Posts Tagged ‘disciples’

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 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.

Engulfed in Peace

Posted: June 16, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
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Engulfed in Peace
By Ron McGatlin

Injustice exudes from an upside down fallen world.
The masses have had their minds inverted and their hearts darkened.
Wisdom has hidden and righteousness has departed far from them.
The shrewd and strong take from the weak and simple and no one intervenes.
They spend wildly what they do not have for what they do not need.
They trample the precious and embrace the corrupt.
They reject truth and cherish lies.
They kill their babies and pamper their pets.
They sleep with a viper and run from a Lamb.
They abandon their wives and molest their children.
They run after knowledge and turn away from truth.
Their judgment is upon their heads and they know it not.
The devourer is upon them and their time of loss is at hand.
Their leaders take them the wrong way and they do not discern.

Their sin has separated them from their God (Isa 59:2). They have turned from Him and He has given them over to perverse reprobate minds (Rom 1:28).

To have spiritual eyes and understanding is a burden. Seeing what should be and finding no way for it to be is a source of great frustration and discouragement. To see our once blessed nation crumbling and the children wasting their lives brings great pain. To see the armies of evil moving in to devour the strength of the people is sad beyond measure. However, the hardest part of all is to know the solution, to have the remedy to save the land and restore the people and be violently turned away. This is the most troubling and frustrating of all.

But take heart and be filled with courage. God is not finished yet. There is a kingdom reality manifesting now with us and before us is the righteousness, peace and joy of the glory of God on earth as it is in heaven.

In the midst of the devastation of cataclysmic events of judgments, a great light shines through on the horizon. Beyond the smoke and dust of devastation the Kingdom reigns and the glory approaches. Look up to the light and be engulfed with total peace beyond all reason and understanding. Even in the midst of great destruction your heart will be at perfect peace and rest. Warmth and comfort will supernaturally engulf your heart and life. As the light approaches, the peace of righteousness will become joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Do not dwell upon the news of death and despair. Do not set your eyes on the evil that is being dissolved but look up and set you affection on the light of our glorious KING the LORD of all and His kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy.

Keep on preaching and demonstrating the kingdom grabbing hold of those who come running out of the fire. Refresh them with the pure cool water of the Spirit and provide them a fresh clean change of cloths. Many will be saved even during the cleansing fires of judgment. Supernatural faith and peace will be graced to you to finish the work of God allotted to you. You will be engulfed in peace hidden in a cloud of His love. Set your mind on things above. Set your affection on heavenly things of Christ Jesus in the Spirit.

Col 3:2: Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Let your life be consumed in the Spirit. Let you daily moment by moment walk be in the Spirit.

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

Be led of the Spirit in all things and lean not unto your own understanding.

Prov 3:5: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding.

Rom 8:14: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Psa 91:7-8: A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked.

Phil 4:4-7: Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Phil 4:8-9: Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy; meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Keep on pursuing love. It never fails
and His kingdom never ends.

Ron McGatlin

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

Blinded by the worlds bling, bling!

Posted: June 15, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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Is the world so powerful in these days that its ability to hide the truth is so great that the majority of Christians do not even realize that they have been captivated by it allure. So many believe they are free not realizing how thick the prison walls of worldly desires are around them. Sadly one of the thickest walls is that of religion. Praise God for His Word – let us not stop professing it in the Authority & Power of Jesus Christ.

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God’s power working unto salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, For in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith]. As it is written, The man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith.(A) For God’s [holy] wrath and indignation are revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who in their wickedness repress and hinder the truth and make it inoperative. (Rom 1:16-18 AMP)

Holiness has seemed to have become a challenge for most people to obtain.

Our salvation is the power which affords us the ability to live, not just a life of faith, but a life of faith that is based upon godliness.

There are some terms that most people shy away from today, which speaks of their relationship and stand with God that seem to segregate them from the common population. Terms such as holiness, sanctification, righteousness, perfection, peculiar, and consecrated are not common in the Body today, yet many of the worlds wisdom is spoken of and portrayed as a holy revelation.

“The world has taken captive in many churches the powerful message of Biblical characters”

We start using TV programs and characters to relate to rather than the people of the Bible as though they are now out dated.

Most people do not want to be looked at as being different; we try so much to assimilate, until we assimilate ourselves to spiritual compromise. Some things, some of us, would never see as being unrighteous or compromising, because we choose to keep God out of that part of our lives.

There is an element of unholy control that we like to have over certain areas and we resist any efforts of change and ultimately label others as being either fanatical, weak, or religious when challenged to change in those areas.

I have learned that no matter what is preached, unless individuals allow the Holy Ghost to penetrate their hearts, they never see the errors of their ways. Therefore, in these last days, the church has become too compromising and that has lead to a frustration of its purpose.

There was a day that there was a distinct difference between those who were sanctified and those who were not. Yet now the mention of true sanctification is shunned away as legalistic.

Many of us have forgotten the admonition by Paul in:

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial [the devil]? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? What agreement [can there be between] a temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.(C) So, come out from among [unbelievers], and separate (sever) yourselves from them, says the Lord, and touch not [any] unclean thing; then I will receive you kindly and treat you with favor,(D) And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.(E) (2 Cor 6:14-18 AMP)

Paul is literally speaking in this passage about compromising our spiritual values and assimilating with the unrighteous philosophy of the world.

What makes it so difficult for the people of God to sanctify themselves for God only?

Have you considered why the world seems so attractive to people, when it was the world that caused them to run to Christ?

Oh my friends, many of us are in denial having allowed the lust of our eyes, the lust of our hearts, and the pride of life to cause us to become more attracted to the world than to please God.

We need to turn back to the roots of our beginning and realize that the Lord birthed something in our Jewish heritage that the enemy knew if he could sever our ties to it, would cause us to be a weakened church. Now is the time that we need to turn towards the Lord our God whole heartedly, we must learn to sacrifice ourselves, our agendas, and our philosophies to the sole authority of God, the Father. If not, I believe that some of us are in for a rude awakening at judgment time.

Speaking of shunned words this is but another thing that people do not like to talk about, judgment. We all will have to give an account for all that we do in this flesh.

The Jewish people were taught from a young age to know only study and recite the Torah, they were taught to have a holy reverent fear of the Lord and His Word. The truth is today, we have not seen, nor realized the drastic outcome and punishment of divine judgment, because we have allowed the world to justify ill conditions to fate and not attribute them to the hand of God.

I believe that God is highly disappointed with the church today and, as the scripture states; He is shortening these last days so that the very elect will not be fooled.

So let us pose this question today of “how are we fooled”? We are fooled when we choose to outdate the scriptures; when we choose to justify our actions; when we choose to compromise our values and standards; and the like.

Because we allowed the things of the world take rule in the church, walls of separation and segregation were imposed. Today because of the error that has traditionally become a “false” truth has left us with actions that are not necessarily denominational dependent, but are direct in violation to the word and will of God. God’s word never changes, nor does God. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Because of all the hype and counterfeit moves of God today, I believe that most people have had a religious experience, but all are not truly filled and baptized with the Holy Ghost.

The very Word itself has been consistently manifested before our very eyes, yet not knowing the Truth of the Word we have been blind to the fact that we have birthed a generation of “believers” who have a form of godliness, but deny the very power of the God they state that they serve.

God is not weak; the blood of Jesus is not powerless; the power of the Holy Ghost has not diminished; prayer still works; so does, fasting, studying, and submitting to the word of God.

Let us read what the Master stated in gospel of John:

If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever– The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you. (John 14:15-17 AMP)

Jesus’ words in this passage allow you to take an individual spiritual assessment and to measure your spiritual development based upon your love for Him.

Just as He said in Luke 7:47, “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” Many of us have not properly valued His forgiveness of our sins. And, what you value little, you respect little.

“Worldly wisdom says to disregard the ways of the world and that everyone can believe the Word according to your own understanding”.

Again I want to touch base on how our being cut off from our Jewish heritage in the church has left us prepared to disregard the world’s wisdom and hold strongly onto the Truth of the Word. When one studies the early church, we find a group of people who were prepared to be those whom the Lord would birth the Bride through. Their culture of honoring and holding to the scriptures as a life source allowed them to transfer this into the next generation. At an early age they could recite the Torah, today many in the church can not recite more than a handful of scriptures.

Fathers can not pass on the knowledge of the Word when they themselves know it not. The enemy sought to replace this important aspect of the family and replaced the ‘fathers’ with the clergy or priest, even to the point that for decades and in some cases in our day they are still referred too as “father”.

The Fathers were use to being the spiritual leader of the homes and this custom was passed from one generation to the next. Even today many even though they do not believe that Jesus was the Christ, they are reaping the reward of holding to the Word of God and given God is correct place of authority and ruler-ship in their lives. They know what it means to be a spiritual family.

Like the people of the first church, our love for God should cause us to obey all of His commandments; they are not grievous, except to those who desire to do wrong.

The reason why some of our lives are so spiritually weak is simply because our lack of true love for Christ, the Word and the WAY of God diminishes the effectiveness of the Holy Ghost, which is given to us.

Our love and obedience empowers us with the comfort of the Spirit in every situation of our life.

So, what will you give or surrender in exchange for your soul? Will it be a little pleasure; a little recognition; a little fame; a little popularity; a little compromise; a little here and a little there?

Back to what the Lord said earlier, “Consider your ways.” Living for God is more than about blessings and prosperity, but it involves righteousness, holiness, consecration, sanctification, and sacrifice.

What you do now determines the strength of your relationship. God has already given us everything that pertains to life and godliness through the working of His Holy Spirit. But, it will do us no good if we never obey.

Let us repent and turn to the Lord God adhering to the Masters call to” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as you love yourself.” and begin with removing the lust of this world, replacing its ruler in our lives and start with the first commandment “You shall have no other gods before Me”.

We are living in the days when the Lord is seeking radical disciples – those who have heard not only the message of the cross, but the call to bare ones cross as well.

For indeed we serve an Awesome & Holy God.

The truth will cost you everything – “Are you prepared”?

Posted: May 30, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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“Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple“. ~Yeshua

If speaking words of truth will cause you to be ostracized are you willing to speak them? Or is it more important to have everyone like you and you’re only willing to speak the appeasing word that tickle the ears of your listeners?

This is the question the Lord has asked us all – are you willing to count the cost for truth? When I see the men like the David Wilkerson, a faithful watchman who blazed the trail before me, I can but say “Yes Lord – whatever the cost – I will be faithful to that which you have entrusted me to speak”.

For that which I speak friends, has already shaken my spirit – it has already pricked my heart and motivates me to change to be more like Jesus. Under the conviction of Holy Spirit and having already felt the fire of God’s Word in my own life, that fire that purges away the worthless and transforms us into His image, these things do I write.

Who in their right mind would venture on a journey that could cost you everything, not first counting the cost? I believe many today are in it for the glory, for the name and for the fun of it. Few have actually sat down and counted the cost.

Many have been given a watered down and useless gospel – useless for it contains not the whole truth, rather it is coated with sugar – easy on the ear’s – thus they are following a god, who they picture as a sugar daddy – and when it doesn’t happen the way they believe it should they fall away.

What if speaking a word cost you your job, your family your life, would you still speak it?

Many say yes, till the challenge to do so presents itself, then they cower from the opportunity before them. Or they allow a fruitless, worthless thought to come into their mind,taken root, causing destruction and obstruction of truth and they fail to take it captive to the mind of Christ. A thought Like”Jesus would never ask or expect me to say or do that! Really, have you read and listened to what the Master has said?

One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple.

“Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so you’ll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you’re going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: ‘He started something he couldn’t finish.’

“Or can you imagine a king going into battle against another king without first deciding whether it is possible with his ten thousand troops to face the twenty thousand troops of the other? And if he decides he can’t, won’t he send an emissary and work out a truce?

“Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple. (Luke 14:25-33 Message)

Yet so many seek to be the popular one, many leaders seek to promote the ones who relate to a certain group of people, even though they are but mechanical robots promoting the doctrines of this world. How many pastors would let John the Baptist stand and preach today? How many pastors would let the real Jeremiah rip off a rebuke to the crowd? Not many because they would be fearful that their precious source of income and support for their empires would run away.

Over the past 2 years God has been burning my heart and purging the cowardice spirit out of me, to the point that I can not but speak that which the Father speaks to me.

Is every word I speak or write (which is in reality speaking) of God. Nope, have not reached that point yet and more than likely never will,that place was reserved for the Lord. And I might speak something from my own heart – yet what I do speak is with a deep conviction – and the closer I get to the Lord, the deeper conviction falls upon me.

Notice I said conviction and not condemnation – for there are enough “Christians” out there attempting to condemn everything and everyone out of hell – we can not win the battle in the flesh friends – only through spiritual weapon given and imparted to us from the Lord.

My question today to each one of you is:

.Have you counted the cost? Or are you running on reserve, ready to retreat when the going gets tough?

Looking back at Luke 14:33, we receive the answer from the Lord to one who decides to retreat:

“Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple”.

As for me, I have counted the cost and anything less than hearing the Master proclaim “Well done good and faithful servant, you have lived, loved and spoken as I have commanded you” is not worth anything this world has to offer.

The highest call is that of servant!

IHS,
Russ Welch

(Re-posted & edited from Russ G Welch FaceBook page Originally posted on April 3, 2010)

Does the world recognize its own reflection in your life!

Posted: May 28, 2011 in disciples life, teaching
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Have you suffered so many things {and} experienced so much all for nothing (to no purpose)–if it really is to no purpose {and} in vain? (Gal 3:4 amp)

There were a number of accepted belief systems in Palestine and the greater Roman Empire at the time this was written, such as Gnosticism and Judaism, but it is certain that God’s truth was never popular or widely accepted. It is practically a foregone conclusion that someone practicing the truth will be persecuted for it to one degree or another (Matthew 13:21; Romans 8:35-36; Galatians 5:11; II Timothy 3:12; I Peter 2:19-21).

In fact, the churches of Galatia may have been forewarned about this by Paul when he was teaching in Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch (all on the south-eastern border of Galatia) as recorded in Acts 14:20-22. Christians are called to be separate from this world and its ways, and when the world recognizes this difference, it lashes out.

From Paul’s writing, it seems that the Galatians had the proper foundation at one time, and they really did understand the truth at the beginning of their spiritual lives.

This would have been the time when they were actively standing up for the truth, and a great contrast would have been evident between the Galatians and the general population. This is when they would have suffered—in the internal struggle of having to give up their former conduct, or with the external struggle of not fitting in with the rest of society.

As the Galatians began to slide into apostasy, they would no longer have been so repulsive to the people around them, and the suffering and persecution would have begun to lessen—the world would have started to recognize itself in them again (John 15:19).

In essence, Paul is asking them if they are just going to throw away all that they had learned—especially what they had learned through adversity. With this question he is pointing out that, if they fall away, everything they had been through, both good and bad, would have been in vain in the sense that there would be no future profit from it.

They would have received the maximum benefit from it already. This relates to Romans 8:28, where we are promised that all that we suffer will be redeemed for those who meet the requirements listed—those who are called according to His purpose, which the Galatians ostensibly were, and those who love God, which the Galatians were not doing in that they were relegating Christ’s sacrifice for sin as meaningless.

The question we have to ask about our selves and our church today is “Does the world see more of itself in us, they we are seen in the world”? Now, the tough part if one really wants the truth is to ask Holy Ghost to do the search. I think many will be shocked at just how much leaven Holy Ghost point’s out – then comes the question are you willing to have it removed?

We can play church all we want, but if we believe we can play church and live as the world does and that the stench of the world will not be pick up in the Kingdom, we are only fooling ourselves. There are going to be no prostitutes (spiritually speaking) marrying the Fathers Son – Only those who are loyal to the Groom shall become the Bride – where is you loyalty today!!!

“The only way to live a life with no compromise is to live as one who has been broken. Our fleshly man has no control what so ever and our inner man ( spirit) has been fully captured in the marriage of our spirit with that of the Gods Spirit within, together acting as one with no battle of will”.~RGW

Be not deceived – Know the true Christ!

Posted: May 27, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]. And you [a]are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead–Father, Son and Holy Spirit–and reach full spiritual stature]. And He is the Head of all rule and authority [of every angelic principality and power]. (Col 2:9-10 AMP)

A true disciple of Christ will recognize through discernment that at every turn, we are faced with those living the life of a false disciple right in the midst of the fellowship. And the goal of the spirit which is ruling their lives is to twist the nature of Christ. Some false disciples in Paul’s day and right here in ours believe that Jesus was a man, but that Christ entered into Jesus when He was baptized and left Him right before He died.

We find many false doctrines in the world and church today are empowering modern day deceived false disciples who believe that Jesus did not really die—because, after all, if He died, then He was not really God. Many who have been indoctrinated in the false teachings believe that He could not have been perfect and sinless because He created matter, which false disciples, following the thinking of Gnosticism believe to be evil. And there were those in Paul’s day who believed that Jesus Christ was a created being—an idea that is still affecting the fringes of the church of God today.

The point is if we really want to counter false disciples deceptions and their doctrines in our day, we must begin with the truth of Jesus Christ. Paul emphasizes this in verses 9-10: Jesus was the fullness of the divine nature in bodily form, and He is the head, the leader, the sovereign, of every principality and power. Though the false disciples in their various views always twist or deny some aspect of the nature and role of Jesus Christ, these truths brought out by the apostle are bedrock beliefs for true Christians.

We must be anchored in the Word friends, for the true, Holy Ghost taught knowledge of the Word is foundational to countering false doctrines is the truth that Jesus brought. To combat the false knowledge that threatens to plunder our spiritual riches, we must take the Bible as the complete and inspired Word of God, against which we can test any concept, tradition, doctrine, or philosophy, no matter how good it sounds on the surface.

When dealing with such, you will soon learn that these false disciples will not readily accept the Bible as God’s inspired revelation, or if they do, they also hold to the belief that other ancient, secret writings are on par with Scripture, and can be trusted to provide greater insight.

Though the Lord is still speaking to His people today, we need to be very cautious that we do not allow prophecy to over rule the Holy Word. Many in our day are chasing after a new word, and spend little time listening to what the Father has to say in His Word, which is a scale for which we are to use to weigh all things, that we are not being deceived!

We must put on the whole armor of God, I personal tremble at the thought of how foolish I have been in the past to not take advantage of this armor in my own life – But by the Grace of the Holy Father of our Lord Jesus Christ through the guarding of my mind by the infilling of Holy Ghost in my life – there has always been that red flags popping up in my spirit when things contrary to the Ways of the Lord. Much of this I believe is because of the faithful prayers of my mother and many others that the Lord would guard my mind – let us never forsake to power of the prayer of a righteous servant of the Lord – know that the Father hears of prayers!

In the hour we live we must be radical Christians whose eyes turn not from the Lord Jesus Christ, from His Word, and we radically keep our ears tuned into Heaven!

We must be radical Christians in regard to our prayer time, that quality time when the Father shares His heart with us!

We must be radical Christians in regard to the testing of the spirit’s and friends we are called to judge the fruits!

Take for example Acts 16:16-18, here we find Paul and Silas were being followed by a slave girl who predicted the future. When Paul turned and commanded an evil spirit to come out of her, was he judging her? No, he was judging the fruit in her life. He was able to discern that while she did speak the truth about them, saying that they were servants of the Most High God, it was actually the spirit in her that was speaking, seeking attention for itself.

Here again we find another example in Matthew 14:3-12 , in this passage we read how John the Baptist spoke out and told Herod that it was wrong for him to have his brother’s wife. Was John judging Herod when he spoke this? No, he was preaching the uncompromising truth of God’s Word. Obviously, it infuriated Herod because he had John arrested, and later consented to have him beheaded.

Let us do away with the watered down gospel which creates frail, weak Christians and instead let us not walk ourselves in our own strength rather, but in in the power of His Spirit – let us as well train up disciples who are brave and compelled to live in the Ways of Christ, who cower not in the face of the enemy, no matter what persecutions he throws our way!

Friends I truly believe that we are living in the last days, the final chapter of Act’s is being lived out right before us. Because of that, Jesus told us that the love of many will wax cold. (Matt 24:12) People will want to hear only preaching that will tickle their itching ears. (2 Tim 4:3) While it may be easier to just keep our mouth shut and refuse to speak the truth of God’s Word, I want to encourage you right here today to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.

Keep running the race He has marked out for you. Even in the midst of persecution, know that your Father in heaven is closely watching you, and He is pleased when you stand up for righteousness, walking in the power and authority of His Son, Yeshua. (Heb 12:1-2)

“The highest calling is that of servant-hood”
IHS,
Russ ‘Rush’ Welch

You Can Live Sin Free

Posted: May 26, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching
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The only real freedom is in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you’ve been born again, the old man inside you, the one that had been held captive by the devil and made a slave to sin, has died. The power of sin over you has been broken forever!

“[Your] old man is crucified with [Christ],” Romans 6:6 says, “that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth [you] should not serve sin” (KJV). And not only are you free from sin, but if you’ll walk in the righteousness Jesus has given you, you’ll rule over it.

In the kingdom of God, righteousness is the scepter (see Heb. 1:8). It’s what gives you authority. It is imputed to you the moment you’re born again, and it makes you victorious over the world, the flesh, the devil and every enemy that comes against you.

That’s why the devil will do anything to get you to lay righteousness down. He’ll do anything to convince you that you’re still under the bondage of sin.

He’ll tell you that it’s just not normal for a human being to live above sin. “Oh, everybody sins,” he’ll whisper. “After all, you’re only human.”

No, you’re not! You’re a reborn child of almighty God. You have God Himself inside you. Even though it’s normal for natural men to sin, it’s not normal for you.

I’ll tell you why the devil tries so hard to convince you that you’re still subject to sin. It’s the only way he can keep you under his control.

He’s not afraid of people (even believers) who are living in sin. But he shudders when a man or woman starts living day by day in obedient union with the Lord. When that kind of person speaks to the devil, he runs (see James 4:7).

Freedom from sin is the whole basis of the great salvation God has given us. “Salvation” is a very big word. It includes much more than going to heaven and missing hell. What it actually means is “health, wholeness, deliverance, well-being, safety and soundness.”

But without freedom from sin, we wouldn’t have any of those things. Sickness, poverty, death—all the curses of sin—would still be in force. It’s only because God has broken the power of sin over us that we can walk free.

If you’re shaking your head thinking: I don’t feel very free. It seems as if the devil still has his hooks in me and I don’t know how to get loose, listen to me. You are loose.

The Word says: “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:8-11, NKJV).

When this Scripture comes alive in you, you can lay down any sin and never go back to it again. Let the truth of it sink into your heart. Sin has lost its grip on you. It can’t come back unless you decide to let it come back.

Look at what Ephesians 2:5 says about you: “Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him]” (The Amplified Bible).

You’ve already experienced the greatest resurrection of all. You experienced it the day you were born again. That’s when you passed from death to life. That’s when sin and death lost their hold over you—the day the old man died and the new man came to life.

So if you’ve been living beneath your privileges, it’s time to pick up your scepter of righteousness and shake it in the devil’s face. It’s time to kick sin out of your life and start living free.
by Gloria Copeland

The Sons Are Free

Posted: May 25, 2011 in disciples life, teaching
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“The Sons Are Free” By John Piper
Matthew 17:22-27

And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men; 23 and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.” And they were deeply grieved. 24 When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?” 26 When Peter said, “From strangers,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are exempt. 27 However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.”

There are three reasons why I chose this text for our consideration this morning.

First is because today is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week when we look forward to Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. Jesus says in verses 22-23, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men; and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.” So the text begins with a prophecy of the Lord about what will happen in that last week which we call Holy Week.

Second, there is a conversation between Jesus and Peter that teaches something wonderful about the freedom that we have as Christians. Verse 26 ends, “Then the sons are exempt (literally “free”).” I want us to see what this freedom is and what a great thing it is to have it.

Third, the passage includes a miracle in verse 27, namely, the coin in the fish’s mouth. This shows that Jesus is worthy of our worship and relates the freedom we have as Christians to the way God provides for his free children when they willingly act for love’s sake, not under the constraint of law. This applies to the financial challenge we face in the Gideon Venture and the Isaac Factor (see the previous three sermons). Or, more personally, it applies to God’s care for you in your situation as a free child of God. Not that God will always work a miracle to get you out of some scrape you’re in, but that he will work with omnipotent power to meet all your needs on the path of freedom and love.

So let’s start with the second of these reasons and then go to the third and then end with the first, the prophecy of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
The Two-Drachma Tax

Verse 24: Jesus and his disciples are in Capernaum, Peter’s hometown (Mark 1:29). Some Jewish people, whose job was to collect the “two-drachma” temple tax, came to Peter and asked, “Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?” This was not a Roman tax, but a Jewish tax for the upkeep of the temple. It was based loosely on Exodus 30:11-16. So these folks were not your unpatriotic tax collectors that we usually read about who collected for the Romans; they were the very patriotic supporters of the temple who expected Israelites throughout the homeland and beyond to take part in supporting the temple service. So this question (“Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?”) was probably a test to see how supportive Jesus would be of the temple service in Jerusalem. Rumors were already circulating that he said disloyal things about the temple.

Peter answered in verse 25, “Yes.” When he and Jesus were in the house away from the crowd, Jesus asked Peter (in verse 25b), “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?” So Jesus is not going to let this go by without a lesson being taught.

He brings up a comparison – an analogy. There are kings on the earth who run their kingdoms with money raised from taxes. How are those taxes collected, Jesus asked, from the king’s own children or from the rest of the citizens and inhabitants? The analogy pictures God as the king and the temple service as the running of his kingdom and makes a comparison between some people who are the sons of the king and some who are not the sons of the king.
Who Are the Sons and How Are They Free?

Peter answers Jesus’ question in verse 26, “From strangers.” That is, kings collect taxes from the citizens and inhabitants that are not part of their family. That’s the right answer. So “Jesus said to him, ‘Then the sons are exempt (=free).'”

So what is the point Jesus is making? Who are the sons that are free and how are they free? Verse 27 gives us the decisive clue. Jesus says to Peter: “However [that is, even though the sons are free] . . . take that and give it to them for you and Me.” In other words, you are free, Peter, and I am free, but we will pay the two-drachma temple tax anyway.

So the comparisons are between the kings of the earth and God and between the king’s sons and Jesus with his disciples. Which raises a question: Who are the “strangers”? Who are the “citizens and inhabitants” that are not exempt – not free from the temple tax?

Keep in mind here: This temple tax has nothing to do with the Romans. This is a Jewish tax. So if Jesus makes a distinction between the sons who are free and another group who are not free, he is making a distinction within Israel – among two groups of Jews. This is what John the Baptist did before him. It is what Paul would do after him. John the Baptist called for Israel to repent and be a part of a new, true Israel, and not to boast, “We have Abraham as our father” (Matthew 3:9), as if mere Jewish descent made one a child of God. Then Paul said in Romans 9:6-8, “Not all Israel is Israel . .. It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God.”

So the answer is that the “strangers” – the “citizens and inhabitants” who are not free are the Jewish people who are rejecting Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus is the Son of God, and those who trust him and follow him are sons of God because of their attachment to Jesus. Matthew 16:15-16: “[Jesus] said to [the disciples], ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And speaking to his disciples he said, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God'” (Matthew 5:9).

It’s true that Israel was called the son of God in the Old Testament (Exodus 4:22). So how can Jesus now say that some Jews are sons of God and free, and some are not sons of God and not free? The answer is that “sonship” has a new, personal, individual meaning with Jesus. There was a corporate sonship before, but now there is a new, personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This new, personal, individual relationship of sonship through Jesus is what Jesus has in mind when he says, “the sons are free.”

With the coming of Jesus Christ – the one and only divine, eternal, uncreated Son of God – into the world, a new way of relating to God is made possible. Now there is the real, experienced, conscious union with Jesus Christ that no one had known before the coming of Christ.

It is described in Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.” This term, “fellow heirs with Christ,” shows how our sonship is connected to Christ’s. We are sons along with Jesus Christ when we are in Christ. Not that we are divine, like him, but that we share his inheritance, just as we share his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).

That is what Jesus is pointing to here in Matthew 17:26, “The sons are exempt (free).” Those who are Jesus’ disciples are the true sons of God and are free from the temple tax, and those who reject him are not the true sons of God and are not free.

But that raises another question: Does this mean that God means for his temple to be supported by unbelievers? No. That is not the point. What, then, is the point?
Jesus the True Meeting Place with God

I think the point is twofold. One is that the temple is passing away and is going to be replaced by Jesus himself as the true meeting place with God; and the other is that Jesus does not say that the true children of God don’t pay the tax, but only that they are free not to. In fact, he sends Peter to pay it in verse 27.

The true children of God – the followers of Jesus – are free because Jesus himself is taking the place of the temple. “I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days” (Matthew 26:61). He was referring to his body. Jesus himself was the new meeting place with God. “Something greater than the temple is here” (Matthew 12:6). Place was giving way to Person. The sons are free because the sons are discovering that the age of the temple in Jerusalem is over. The age of coming to God through Jesus is here.

The other reason Jesus doesn’t mean that the temple is to be supported by unbelievers is that he sends the true children of God to support the temple, not because they have to support the temple, but because it might at times be good to for the sake of the gospel. Verse 27: “However, so that we do not offend them. . . . Take that and give it to them for you and Me.” In other words, you are free not to pay the tax, but pay it anyway for the sake of not putting an obstacle in the way of my message.

So here’s the main point of the passage: Those who trust and follow Jesus as the Son of God are the true children of God and are, therefore, free from the old system of temple worship with its “taxes.” This does not mean that we no longer care about the ministry of worship. It means we come to God through Jesus. And if there is, incidentally and culturally, a building involved, we are not forced or coerced to support that building. The sons are free.

The point of verse 27 (the payment of the “tax”) seems to be this: If you are a child of God, you decide how you will support a non-essential building (and all of them are now!) not by thinking of yourself as taxed by God, but by thinking of whether there are reasons the building will advance the cause of Jesus Christ – which is not building-oriented, but God-oriented, and kingdom-oriented, and ministry-oriented, and people-oriented.
A Miracle of Freedom and Provision

Now I turn very briefly to the miracle of the coin in the fish’s mouth and the introductory words of prophecy that Jesus’ death is just ahead.

Verse 27, again: “However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.” What’s the point of the miracle of the coin in the fish’s mouth?
Two things at least.

One is this: If Jesus is bringing the temple to an end for the true children of God, because “something greater than the temple is here” (Matthew 12:6), then it is fitting that he show that he is worthy of our worship. This miracle involves divine power and wisdom and knowledge. Someone had to be sure that a shekel (precisely worth four drachmas – two for Jesus and two for Peter) was dropped in the sea. Someone had to be sure that the fish scooped it up, but did not swallow it all the way. Someone had to be sure that the fish that scooped up the coin would be near where Peter drops his hook in the water. And Someone would have to be sure that the fish bites Peter’s hook, without swallowing the coin, and stays hooked till he gets the coin. When Jesus says that this is, in fact, all going to happen just as he says, he shows himself to be just what Peter confessed him to be: the Son of God worthy of worship and trust. You don’t have to go anywhere or pay anything to worship God. He has come to you. There he is. Here he is!

The other point of the miracle is that when you act in freedom and love -not under coercion or constraint – God himself works for you in ways you would never dream. It’s like the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus says to the disciples who have five loaves and two fish borrowed from a little boy, “You feed the five thousand.” When they set out to do that (just as when Peter sets out to pay the temple tax), God causes the five loaves and two fish to become enough to feed them all. And God causes a coin to be there in a fish’s mouth.

The point is not that God will always work a miracle to get you out of some scrape, but that he will do whatever he has to do to help you pursue the path of freedom and sacrificial love that may seem impossible to you.

So with regard to Education for Exultation, we could add “The Fish Factor” or “The Coin Component” to “The Gideon Venture” and “The Isaac Factor.” You are not bound to give, but love may compel you to give. And if it does, there will be a way -if God is in it, God will make a way. That’s the second point of the miracle. As Hudson Taylor said, “Depend upon it. God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack for supplies” (www.gospelcom.net/chi/GLIMPSEF/Glimpses/glmps047.shtml, accessed 4/15/00).

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