics, sports, laughter, playing, watching TV, games, pets, gardening, cooking, hobbies? Many things could go in either circle, depending on the source from which they come. Take laughter. From where does the laughter come? From a merry heart? A merry heart doeth good like a medicine. Prov. 17:22. That is Kingdom laughter. Or does the laughter come from scornful ridicule of another? That is worldly laughter. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45. Who we are, who is in us, and whose life is being lived out from us makes the difference.

The rule of Christ All that pertains to the Kingdom of God, including those items listed, is within that circle. One way or the other, they all relate to the life of God in Christ. Of all that can be said of the Kingdom of God this one thing stands out the Kingdom of God is all about Jesus, the King of that Kingdom.

These are the kinds of things that pertain to the Kingdom of God and are manifestations of the Kingdom because:
The Kingdom of God is the reign and rule of Jesus Christ in the hearts and lives of believers with whom and through whom the government of His Kingdom will be manifested and established in the world.

Once Jesus has taken dominion of our spirits, souls, minds, and hearts, we will take dominion of the earth in His name. Whoever has dominion of the hearts of men has dominion of the earth and the kingdoms of this world. That is why Satan can claim dominion over the kingdoms of this world. Until now, he has had dominion over the hearts of men. As Satan loses his grip on the hearts of men, he loses his jurisdiction over the kingdoms of the world.

The day is coming when all men will bow the knee to the kingship of Jesus either in judgment or in adoration. At that time the seventh angel will sound, and there will be great voices in heaven saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever. Rev. 11:15. He will be fully known for who He has always been: the King of kings, Lord of lords, the possessor of heaven and earth, Lord of all. He will reign and rule through His people. Therefore, all that pertains to the Kingdom of God is already at work within us. The Kingdom of God is all about Jesus Christ and His Lordship in our lives. He is at work within us and is performing His life, word, and works through us.

When we are standing in the world, we are living out of the flesh. When we are standing in the Kingdom of God, we are living out of the Spirit. We are being called forth by the Holy Spirit today to step over into that circle and begin living our lives out from within the Kingdom of God from within Christ and not from outside of Him.

By Charles E Newbold Jr.

This article is excerpted from Charles Newbold’s newest book now available for FREE Download. Go Here: http://www.charlesnewbold.com/books/Circle.pdf

“Stepping Into The Circle – Of all That Pertains To The Kingdom Of God” – “Living our lives out from within the Kingdom of God”
Charles’ Website http://www.charlesnewbold.com/

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