Archive for the ‘teaching’ Category

MY PART IN THE KINGDOM

Posted: March 24, 2011 in disciples life, teaching, wilderness
1

In the kingdom of God, if we are a part, we have a part. There are many parts with various functions that all fit together to form the whole. As believers, if we truly know and love God and walk in the Spirit we will naturally flow into our part and place with little thought about a label or mental effort in defining our part. Jesus gave us a few all-inclusive foundational instructions that bring our lives to flow naturally into place. He gave two great commandments that encompass all the law and the prophets.

Mat 22:37-40: Jesus said to him, �You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself, �On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets�

Jesus said to love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.

Knowing we were not able to accomplish this on our own He further instructed us to abide in Him and allow Him to abide in us. This is a spiritual reality carried out by the Holy Spirit. The provision of being baptized in the Holy Spirit and then walking in the Spirit supplies the reality of loving God and our neighbor which will cause us to know and do naturally the desires of God. Thus we walk into our part and place in the kingdom.

John 15:4-5: �Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.�

Acts 1:8: �But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;�

Gal 5:25: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

How do we appropriate this into a practical reality in our lives?

Jesus gave us clear instruction for this. He said to pray and to seek. This is a directive to focus our lives. He said pray for the kingdom of God to come on earth as it is in heaven and He told us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Mat 7:7: �Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.�

Mat 6:9-10: �In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.�

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

None of these instructions are optional. None can be left out. If you don’t know what they mean, you must find out. If you aren’t sure you believe in some of them call upon God and search the Word until you are. We cannot progress into the reality of the kingdom of God until we can obey these directives and commands from our Lord.

Having received this word, you will now make a decision to commit to praying and seeking until these directives are reality in your life or you will decide to let it slide. If you let it slide, it will probably be because you think you already have it or that for some reason you don’t really need it. If you make the commitment to become obedient to these directives then the coming sessions of this material can help guide you into the reality of the promised kingdom lifestyle.

Father, in the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I commit to abiding in Jesus and ask that Jesus abide in me. I commit, Father, to seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit and to seek to continuously walk in the Spirit. I pray, Father, for your kingdom to come and Your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven and I focus my life to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness before all else. God, from this moment on I am a seeker of You and Your kingdom. Jesus, empower me with Your life by the Holy Spirit to love God with my whole heart and to love my neighbor as myself. Amen

Date____________________ Signed ________________________

Kings and priests to God

Religion has taught us that we should fit into one of its defined molds of service and that it is important to know and label our part. Religion makes many distinctions, definitions, and divisions. The religious church divided the entire Body into two major categories, one labeled “clergy” and one labeled “laity”. The clergy referred to “full time ministers” who generally performed all the spiritual duties of the church. Everyone else was referred to as laity. This concept was an erroneous carryover from the old-covenant Jewish religion into the new covenant church. The old covenant provided for a separate class of men who were the priests and performed all the temple duties including the animal sacrifices for all the people.

In the new covenant church there is not to be only one who represents Christ as His vicar on earth, but in fact, every believer is to be His representative. We are a Kingdom of kings and priests. We relate directly to the King of kings and Lord of lords. We pray directly to Him. We hear His voice spoken directly to us and are each His divinely appointed agents. We are all full time ministers serving God and serving His people in every activity in which we are engaged. God’s kingdom is much bigger than church work. Every aspect of life is to be the domain of God and all we do is to be serving Him, serving His people and governing His earth.

Rev 1:5-6: ….Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

What is my work as king and priest and how will I specifically know?

What is your work in the kingdom? How can you know for sure? Simple. What is the desire of your purified heart? Psalm 37 says, �Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.� John 15 says, �Abide in Him and you shall ask what you will and He will give it to you.� The key is in abiding and delighting in Him and following the desire He puts in your pure heart.

If we need or desire to get our delights from any source other than God, our hearts� desires will be adulterated. We will have difficulty in knowing our part. Some search all their lives trying to find themselves. Who am I? What is my purpose? All the while they are delighting in many things other than the Lord.

Needy people are not free.

Only those individuals with healed hearts can be free from all need to delight themselves in something other than God. If we have unhealed pain stored in our hearts, we will always need something to make us feel better. As long as we have that need, our desires will be to fulfill it. We will get our delight in filling the needs of our hearts with money, power, position, fame, romance, sex, or whatever makes us feel better. Seeking these things will never produce the good fruit God intended. After being healed by fully appropriating the ministry of Jesus, we can choose to delight ourselves in the Lord, and our desire will be to bear the fruit God intended. We need only to follow our God-given desires, and we will walk in the middle of His plan. We each will know who we are and what our purpose is. We will simply carry out our heart�s desire.

We are then free to do the will of God. We are no longer constrained to fulfill any needs of our hearts. Freedom is the ability to live righteously in Christ Jesus by following the desire He has put into our hearts. The bondage of trying to follow a religious order or set of rules is gone. Trying to be like someone else and do what they do, like they do it, is in the forgotten past.

God has provided five special servant-gifts to edify (grow up) His people.

The Bible refers to these as apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. They are five different types of gifted people to mentor the Body. They are all servants. They each provide for God�s people, but each in a distinctly different way. Each must think differently than the others. Each must have different abilities and different revealed understandings of the Word. The shepherd will always understand the Word as it relates to his service. The evangelist and the shepherd may sit in the same gathering, hearing the same Word from the same apostle, yet each will receive the part that feeds his calling.

Ephesians 4:11-13: And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some shepherds, and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ.

The apostle tends to see the overall larger picture. He sees it first in the spiritual and then seeks to bring it forth into the natural realm. He is like a pioneer. Apostles were a major part of the original formation of the church. In this day the apostles have been restored for the re – formation of the church to its original design and intent. In this re – formation major foundational and structural changes are required that call for the gifts and strengths of apostles.

The prophet is primarily an ear and a voice to people who are dull of hearing and do not hear the voice of God clearly. Prophets were very prevalent and most important in the old covenant when the Holy Spirit did not reside in God’s people; therefore, they had no inner voice of God. In this day much of the church is yet dull of spiritual hearing and seeing. For many reasons they do not have intimacy with God through the indwelling Holy Spirit and need prophets to hear God for them and speak direction to them.

The evangelist is a seed sower who loves to plant the word of Jesus in the heart soil of those who have never received it. In the recent past the evangelist has preached the portion of the gospel dealing with being “born again” or spiritual new birth. Evangelists are now beginning to, and will in the future even more, preach the fuller gospel of the kingdom that Jesus preached with the same powerful works that Jesus did. The gospel of the kingdom includes the gospel of being born spiritually that we have preached before but also includes the good news of growing up in Christ to rule and reign in this life with Him as kings and priests.

The shepherd is the mentor who sees to the growth and development of the immature as they grow into their gifts and places of service. In the religious church the shepherd was called �pastor� and served as a vicar of God. He was a person who vicariously represented Christ to the people all of their lives. This allowed little or no opportunity for the believers to mature into the priests and kings as God intended. In the relational church Christ and the mature people relate directly and not through a vicar. The sheep grow up to be shepherds or do other works as mature sons in the kingdom.

The teacher is the one who brings spiritually anointed definition to the fine points of spiritual reality. He is gifted to take natural illustrations and teach spiritual truths to the immature. In the religious church the teacher often brought dry “church doctrine” of many words and little real spiritual life. In the relational church the teacher is a light bearer bringing spiritual enlightenment in detailed pieces of real spiritual life.

These gifts function in the church, in business, and in all walks of life. The apostle in business may be thought of as one who starts businesses from nothing and serves as C.E.O. In business a prophet might be a troubleshooter. A pastor might be a personnel manager. An evangelist might be a traveling salesman. A teacher might be a technical instructor.

There are many other gifts with each having its unique function in God�s overall scheme. All gifts and parts are needed. And they all need to be in their proper places doing their particular jobs. One of the greatest hindrances to each part doing its job is the lack of understanding and acceptance of the role God has given to each one of them. Often our temptation has been to try to mold everyone into whatever we are.

We don�t need for everyone to be what we are. We need to help others to become what God has designed them to be. We must resist trying to form people in our image and stop rejecting people because they are different. We must stop thinking that we are more important than others. We must learn to submit to the servant that God has sent in the area of spiritual grace God has gifted that servant in. Our ideas that we are superior because we have some status in the church or in a business can be a serious hindrance to our submitting to the one God has sent for a specific job. Pride in who we are and in what a great position we occupy is deadly. There are no big-shots in the kingdom of God. When God sends someone with godly ability in a specific area, we need to submit to them in that area and not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think.

The need to be a big-shot comes from �unhealedness� in our hearts. If we are healed by the ministry of Jesus, we feel abundance in our lives and don�t need to be bigger than our brother. We are free to allow the love of Jesus to flow to everyone. Love is the key that allows us to receive one another, to hear and see Jesus in our brothers and to submit to the Jesus in them. Also by love, we do not fear boldly stepping into the position of responsibility that He has called us to fulfill. In love, we serve one another.

Love is the greatest principle or law of the kingdom of God. God is love. Love causes the Body of Christ to fit together and to �flow life� from joint to joint. Love produces true unity, and unity leads to production and prosperity of life. Love is the power of the kingdom. It is the single greatest motivational force in the world.

�Unlove� separates and starves the members of the Body. It creates disunity which leads to a lack of production and increased poverty. Unlove flows death from joint to joint. Unlove is simply the lack of love. All sin flows from unlove. Love fulfills the law; unlove breaks the law. Every human conflict has its roots in unlove. Without unlove, there would be no church splits, no divorces, no wars, no crime, no bitterness, no angry hostility, no depression, no fear, no pride, no rebellion, no evil lust, and no need for hell.

Our first and most important �part� in the kingdom is that of loving. Regardless of what our individual functions are, we must be connected by love. Spiritual gifts, ministry, and good deeds are useless without the God-kind of unconditional love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3:Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Keep on Pursuing Love,
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

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

REVELATION LIGHT

Posted: March 23, 2011 in disciples life, teaching, wilderness
0

REVELATION LIGHT

1 John 1:5-6: God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

Mark 4:22: “For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.”

God desires to reveal Himself to purified hearts imparting His attributes of love, wisdom, understanding, and peace. Man by his intellect cannot receive spiritual light. Only by the revelation of the Holy Spirit does the Bible become alive and speak of hidden secrets. As the Holy Spirit reveals truth it becomes the light of God.

The written word was spoken by the Holy Spirit to man before it was written. It was light and life when spoken by God. It becomes light and life again when revealed to the reader by the Holy Spirit. There is no life in the written word without the revelation of the Holy Spirit.The Holy Spirit is essential for hearing from God.

Jesus is the word that was made flesh (John 1:14). Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). The Holy Spirit reveals and imparts Jesus into His people. Our relationship with Jesus and the Father is by the Holy Spirit.

Parables and symbolic or figurative language

God often uses language of natural things to communicate spiritual matters. Parables and symbolic or figurative language are common throughout the Bible. Jesus often taught unseen spiritual things by parable using visible natural things such as grain fields, vines, branches, mustard seeds, pearls, soil, and many other natural things. He told stories of natural people doing natural things all with deeper hidden spiritual meaning. These hidden truths must be revealed by the Holy Spirit to become spiritual light to the hearer.

God has also recorded spiritual truths in His natural creation. Creation may be thought of as an unwritten word of God, a natural expression of spiritual God. The handiwork of the Creator speaks of the One Who created it. God spoke all creation into existence. The spoken words of God carry the power to create and change. Nothing can resist the spoken word of God.

Romans 1:19-20 KJV: Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made…

Hebrews 11:3: By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Man’s intellectual understanding is limited. It always sees only a portion and mostly only the surface. The fullness and the depth of truth is only perceived by the spirit. Often the partial sight of intellectual discernment is erroneously thought to be the whole of the matter. Man seeing only a part and thinking it to be the whole is like seeing only in black and white. Everything is either right or wrong according to man’s limited view.

Religion based largely on man’s intellectual discernment, generally has a black or white, right or wrong view. Anything in between the black or white is despised as grey. In the Spirit the full color of the many aspects of whole truth can be perceived. Spiritual revelation imparts the depth of the many interlocking parts of the whole that cannot be seen by man’s intellect. Spiritual things are only perceived in the spirit of man by the Holy Spirit.

With God it is not black or white; it is all perfectly clear like bright sunlight.

We can learn about spiritual light of God by comparing it to natural sunlight. Sunlight as we see it is neither red, blue or yellow; it is perfectly clear. Yet it contains all of the colors of the rainbow. If that same clear whole light is broken down and separated through a prism it becomes red, blue, yellow, and every shade in between.

Like the light of the sun, the whole clear light of God can be divided into all the colors of the rainbow. Yet when the whole light is together, it is perfectly clear light.

“Black” and “white” are terms that can be compared to religious doctrines created by men intellectually approaching and interpreting the Bible. “Crystal clear” and “beautiful colors” are terms that can be compared to the spiritual revelation of God. Crystal clear relates to the whole revelation. Beautiful colors relate to the separated individual segments we may have received.

Have you ever wondered how so many men of God with apparent light from Him could have had so many different and seemingly opposing views? Let’s begin to answer that question with another question. Does anyone have all the light of God? Has God revealed all the light to any one person? He probably hasn’t. Only Jesus has all the light. Our revelation is partial and therefore becomes as a color segment in the rainbow of God’s whole clear light. We personally may be able to see one color such as red, blue, or yellow; but we have not received by revelation the clear whole light of God.

We have probably all seen a color wheel with the pie-shaped sections of the primary colors of red, yellow, and blue, with all the blended shades between the primary colors. We can imagine that spiritual light from God, when broken down to its different parts, is like these pie-shaped sections of natural color. If we individually do not have all the light, but we do have some light, then we must have only a part. The portion that has been revealed to us by the Spirit may be a pie-shaped piece of red. But if God has not revealed the blue or yellow part to us, then we have a big empty space in our color wheel of spiritual understanding.

Many severe problems have developed in the religious church as we began to fill in the empty spaces in our color wheel of spiritual understanding apart from the revelation of God.God had not revealed it to us and yet we needed answers to needs in that area. In an attempt to fill in the missing colors of understanding, theologians went to the Bible and sought by intellectual discernment to fill in the missing parts. But the word of God cannot be received and understood by the intellect of man. Therefore, while we searched for light, we found darkness. We began to build religious doctrines of black and white from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We became a mixture of truth from God (our revealed pie-shaped, color part) and darkness (the other parts filled in with intellectual discernment).

Differences turn into denominations as each of us, from our own perspective of revealed color (red, for example) look at our brother’s different color (blue or yellow) and decide he must be deceived. We must recognize that we do not have all the light and must receive our brother’s part to more completely fill out our circle of color.

Intellectual discernment of the Bible is darkness and will never match up with spiritual revelation of the word from God. We must receive our brothers who have been given that part of the true, revealed color to complete the color circle. We must have spiritual discernment. If by the Spirit, we can discern truth, we need not fear darkness. We can receive our brother and his area of light without fearing that his darkness will contaminate our areas of light. Light overcomes darkness.

Religion divided us into isolated denominations each with a dangerous mixture of light and darkness.

Relationship is bringing us into an increasingly harmonious body of increasing light and decreasing darkness.

Religious systems were built from someone’s partial area (color)of light with the rest of the color circle filled with intellectual discernment (darkness) rather than the light (color) revealed to others.We can only come to the whole clear light of God by spiritually discerning and receiving the additional colors of revelation from our brothers while they, at the same time, fill in their areas of darkness with our color. Harmony with all segments of our brothers is necessary to bring together the whole light and dispel our darkness.

1 John 2:8-11: “Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”

If we do not receive our brothers and their area of revelation, we may say we are in the light but we will remain in darkness. We will hold to our religious darkness, despise our brother’s light and continue to be a stumbling block to others.

Different emphases for different spiritual works

Religious church sought to make every person believe the same and function as carbon copies of the leaders. Relational church seeks to bring the many different parts into harmony functioning together as one Body under one Head. Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit is the only Head of the church.

Uniqueness is of God and is a vital part of the living Body of Christ. The life of the natural body is in the blood. Each member of a natural body partakes from the lifeblood and uses its nutrients to form very different parts to do different works. The toe is different from the eye because they each have different works to do.

Individuals within a small group will have different callings or emphases that will add to the fullness of that particular group. One person may bring an emphasis on healing, another on caring for the needy, another on worship, prayer, reaching the lost or whatever.

In addition to the individual distinctions, each small group may also have a somewhat different general emphasis from other small groups. The differences will lead to different outreaches in the community.

Each person or each small group will partake of the same Holy Spirit and form different emphases of ministry. As an example, one prophetic ministry may have a clear message of judgment for the rebellious and ungodly, while another may have a clear message of restoration and revival leading toward the kingdom of God on earth. Both are correct. They are different colors of the same light of God. They fit together harmoniously when each is delivered in the right place at the right time.

Only Jesus through the Holy Spirit of God can lead all the parts to harmoniously function together to do the whole work of God. Religion tries to make everyone the same. Relationship brings the different parts into harmony functioning in their individual places all under the headship of Christ by the Holy Spirit. Balance is achieved in the overall Body by many different parts in harmonious relationship. Since individuals will have a specific emphasis, alone one will not achieve perfect balance. There are various works but they all work together to accomplish the purposes of God. Worship may have many parts but only one Object. The harmony of the many works under one Head with one focus is God’s plan for releasing the glory of God.

The glory of God will fill His kingdom Church even greater than He filled Solomon’s temple.

2 Chronicles 5:11-13: “And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without keeping to their divisions ), and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: ‘For He is good, for His mercy endures forever,’ that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.”

The Church is to become the purified, cleansed and holy Bride of Christ, the New Jerusalem of God on earth. As the Bride Church is healed and purified, she is able to come together bringing all colors of the rainbow of revelation back together and her light becomes crystal clear. The glory of God is manifested in her and God’s kingdom rules on earth (Rev. 21: 2, 9-11).

We each have a part in the kingdom of God. As our hearts are purified we can reflect the bright color of revelation God gives to us. We are then well equipped to bring forth our part and to be blended with the others forming the whole clear light of the Bride of Christ.

Keep on Pursuing Love,
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

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

HEARING BY THE SPIRIT

Posted: March 22, 2011 in teaching
Tags:
0

Kingdom Growth Guides PART 1 (#001) thru (#011)

Living The Kingdom of God Lifestyle
Journey From Religion to Relationship

Growing in the gospel of the kingdom

HEARING BY THE SPIRIT (#001)

Is it possible that after all this time we are beginning to realize that we have not been preaching the same gospel that Jesus preached?

Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom. Some of the smartest men in history have diligently studied and searched the Scripture in minute detail yet could not hear the gospel of the kingdom.

Jesus preached and taught profound deep, hidden mysteries of the kingdom of God that cannot be discovered by human intellect. They are spiritual truths that can only be transmitted by the Holy Spirit and must be received in the spiritual ears of man. These spiritual truths imparted into the heart of man become keys to unlocking the supernatural reality of the kingdom of God that can enable man to live now on earth in heavenly order and power.

The wisdom from heaven that Jesus imparted to His disciples is higher and greater than the earthly wisdom of man. It cannot be discovered by the intellect of man. Only the spiritually mature who truly love God are given ears to hear the mysteries of the kingdom that Jesus preached.

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God…..1 Cor 1:21

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Cor 1:25

However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 1 Corinthians 2:6-10

Jesus spoke in parables of figurative symbolic language that appeared, to those who did not have a spiritual ear as only simple stories. The deeper kingdom meanings have been misinterpreted by generations of theologians who could only ascribe meaning according to the limited light of the time. But for those who could hear, Jesus’ figurative language imparted treasures of wisdom of God’s kingdom principles and values for life.

Matthew 13:10-17: And the disciples came to Him and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing, you will see and not perceive; for the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their heart and turn so that I should heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

Jesus made it clear that some were given an ear to hear the mysteries and others were not. They couldn’t hear because their hearts had grown dull. Spiritual eyes and ears must be open to hear the mysteries. Without hearing, no amount of study can unlock the mysteries of the kingdom. These things must be received by impartation through intimate relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.

Are our spiritual eyes and ears opening?

Only in the past century has a portion of the religious church returned to the practice of seeking to hear God directly. For many centuries the general view was that the only way to hear God was through reading the Bible. There has been a long season of dull hearts, hard-of-hearing ears and closed eyes. The marvelous power and flow of God’s Spirit, which had been birthed at Pentecost was lost to dulled hearts. Religion replaced a living relationship with God.

The backbone of the religious church for centuries has been studying about God in the Bible. Theology (the study of God) is an intellectual exercise that cannot discover the hidden mysteries of the kingdom that Jesus imparted to His disciples. The supernatural power and heavenly wisdom of God is not obtained through intellectual study. The Bible is a spiritual book that becomes alive only by the Holy Spirit. Intellectual knowledge of the Bible can only produce opinions that are determined in the minds of men. The many different opinions of men in the religious church created schools of thought that divided people into many thousands of powerless denominations.

The backbone of the relational church is intimately relating to God and hearing Him by the Spirit. The objective of assembling in groups in His presence is not to learn about God but to know Him and intimately relate to Him. The purpose of assembling in groups is to experience intimate relationship with God and with one another. Our gathering is to be a living experience with the life-giving Spirit of Christ in the Holy Spirit imparting life and wisdom. A corporate gathering is also an experience of expressing our love for God in sincere praise and worship.

The kingdom-age church is returning to the reality of hearing and following the voice of God. Jesus instructed us to hear Him through the Holy Spirit. The disciples saw and heard God and listened to Him above the words of men.

John 10:27: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me.”

Acts 4: 19-20: But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

John 16: 12-14: “I (Jesus) still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”

John 16: 25: “These things I (Jesus) have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.”

What hinders our hearing the voice of God? What prevents our receiving the revelation of the deep, hidden mysteries of the kingdom?

The first century disciples heard and walked in miracle-working power. Why can’t we?

The short answer is that we do not have ears to hear. But why?

Here is a big clue for us.

The disciples that walked with Jesus heard but didn’t really hear until after the Holy Spirit came and filled them. After Pentecost the things they previously heard began to make sense and they walked in the beginning of the kingdom of God lifestyle. Jesus did not speak or demonstrate the miracles of the kingdom of God until after the Holy Spirit came upon Him and remained.

Hearing from God involves the Holy Spirit.

Hearing the deep hidden mysteries involves having ears to hear the word of the kingdom. Many who are involved with the Holy Spirit may hear God; yet, may not have ears to hear the deeper mysteries of the word of the kingdom. We cannot by effort attain ears to hear but we can meet the qualifications and get into position to receive ears to hear. In 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 that we have already looked at, two major keys are pointed out to hearing the deep, hidden wisdom:

Spiritual maturity and loving God

Spiritual maturity has to do with the experience of walking in the Spirit. It is not necessarily a chronological matter. The process is to be filled with the Spirit and emptied of self. It involves looking to the Spirit for guidance and not to our own understanding. This will be a big change for most Christians and can be very difficult for the theologically-trained mindset. Our first tendency may be to quickly turn to our past methods of employing our minds to search our stored knowledge and the Scripture to figure out what to do and to discern truth. Asking and then waiting for God to speak to us by His Spirit will require some retraining of ourselves. Maturity comes from the exercise of walking in the Spirit’s governance and not our own. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age (mature), that is, those who by reason of use have their (spiritual) senses exercised to discern both good and evil, (Heb 5:14).

Loving God involves laying down our lives and truly loving Him with our whole hearts.

Mark 12:29: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

Only the pure heart can truly hear the hidden mysteries. The desire to have a pure heart is not the same thing as having it. The intent of the heart is not enough. It is from the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks and our conversation of life emanates. If our hearts are filled with love by the Spirit we have a pure heart

Do we really love Him? Is there anything in our lives that we love as much as, or more than, we love God? What really abides in our hearts? What fills our thought life? What desires truly are deep in our hearts? What really is important to us? Where do we really get our delight? Do we really delight and abide in the Lord? Or do we just say we do? Do we hope we love God more than anything, and hope we delight in Him, and hope we abide in Him? Mature love knows that nothing else comes close to God. There is no very close second to the love for God in the spiritually mature.

The price we must pay to hear the deep, hidden mysteries of God’s kingdom wisdom is a willingness to lay aside everything in our lives that is important to us, to figuratively sell all that we have to buy that “perfect pearl”, that “field of hidden treasure”. We must be willing to lose our lives to find the true life in God.

Matthew 13:44-46: Again the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Luke 14:33: (And Jesus said), “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

Matthew 16:24-25: Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

Mark 10:29-30: “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands and, with persecutions and in the age to come, eternal life.

Let us purpose in our hearts this moment to release to God everything that is precious to us. Let Him have our wives, our husbands, our children, our ministry, our business, our hobbies, our health, our reputation, our need for acceptance of men, our religious convictions, our pet doctrines, all traditions, our secret desires, our very lives, anything in which we delight. Can we trust Him with these things? If we truly believe that He loves us and what He will do is best for us, we can release all to Him without reservation, to do with as He pleases.

If you are willing, or if you are willing to be made willing to release all that is in your hand, head, and heart, so that you may hear mysteries of the kingdom, pray the following prayer from your heart. Fill in the blank with those special things you need to release. It is important for you to sign and date the prayer agreement. Entering into and signing the prayer agreement serves as a spiritual stake of commitment set in time. The signer is not seeking to hear a word from the author or even just to receive revelation from this work, but is specifically seeking to hear deep mysteries from God that will greatly impact and empower his or her life.

Only as God’s ultimate wisdom permeates our hearts can we know real peace and fulfillment. And only as we give our all to God – all we have, all we are, and all we care about, will we be in position to be given ears to hear the deep hidden mysteries of the kingdom of God.

Matthew 13:9: He who has ears to hear let him hear!

PRAYER AGREEMENT

Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, I repent and turn from all that is in my heart before You.

Now by an act of my will, I release to You all that is precious in my life. I specifically release to you my business, my family, my ambitions, my possessions, my __________ __________________, _____________________, and my ______________________ .

God, I am one who truly loves You. Jesus, You are my Lord. I esteem You above all else. Nothing or no one else is my Lord.

In the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, I bind all the works of darkness, blindness, deception, delusion, man’s traditions, and religion that are affecting my life. I loose the Spirit of revelation in my heart.

Father, in the name of Jesus, I choose to open my spirit to receive that which was previously hidden, to receive Your wisdom. Grant to me the mind of Christ. Holy Spirit come in power, speak into my heart hidden mysteries of the wisdom of God. Fill my heart with the light and life of God. Give me ears to hear in my heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Prayed on this date ________________

Signed ___________________________

For questions or assistance contact Ron McGatlin basileia@earthlink.net

Keep on Pursuing Love,
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

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

Seeing the Kingdom

Posted: March 21, 2011 in disciples life, teaching, wilderness
1

“For many are called, but few chosen.” Matthew 20:16

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Cor 6:9-11

A disciples life must be one that is led by the Spirit. For before when we walked without Christ, no matter hard we attempted to live a “good” life we failed. For our flesh is at war with the things of God.

“‘Hear this now, O foolish people, without understanding,
Who have eyes and see not, and who have ears and hear not:
Do you not fear Me?’ says the Lord. ‘Will you not tremble at My presence?” Jer 5:21-22

Many hear of the Kingdom of God, yet never enter in for they are still using their own strength. It can never happen for we can not see the Kingdom with carnal eyes – it can only be seen with spiritual eyes.

Jesus answered, “I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again.” (John 3:3)

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom). And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit. (2Cor 3:17-18)

We can only see the Kingdom of God through the revelation of His Spirit – not through worldly wisdom, religious wisdom or even by the power of our own mind. Let us lay down our lives today and ask Holy Spirit to burn up our preconceived ideas of the Kingdom and open our eyes it its truth!

Being a true disciple

Posted: March 19, 2011 in disciples life, teaching
0

By Dave Quinn

I have been thinking a lot about being a disciple lately and what it really means to follow Christ. For me being a disciple of Christ is to try and follow His teachings and try as best I can to live the way He lived.

As I have been dwelling on this I decided to have a look at what the Bible says about being a disciple and what things are expected from a true follower of Christ. Here are some of the things.

1. A true disciple is willing to follow the call

When Jesus came and saw the fisherman by the lake in Mark 1:17-18 He simply said to them to, “Come and follow Me”. We see that they heard the call, received it and simply left everything to follow. As disciples of Christ we need to have the same willingness to leave what we are doing and then follow His call. A true disciple knows that at any moment Jesus could call them on to the next thing and they are open and willing to move on with Him when that call comes.

2. A true disciple is a humble servant

Following Christ is not about being the greatest, it is about being a servant of all. We see this in Mark 10:43-44 where it says, “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all”. As true disciples our heart attitude should be that of a servant of Christ and we should live this out by serving those around us in the roles that God has called us to serve.

3. A true disciple follows Christ’s teachings

If we are wanting to truly learn about Christ and wanting to follow Him closely a great place to start is by reading the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5-7. These chapters outline the attitudes and values we should have as Christians and it also talks about how we should relate to God and each other. These chapters have a lot of headings and a short paragraph under each section. You might like to read one section and ask God to help you put that into practice each day.

4. A true disciple does the will of God

God has a plan and purpose for each of our lives. Jeremiah 29:11-12 tells us He has a good plan for us and a plan to bless us. God made us a certain way to achieve certain things for Him while we are alive. If you are not sure what God’s plan for your life is you can ask your minister or a close Christian friend what they think you are called to do. Other keys to doing God’s will is by looking at the things you naturally do well, seeing what you are passionate about that helps people and doing the things God tells us to do in the Bible.

5. A true disciple loves others like Christ did

In John 13:34-35 Jesus says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” A true disciple should love God and love others. Loving others means to want what is best for them and being willing to come along side them and help them if the need arises. It is interesting that it says people will know we belong to Christ because of the love we show to others.

6. A true disciple shares their resources to help others

In this life we have a choice to spend our money how we please. We can choose to save it and spend it all on ourselves or we can use some of it to help others in need. One of the great examples we see from the early church in Acts 4:32-37 is that the community of believers shared their possessions and sold some things so others would not go without the basics of life. These days a simple ways to help others in need is to give to an aid organisation like Compassion or World Vision. They are able to help people around the world who are in need.

7. A true disciple helps others to follow Christ

In Matthew 28:19 Jesus tells us to go and make disciples. This is the last words of Christ before He returned to heaven. A true disciple knows how great it is to know, love and serve Christ and they want to help others to follow Him too. For me personally, the day I became a Christian is the greatest day of my life. Knowing Jesus personally and asking Him into my life was a true turning point for me. My life is full of hope, purpose and meaning and I want to share this with others.

Summary

As true disciples of Christ our heart attitude should be that of a humble servant who loves God and loves others. They should try their very best to live their lives in the same way that Christ lived His. A true disciple should try to live out Jesus’ teachings in a way that blesses others and gives them a chance to follow Jesus themselves.

By Dave Quinn
Founder PASSION Australia

Poor in spirit – a doorway to holiness!

Posted: March 18, 2011 in disciples life, teaching, wilderness
1

Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous–with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!

Happy are the poor? This goes against the worlds teachings – but Jesus is speaking of something deeper here than that of outward poverty. He is actually inviting us to be positioned to walk in holiness and happiness.

Not only is the call to walk in holiness towards ourselves, He is calling us to be positioned to release it into others lives:

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality), how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your [z]moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.

It is actually in the place of spiritual poverty in the sense that you are emptied, that He may fill you up. It is the position of humbleness that allows Holy Spirit to begin the process of filling us the abundant holiness of our Lord.

The Lords teachings point out to us that we must be aware of the true way, warning against false prophets, exhorting us to follow after holiness. That we are aware of our own sinfulness and in such that we not only guilty but that we are completely helpless in regard to them, save His power to overcome them. It is with His inward filling of His holiness that we are able to apply the power of the cross, severing the power of a sinful nature – thus His infilling of His Spirit instill in us His nature, His holiness.

Thus the Kingdom is not only outward it is inward state as well, transplanted by the filling of Holy Spirit producing the fruits of the kingdom: righteousness, and peace, and love, and joy in the Holy Ghost, as well as the eternal kingdom, if we endure to the end.

For indeed we serve an Awesome God!!

Suffering – The sharpening of the Righteous!

Posted: March 17, 2011 in disciples life, Parents, teaching, wilderness
0

“I had heard of You [only] by the hearing of the ear, but now my [spiritual] eye sees You. Therefore I loathe [my words] and abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
(JOB 42:5,6 AMP)

Listening to what others say about God does not even begin to compare to see Him with your own eyes. We read about Job’s life and in his story we find the answer to an old age question as to why the Creator of all will allow the righteous too suffer! In the answer we find that there are many things we all need to know about God and on a personal level we not only need know about Him but about ourselves as well. We can not find these answers without going through the fires of trials.

The most important lessons can never be learned simply through sitting in or class or reading a book for that matter. These lessons will be learned during the dark nights, in the middle of the deep valley’s, and the heaviest battles of tribulation.

It is these moment’s when our faith is put to its greatest test – it is stretched to the point that we believe it can be stretched no more – yet when we have gained the victory, through Christ – we look back to see our faith has been enlarged and strengthened.

Painful? Yes, but a needed ingredient in our walk, even as the suffering of a young shepherd boy, anointed King of a nation yet having his faith stretched for 20 some years after his call, walked into the position of king of Israel, a seasoned warrior.

And it is during these times when we cry out, Father deliver me – yet like the school teacher who has answered all your questions leading up too the test, remains silent to answers during the exam, for they have already giving you the answer to question, now its time for you to apply it. So is the way of our Lord, Yeshua, He is there standing before us, He is even praying for our success in passing the test nevertheless He understands that it is a needed process for our growth.

For indeed we serve an Awesome God!!

Un-forgiveness – A wall between you and God’s favor

Posted: March 16, 2011 in disciples life, Parents, teaching
0

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Never murder. Whoever murders will answer for it in court.’ But I can guarantee that whoever is angry with another believer[a] will answer for it in court. Whoever calls another believer an insulting name will answer for it in the highest court. Whoever calls another believer a fool will answer for it in hellfire. “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember there that another believer has something against you, leave your gift at the altar. First go away and make peace with that person. Then come back and offer your gift. (Matt 5:21-23 GW)

When the Lord says “Never murder,” it included more than literally taking a brother’s life. It included anything that may harm our brother.
It included any evil thought against our brother; it included any railing accusation we might bring against our brother by calling him “Raca,” or thou empty fellow; it included calling our brother a fool. Although this doesn’t mean we cannot admonish a person for foolishness or vanity, it means we are not to use the word fool in a demeaning way to exalt ourselves above our brother. The spirit of the law of the sixth commandment is that we should esteem our brother ahead of ourselves.

It’s interesting to note that the Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) in verse 22 The refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman; also in verse 23.

Now, the scripture I began with states, ” So if you are offering your gift at the altar…” We want to consider this. What is meant by bringing our gift to the altar? What is the Lord Jesus teaching us here?

Many today teach that when Jesus said, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time,” Matt 5:21, that He abolished the law and ushered in a new morality, but this is not the case. They would argue that “by them of old time” Jesus referred to Moses and to the Old Testament law. Most of these people include the Ten Commandments when saying that the law has been abolished.

Now we must understand that these Scriptures, held in their proper context, clearly refer to the traditions and commandments of men imposed upon the people by the scribes and Pharisees. They do not, as many falsely assume and teach today, refer to the abolishment of the law because the Lord deals precisely with this. He says, “Think not that I come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfill,” Matt 5:17.

When the Holy Spirit convinces us of our sin by the mirror of the law, we learn to understand that sin is as incurable as leprosy. At this point we start to understand the leprosy of sin and that we are lepers spiritually.

Looking at Matt 5:23, we read ” So if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember there that another believer has something against you

Now that Jesus has admonished against heart and tongue murder, He holds up the mirror of the law, i.e., the spirit of the law saying, “But I can guarantee that whoever is angry with another believer[a] will answer for it in court. Whoever calls another believer an insulting name will answer for it in the highest court. Whoever calls another believer a fool will answer for it in hellfire,” Matt 5:22.

As we read this scripture we see how Jesus brings us before the mirror of self-knowledge to see the spiritual leprosy of the heart. Matt 5:23, ” So if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember there that another believer has something against you” teaches us the same truths as John 8:7-11 where Jesus spoke to the Pharisees who brought to Him the woman taken in adultery. Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The person who is sinless should be the first to throw a stone at her.”

So we must understand that remembering what our brother has against us is different from remembering what we have against our brother. In John 8:9 we read, “One by one, beginning with the older men, the scribes and Pharisees left. Jesus was left alone with the woman”. Why did they leave? They left because Jesus held the mirror of the spirit of the law before them which brought conviction into their own heart; they saw enough corruption in their own hearts that they had not one stone to throw at the woman.

Let me present you with this question, “when the Lord Jesus comes before us and says that we shall not call our brother “Raca,” and we shall not call our brother a fool, who comes home with clean hands? Who is there who does not become convicted in his own heart”?

As Jesus holds up this mirror of self-knowledge before our eyes, we understand James 3:2, “All of us make a lot of mistakes. If someone doesn’t make any mistakes when he speaks, he would be perfect.” We start to understand that we all offend, we are all guilty, we all make mistakes. This should bring us humbly before the Lord.

Sadly today we are surrounded by people who refuse to forgive, yet they profess forgiveness. I myself must continue to ask Holy Spirit to guard my own heart that “self” does not rise up and opens the door to un-forgiveness in my own heart. It amazes me when I come across supposed leaders who walk under the cloud of un-forgiveness and then wonder why God has put a wall up against their ministry and they begin to walk as though they have stepped out of the favor and anointing of the Father..

If we would with honesty look into the mirror of God’s law, we cannot stand as the Pharisee in the temple and say, “… God, I thank you that I’m not like other people! I’m not a robber or a dishonest person. I haven’t committed adultery. I’m not even like this tax collector. Luke 18:11. We cannot say “Raca,” or thou fool, to anybody but ourselves.

We have to come before the Lord and say, “Lord, I am such an empty fellow; Lord, I am such a fool.” Then we cannot say “thou fool” to a fellow man. We start to see the foolishness of our own evil nature; we start to see the corruption that dwells within us.

Friends, let us cry out to God for the mind of Christ and His nature. We must understand that when we entertain evil thoughts, whisper, or delight to speak ill of our fellow man in the presence of others, we seek a devilish delight. In the eyes of the Lord that is a total breach of the intent of the law. We stand in the Temple saying, “Lord I am not as that other man.” How can you or I tell one thing that is demeaning about our fellow man without exalting ourself as a Pharisee by saying “I hold myself above them.”? If we were not exalting ourself above the other man, what would there be left to tell which does not edify? We have to exalt our fellow man above ourselves because we see the emptiness of our own sinful heart.

Seeking satisfaction in one’s self by putting down another is devilish.

This was the cause of the first murder. The first murder on the face of the earth was caused by Cain seeking to set himself above his brother. We read in Gen 4:5, “But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.” Why? The Lord had respect unto his brother’s offering but not unto his. This made Cain wroth, or very angry.

If we are the people of light, let us shed every aspect of darkness. It comes down to the question of “how willing are we to truly being put to death”? Are we willing to lay down our name, our respect, our dignity and every other area that our life contains? If we hold to one area friends, we might as well as hold onto them all. Our Lord is not interested in being Lord over one area of our lives and allowing pride to rule the other.

We must shed every aspect of pride, die completely to self which can only be done as we grasp hold of the hand of Holy Spirit and allow Him to hold us under the power of the cross, that we through the Might of Holy God can truly be put to death, being fully baptized in the death of Christ, that we truly Live as He has called and purposed us too!

Today my dear brothers & sister, let us cry out to the Father with the prayer of His servant David; “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”.

We can never lead with a heart of un-forgiveness, we can never mature in the Lord with a life filled our hearts and thoughts anchored to un-forgiveness, we can never walk in the fullness of Christ if we allow un-forgiveness to be the reigns which steer our lives

Don’t live another day allowing un-forgiveness and selfish pride to rob you of the blessings and favor Father God has for your life.

For we indeed serve an Awesome God!

The possibilities of a transformed mind!

Posted: March 15, 2011 in disciples life, Parents, teaching, wilderness
0

May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]! (Eph 3:17-19)

Do find your self in a situation where you are dealing with someone impossible to get along with, at work, school or even in a marriage? Do you cry out to the Lord “O’ Lord, please change this person? Yet it seems to get worse and worse?

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: (Phil 2:3-5)

I have found myself in these situations many times. In fact for three years I cried out to God, please change so and so yet it was to no avail. Then one morning I was grumbling to Him about her and He answered me sternly “It is not my desire to change them to your liken, it is My hearts to desire to change you to accept them as My creation as well– for you too look at them through My eyes”. I thought to myself – Now, that is a radical impossibility. Yet once that Word was released into my life, Holy Spirit was like a blood hound on a trail, relentless in pursuit of bring this revelation to pass.

The Gospel Message put into action

Now, when I started putting the Word into action, the impossibility became possible. The same thing was transpiring with my employment. I would spent wasted hours thinking – Man, if God would only change the situation that I have it would become bearable, yet when I allowed Holy Spirit to transform my character to realize that I needed to start Praising Him in the midst of the storms at my work – the storms began to dissipate.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph 2:8-10)

Now, do others still do things that irritate my fleshly man? Yes! Do situations arise at work that attempt to stretch my character to what appears to be its natural limit? Yes! Yet, when I allow the spirit man to rise up, when I put on the mind of Christ, my whole out look take on a different perspective. When I enter into to praising the Lord for my marriage, for my employment, as well as in many other situations though they change not from an outward perspective, from a spiritual perspective something changes in the atmosphere – it is as though the enemy, who once could position my sight soulishly on self, could stir of the carnal man with all its self appointed rights that come from carnal thinking lost his strength!

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” (Eph 1:7-10)

The Lord allows us to enter into to situations that are death chambers to our flesh, so that through them we may die to self and come into victorious life in the spirit! It makes no natural sense, this radical idea of denying self and finding purposed good in every situation. What shouts of glory must echo through the halls of His Throne room, when He looks down and sees His children praising Him regardless of what this world throws at them.

If one can grasp the spiritual truth in this revelation, one will begin to see the power we have to quiet the storms of the enemy.

“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,” (Eph 2:14)

What a glorious sight it is, to be positioned with the three young men from then book of Daniel, who entering into the fiery furnace did not see the situation as of death, rather they where able to look past the flames that violently sought to consume them and find the Son of man standing right there with them, Reaching out and sheltering with His arms of life and protecting them!

“…and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come(Eph 1:19-21)

Is it easy? Not the least bit, in fact it is impossible in the natural man, yet in the spirit man, through the knowledge of Christ, all that He is it is a radical possibility that turn a natural impossibility in the a super natural possibility”

Disciples of the Lord, if you will allow Holy Spirit to transform your mind, to train you to put on the garments of praise your storms will loose their violence; the enemy will begin to lose his ability to toss you about on the strings of your emotions. When you position yourself to start viewing every situation you face, every person you encounter through His eyes – you will see miraculous atmospheric changes!

The transforming power of the Word of God!

Simply put, the Gospel renews the minds of those who embrace it, leading them to think with the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:17-24). The Gospel offers every human being the opportunity for clear-headedness, honest thought, holy plans, and the ability to see all of life through the eyes of the risen and victorious Savior of the world.

His grace released through you is a breath of Freedom to those who are bound!

People who are still in their sins cannot help but depend on futile, debased thinking for the hope and change they desire. They cannot break out of their sinful patterns of thought, their truncated worldviews and selfish plans, on their own power. They need the power of Christ, the power of the Gospel, to blow out the cobwebs of wrong thinking and move in the furniture and accoutrements of the mind of Christ.

And Jesus can do this, is doing this, and will do it for all who embrace His righteousness as their key to a liberated life. Our calling is not to be ashamed of this Gospel, so that we draw back from opportunities to make it known, but to live out the mind of Christ in all its fullness, and to invite our neighbors and friends to consider this Good News as the only way to real hope and real change.

“This is the reason I kneel in the presence of the Father from whom all the family in heaven and on earth receives its name. I’m asking God to give you a gift from the wealth of his glory. I pray that he would give you inner strength and power through his Spirit. Then Christ will live in you through faith. I also pray that love may be the ground into which you sink your roots and on which you have your foundation. This way, with all of God’s people you will be able to understand how wide, long, high, and deep his love is. You will know Christ’s love, which goes far beyond any knowledge. I am praying this so that you may be completely filled with God.

Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory belongs to God in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time and eternity! Amen. (Eph 3:14-21)

Radically dependent upon God!

Posted: March 14, 2011 in disciples life, teaching, wilderness
Tags: , ,
1

The modern day gospel says, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for you life. Therefore, follow these steps, and you can be saved.” Meanwhile, the biblical gospel says, “You are an enemy of God, dead in your sin, and in your present state of rebellion, you are not even able to see that you need life, much less to cause yourself to come to life. Therefore, you are radically dependent on God to do something in your life that you could never do.

The former sells books and draws crowds. The later saves souls. Which is more important?

The gospel of the bible brings forth the revelation of the depth to which we need God. In it God shows us that there is absolutely nothing we can do to come to Him. We can not manufacture salvation, no matter how hard or how many times we attempt to imitate it, we can not reproduce it. We can not create a program that will produce it. We can not even begin to initiate it. We are totally and radically dependent upon God to open our eyes, set us free, overcome our evil, and appease His wrath. He has to come to us.

In this, Praise God, we begin to see the beauty of the Gospel message of the Kingdom of God.

Only the Creator Himself could devise such a plan of redemption for mankind – In fact only the Creator of heaven & earth, through and of Himself can offer such a perfect and flawless redemptive and eternal salvation to His creation.

For indeed we serve an Awesome God

Older Entries
Newer Entries